I support John Oliver and thank him for his comments. I really do not understand those who fight for civil rights and equity in education fighting for

I support John Oliver and thank him for his comments. I really do not understand those who fight for civil rights and equity in education fighting for standardized tests. I believe annual testing will survive ESEA renewal (if its renewed and pray it is so we can disarm Obama and Duncan)

It is a circular argument. The tests show that scores are rising so we need more tests so the scores can keep rising? Can we look beyond the data points and consider the schools?

I began my teaching career in 2001 and lived under the tyranny and constant threat of NCLB. The majority of my teaching was in wealthy white schools so we only had parent complaints about hurting real estate value, and it does. The fact that these tests are perceived to be valued enough to effect real estate prices is crazy but that is what voters demanded. Higher test scores for better school reports on real estate sites. Our curriculum was narrowed.

This is even worse in our urban schools that serve people of color.

Now fifteen years later I work in higher ed. For the last two months I have been doing teacher evaluation in urban schools. The testing is a plight. In almost every school I visit you can feel the negative effect testing has on draining culture. In every school students cannot use their computers for months on end because they are needed for testing. Support staff, such as paraprofessionals and special ed teachers who service the neediest children cannot because they have to proctor tests.

Social studies and history are virtually gone from the urban elementary classroom as the focus is placed on raising scores. A real shame since after decoding build background knowledge makes better readers.

Students are shamed as aggregate scores are displayed prominently in the halls and the classroom. A constant reminder to their failure.

You claim we need federal policy data and we do. It is called NAEP. They know that grade bands and sampling work better than trying to test every single student every single year. We are not learning something new.

The NAEP miracle you speak of, while impressive in math, is actually pretty stable in reading. Yes the scores went up more than they have in the past but a quick glance at NAEP scores reveals quite a steady pattern.

Furthermore your post reads as if you could compare student scores from year over year. Under NCLB you could not do this. Jeremy's scores in 5th grade could not be statistically tested against Jeremy's scores in 6th grade. This may not hold true in every state but state to state comparisons were impossible.

The test scores are now being used to justify the shutting down of neighborhood schools. That is the bedrock in communities of color. We have manufactured a crisis, based on these scores and then us the scores to prove we need to shut down the schools.

Just look at what Cuomo is doing in New York with the arbitrary college ready cut scores. To say, oh thats state policy is a farse, Duncan holds the NCLB waiver like a gun to the head of each state.

I think the biggest tragedy that testing has caused POC is the sheer cost of the tests. Think about how many after school programs and wrap around services could be in place if the money went to the people and not to Pearson.

Yes the tests do help people of color, those motivated by green.