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January 15, 2002
Putting Accountability to the Test
By Susan McLester, Editor in Chief
Accountability-now there's a term fraught with implication for schools these days. And though varied and complex, those implications too often tend toward the negative. We've all read disturbing reports of extreme behaviors associated with underperformance or the fear of underperformance in the high-stakes testing-obsessed environment of the past few years -with some educators teaching solely to the test, or even not showing up for class once testing was over; and principals, superintendents, and others fleeing leadership positions in the wake of negative publicity or threat of job loss. Add to this climate the apparent lack of a shared vision within our education system overall, and you can't blame both educators and the public for their increasing confusion. As author Judy Salpeter points out in this month's cover feature, "Accountability: Meeting the Challenge with Technology," there is more than a little irony in the fact that just as the K-12 environment is ramping up standardized testing, universities are doing the opposite as they consider jettisoning the SAT exam as an entrance requirement. But until we can all come to a workable consensus about what our children need to know as citizens of today's planet, the central challenge facing K-12 educators is to adequately prepare students for the technologically complex 21st-century workplace, while at the same time ensuring their top performance on a mid-20th-century assessment tool that measures only a slice of what they need to know.
Despite the frustrations and time demands associated with today's "testing fever," however, educators we talk to at the T&L Leadership Institute, during school visits, and via e-mail all agree that accountability is important and assessment a key part of the process. That is why this month's main feature looks at ways technology can come to the rescue for both traditional and authentic assessment of student skills.
Meanwhile, the brand of strong, positive leadership we're seeing in visionary educators such as Hartford, Conn., superintendent Anthony Amato, whose energy and determination to help every child succeed by "shining a light" on all aspects of the education experience, is key to our collective success. We share with you Amato's approach and practical tips on what is working for his district in both the article and an in-depth interview.
In conjunction with this month's feature, we bring you an extensive directory of products and services to help you deal with all aspects of evaluation.
As we begin a brand new year, we look forward to increasing our interactivity with you. This month we pioneer a "What's Your Opinion?" component to Trend Watch. We also invite you to assist us in planning for 2002 by giving us feedback on your favorite T&L covers of the past year. So please visit the Cover Survey (cover survey over) and let us know what you think.
We wish you all a very happy and accountable new year.
Read other articles from the January Issue
Send a letter to the Editor in response to this article.
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