Monday, April 25, 2011

Who Grades The Graders?

Our kids will be taking the TAKS tests this week. (The TAKS tests are the Texas state school system's standardized tests required for, among other things, graduation from high school).

There is a lot of debate regarding whether TAKS and similar tests are worthwhile or not. One thing I would hope we can all agree on, however, is the need for teachers and school administrators to be qualified to teach our children. As the following pictures show, that is far from a given.




Please explain to me again why periodic teacher recertification, charter schools and school vouchers are bad things...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Teacher recertification, charter schools and school vouchers are BAD, because the Liberal left backed teacher's unions say so.

Just ask NJ Gov. Christie.

I'd opine further about the signs in the photographs, but I might offend certain communities and the ACLU would come down on my neck.

CenTexTim said...

TJ, a large number of my students are hispanic and come from some of the most underperforming school districts in the state. The kids, for the most part, are bright and motivated, but are horribly ill-prepared for college. IMO it's not their ethnic background*, but the public school system that has failed them. And as you point out, the teachers union, NEA, and Dept. of Ed. are part of the problem, not the solution.

*Of course, I can't speak for all ethnic backgrounds, just the ones I teach...

JT said...

I got a school email once that was about the "Tax" test. I shit you not.

CenTexTim said...

The saddest part of this whole mess is that somehow we have let the inmates take over the asylum.

No, check that. The saddest part is how all this nonsense is hurting the people it's supposed to be helping - the students.