Tip of testing iceberg
To the Editor:
I want to comend Eileen Naughton for her bill to remove NECAP test results from the state’s graduation requirements. It is a very wise move. It’s a first step.
However, the misuse of tests is only the “tip of the iceberg.”
What lies below the surface is the most dangerous part of the problem. What lies beneath the surface is a legacy from former President George Bush. The legacy of “No Child Left Behind” and the “Common Core Curriculum.”
The result is a disaster. Teachers are forced into a curriculum that is taking the joy out of teaching. For our children, the joy of learning is being submerged under the pass/fail mentality. The saddest thing is that $75 million (Race to the Top) is being used to train teachers in this Common Core Curriculum – and not even $1 is being used to provide the computers we need to bring our schools into the age of technology.
And the greatest irony of all, the NECAP has been declared obsolete. It is scheduled to be replaced by the PARCC in 2014. This test can be taken by computer and there are not enough computers in most of the school systems throughout the state.
So, once again I wish to commend Eileen Naughton on her many insights, especially “instead of putting money into testing and retesting, the focus should be on providing hands-on programs that foster a love of learning.”