Recently I contributed to Larry Ferlazzo’s column on EdWeek titled, It’s Time to Debunk the Myths About Standardized Tests. Here’s the beginning:

Standardized tests are great at measuring what they are designed to: student’s abilities to score well on a sterile test with a specific format, centered on a limited subset of knowledge deemed critical by some committee. We know that there is so much more to learning and education than what is on these tests. Too many of our students’ abilities fall outside of their narrow scope and are not measured. While standardized tests have demonstrated gaps between the educational opportunities for certain subsets of learners in this country, they have not offered any helpful solutions to educational inequity. It’s past time to reject the deficit thinking of standardized testing as a path forward.

The first thing that I would “measure” to determine a school’s effectiveness is student, parent, and community feedback. Schools would send multiple surveys throughout the year to elicit feedback from the community about the culture and effectiveness of the school. Regular meetings would connect students, teachers, and the community to reflect on school practices and local opportunities for students to learn and contribute.

Head on over to Edweek to read the rest and some thoughtful responses from other educators too.

Let’s Connect!

One and done Professional Development is ineffective. Here’s a great little post about questions you should be asking before you hire a consultant. I would be glad to develop a vision with you!

Summer dates are filling up fast. Please reach out to me at mikejkaechele@gmail.com if you would like to discuss how I could partner with your school for Project Based Learning, Transformative SEL workshop or coaching options.