First Posted: 3/11/2015
In regard to Sherrod Brown’s SMART Act, which would, as Brown stated, “help streamline and improve testing,” for the states’ public schools by giving “states and school districts the tools they need to ensure that statewide and local tests are reliable and efficient, and would help them to eliminate outdated and redundant tests,” I have some concerns and questions.
First, Brown carefully does not include federal testing among those to be streamlined or eliminated.
Also, Brown carefully uses his math to make it seem like most of the testing is not from the federal government when in fact, according to Brown, more than half the percentage of tests students now take are federally mandated tests.
My first question is: Where will the money for the SMART Act come from?
Second question: Who will be the ones to determine what is redundant?
Finally: Why can’t we just eliminate the vast majority of tests whether from the federal or the state government? Why can’t we let teachers, who are, unlike politicians, actually trained to assess student performance do their jobs and assess the students? Teachers are fully able and willing to do that task.
