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a bell curve of scores. When scores start to inch upward, the creators of the test throw out test questions and insert new ones with the purpose of spreading the scores out again. So schools who are trying to achieve the "all kids at 80%" are hitting their heads against the proverbial wall. It cannot be accomplished with a norm referenced test. Period!

While most states are moving toward criterion based tests, there are still many problems with those test as well. Many criterion based tests are not testing the state standards that the schools are mandated to teach. Independent scholars have found that many of the reading passages of these tests are above the grade level of the child being tested. And many teachers complain that the tests often are tricky and misleading, not trying to assess a child's knowledge but trying to trick students with confusing questions. You cannot get reliable results using questions that are not straightforward.

The tests are changing year to year so comparing results is futile. When you change the test yearly, comparing the results from one year to the results of another year is useless. The tests are different! You can't get any valid information comparing two different tests. What a waste of money to report any comparative numbers. Yet, it is happening and educators are trying to use this flawed data for instructional purposes. Ridiculous!

Even if the tests remained stable, the appropriate comparison should be to measure growth of one class to itself. Instead, these tests report scores comparing one class to a different class the following year. That is in essence, comparing apple to oranges and giving results that are basically worthless.

Example after example of the silliness of the details in this law could produce a book, chapters long. The simple truth is that the tests that are the basis of No Child Left Behind are flawed and produced scores that make every school fail. But if our politicians can show that the schools are failing (through this faulty law) they have a stronger case for vouchers and the dismantling of public schools to privatization. Kinda makes one wonder if that was the intent all along!

Learn more about this author, Teri Hooper.
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