The Failure of "Reform" - Standardized Tests
The entire corporate "reform" argument hangs on the use of standardized tests. Reformers insist that these tests are absolutely critical in ensuring "accountability" throughout the teaching profession, and that pay, tenure protections, and even job security should be tied to the tests.
Now, I could tell you that researchers have known for years that bubble tests assess only a fraction of a student's learning.
I could tell you that the error rates on these tests are so high that using them to evaluate teachers is functionally the same as rolling dice (even the reformers acknowledge this; they just don't much seem to care if a teacher's career is destroyed by accident).
I could tell you that the overwhelming consensus among researchers is that these tests should not be used for
