Standards and Assessment
"I think standardized
tests are good, but they're not good for every single student…” –Gov.
Howard Dean
Under Gov.
Dean’s leadership,Vermont was among the first states to develop high standards
for student achievement. More important than Gov. Dean’s leadership
in the standards movement, however, is his position on assessment:
Standardized tests have severe limitations, and their results should
be used to improve—not punish—schools.
Under
his guidance, Vermont was the only state assessment program to receive a
Level 5 (highest) rating from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, calling it “nearly a model system.”
- “Testing our Children: Vermont,”
a state-by-state examination of state assessment programs by the
National Center for
Fair and Open Testing. “Vermont has
nearly a model system…”
- “Testing our
Children: How the States Scored,” a table from the summer 1997
FairTest Examiner that recaps the
“Testing our Children” report. Vermont is
the only state to receive a Level 5 (highest) rating. Note Texas’ rating.
Guess who was governor.
- Excerpt from
Terry Vatter’s interview with Gov. Dean on education, Alternative
Network Journal, September 2002. Note Gov. Dean’s
understanding of the appropriate use and purpose of standardized
tests.
