Blog 1: The Measure of Our Success

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     The author questions the validity of standardized tests with the story of Derek, who made huge progress over the last year of school but did not quite meet the standards required by his state and NCLB, according to his state test. I have often thought that standardized tests should be valued less than individual progress reports. Often what is a bad grade for one student may be enourmous improvement for another student. Further, a student might be a bad test-taker despite their grasp of the subjects. But what struck me most in Derek's story was his frustration. He had been excited about his progress and was feeling pretty good about the work he had put in. But because of the emphasis on the state test, he was left feeling that his progress was not good enough. In addition, he probably felt that his hard work was for nothing, since he was still in a remedial reading class. Placing too much emphasis on standardized tests not only gives teachers and schools an inaccurate picture of student achievement, but tells students that their hard work only matters if they acheive a seemingly arbitrary score on a specific test. This discourages students from working hard and puts the focus of learning on the test only, and not on how their knowledge will impact their daily lives.
     However, unless teachers are intentional about how they teach their content, it may not seem applicable to students' lives at all. The author of this chapter also discusses the difference between the often-referenced academic literacy and the 21st century literacy that students need to be successful in their adult lives. Often projects that students are required to complete do not relate to tasks that they need to complete in their daily lives. It is very important for teachers to relate the content that students learn to real-life skills. Today, that may mean using the Internet to research. It is also important to let students explore their own interests in their projects so that they are engaged in the skills they are learning.

Discussion questions:
How can teachers encourage students to do their best on standardized tests without going too far and making it seem like the most important thing?
How can teachers teach needed test-taking skills without overshadowing the more important content that students are learning?
How much importance should be given to students' extenuating circumstances like difficult home lives, poverty, etc. when measuring their progress so that their potential is not diminished but reasonable decisions are still made?

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