Why you should be skeptical about standardized test scores
Guest blog by Justin Snider/Washington Post
Justin Snider teaches undergraduate writing at Columbia University and writes for The Hechinger Report.
Tough talk on teacher accountability is all the rage this summer. Trouble is, we don’t know how to handle the perverse incentives that arise the moment we place undue weight on easily manipulated exams. But that hasn’t stopped a slew of education leaders from weighing in on the need to hold teachers’ feet to the fire. In the past few weeks, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee made headlines for firing 241 teachers, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave a major speech on education reform and Race to the Top finalists were announced for Round Two, many of which agreed to overhaul their state’s teacher evaluation and tenure system. (more...)