testing

Our Dept. of Public Instruction latest version of the Algebra 1 End of Course Test, much like past versions, involves the reading of over 2500 words just to read the questions. That is the equivalent of reading Poe's Cask of Amontillado. Only about 18-20 of the 80 questions were true math questions; those would be questions that have instructions like solve, evaluate, and factor. The rest of the questions are either a paragraph with numbers and formulas scattered therein or a large matrix that takes up most of a page.

The Joy of Learning and of Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the holiday, let me give thanks to lcloud for sharing a link (http://www.hd08.com/kids) to the children's story I wrote about Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys it and, more importantly, I hope it will help draw attention to the need to redouble our efforts to improve literacy in North Carolina.

There is another story just out that I hope will be widely read as well: the Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability’s draft report criticizing the state’s testing regime.