A former teacher's opinion about testing

[kzang]

Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning: As a former high school teacher, I’m not opposed to standardized testing. Common assessments are a critical way of maintaining high expectations for all kids. Great teachers want benchmarks to measure progress and ensure that they are closing the gap between students in their classroom and the kids across town. What you measure should matter. The problem is, most American classrooms are measuring the wrong thing.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679771/r...trepreneurship

[kzang]

Quotes from the schools mentioned in this article.

Science Leadership Academy:

The Science Leadership Academy is a partnership high school between the School District of Philadelphia and The Franklin Institute. SLA is an inquiry-driven, project-based high school focused on 21st century learning that opened its doors on September 7, 2006.

SLA provides a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with a focus on science, technology, mathematics and entrepreneurship. Students at SLA learn in a project-based environment where the core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection are emphasized in all classes.

http://www.scienceleadership.org/


Big Picture Learning:

Big Picture Learning’s mission is to lead vital changes in education, both in the United States and internationally, by generating and sustaining innovative, personalized schools that work in tandem with the real world of the greater community. We believe that in order to sustain successful schools where authentic and relevant learning takes place, we must continually innovate techniques and test learning tools to make our schools better and more rigorous. Lastly, we believe that in order to create and influence the schools of the future, we must use the lessons learned through our practice and research to give us added leverage to impact changes in public policy.

http://www.bigpicture.org/about-us/


Academy for Software Engineering:

I need to call out the NYC DOE. It's easy to dismiss government as big, slow, dumb, bureaucratic, and ineffective. I know I've been guilty of that myself. But I have to tell you that the DOE has impressed me again and again in this effort. The folks we work with are smart, committed, decisive, and most surprisingly, they are risk takers. There are too many of them to mention here, but they know who they are and I am extremely grateful for their efforts to get this school off the ground.

http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/03/acad...gineering.html


Bricolage Academy:

Bricolage (noun): 1. construction or creation from a diverse range of available things, or work created by such a process. 2. a way to learn and solve problems by trying, testing and playing around 3. borrowed from the French verb bricoler, meaning “tinker".

Bricolage Academy is a proposed new school that meets a need expressed by New Orleans parents: a public school that is rigorous, diverse and prepares students for the future. Scheduled to open in 2013, Bricolage Academy will serve students from Pre-K through 8th grade and will deliberately preserve New Orleans’ diversity, culture and spirit of innovation.

http://bricolageacademy.wordpress.com/