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Friday, March 16, 2012

Modern School: Survey Finds Teachers Don't Trust State Tests (And This is News?)

Modern School: Survey Finds Teachers Don't Trust State Tests (And This is News?):


Survey Finds Teachers Don't Trust State Tests (And This is News?)


Earlier this week, USA Today published the results of a recent survey of 10,000 teachers in which only 16% believed that linking student performance and teacher pay was "absolutely essential" or "very important" in retaining good teachers, down from 28% in 2010. Barely half of the teachers felt like the policy would make any difference at all, down from 65% in 2010. Only 26% believed the tests were an “accurate reflection of student achievement.”
The survey was conducted by the educational publisher Scholastic, and was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Sadly, the number of teachers who thought that higher pay was necessary to retain good teachers also declined from 86% in 2010 to 75% in the recent survey. This does not necessarily mean that they have given up on decent wages. Rather, it probably reflects their