Jose Banda, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, defended the use of testing to rate teachers. He said that student-achievement data is only one component of the district’s teacher-evaluation system, which relies heavily on principal observations. “For us, it’s just an added piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Tests have taken on increasing importance in U.S. education since the federal No Child Left Behind became law in 2002. Proponents, including the Obama administration, say assessments are necessary to ensure students are learning and that teachers’ effectiveness is properly measured.
Some parents and local officials also have resisted the spread of testing. In Texas and Florida, hundreds of school boards adopted resolutions last year asking state officials to reassess state-testing programs. Parents in Washington state and New York City have kept kids home from school on test day in protest. And school-district officials in Oklahoma complained recently about how test scores are factored into controversial new letter grades assigned to schools.