A new casualty of high-stakes testing: student teachers
And now, a new casualty of high-stakes standardized testing has been identified: student teachers. This post, by Jennifer Wallace Jacoby, explains why and how some college and university teacher training programs are trying to find solutions so that student teachers get the vital classroom training they need. Jacoby is an assistant professor of psychology and education at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
By Jennifer Wallace Jacoby
As children return to K-12 classrooms, some will find that the emphasis on standardized testing that has caused stress for teachers and students now has a new casualty: student teachers. Teacher education programs around the country are beginning to feel the impact of testing standards, as master teachers pull back from their traditional role as trainers. Many of them feel that the pressures of “teaching to the test” mean they no longer have time to manage new teachers in their classrooms.
A future when seasoned teachers are no longer able or willing to mentor pre-service teachers due to testing and teaching constraints is a grim prospect. This situation does a disservice to student teachers, teachers, schools and, most importantly, children.
There are plenty of published critiques of the U.S. model of teacher preparation and education that reveal why this trend could be damaging to our nation’s education system: better-trained student teachers serve as a foundation for better schools. Detailed reports from all sorts of stakeholders, including policy makers, administrators and teachers themselves reveal that one of the most authentic and valuable experiences pre-service teachers take part in is the student teaching placement.
We see this challenge emerging in a number of school districts in Massachusetts. Campus education programs here place students in the classrooms of many school districts where jobs are at stake—some that are A new casualty of high-stakes testing: student teachers - The Washington Post: