Over the weekend, the Obama administration took a firm stance on standardized testing, calling on Congress to “reduce over-testing” in American schools.
Citing that American students take 112 standardized tests—averaging eight per year—from the time they are in kindergarten to the time they graduate high school, government officials say that the push to assess students’ schooling has been overextended, reports The New York Times.
“Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right bubble,” Obama said in a Facebook video. “So we’re going to work with states, school districts, teachers and parents to make sure that we’re not obsessing about testing.”
Michelle Obama Launches ‘Better Make Room’ Website for Students
Obama administration officials are asking Congress to pass guidelines that would limit the number of standardized tests per grade and ensuring that students don’t spend more than two percent of class time preparing for the exams.
“I still have no question that we need to check at least once a year to make sure our kids are on track or identify areas where they need support,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said at a conference. “But I can’t tell you how many conversation I’m in with educators who are understandably stressed and concerned about an overemphasis on testing in some places and how much time testing and test prep are taking from instruction.”
What do you think of President Obama’s stance?