Full Description
There is too much testing in American Public Schools that is robbing teachers of valuable instructional time. Some of it is mandatory, but the vast majority is not, and under the control of districts, schools and even teachers to reduce. Testing Too Much? provides a rationale and set of three models to use in cutting back on testing to reclaim valuable instructional time. It also includes a high school case study describing how the themes proposed in the book can be accomplished. Instructional time is a complex subject that is discussed in detail and the underlying research why it is so important, especially for disadvantaged children. To address how best to cut back on non-mandated testing there is a chapter, written in plain terms, on how to judge the value of a test. Three models are then discussed on how to approach cutting back on testing by as much as 25% that can recapture as much as ten days or more of instruction during a typical school year. The goal of the book is to help school leaders and teachers find ways, amongst current local testing practices, to cut back, improve their instruction and the educational experiences of their students.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter One: Accountability on Steroids: How we Got Here
Chapter Two: It's the Law... Helping Parents Choose Not to Opt Out
Chapter Three: What is the True Purpose of Schooling?
Chapter Four: What Makes for a Good Test?
Chapter Five: How to Cut Back on Testing - Three Models
Chapter Six: The Research on Why Time Matters
Chapter Seven: High School Case Study
Chapter Eight: The Pathway to a Positive Culture
Chapter Nine: What to Do with Reclaimed Instructional Time
Chapter Ten: Epilogue: A Retrospective
