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THIS IS ONLY A TEST:
1) One of the most frustrating things about my years of experience with standardized testing has been watching an insidious encroachment on our academic context by corporate interests. The near manic focus on standardized tests of all stripes and colors as arbiters of intellectual and academic achievement is nothing less than a travesty. These tests measure one thing and one thing only: how well one takes these tests. (And how much money is being pumped into "not for profit" test companies like Educational Testing Service.) They do not measure the type of higher order analytical and reasoning skills that are often the catalysts of stunning personal and societal success. Therefore, standardized testing should be abolished. Congratulations for wading through that mess. Now please prepare a three hundred word response in agreement with or rebuttal to the argument above. Welcome to the wonderful world of critical reasoning. A skill rarely taught, difficult to measure, but one of the most important tools in deciphering the complex world in which we live. Critical reasoning is the key to seeing beyond the obvious, to gathering whatever relevant information you can and making the most informed decisions for yourself and those dependent upon your judgment. Through written and oral exercises, students will sharpen their command of verbal analysis, logic, and rhetoric. TIMELINE: Ongoing studies for middle school and high school students. EXPECTATIONS: Approximately three hours of independent work for every hour of instruction |