[lbo-talk] NCLB bites the University?

[Miles Jackson]

Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> On Apr 14, 2010, at 11:28 AM, Miles Jackson wrote:
>
>> Really?  We can't discern whether one person has learned more than 
>> another about anything?  As I noted, I've been evaluating student 
>> learning in my classes for about 20 years.  By providing students 
>> meaningful input about what they have  learned and what they haven't 
>> learned yet, I have helped students further develop their knowledge 
>> and skills.  This is a good thing, yes?
>
> Teachers always do that, no? Exams, papers, conference, class 
> comments, etc. That's a whole different ball of wax from the obsession 
> with NCLB-style standardized tests, which are rapidly making us stupider.
>
> Doug 

Yes, I agree.  I think the confusion here is semantic: for some on the 
list, "assessment of learning" appears to mean standardized testing; for 
me, it means gathering some evidence that a person has learned 
something.  I refuse to let the NCLB advocates define the terms here!  
Assessment of student learning can be done in many different ways, and 
we faculty need to be actively engaged in developing these meaningful 
assessment methods rather than accepting the flawed premise that 
"assessment =  standardized testing".

Miles