An overemphasis on assessment can actually undermine the pursuit of excellence, said Alfie Kohn, a leading education and social theorist, in a daylong workshop at CTA's Urban Issues Conference in Oakland.
"Test scores are extremely accurate measures of the size of the houses near the school," he said. "You can predict 90 percent of the variations. It's unethical to use tests as if they're telling us something about instruction."
Garth Newberry from Rialto
When learning becomes a chore, understanding suffers. When teachers feel "controlled, manipulated, bribed, threatened and bullied" into raising scores, they resent it. The danger is that some might respond by doing the same to kids, bullying them into compliance.
Kat Murthy from Hayward
Kohn offered several tips for teachers:
Morgan Brown from Pomona
Be a buffer. "Your job is to protect those below you from inappropriate pressure from above."
Let parents know they can opt out on behalf of their children.
Susan Cassidy from Modesto waits for Alfie Kohn to autograph his book for her.
Don't do one minute more of test prep than is absolutely necessary. "Expose students to the test briefly, do what you have to do on the test and get back to real learning."
Benino Martinez from San Francisco
Garth Newberry from Rialto
Kat Murthy from Hayward
Morgan Brown from Pomona
Susan Cassidy from Modesto waits for Alfie Kohn to autograph his book for her.
