ISAT Testing Next Week

With so much discussion taking place these days about school reform; lengthening the school day, adding more days to the school year, greater teacher accountability, trimming pensions, and more, I'm left dazed by the fact that the state and federal powers that be are willing to sacrifice most of next week to state testing here in Illinois.

Think about it...lots of officials want accountability and more learning to take place yet they are willing to give up the better part of a week of instruction for the ISAT test!

Students are assessed throughout the school year in a myriad of ways. Teachers do this pretty much on a daily basis. In terms of real learning, yes real learning, I doubt that the ISAT will either foster it or reveal the lack thereof.

Think about the monetary resources poured into state testing. I have no doubt that better use of these resources could be made if they were poured directly into classroom instruction. The poorest schools could surely use the help.

One more thing to think about regarding the ISAT's. They test students in reading, math, and science (important subjects to be sure) but they don't test critical thinking, creativity, skills in Art or Music or Family and Consumer Sciences, nor do they track the individual progress of a student from one year to the next.

State testing...it surely doesn't accomplish many things that could enable a student to better himself/herself.

Dick