While elements of the state-implemented “Common Core” curriculum have been working their way into the public schools over the past several years, testing programs to assess the schools’ ability to meet these goals are only now coming online.
While no one likes tests, the assessments that are accompanying Common Core are receiving exceptionally negative reviews. The teachers unions in particular maintain that the tests really only prove how well a student can take a test. But in public schools, faced with losing state aid, teachers are spending more time teaching test-taking skills than the content and skills that students should be learning.
To educate parents, administrators, and the community at large, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Association is sponsoring a free screening of the documentary film “Standardized — Lies, Money & Civil Rights: How Testing is Ruining Public Education” on Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m. at the AMC 24 at I-295 and Sloan Avenue in Hamilton. Register online via Eventbrite.
The 73-minute film was produced on a budget of $2,000 by Dan Hornberger, a high school English teacher for 23 years who has a masters in educational leadership from Lehigh and has produced educational videos for the United States Tennis Association.
Completed in December of last year, the film has been screened in 40-some cities throughout the country since then.
As the website for the movie (www.standardizedthefilm.com) notes, “many experts believe that underneath the testing movement lies a desire to end public education. ‘Standardized’ [brings] together testimonials from renowned educational experts, discussing the current United Opt Out movement, and providing alternatives to the unreliable certification process.”
