I read your article on "The School Board Member Who Took a Standardized Test" and thought it was brilliant. I want you to realize that the problem is much worse than that in some states. I teach in Victorville, California at Discovery School of The Arts (Public school K-6.) Before we give the state test we must sign an affidavit stating that we will not study the test, share the test, or release the test to anyone. If we were to allow a school board member to take the test, the teacher, principal, and/or the superintendent could be in jeopardy of losing one's teaching and/or administration credential. This would be a serious violation to the rules of testing. Something needs to be done nationally. People don't realize that teachers are being forced to teach to a test that is brutal on students' self-esteem. As a teacher I find myself being forced to get away from reading and writing and focus strictly on preparing for a test. I get good results teaching to a test; I am herald as an effective teacher because I get good results. Our school has an API of 870 which anything over 800 is great. We are now pushing for the 900 mark and our staff is busting their brains out to achieve this goal. The truth is, I'm a horrible teacher because I must spend 90% of my time teaching and preparing for a state exam. I know most teachers feel this way, but we are forced by are government and leadership to go this route. People wonder why America has dropped in its creativity. We use to be first at submitting the most patents for inventions in the world. Now we're falling behind in learning so kids can become better test takers. Yea, No Child Left Behind mean No Child Steps Forward. I hope the information shared helps. It's nice to know other teachers are frustrated over the same situation. Thanks, Greg Galvez
I read your article on "The School Board Member Who Took a Standardized Test" and thought it was brilliant. I want you to realize that the problem is much worse than that in some states. I teach in Victorville, California at Discovery School of The Arts (Public school K-6.) Before we give the state test we must sign an affidavit stating that we will not study the test, share the test, or release the test to anyone. If we were to allow a school board member to take the test, the teacher, principal, and/or the superintendent could be in jeopardy of losing one's teaching and/or administration credential. This would be a serious violation to the rules of testing. Something needs to be done nationally. People don't realize that teachers are being forced to teach to a test that is brutal on students' self-esteem. As a teacher I find myself being forced to get away from reading and writing and focus strictly on preparing for a test. I get good results teaching to a test; I am herald as an effective teacher because I get good results. Our school has an API of 870 which anything over 800 is great. We are now pushing for the 900 mark and our staff is busting their brains out to achieve this goal. The truth is, I'm a horrible teacher because I must spend 90% of my time teaching and preparing for a state exam. I know most teachers feel this way, but we are forced by are government and leadership to go this route. People wonder why America has dropped in its creativity. We use to be first at submitting the most patents for inventions in the world. Now we're falling behind in learning so kids can become better test takers. Yea, No Child Left Behind mean No Child Steps Forward. I hope the information shared helps. It's nice to know other teachers are frustrated over the same situation. Thanks, Greg Galvez