Standardized

Our teachers are leaving because high-stakes testing robs children of the joy of learning. My students take a STAAR-style test in every subject, tested or not, each six weeks. We write curriculum around the exam. Teachers, especially in low-income schools, are shackled to the demands of the test. Students view education as being about tests, not learning. > >

The heartbreak of being a teacher in Texas

With my son starting school soon, I'm increasingly worried about this. I have no doubt that there are good teachers out there. My concern is protecting him from the high-pressure standardized tests that will be forced on him by a bureaucracy that is only interested in measuring its own performance.