A Better Way to Test
Classes are once again back in session across Northwest Missouri. While some students may be wishing they were still on summer break, many teachers are worried about how their newest classes will score on upcoming standardized tests.
Virtually everyone agrees that we need to fix No Child Left Behind. There ought to be a difference between schools that fail several of the twelve categories and schools that miss only one. Failing one section, while certainly not good, shouldn't necessarily mean you have failed the entire test. Missouri has some of the highest testing standards in the nation, which means that some of our best schools have received failing grades.
We need to make No Child Left Behind more flexible. One positive step we should take is to use growth models to test each individual class against itself, rather than testing its progress based on a previous class. I also believe schools should measure the academic progress of learning disabled students using that young person's individualized education plan or IEP. The IEP describes the goals set for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them.
We all want accountability, but a one-size-fits-all approach sets schools up for failure down the road. Instead of holding children and schools to arbitrary benchmarks of performance, we should measure how each student in a given school improves from year to year and reward those schools that help their students make substantial gains in performance. That way no child will be left behind.
Sincerely,
