In the last several posts on our page we have been investing a lot of efforts into highlighting the noteworthy Opt Out Movement that has been sweeping certain parts of the nation.
A lot of our coverage has been on why parents/organizations and some superintendents support the movement, why it’s happening and what it all means.
Now for the other side. Most can agree that it’s irrational to expect 100% accuracy in student testing. Not only is this standard essentially unattainable, but the expectation breeds a cheating or “gaming the system” mentality among teachers over actual student learning or studious efforts. But this doesn’t mean that the tests need to disappear altogether.
This article from the Huffington Post’s Education page suggests that right now, we should be worried that what opting out motivates is complacency with attendance or simply participating. To not have to test means to reward positive academic achievement where it’s not necessarily prevalent.
Testing is here to stay for the time being, but is there a better way? What are your thoughts?