New York Schools Institute Universal Assessment

Summary: The necessity to assess students is irrefutable. In fact, a lot of people believe that formal assessments are the only way to tell how a student is progressing, and teachers feel pressured to teach to the test. For many educators, part of their paycheck is based on how well students score on standardized tests. Fortunately for students and teachers alike, New York Public Schools recognize the need to not only assess them fairly and accurately, but also see the necessity of o...

The necessity to assess students is irrefutable. In fact, a lot of people believe that formal assessments are the only way to tell how a student is progressing, and teachers feel pressured to teach to the test. For many educators, part of their paycheck is based on how well students score on standardized tests. Fortunately for students and teachers alike, New York Public Schools recognize the need to not only assess them fairly and accurately, but also see the necessity of offering various kinds of tests to be used at the teachers' discretion. New York Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein recently announced that all schools will have access to a range of flexible periodic assessment tools to help them track students' progress in English Language Arts and math starting in the 2007-08 school year. It's interesting and encouraging that the Chancellor recognizes the need for these tools. Perhaps even more interesting is the motivation behind them. "Teachers have always used assessments to monitor their students' progress. Now they'll be able to find out quickly exactly what [New York Schools] students are learning and where they need more help," Chancellor Klein said. "These tools are quicker and more accurate than what