Overtesting and underfunding are the two largest hurdles facing teachers in Tennessee, according to state education experts.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Education Association brought its third annual Road Trip to Hamilton County in an effort to discuss with concerned educators, parents and community members the number of issues plaguing local schools.
According to TEA officials, students simply aren’t receiving the quality education they need in the state because teachers are required to grind students — and themselves — into the dirt through repeated testing. And when the results come in, they are too often used to punish educators and students, they said.
“We currently have a test-and-punish system,” said Rhonda Thompson, a coordinator of instructional advocacy and student program with TEA.
She said when students perform poorly everyone is punished through school closures, job losses and budget cuts.
But teachers are reporting that the overuse of standardized testing is part of what is contributing to low scores.
“I’m hearing children say they’re taking tests to find out how they’re going to do on that test,” Thompson said.
For TEA, the current testing system is totally flawed and should absolutely not be used to make “high-stakes decisions” about whether a teacher gets to keep his or her job.
“Test scores do not define whether you are a bad teacher or a good teacher,” TEA President Barbara Gray said. (continue reading)