Five letters were published in today's NY Times -- all pointing out flaws in their June 18 editorial about test-tampering, “That Cheats the Kids.” I wrote one of the letters about how the editorial completely missed the point about high-stakes testing -- that it makes the results unreliable. It is the system imposed by the city and increasingly the federal government that cheats our children; not the teachers.
Many of these exams are deeply flawed. They are at odds with an engaging, coherent, focused and substantial curriculum, and they are often highly susceptible to both random chance and student cheating.
ReplyDeleteDespite tremendous gains due the the hard work and visions of countless teachers and principals and advances in technical supports (online lessons, games; SMART boards, etc.), those in power right now are destroying public education. Their callousness, arrogance and stupidity appear to know no bounds.