i was flooded last week with workshops and then a conference. it was all about reading and the new wave and what we can do to insure literacy is an option for all children. all of this was positive. i got some wonderful ideas and was energized BUT i was appalled to hear every single presentor refer to how their ideas and their programs and their products would raise test scores. we got lots of tips on how to implement testing language into our program everyday.
has the entire nation gone nuts? the end- all -be- all is that we as educators lie down and let politicians and policy makers determine our worth, our pay and children's lives by test scores and the ability to understand testing vocabulary?
how is the ability to understand specific testing words correlated to later success in life?

Unfortunatly testing is a reality. The SAT, PRAXIS, LSAT, MCAT, etc. do, as we read in THE BIG TEST, determine our success in life. Those that pass these tests have opportunity and doors open for them. Failure to pass the test results in the inability to go to the next step. Right? Wrong? Reality.