Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, September 1, 2012

A teacher's take on testing: High demands, few resources | UTSanDiego.com

A teacher's take on testing: High demands, few resources | UTSanDiego.com:


A teacher's take on testing: High demands, few resources

Veronica Valdivia with Loma Verde Elementary School in Chula Vista works with her 6th students during a reading and writing classroom assignment.
Veronica Valdivia with Loma Verde Elementary School in Chula Vista works with her 6th students during a reading and writing classroom assignment. — Nelvin C. Cepeda



— Veronica Valdivia, 37, has taught in the Chula Vista Elementary School District for 14 years. She currently teaches sixth grade at Loma Verde, which registered one of the highest score increases in English language arts for 6th graders in the county, according to results released Friday for the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.
Valdivia spoke with U-T San Diego about the merits and challenges of standardized testing:
Question: More than 40 percent of schools in California are not proficient in math and English language arts, as measured by the STAR program. Does this speak more to a lack of resources in the school system or to the shortcomings of standardized tests?
Answer: With the state budget as it is, we don’t have the proper