A Reader Shares... State Testing - Make a Success out of a Mess

A long time LYSer shares the following:

LYS Nation,

If there is a problem with today's state assessment system it would be with the way the data gained from the tests is used and communicated. What is the fear of rigorous testing? I have never feared it, and I am an unban high school educator.  My students are going to compete against those with more resources and entitlements than they have for their entire lives.  I need to know how well I am preparing them for this unfair battle.

Is it not passé to believe we are beyond the time where our children need to meet high expectations? The raw STAAR data showed us that we weren’t quite as good that we thought we were. But now we have our filtered state ratings which have been skewed just enough to make things look not that bad, giving us permission to not make the critical changes required for our students to do more than just survive in the world of their future.

The bottom line is our children have been penalized enough for an education that is focused on meeting minimum standards.  It is time for an educational reform that promotes critical thinking, common sense, problem solving and effective learning communities of all so our children can ride the waves of change instead of being swept out into the sea of life by them.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

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