October 03, 2011

Professors critique standardized test

Education professors Ruth Shagoury and Andie Cunningham investigated whether standardized testing measures what matters most.

In an effort to better understand the experience of their students, Mary Stuart Rogers Professor of Education Ruth Shagoury and Instructor of Teacher Education Andie Cunningham decided to take the Praxis Reading Specialist Test, a two-hour, 120-question exam required to obtain a reading endorsement.

Their analysis of the exam, captured in this article for Rethinking Schools, brings up concerns about political subtext and questions whether the test measures what matters for a successful teaching career.

“In the long run, we can’t stop the damaging effects of standardized testing on the children until we examine the impact it is having on teachers as well as on the larger culture of schools.” Read the full article at Rethinking Schools.

 

Teacher Education at Lewis & Clark