Question:
Neill says, "NCLB focuses on large-scale testing, which is a poor tool for diagnosing individual students' needs and for assessing higher order learning." Can you argue with him, presenting another perspective?
Response:
I agree that standardized testing is not the proper tool to assess individuals, however in a competitive world, individual assessments can be time consuming and extremely varaint. Considering the undergraduate application process, it would be very difficult for schools to accept applicants with no standard form of requirements. The amount of time that would go into taking individual characteristics and accomplishments into account would make room for a lot of bias and unstructured decision making. Although most colleges do not solely rely on test scores from the SAT/ACT, there is a need for this standard to "ensure" that the students applying are up to a certain acceptable level for success. Also migration is another reason for the need for more large-scale testing. This method of testing is more likely to increase the chances that a student who moves from South Dakota to Georgia will have at least been exposed to and tested on similar information.
Dear Kirnel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your opinion. Like you, I agree with Neill's argument in terms of the large-scale testing employed by the "No Child Left Behind" Act. However, I feel that you raised some excellent counter points. Keep up the good work!
With kind regards,
Danielle