By miller727@icloud.com November 9, 2015 Uncategorized 4 Comments
I was recently privileged to take part in a national interview on standardized testing for this month’s edition of Principal Leadership. This magazine is a monthly publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
In this title article, Testing in Flux, senior editor Michael Levin-Epstein melds together the opinions of three educators with widely divergent opinions on the value of standardized testing in America today.
If you have been a follower of my blog for any time at all, I suspect you can predict where I fell in this discussion.
The opposite end of the spectrum is occupied here by unabashed testing proponent, MaryEllen Elia, the New York state commissioner of education and president of the University of the State of New York.
Joshua P. Starr, chief executive officer of Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) International, and former superintendent of the award-winning Montgomery County Schools in Maryland, effectively straddled the testing fence, arguing that standardized tests provide valuable information for educators while simultaneously conceding that “there’s been too much emphasis” on the tests nationally.
While I really have no idea how I was included in this high-powered group, I was honored to have the chance to articulate a point of view that is often ignored or dismissed in this conversation.
I am also pleased that NASSP is taking a larger leadership role in highlighting the negative implications of our current testing and accountability culture.
It is with their permission that I am able to share the article with you today. Thank you NASSP!
Copyright 2015 National Association of Secondary School Principals. www.nassp.org. Reprinted with permission.