No Child Left Behind’s test and improve model is working

Botched Testing

By Greg Richmond –

The national conversation around how and why to test kids in public schools has gone astray. Loud and persistent voices have been decrying a culture of “test and punish,” which they say hurts teachers, stresses kids and compromises creativity in the classroom. I’d join them in their chorus if what they were saying was true. But it isn’t.

We don’t have a “test and punish” culture in our schools, we have a “test and improve” model that has produced dramatic results for poor and minority students in recent years. As a nation, we need to continue to test and improve.

Charter schools are one part of our public school system where “test and improve” has delivered good results for students. Charter schools and their authorizers use test data to continuously monitor student learning and take actions to improve. Charter operators that consistently deliver better outcomes for children often open additional schools. Those that consistently fail children risk closure by their authorizers.

Source: No Child Left Behind’s test and improve model is working – The Washington Post