Thursday, July 14, 2011

Say no to school testing madness  | ajc.com

Say no to school testing madness | ajc.com

Say no to school testing madness

The Multi-Billion Dollar Testing Industry has done it again. The industry continues to usurp precious resources out of local schools when districts are forced to lay off teachers, discontinue programs for children and eliminate field trips. But beyond the fiscal crimes inflicted on schools that restrict children’s opportunities, the industry makes a mockery out of the whole education enterprise.

And they’re laughing all the way to the bank.

The latest, but certainly not the last, scorned school district is right here in our backyard.

The Atlanta Public Schools “cheating scandal” is scandalous, but not necessarily for the reasons spewed from mouths of people not looking beyond their noses. The embarrassment and shame comes from the fact that multinational private testing corporations are determining the fate of our children, youth, educators and future.

It is widely known in educational research that the tests are poorly written, often scored incorrectly and by noneducators, and often evaluate pre-existing knowledge rather than