[NLA] accountability?

[Nashansen@aol.com]

I agree with you, Art - the question truly <is> what is best for the learner 
and whether accountability does one iota to help <them>.  I'd rather be able 
to sleep at night than to go any other direction than follow <my> conscience. 
 Good job, Eileen.  Well said.

I guess that I'd rather think that my first responsibility in the 
administration and instruction responsibilities I offer the adult learners in 
this program is my <own> accountability.  I feel that I am truly accountable 
to them and their needs -- accountability of test scores and how are they 
beneficial to learners?  I don't hardly think that the very beginning 
literacy student is going to be able to see any benefit in scores when they 
cannot succeed taking even the very easiest TABE test.  Using the /M/ level 
TABE mentioned in another post is above the heads of the majority of my 
learners assigned one-to-one matches in this program.  Like I said, good job 
speaking truth.

Nancy Hansen

In a message dated 03/10/2003 7:30:13 PM Central Standard Time, 
arthur at ellijay.com writes:
<< Eileen,
 
 Thank you.  Couldn't have done better.
 My thoughts here are that this issue is a very clear example of the conflict
 between academic/administration and the reality of the classroom and adult
 student.  Totally separate goals, so necessarily the philosophies don't gell
 together at all.
 I hate cliches but really it's a case of damned if you do and damned if you
 don't.  So what's your goal here if you're a teacher with the best interests 
of
 the student in mind ?  My conscience is my guide.
 
 Art
 
 
 
 Eileen Eckert wrote:
 
 > Who benefits from so-called accountability measures? Can anyone defend them
 > as improving services to learners? If so, please give specific examples and
 > evidence.
 >
 > I've noticed a couple of themes in the discussions of standardized tests as
 > instruments of accountability: one is that programs that accept the
 > standardized test strings attached to federal money seem to be making an
 > effort not to let the tests become too big a barrier to learning or too
 > detrimental to learners.
 >
 > Another is that in order to keep standardized tests from interfering too
 > much with services to learners, some programs are dispensing with the only
 > thing that makes the tests accountability measures--that is, the
 > standardization (specifically timing). So how does "accountability" help
 > learners?
 >
 > One outcome of "accountability" is that money that might have gone to serve
 > students now goes to buy tests and answer sheets, certify teachers to
 > administer the tests, pay trainers to certify the teachers, pay researchers
 > to interpret the (invalidated, unreliable, but let's not talk about that)
 > data, etc., etc. There's an example of money flowing from the poor to the
 > rich!
 >
 > So how does accountability help learners?
 > >>
_______________________________________________
NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org