Common Core tests alienate students

On April 24, The Bee ran a letter supporting high-stakes standardized Common Core testing to assure “quality control.” The author of the letter apparently doesn’t trust teachers or school board members to do their jobs.

Teachers in our schools assess each child regularly through contact, homework and tests. A responsible parent trusts and works with the teacher. In contrast, standardized test contractors often return state results months later. How does that help the child now?

Better school systems, such as Finland’s, rely on ongoing assessment, not on standardized tests. (See “Why Finland has the best schools,” Fresno Bee, March 23, 2016.)

It’s never been a secret that high-stakes testing creates alienated kids. Why destroy a child’s motivation for “quality control”? Children are not production units. School isn’t about learning to take state tests. It’s about learning enthusiasm for learning. Engaged children outperform standardized test kids.

The more we learn about Common Core’s standardized testing, the less there is to like. We are failing our children.

Local school board members who support Common Core testing are not doing their jobs. They need to be replaced. Parents who don’t support teachers and school board aren’t doing their jobs, either.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 8:23 AM with the headline "Common Core tests alienate students."