Two years ago this month, President Barack Obama had a clear message for teachers and parents who were concerned about all the standardized tests that students were taking: He was on their side.
In a video statement, he gave parents this pop quiz:
If our kids had more free time at school, what would you want them to do with it?
A) Learn to play a musical instrument?
B) Study a new language?
C) Learn how to code HTML?
D) Take more standardized tests?
“If you’re like most of the parents and teachers I hear from, you didn’t choose D,” the president said. “I wouldn’t either.”
Kids should only take tests that “are worth taking,” Obama said. Progress for schools and students, he added, shouldn’t be measured solely based on test scores.
But, the president had a “but.” (There’s always a but, isn’t there?)
Schools and teachers, he explained, must be held accountable, and tests are an important way of doing that.
“As a parent I want to know how my child is doing in school and I want my teacher to know that, too,” he said. “And that’s why I believe, in moderation, smart, strategic tests can help us measure our kids’ progress in school.” To read more Haley Samsel, click here.