Tests raise questions of interest
“Should the state tests like the Missouri Assessment Program be given by teachers to their own students?”
If classroom teachers did not give tests to their own students, who would do that job? Would we pay people to come into the classroom and administer tests? Where would we find enough qualified people to do that?
Entirely too much emphasis is placed on these high-stakes tests, and that is the first problem. The tests cost school districts funding that could be used for good books.
The books would help children learn. The tests do not help children learn. They might identify students who need extra help. But the tests are needed to qualify for extra money for tutoring. If that tutoring could be accessed without testing, money could be saved.
