[twigs]

Thanks for pinging me on this. I'm glad to finally hear teacher's say that test-taking has a place in education! I keep hearing teachers here (PA) complain that having these tests forces teachers to "teach to the test." Never understood that. It always seemed to me that there are standards we should be following and test-taking is important. This is the first time I've read teachers actually taking the opposite view. Thank you for the encouragement!

[summer]

My pleasure! Too bad the loudest, complaining voices are usually the only ones that get heard. I know MANY teachers who recognize -- without hesitation -- that assessment IS certainly a part of teaching and the learning process. And tests are one way to test. A well designed test, following clearly communicated objectives, is not exactly news!

BTW, notice the teachers in this photo truly look thrilled to have Gov. Bush ini their classroom. That's because Gov. Bush is ALWAYS out there in the field WITH teachers -- this is standard for him -- unlike other elected officials, who need a map to find the schools because election day is drawing near.

Thank you for your post, twigs! :)