Tornado Alley (PROG)

[F6]

Stephanie -- all that a test actually tests is 1) how well the student has been prepped for the test, and 2) how good the student is at taking the test -- only in part a function of the student's broader knowledge and thinking skills -- time and money spent prepping students for tests are pretty much completely wasted in terms of the objective of educating the students, actually imparting knowledge and developing thinking skills -- which I say as one who has always been really good at taking tests and (as a result) once taught folks how to take tests

unfortunately, appears Obama has significantly signed onto testing as a key component of his approach -- things can be done to improve tests to better get at knowledge and thinking skills -- but the time spent prepping for whatever test is never the same, or nearly as valuable as, time spent actually learning and being made to think