test scores vs teaching

My good friend and colleague has another editorial column up on the Dallas Morning News website, and it's an excellent read. He asks why the public insists on equating test scores to teachers' abilities.

His argument is a very valid one, and I don't think I feel that way JUST because I'm in the same boat as him. Recently, Edna Lee of Regurgitated Alphabits posted a link to a Miami Herald story about the Florida governor signing a bill to officially make students' test scores count for HALF of a teacher's yearly evaluation!!

Maybe I'm off on my math a little, but if we can assume that kids are in school for around 185 days out of the year and take 2 standardized tests, then 0.011% of each child's school year will account for 50% of a teacher's evaluation.

Nice job, Florida. Just don't let Texas see what you've started.

No more TAKS?

So let me tell you this story about this CRAZY bus driver/TA we have at my school...

Just kidding. Inside joke. :)

I'm a little behind on my newspaper reading for the week, but one of the last stories I read in the Dallas Morning News suggested that the TAKS test may be going away!! Well, no, I don't think the news is quite THAT good, but it did suggest that the TAKS may not be so influential in deciding kids' fates.

They may do away with the requirement that 3rd graders and 5th graders HAVE to pass TAKS to be promoted to the next grade level. Also, a school's performance rating would be based on a 3-year average, instead of only one year of data.

I just hope it's not replaced with something even more ridiculous!!