Valerie Strauss, in her article in the Washington Post, warns parents to watch out for three things as their children head back to school. All involve testing. First, for some time now, teachers, administrators, parents, and students have worried about too much testing. We hear of students who, for example, have three tests and maybe a quiz or two in one day. Second, there is all the standardized testing, which not only takes time to give, but is also quite expensive for school districts. Maybe, teachers and administrators feel they need “black and white” evidence of how students are doing, or perhaps it has just become a habit. All of this testing takes away from teaching time, especially if teachers feel the need to prepare students for tests.
Third, Strauss informs parents that excessive testing is unhealthy, as “students begin to identify with their scores.” She reminds them to watch out for the use of test scores that do not benefit students and the “amassing of individual student scores in national and state databases.” According to Strauss, student scores are used without parent permission, and parents don’t know what is being collected or how it is being used. If your child is being tested, make sure that you find out how that testing information is enhancing their skills and learning experience.
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