General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 20-fold increase in standardized testing coming with Gates Foundation's "Common Core": [View all]Nevernose
(13,081 posts)After a class hits 25 or 30 students. His foundation's aim is specifically the many (expensive) class size reduction programs aimed at the near legendary 15 students per class. Meanwhile, tomorrow I'll go teach at least one period of lower SES kids packed 50 deep in my room. If they all show up, one has to sit on the floor; as it is I don't get to sit down.
The article you cited also makes the value added assessment model, which in economic terms is fairly good, but when assessing educators seems to be accurate about 75% of the time. How would you like it if your job performance reviews were generated by a computer and was inaccurate 1 out of 4 times?
If you think that the certification tests are a joke (and they do vary from state to state), it would seem obvious to most teachers that you have never taken one of those certification tests. At least not at the secondary level; my opinion of most elementary teachers I've known isnt that great, and I suspect that many of the bad aggregates come when including elementary teachers (who still work harder than most people).
Ths "bad teacher" thing is not only a bunch of corporate propaganda, it's bullshit, plain and simple. It's a problem only in the minds of people who find it easier to scapegoat.