TAKS Eve

SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010



Yes, dear friends, it is standard assessment eve in Texas: the night before 8 through 16 year-olds sit for a week to take standardized tests. The outcome of the aggregated and disaggregated scores by ethnicity and wealth determine a judgmental label for schools and school districts. Poppycock and balderdash. Rich white kids will do fine on these tests and the teachers who teach such kids in our suburban areas will look smarter than the rest of us. Poor Black and Latino kids will have a harder time, so after their teachers have engaged in monumental efforts to get the poor kids up to the standard the teachers will be blessed with the label of "acceptable", if they are lucky. Meanwhile, teachers of our wealthier youth, basking in the higher salaries and better facilities in which they work, will earn the labels of "recognized" or "exemplary." One week of student testing leads to one year of labeling. So sad, so pointless, so not reflective of the real work of teaching.

I suggest that we make this year the "B" year. Every student in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10 should answer all questions with the letter B. (Grades 5, 8 and 11 have to pass the test or they will not be promoted or allowed to graduate!) Such a strategy would torment the psychometricians and invalidate all their "cut scores" and we would clearly see how ridiculous it is to judge an entire year of effort on the part of teachers, administrators and kids by one simple week of testing.

Sleep well, youth of Texas. Our future rests in your #2 pencils next week.