Education experts say Common Core standards and high-stakes tests hurt students and teaching

The Washington Post has a compelling story about Common Core and high-stakes tests that is pretty damning. Interestingly, it notes that Tea Party arguments about the government taking over education clouded the real problems with Common Core.

“More than 100 education researchers in California have joined in a call for an end to high-stakes testing, saying that there is no ‘compelling’ evidence to support the idea that the Common Core State Standards will improve the quality of education for children or close the achievement gap, and that Common Core assessments lack ‘validity, reliability and fairness.’ …

[Researchers said that] Although proponents argue that the CCSS promotes critical thinking skills and student-centered learning (instead of rote learning), research demonstrates that imposed standards, when linked with high-stakes testing, not only deprofessionalizes teaching  and narrows the curriculum,  but in so doing, also reduces the quality of education and student learning, engagement, and success. The impact is also on student psychological well-being: Without an understanding that the scores have not been proven to be valid or fair for determining proficiency or college readiness, students and their parents are likely to internalize failing labels with corresponding beliefs about academic potential.” Read the full story here.