To test or not to test...that is the question. Even at Costco.

Today I received my August 2013 copy of The Costco Connection, "A lifestyle magazine for Costco customers." Not surprisingly, it was a back-to-school issue. I flipped it open, fully expecting to see products that fill backpacks and desks, meet students' technology needs, and decorate and furnish dorm rooms. Okay, those items were there, but what I was not prepared for were the insightful, thought-provoking articles on current educational issues such as standardized testing, flipping the classroom (Khan Academy style), and an interview with the national teacher of the year. Whaaaaaah?  I almost had to double-check the cover to make certain I hadn't grabbed my Journal of Adolescent Literacy instead.

I highly recommend picking up a copy if you don't have one already. Especially dear to my heart is the standardized testing issue. The article, titled "Are Standardized Tests a Fair Measure of Student Achievement?" (NO, of course), presents opposing viewpoints on this issue. Warning: you may have to laugh at the "yes" viewpoint, which is that of Richard P. Phelps, "...the founder of the Nonpartisan Education Review and the author of "The Effect of Testing on Student Achievement: 1910-2010" (International Journal of Testing, 2012). His argument is semi-circular and assumes we moronic teachers would employ absolutely no formative assessments of our own in the classrooms. He seems to believe the options are standardized national testing or no testing at all. Sorry to hit you with my own bias before you even read it, but do check it out here: http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201308#pg23

The other education-related articles are also good reads - worthy of your time (which is eeking away this time of the year, I know!). Check it out and let me know what you think!