Here’s the nugget that goes along way to explaining it, IMO
> Ever since the federal education policy known as No Child Left Behind went into effect in 2002 and tied students’ test performance to rewards and sanctions for schools, achievement testing has been a primary driver of public education in the United States
Intentionally or not, the No Child Left Behind Act has created (accelerated?) the practice of not only teaching to the test it has also encouraged the practice of schools being held to the outcomes of the standard tests for funding (failing schools can lose funding sources from federal grants and programs for example) therefore teacher livelihoods are at stake.
Now it’s a situation where there is this thing, that if you don’t do well as a school (or schools district) you lose a big chunk of funding and may also make you ineligible for certain grants and other programs as well, but the state controls the means of which the standards are graded and reported, there are nothing but incentives through the entire system for this to be happening.
Since federal funding and grants make up a healthy portion of a good many state education budgets, it’s no shock that gaming compliance is something that happens, and I imagine this goes beyond Texas
> Ever since the federal education policy known as No Child Left Behind went into effect in 2002 and tied students’ test performance to rewards and sanctions for schools, achievement testing has been a primary driver of public education in the United States
Intentionally or not, the No Child Left Behind Act has created (accelerated?) the practice of not only teaching to the test it has also encouraged the practice of schools being held to the outcomes of the standard tests for funding (failing schools can lose funding sources from federal grants and programs for example) therefore teacher livelihoods are at stake.
Now it’s a situation where there is this thing, that if you don’t do well as a school (or schools district) you lose a big chunk of funding and may also make you ineligible for certain grants and other programs as well, but the state controls the means of which the standards are graded and reported, there are nothing but incentives through the entire system for this to be happening.
Since federal funding and grants make up a healthy portion of a good many state education budgets, it’s no shock that gaming compliance is something that happens, and I imagine this goes beyond Texas