At our school salaries and reviews are not yet tied to the tests, but I suppose that could happen- though because of the potential for gross unfairness, were that to happen, the unions are fighting that result.
That was a drift, strongly resisted, but still a drift, for several years, I now learn, in NJ k-12 education. But recent years, even before Christie became governor, the drift drifted faster. Christie just gave it a bigger shove.
It means that in subjects that don't test easily and are perverted with too much emphasis on testing, the quality of the education deteriorates.
The problem as I see it is that it's much easier to teach to tests than teach to enhance skills like critical thinking, et al. But we definitely don't want a population that can add, subtract, divide, spell, know the multiplication tables, whatever, but has not had a taste of learning what it means to be human, critical thinking, etc.
My little corner of NJ is doing well on this but it's struggling against the fast drift. |
