Education

Assessments and History: Can You Assess It?

November 19, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Theodore K. Rabb writes that in an ideal world, evaluation would be unnecessary. After all, he says, Socrates never gave grades.

But assessment is here to stay, the professor emeritus of history at Princeton University acknowledges, and the current buzzword in education is “proficiency.” And yet, he argues, there is a huge divide between the nature of most history assessments and the proficiency they are supposed to demonstrate.

What do you think? What do teachers need in order to teach history effectively while meeting accountability standards?

A version of this news article first appeared in the TalkBack blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, as well as responsible adoption.
Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers
The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by STARI
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz How Does Social Media Really Affect Kids? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Many Teachers Used AI for Teaching? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Much Do You Know About Teacher Pay Experiments? Take the Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz From Shutdown to ICE Arrests—Test Your K-12 News Smarts This Week
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read