WASHINGTON 鈥斅燗 new study backs up parents and teachers who say standardized testing is overwhelming the American education system. It also reinforces the position of President Obama, who on Saturday announced new guidelines on standardized testing, saying children spend too much time taking “unnecessary” exams in schools.
A聽new聽two-year study by the聽Council of the Great City Schools, a national organization that聽represents聽the needs of urban public schools, 聽shows the average student will take聽around 112 standardized tests before graduating high school. That works out to as much as 25 hours per year spent taking mandated tests.
The research also finds that the tests are often redundant and uncoordinated, and that the results frequently overlap.
Teachers surveyed complained that they were forced to teach to the test and lost out on valuable class time. Schools in some districts had to wait up to four months for the test results, leaving little or no time to use the information聽to help a student.
Congress, the Department of Education,聽states and local school districts have all contributed to the explosion in mandatory testing requirements.
The Council has made preliminary recommendations for reform based on the聽study results. The recommendations聽call for eliminating tests that are redundant or of low quality, but retaining current annual tests in core subjects.
The Council聽will also be launching a commission that will “develop a more thoughtful approach to assessing the academic needs of our urban schoolchildren.鈥�
