This is obviously the right direction to go in, as the current system is insane: students are tested near the end of the year so by the time the results are in, it's too late to do anything.  Instead, doing quick, low-stakes tests frequently throughout the year will give teachers critical information about exactly what each student has (and hasn't) learned so that corrective action can be taken. 

 I've seen many top charter schools doing this -- Village Academies and North Star come immediately to mind -- and it really works.  Of course, the devil's in the details -- it will be a real challenge to implement this...

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced yesterday that the city school system would spend $80 million over five years on a battery of new standardized tests to begin this fall for most of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students.

The contract awarded to the testing giant CTB/McGraw-Hill will involve a significant expansion of exams, known as periodic tests, which monitor students’ progress and are supposed to help predict how students will perform in the annual state exams. Mr. Klein’s announcement immediately rekindled the debate over whether such testing is emphasized too much or is even a useful tool for teachers.

Pupils in Grades 3 through 8 will be tested five times a year in both reading and math, instead of three times as they are now. High school students, for the first time, will be tested four times a year in each subject. In the next few years, the tests will expand to include science and social studies.

I know testing is a highly controverial area.  I'll write a lot more on this later, but in summary, I think we need to do more, not less, testing, but no doubt much better testing.

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May 31, 2007

New York City Expands Test Program in Schools

By JULIE BOSMAN

www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/education/31schools.html

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced yesterday that the city school system would spend $80 million over five years on a battery of new standardized tests to begin this fall for most of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students.