No Unnecessary Testing in Medicine and in Education
Sent to the Seattle Times, April 5, 2012
Nine medical societies have identified a list of tests and procedures that are unnecessary, that cause needless anxiety, and that cost billions that could be spent on helpful medical care (“Common medical procedures you may not need,” April 4),
A similar action needs to be taken in education: The US Department of Education is promoting the most extensive testing plan ever seen on this planet, far more than what is now required under No Child Left Behind: More subjects will be tested, more grade levels will be tested, “interim” tests will be given during the year, and we might also have “pretests” in the fall. There is no evidence that this increase in testing will increase learning, and good reason to suspect that it will result in needless anxiety. It will also waste billions that could be spent in
Nine medical societies have identified a list of tests and procedures that are unnecessary, that cause needless anxiety, and that cost billions that could be spent on helpful medical care (“Common medical procedures you may not need,” April 4),
A similar action needs to be taken in education: The US Department of Education is promoting the most extensive testing plan ever seen on this planet, far more than what is now required under No Child Left Behind: More subjects will be tested, more grade levels will be tested, “interim” tests will be given during the year, and we might also have “pretests” in the fall. There is no evidence that this increase in testing will increase learning, and good reason to suspect that it will result in needless anxiety. It will also waste billions that could be spent in
