SORRY BUT TESTING DOESN'T WORK!

We have been testing children and young people for years and we are still struggling to raise standards and compete with the best in the world. Admitting you are wrong is a strength and this week the Obama administration admitted that high-stakes testing doesn't work.

"I've heard from parents who worry that too much testing is keeping their kids from learning some of life's most important lessons,” wrote the president. “I've heard from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning, both for them and for the students.” When will we learn!

 The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has called this a success for students and teachers around the country. "The president and the Department of Education have just proven that advocacy based on evidence works,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in the statement. “We need to celebrate improvement and the joy of learning, not sanction based on high-stakes standardized tests.”

The recent release of the NAEP scores, which revealed that student scores in maths and reading have dropped, shows that high-stakes testing is failing students. It once again demonstrates what educators have said all along; the effectiveness of a system cannot be judged by a single test score.When will we learn!