Arrogant Columnists Who Love High-Stakes Tests
I probably would have ignored a recent smug opinion piece by Beth Kassab in theOrlando Sentinel, who scoffs at parents who choose opting their children out of the tests. But another snotty write-up in a similar vein by Mike Thomas, from Jeb Bush’s Foundation of Excellence, followed quickly on its heels. I’ll start with Thomas.
Thomas likens test-taking to having a colonoscopy or his teeth cleaned and a bunch of other unpleasant but necessary tasks. He tries to teach the rest of us that he would like to opt out of this stuff, but these procedures are good for keeping him healthy. So, in his mind, the tests facing children in Florida are good for them. He seems to believe parents fighting the tests are not doing right by their children.
I get what he’s saying. The trouble is he doesn’t go far enough in his comparison. Let’s put it this way. How would he like to have 100 colonoscopies per year, and in-between those procedures, be prepping every day for the tests! Forget eating at a favorite restaurant. There won’t be any dinners to njoy with the family either. Prep. Prep. Prep. And will he get real doctors to perform the procedures? Nah. The colonoscopies will be designed by a variety of people who have no medical licenses—maybe David Coleman, Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, et cetera.
I am no longer teaching, but I taught in special education. I am not against testing. Far from it. I always welcomed student assessment. I have administered a variety of tests—including the standardized kind where I assisted students with accommodations. I Arrogant Columnists Who Love High-Stakes Tests:
