I want to expand my comments about Jim Horn’s post today about NCLB not yielding higher testing results:
Thanks for the post, Jim. Several thoughts come to mind while reading excerpts from the report you cite today about NCLB results.
1. By definition, most students taking a standardized test will likely “pass.” They will probably obtain a score within one standard deviation around the mean or higher.
2. Testing pressure is a metaphore used by some when discussing NCLB and other testing programs. Pressure is not a necessary intention associated with any test.
3. NCLB does require teachers, administrators and school board members to insure that students learn to perform at specified minimum academic levels in order for the school to qualify for continued funding under this voluntary program. In this sense, testing is high stakes for teachers, with students paying the consequences for teacher instructional failure.
4. NCLB is based on well known published instructional practices (such as direct instruction) that yield minimum student academic achievement scores. Each teacher has the option to use these practices.
The question I have, then, is why don’t teachers use know successful practices, so more students may earn higher achievement scores?
by the way it is metaphor not metaphore, that is why we have spell check!
🙂 Yes, Thanks for catching it for me.