Formulating a Response

The article Obama Administration Calls for Limits on Testing in Schools, published on The New York times in October 24^th 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.