Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, April 2, 2012

Why opt out of standardized testing | Seattle Education

Why opt out of standardized testing | Seattle Education:


Why opt out of standardized testing

As promised, this week the focus will be on standardized testing, opting out of these tests, why and how.
This morning I would like to start in Seattle and how the focus on testing has diminished the overall value of education for our children.
According to the article Seattle Schools’ goal: to create arts education for everyone that was posted in the Seattle Times on March 28, 2012:
Despite her popularity with students, Baker — like other art teachers across the city, state and country — fears her job may not exist next year. Amid budget cuts and an all-consuming focus on raising math and reading test scores, the arts have increasingly been pushed to the side despite their demonstrated academic and social benefits.
In Seattle, where a tradition of delegating decisions to individual schools holds sway, students’ access to the arts varies widely — and often depends on parent fundraising.
“If your school has money or if you have a principal who’s a real proponent of the arts, then you get