Obama on Standardized Testing

**Alundil** · 03-28-11, 03:10 PM

Obama says too much testing makes education boring - Yahoo! News

..... for those who think they already know what I am going to say.....read on.

For the rest of you who know that I am open minded and rational.....read on

President Barack Obama said Monday that students should take fewer standardized tests and school performance should be measured in other ways. Too much testing makes education boring for kids, he said.

"Too often what we have been doing is using these tests to punish students," the president told students and parents at a town hall hosted by the Univision Spanish-language television network at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, D.C.

Interesting start to the article. I am not sure that I agree with the idea that the tests are used to punish, but I agree in general that Tests for the sake of testing are boring as hell and thus lose a lot of the student body's interest.

"One thing I never want to see happen is schools that are just teaching the test because then you're not learning about the world, you're not learning about different cultures, you're not learning about science, you're not learning about math," the president said. "All you're learning about is how to fill out a little bubble on an exam and little tricks that you need to do in order to take a test and that's not going to make education interesting."

That entire paragraph is something that I can agree with wholeheartedly. He nailed my opinion on the entire educational system's abject failure of the last 20 years with that.

Obama, who has been pushing his education agenda all month, has expressed concern that too many schools will be unable to meet annual proficiency standards under the No Child Left Behind law this year. The standards are aimed at getting 100 percent of students proficient in math, reading and science by 2014, a goal now widely seen as unrealistic.

The Obama administration has proposed replacing those standards with a loftier yet less prescriptive requirement that by 2020 all students graduating from high school should be ready for college or a career.

Bold = I'd agree that there is virtually no way to accomplish this by the 2014 deadline (regardless of the apocalypse)
Red = Not sure what to make of this though. How, exactly, does one determine readiness for this? Standardized testing is obviously not the best method. But what might an alternative method look like when the goal is to measure "Readiness"? I don't have that answer.

All in all, I like the overall tone of the article. I like, even better, that someone appears to realize that our public education is an utter cluster fuck of ineptitude (with very few exceptions) and one that is poised to sink American ambitions simply due to failing the only mission it is charged with....that of Educating the public.

**deathgodusmc** · 03-28-11, 03:25 PM

I dont think its to bold. If you think about it all he wants is kids to graduate with a skill or be able to go to a college. Most schools have had those classes since before i was in school 20 years ago. The tests are nothing more then irrelivant distractions from what could be an otherwise educational experience.

I look at the kids across the street from me, my nephews, and nieces as an examples. The kids across the street are fairly intelligent and the boy just scored a 100 on whatever damn test they just had. Fcats maybe? So sure he can absorb knowledge but it was been wasted because all they push it what it takes to pass that test and common sense has left him behind. His sister that is still in school is straight a's but god damn could you be any less intelligent on real life? Sure we all made mistakes and in the day we actually learned from them. That however no longer seems to be the case.

I wish i could say different for my nephews and nieces but they seem to fit in the same exact catagory. What was wrong with going to school learning shit everyday and one day taking the SAT's?

**Alundil** · 03-28-11, 03:27 PM

Just FYI - I wasn't say that it (the bolded section) was too bold. I was merely using that as a means of tying separate comments to separate sections of the quote

**Red_Lizard2** · 03-28-11, 03:30 PM

off-topic sort of, but if you want a somewhat in-depth look at a few of the problems with our public schools, Waiting for Superman is a movie to rent sometime (despite the complaints by some that it is "anti-teachers union" and "pro private schools/vouchers/etc." which it really isn't either imo).

**deathgodusmc** · 03-28-11, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Alundil

Just FYI - I wasn't say that it (the bolded section) was too bold. I was merely using that as a means of tying separate comments to separate sections of the quote

LOL now that i looked im left with how the hell did i miss that.

**flame** · 03-28-11, 04:52 PM

Testing is needed to evaluate who is getting it and who is not. But... Tests dont teach anything. The standardized tests have become so much of an over production that weeks of education time are lost teaching "test taking skills."

Also parents cannot expect the children to go to school during the day and magically be educated with no further involvement. I always learned lessons at home months before we did it in school. My parents and grandparents always quizzed me and encouraged me to learn more. I aced (have a fancy certificate to prove it) the standardized tests. Is this a testament to my school? My teachers? My parents? I think a combination of involved parents, good teachers and a halfway decent school district. I think any student with good backing at home and decent teachers that teach the material not tests will succeed.

**Gumby** · 03-28-11, 05:32 PM

funny, the only school system over which he has a direct control (as far as I know) is DoDDS and I have three kids enrolled. Let me tell you, they are ALL about teaching to pass the standardized tests. To the point that it annoys me so much that we are looking into either homeschooling or giving the German system a go.

**DJ Ms. White** · 03-28-11, 05:38 PM

Why not enroll them in the International Baccalaureate program? It's pretty damn good.

**CivilWars** · 03-28-11, 05:40 PM

There are two issues I see with the education system as it stands. First, they do teach to the tests, and not to truly learn. Second, they teach to the average, thus screwing the slow AND the gifted. Yes, I know there are classes for slow students and for gifted students, but when the directive is no child left behind that means teach just enough to pass them.