Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Last Word on "Testing"

Thanks to a design group dedicated to linking visualization to learning, Accredited Online Colleges was able to put up a fabulous graphic on their blog, detailing the effect of testing, retesting, and overtesting on U.S. schools. Take a look at the elegant use and display of the statistics below and the overall impact of the concise information presented in this infographic to get a real answer to all of those naysayers who keep denying the detrimental effects of "standardized testing." Just follow the money, of course, as noted below: Pearson and its cohorts in the Big Five of national testing companies are making BILLIONS from state and national policy while the kids, teachers, parents, and communities that support and work in our public schools remain underfunded and underloved.

Check it out for yourself:

standardized testing infographic

Thanks to Allison Morris and the rest of the design team that provides these infographics for Accredited Online Colleges and other resource sites. The clever way they have combined easy reading, visual cues, and sourced statistics demonstrates the precise method for teaching that suits the 21st century learner: quick, one-stop assimilation that shows CONNECTIONS among ideas. Hey, we're ALL visual learners now!


4 comments:

  1. Instructions as to what to do if a student vomits on a test booklet...there are no words to truly express what I'm thinking at the moment...except that not another dime should be given to Pearson and accomplices.

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    1. I know . . . that one got me, too. Imagine!! Yes, talk about the 1% running the show for all of us . . . not one dime more!! Please go to http://FairTest.org and their high-stakes testing page to endorse the resolution to abolish this destructive practice in our schools. THANKS!!

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  2. Stunning, and yet they still keep using them. Love that in my state we can use the portfolio option as a form of assessment for our homeschool. Did the testing the first year and despised the amount of time we wasted having to do it.

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    1. Wonderful! The way of the future IS the portfolio assessment (but, they ask, how do we quantify that, thereby shoveling more money to the testing companies!). Numerous colleges have actually moved to viewing video portfolios of students and their work to make admission decisions. Won't that just fry Educational Testing Service?? :)

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