The article Obama
Administration Calls for Limits on Testing in Schools, published on The New
York times in October 24th 2015, is in regards to how testing in
schools have been administered and the government’s attempt to make it “less
onerous and more purposeful.” Teachers claim that the time spent preparing
students for the exams and the exam itself takes away from time it should be
spent on curricular lectures. Another concern is that the teacher’s competence is
being measured by the students’ test scores. The government suggests a reduction in “over-testing”
by capping the time dedicated to it. It also recognizes that testing should not
be the only factor to influence the decisions made regarding our educational
system. It is agreed that testing has been overwhelming but it’s also agreed
that it is a great tool to measure students’ weaknesses and to maintain a high
level of education.
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Among a few
different letters
to the editor, the one from Lisa Eggert Litvin opposes to Obama’s proposal
to cap the time spent in classroom devoted to the testing. Per Lisa, when a cap
was implemented in New York, it caused 20% of the students to opt out of the
test thus proving that capping is not the answer. Walt Gardner also wrote a
letter to the editor claiming that testing is indeed important and a great
source of information to teachers. Walt used Finland’s test procedures - known
for its quality of education - and compared to the United States. He claims
that Finland’s teachers welcome the feedback as results aren’t published and schools
are picked randomly. In contrast it’s the US where tests are more punitive.
