The Chancellor has decreed that students will be tested on literacy and math every six to eight weeks, beginning with kindergarten and lasting through 12th grade. Parents are up in arms over this, claiming it's so invasive as to preclude education. I've stated before that I'm not against testing, but this appears excessive to me.
Why is so much testing necessary? Well, if the scores are good, Klein and Bloomy can say they're doing a great job. If they're bad, they can blame the UFT, the principals, the big schools, and perhaps Willie Horton.
Should they focus on hiring quality teachers, reducing class size, and relieving the unconscionable conditions in the sardine cans that pass for high school? Forget it. Too expensive. Why should we waste time with costly programs just because they work everywhere else? Let's experiment instead.
Despite their talk about including parents, Klein and Bloomberg are also hanging tough on their highly unpopular plan to prohibit cellphones. Does anyone still believe these guys care what parents think? If they did, wouldn't they stop blocking the referendum on class size?
Thanks to Schoolgal.
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