An alternative to standardized testing for student assessment
(Scholastic.com)
Standardized tests have dominated the school reform discussion for years, with students scores used – often unfairly – to judge the kids as well as their schools, teachers, principals, districts and even states. Here, Monty Neill, executive director of the non-profit National Center for Fair & Open Testing, known as FairTest, explains how student assessment can be done without standardized test scores.
By Monty Neill
Assessment reformers are often challenged, “What would you do instead of standardized testing?” While stopping the damage wrought by test misuse and overuse is necessary in its own right, high-quality assessment is essential to student learning. Sadly, No Child Left Behind killed many innovative practices as schools were forced to focus on boosting standardized exam scores. However, a number of excellent examples of better assess