Standardized Testing Moves beyond High School

needs · Feb 9, 2006

I am shocked, SHOCKED, that a panel consisting of the heads of several test prep and test manufacturing companies would recommend standardized testing for universities.

Charles Miller, a business executive who is the commission's chairman, wrote in a memorandum recently to the 18 other members that he saw a developing consensus over the need for more accountability in higher education.

"What is clearly lacking is a nationwide system for comparative performance purposes, using standard formats," Mr. Miller wrote, adding that student learning was a main component that should be measured.

...

Jonathan Grayer, another commissioner, who is chief executive of the test-coaching company Kaplan Inc., said that with so many students in college and so many tax dollars being spent, "it is important for us to seek some type of knowledge about how much learning is going on."
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/education/09testing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I was going to write a long post on the Foucauldian nature of this program, the state trying to make the abstract nature of learning legible and controllable, etc. But instead, I'll just note that the panel consisted of 16 business execs and 2 people who currently spend any time in a classroom.

bigredfutbol · Feb 9, 2006

Unbelievable.