In a recent post, I criticized Alabama for setting goals based on race, ethnicity, and disability status. I said it was unAmerican. Our goal as a society is equality of educational opportunity. There is something repulsive, to me at least, in saying that schools will set targets based on the color of children’s skin, their parents’ income, or other factors. We know that not all kids will end up at the same point by the end of each year, but we should not predetermine what we expect. I think the goal should be to treat each child as a unique human being and be sure they have the opportunity and resources they need to get a sound education.
But I must apologize to Alabama. Other states have similar race-based, ethnicity-based, disability-based goals.
Apparently they do this to satisfy the requirements of the federal government, either NCLB or the Obama waivers.
Why is the government setting targets for test scores? A standardized test should be used–if at all–diagnostically, to identify what kind of extra help students need. Instead, states are trapped in stale NCLB thinking. It hasn’t worked for 12 years. Why expect that tinkering will fix what is inherently wrong?
Stop measuring with a broken stick. Standardized tests are one indicator. Turning them into the be-all and end-all of schooling is wrong. It corrupts education. It causes otherwise thoughtful people to expect more of the tests than they can deliver. We need better goals than test scores. By relying on them so much, we sacrifice qualities that matter far more and debase schooling.
This is accountability run amok. This is the kind of policy that should be openly discussed and debated. We cannot allow it to be institutionalized and made permanent. It is an embarrassment to our democracy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 