WTFH – Testing and assessment in education?

On By Zalee

Test or Assessment? Testing and assessment in education

Which form of end of course tests does your school perform on your children; test or assessment? Do you know the difference between the two? Do you know that the state sets the confidence level on whether they believe a school will meet the threshold for proficiency? Do you know that that proficiency level can change each year?

Do you know that tests test what a knows and and assessment assesses whether what a child knows meets states proficiency for a particular skill? Do you understand that your state sets you school’s proficiency level and can set the assessment to assess higher or lower than the proficiency of the school to reach the desired outcome set for that school? Did your know that states are using these skills to develop ‘human capital’ that will be sold as employment or economic trade?

Are you aware that these assessments assess our children much like a real estate appraiser appraises the house you live in within your zip code to a house within the same zip code but a different community/school and to a house miles away in a different zip code? Do you know the affect this will have on your child when he reaches the age to exit high school?

Did you know that the state is able to determine whether Johnny will graduate from high school and go to college by the time he reaches third grade or whether he’ll go straight to jail by age 16? What is the difference between basic and proficient education in the assessment? Did you know that the state is responsible for educating your child from cradle to post college/university based on the zip code you live in?