Here is one:<\/p>\n
\u201cScientifically Tested Tests,\u201d\u009d by Susan Engel (Op-Ed, Sept. 20), is a breath of fresh air. We have better, more humanistic and authentic ways to judge students\u2019 learning rather than succumbing to \u201claboring once again in the shadow of standardized tests.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Prospective teachers coming out of many teacher education programs are familiar with the range of assessments in students\u2019 learning. The larger pragmatic \u201d\u201d and moral \u201d\u201d issue is: Even when they know what works well for student learning and assessment, what do they do in the face of the tremendous pressure to teach to the test?<\/p>\n
Especially with our current economic woes, it is tough for me to tell them to give up their jobs and take the moral high road.<\/p>\n
We have created a culture of fear, and we wind up schooling \u201d\u201d standardizing \u201d\u201d students, not truly educating them.<\/p>\n
If we want an educated American citizenry, we need to summon our collective moral courage, if not outrage, in the face of the dubious value of standardized testing.<\/p>\n
John Gabriel,Chicago<\/p><\/blockquote>\n