Colorado leads the way down

The state of Colorado is about to put into law the most important legislation ever seen in our effort speed up the nation's educational race to the bottom.  The Colorado law will be copied by other states until we eradicate all thinking and science from the educational process.  The law will tie teacher pay and their continued employment to the progress of students on achievement tests.

Now, I am not against students making progress, but the achievement tests don't measure anything but short term memorization.  That's not educational progress!  So, my first issue is that the law is based on a false premise that the tests have actual value.

My second argument, and the basis of my belief that this is a significant step toward eliminating the type of education that will make America competitive in the world marketplace, is that if your pay and career are dependent on getting the kiddies to do well on the test you will teach the test only.  Hammer away at memorizing the material for the test and forget about teaching thinking, or science, or any of the other things that are not on the test.

It's call survival.  If you lose a job under this law, who will hire you.  Your career will be over.  You have to make sure you meet the numbers or you wasted all that time in college getting as education degree.

But I am open minded.  I will agree to support the bill with the amendment that members of the state legislature and the Governor be held to the same standard.  If the state does not make progress toward achieving utopia each year the elected officials pay will be cut and once their terms end they will be banned from participation in any elected office for life.

Hell, lets throw the parents into the amendment to.  Kids not up to snuff for a couple of years, we have to cut you off from having more kids.

(No budget in California by the constitutional deadline every year?  Banned from public office for life and cut of from having kids.)

What's that you say?  Elected officials can't control all the factors that might hinder the achievement of a Utopian society.  Parents don't have complete control over their kids development.  Well neither can teachers control all the factors that effect student progress.  Parents and state governments continue to dump more requirements on teachers and provide less resources, yet have the audacity to complain about the results they get.

One of our nation's biggest problems is our constant blaming of others, while we ignore our own complicity in the problem.  Another is that we want everything for no cost, but want to get paid richly.

T.S. Hall