“Education Dept.
Planning Case Studies of Kindergarten Entry Assessments”
“The
feds want to pull together case studies of how schools and districts are using
kindergarten entry assessments, and
they want the public's help in telling them how to do it.”
“Through
the Race to the Top early learning challenge grants and other grant programs,
the department has been promoting the use of these assessments,
which are intended to
help kindergarten teachers evaluate the academic and social readiness of their
students early in the school year. As I've written, experts worry about
tying any kind of high-stakes decision, such as evaluating teachers or
preschools, to such an assessment. "We have to take into account that
there is no absolute standard for [children] to have achieved when they enter
kindergarten," said Samuel J. Meisels, the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood
Institute at the University of Nebraska in Omaha.”
“Those
who support these assessments say that teachers should welcome valid tools that
guide them in their work.”
“The
notice from the Education Department, published May 15 in the Federal
Register, indicates that the department is interested in case studies
reflecting the experiences of 24 schools within 12 districts located in
four states. The department is looking for comments on how the it might
"enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected" and how it might minimize the burden of the information
collection on respondents, among other factors.”
Now
I am not big fan of tests as it is, but I understand they do have their place
in the world. I do get bothered by the way schools often seem to lose their
minds during test time and in turn cause students to lose their minds as well.
I
am especially bothered by the fact that teachers often have no input on the construction
of these tests. Testing companies are raking in huge profits on these tests,
and I guarantee you most educators no little about the construction of these
tests.
Something
to think about…
Dr
Flavius A B Akerele III
The
ETeam
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