Au, Wayne. Neither Fair Nor Accurate.
In this article, Wayne Au gives research-supported claims to why high-stakes testing should not be used to evaluate teachers. He correctly states that effective teaching cannot be equated with higher test scores. In his article he elaborates on six key flaws of using testing like VAM to evaluate teachers. When using a test to measure teacher effectiveness, there is a statistical error rate of 35 percent when using one year’s worth of data, which would cause many to be misevaluated. Naturally, the test scores of students depend ultimately upon the students themselves, so year after year as students go through a teacher’s classroom the test scores can fluctuate greatly. Also impacting the test scores …show more content…
She starts by stating that the U.S. ranks low compared to other countries in math and science based on the Programme in International Student Assessment, or PISA. This is partly due to programs such as NCLB, which has caused schools to teach students to simply regurgitate memorized facts instead of how to use higher order thinking to truly understand concepts. Other nations have reformed their education system by revising curriculums and assessments to nurture true growth and knowledge in their students. Darling-Hammond uses Finland as an example of a successful country since they got rid of their tracking and testing systems and placed highly trained teachers who would foster problem-solving skills, creativity, and independent learning in their students. Finland is now ranked at the top in international rankings. Some other countries she identifies are South Korea and Singapore, who have both shown significant growth over the years. The author shows that great strides were made in the United States in the past, with the most productive years being the mid-1970s. However, since then much has gone downhill. Some of Darling-Hammond’s suggestions for improving our education system include supporting more pilot programs, demonstrations, and innovations. She suggests that we start to provide children with what they need at home - whether it is food or security - so that they can succeed in
In this article, Wayne Au gives research-supported claims to why high-stakes testing should not be used to evaluate teachers. He correctly states that effective teaching cannot be equated with higher test scores. In his article he elaborates on six key flaws of using testing like VAM to evaluate teachers. When using a test to measure teacher effectiveness, there is a statistical error rate of 35 percent when using one year’s worth of data, which would cause many to be misevaluated. Naturally, the test scores of students depend ultimately upon the students themselves, so year after year as students go through a teacher’s classroom the test scores can fluctuate greatly. Also impacting the test scores …show more content…
She starts by stating that the U.S. ranks low compared to other countries in math and science based on the Programme in International Student Assessment, or PISA. This is partly due to programs such as NCLB, which has caused schools to teach students to simply regurgitate memorized facts instead of how to use higher order thinking to truly understand concepts. Other nations have reformed their education system by revising curriculums and assessments to nurture true growth and knowledge in their students. Darling-Hammond uses Finland as an example of a successful country since they got rid of their tracking and testing systems and placed highly trained teachers who would foster problem-solving skills, creativity, and independent learning in their students. Finland is now ranked at the top in international rankings. Some other countries she identifies are South Korea and Singapore, who have both shown significant growth over the years. The author shows that great strides were made in the United States in the past, with the most productive years being the mid-1970s. However, since then much has gone downhill. Some of Darling-Hammond’s suggestions for improving our education system include supporting more pilot programs, demonstrations, and innovations. She suggests that we start to provide children with what they need at home - whether it is food or security - so that they can succeed in