the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the latest results from a federal assessment have delivered a sobering message about the state of American education. Average math and reading scores for 12th-grade students have hit all-time lows, prompting U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to call the results “devastating.”
N.J. residents welcome Christie’s decision to reduce impact of student test scores
JULY 15, 2014, 7:48 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2014, 1:00 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Educators, lawmakers and parents welcomed Governor Christie’s decision to reduce the impact of student test scores on teacher evaluations and to study the volume of testing, but some said Tuesday that the measures fell short of what is needed.
On Monday, the governor pledged to appoint a commission to study standardized tests, their usefulness, and whether they were too much or too repetitive, in an apparent response to public criticism over the increase in testing and the impact on classroom instruction. But critics of the tests said they had doubts that the commission would recommend real change.
“This does nothing to address the true problem, which is putting stress on our teachers and our children under this high-stakes testing,” said Terry Anzano, a Ridgewood parent.
The new measures will not change anything in the classroom come September, critics said, and will do little to address concerns that tests have been rushed and that districts devote too much time and resources to them. But the commission will make recommendations a year from now that could affect testing in the future.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-residents-welcome-christie-s-decision-to-reduce-impact-of-student-test-scores-1.1051721#sthash.KD6PYBQ2.dpuf
