This week, the media is making a big deal out of proposed changes to the state testing program. I am not sure why. While the changes would be substantial, they would not be unexpected.
Last year, the State Board of Education created a commission to examine the state testing program and make recommendations to improve it. (Unfortunately, “scrap the sorry excuse for a testing program” was not a recommendation.) Upon the release of the commission’s recommendations, the State Board gave the double thumbs to the committee; board members made it clear that they would implement a number of the recommended changes to the testing program. So, here we go.
But, for now, let’s ponder a few wonderfully vacuous comments made about the changes. Let’s do some matching:
Word/Phrase Bank
a. [The/the] current instrument
b. finishing the job
c. [A/a] 21st century system
d. plateaued
e. 13 years of school
Comments
1. “Developing _________ will take time…” – Wayne McDevitt, vice chairman of the state board
2. “The system we have in place has _________…” – Sam Houston, chairman of the commission
3. “_________ isn’t giving us what we need to improve the writing of our students…” – Howard Lee, chairman of the state board
4. “If you think about it, _________ is what it’s all about. It’s about _________.” – Sam Houston, chairman of the commission
Answer Key: 1 C; 2 D; 3 A; 4 E and B
