The story behind rise in Texas test scores
Good news: Texas schoolchildren performed better on the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills this year than they did last,according to preliminary results released this month.
Bad news: It turns out that students could pass the test answering fewer questions correctly than in 2009.
For those who want the world to run by the results of standardized tests,the Houston Chronicle’s story behind the story of the gains on the TAKS should be a cautionary lesson in relying too much on test scores and reform driven by “data.” Numbers can lie, and often do, in any field, including education; just ask those folks who believed Bernard Madoff’s investment numbers.
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