"Robs them of a well-rounded education...."

NPR has featured several well-done pieces on education recently. The January 2 Morning Edition included a five-minute story on the Common Core and the extreme focus on testing (begun under No Child Left Behind) as the sole measure of "success."

Critics Say Schools' Common Core Standards 

Rollout Is Rushed

A telling moment in the story is the statement by a superintendent from North Carolina who summarizes NCLB/ CCSS education: "You teach, you test. You re-teach, you test." The NPR reporter captures the criticism that many educators and parents level at that education: "a test-driven reform that stresses kids out and robs them of a well-rounded education."

Perhaps we can begin to be optimistic that this dark period in education is beginning to end. In the news we hear of push-back against the excessive testing. Educational scholars are building the case for assessment that is meaningful and that captures growth in a well-rounded education.

CREATING SYSTEMS OF ASSESSMENT FOR DEEPER LEARNING

Authenticity is what appears to be most missing form the NCLB/ CCSS and similar initiatives. If all curriculum is built upon contrived problems with no real connection to the outside world, then the learning will be context-specific. Students will learn in the isolation of the classroom, and that is not what our children need. School that gives them experience wrestling with complex problems will be preparing them for the unpredictable future.

To me learning is increasingly demonstrated by application and extension. The student who "passes" on a test or a contrived problem, but who then cannot successfully "pass" when the same skill or knowledge is needed (and ostensibly used) in another situation, has not learned. How do we encourage learning that is applicable and extendable?

• Teach skills in the context of a meaningful (to the student) project;
• Teach "why" as much as "how;"
• Value and honor learning that is demonstrated in real-life, not just tests.