What was this test supposed to tell us, anyway?

This is TAKS testing week, so the topic is on everyone's mind. This year there are new rules and regulations... to keep an eye on teachers.

Odd, but it seems lately the State is more concerned with teachers' dishonesty. This is a symptom of another problem. This test is designed to assess the students' knowledge and skills. But the results are being used to assess the teachers, campus, and district. That's not what the test was designed to do. When we use the test for other goals, it become ineffective at both tasks. Not only is the test being used to judge something it was never meant to gauge, but it means that teachers, schools, and districts start doing things the make the test a poor assessment of students' knowledge and skills. There is pressure to teach test-taking, shortcuts, only key ideas, etc.

Use the test for what it was designed to do.