Quote:
Originally Posted by KSig RC
At the same time, for things like math in particular, testing is a VERY effective way to determine comprehension, which while not the be-all/end-all, is pretty damn close in terms of importance of outcome.
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It depends on the kind of math and what you're testing, I think. But for the purposes of the discussion this thread is about, it's kind of beside the point. The question here is whether standardized testing of students is an effective way to measure whether the teacher has taught well. A teacher can be fantastic and still have students who, for a variety of reasons, don't do well on the tests. And sometimes students can do very well on tests despite having had a terrible teacher. There are those awkward outcomes you're talking about.
There definitely has to be a balance, and testing can certainly be part of the equation. But too often, it seems, testing is the entire equation, and I think everyone -- student and teacher -- suffers as a result.