This test and your arguments in the Washington Post are disingenuous. One bad test does not mean our education system shouldn’t use tests to evaluate student performance. In reality, the entire system ALREADY uses tests to evaluate students. It’s called the SAT, the ACT, the LSAT, the MCAT, etc. etc. It’s been this way for decades, and colleges use these tests because they know they are an effective way to measure student ability. Without a decent score on these tests kids can forget about higher education, and our nation desperately needs more college educated people.
No, the system is already test based and the problem is not that the tests are failing but that the system is failing. Educators don’t like being held accountable (who does?) but frankly, everyone else is from burger-flippers to President Obama. Teacher pay should be raised to the six digits, and teachers who can’t raise student performance on objective, fair tests should be axed. It’s that simple – let’s make teaching a profession again, instead of a dumping ground for the bottom third of people with bachelor’s degrees. I had a subpar public education growing up. I won’t stand it for my own future children.
There is a difference between testing 7 year olds and testing 17 year olds. I have been in education for 24 years, and there was never a day that I have not felt accountable. Teaching is a profession, there is no again. Teaching is not a “dumping ground”… Shame on you for suggesting it is.
Round the Inkwell 
3 Responses to “First grade math test”
This test and your arguments in the Washington Post are disingenuous. One bad test does not mean our education system shouldn’t use tests to evaluate student performance. In reality, the entire system ALREADY uses tests to evaluate students. It’s called the SAT, the ACT, the LSAT, the MCAT, etc. etc. It’s been this way for decades, and colleges use these tests because they know they are an effective way to measure student ability. Without a decent score on these tests kids can forget about higher education, and our nation desperately needs more college educated people.
No, the system is already test based and the problem is not that the tests are failing but that the system is failing. Educators don’t like being held accountable (who does?) but frankly, everyone else is from burger-flippers to President Obama. Teacher pay should be raised to the six digits, and teachers who can’t raise student performance on objective, fair tests should be axed. It’s that simple – let’s make teaching a profession again, instead of a dumping ground for the bottom third of people with bachelor’s degrees. I had a subpar public education growing up. I won’t stand it for my own future children.
There is a difference between testing 7 year olds and testing 17 year olds. I have been in education for 24 years, and there was never a day that I have not felt accountable. Teaching is a profession, there is no again. Teaching is not a “dumping ground”… Shame on you for suggesting it is.
How about even more bad tests?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/09/why-young-kids-are-struggling-with-common-core-math/