What Every School System's Focus Should Be

What Every School System's Focus Should BeJust replaced with another monster, the MSP
Norman W Wilson, PhD(Measurement of Student Progress) tests? Time will
During the forty year career in education I have hadtell.
the privilege of witnessing significant and frivolousI have written about the overkill in the use of
innovations. New math, phased English, structuralstandardized testing before. It has now become an
grammar, open classroom, independent learningabsurdity. Accountability has been aimed at the
packages, and homogeneous and heterogeneousteachers. Students have not been given a role in that
grouping, advanced physics, and a smorgasbord ofaccountability. If a student fails is it the failure of the
nonacademic designer courses. Among these wereteacher or of the student? Could it be the failure of the
Preparation for Adulthood and the off-campussystem?
work-experience programs, shop for girls and homeMy experience dictates  seven areas upon which our
economics for boys.educational system should have a focus:
Then came the Back to Basics Movement.1. Educational programs must meet skills demands for
Supposedly this meant reading writing and arithmetic,an ever increasingly complex world
were to be brought back into the schools. The2. Education must be based upon uncertainty
assumption being that they had not been taught. With3. Educational programs must be based upon the
this Back to Basics Movement came 'tougher'learners' involvement in their own learning processes
standards, even talk of granting raises to teachers4. Education must be concerned with behavior
based on the success ratio of their students.  As it5. Teachers must be learning managers; not
has turned out, the Back to Basics Movement anddispensers of information
tougher standards have simply meant higher scores6. Emphasis should be placed upon the response of
on standardized tests, tests that are unto themselves,the learner
poorly designed. Washington State's WASL is dead.7.