Thursday, September 2, 2010

National Test, Here We Come

I just noticed this item from the wire feed on the NY Times website.  Two groups of states have been given $330 million to develop new, better, tests to be ready by 2014-15.  I've argued many times (see here, here, here, here, and here) before that the only way we can continue to use test-based accountability in the future is if we adopt national standards and a national test.  A year ago I thought we were likely at least a decade away from the former, but both seem to be approaching far more rapidly than I could've imagined.

If you're pro-test-based accountability, this should make you happy -- these developments will make such systems more accurate and more meaningful . . . plus, politically, this is the only way such systems will survive into the next decade.

If you're anti-test-based accountability, you might have mixed feelings -- these developments will make the current testing regime more accurate and more meaningful, but it also likely means that it's not going away any time soon.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Is this really what you want or what the country needs? My gut tells me the standards will be so incredibly low...government education...ugh...using OPM to make OP rich and not educating the kids