The Power of Tests

The above is actually the title of a book written by my Language Testing professor in grad school, Elana Shohamy. Angered by the way our culture bows down to horrible tests, I actually bought a copy of the book on Amazon today. I say "actually" because at the time I was in her course I thought she was brilliant, but a little over the top.

Then I started to write an angry blog about all the flaws in the No Child Left Behind law. Fortunately, before I had wasted too much time, I found an article that expresses many of the same frustrations I feel. While I don't agree with every point the author makes (I fail to see the logic as to how she equates fewer articles on teacher morale, number 14, with lower morale in general), I appreciate how she manages to be both succinct and thorough.

Here it is:

http://nochildleft.com/2006/sept06killing.html