Diagnosis for Teachers.

With the changes in the Executive Branch, NCLB will change, but how?  The Eduguru is continuing a series of blogs on the problems opponents have had with NCLB and what they might or should do about them now.

The seventh is focus:  Diagnosis for teachers.

The annual statewide assessment for accountability is not for teachers.  That’s correct, depending upon this high-level, annual assessment to provide teachers useful diagnostic data is silly.  The focus of these assessments is accountability.  Teachers need a separate set of assessments for diagnosis.  See Why Eva Baker Doesn’t Seem to Understand Accountability, ESP Solutions Group Optimal Reference Guide.

NCLB naively requires timely reporting to teachers for diagnosis.  That’s fine, but ask a teacher how useful the state assessment results are to them.  Interesting, yes.  Important, yes.  Meeting their needs for diagnosis, no.  Psychometrically, what makes for a great accountability test does not make for a decent diagnostic assessment.

Congress should authorize separate diagnostic assessments if they want teachers to benefit from the statewide assessment programs.

The EduGuru speaks:  Seen the satellite photos of your house and neighborhood?  Great for judging where you are relative to community services and stores.  Not very useful for determining what renovations need to be made.