NEAToday Online interviewed
Lorrie Shepard, professor of research methodology at the University of Colorado
at Boulder. She is a national authority on standardized tests and other
forms of assessment. Last year, she was president of the American Educational
Research Association, the leading school research organization.
Her interview points to
many of the misconceptions that politicians hold about
testing. For
example, she said, "Politicians believe test scores are a measure
of the
quality of education, rather than of resources and the students'
socio-economic characteristics. You see them rewarding the Beverly Hills
school
districts, even though, when you mention it, they say, "Oh, yes, we
know that
these kids started out ahead."
You can also read the wonderful story of a
businessman whose eyes were opened to the realities of teaching.
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