To the Editor:
While Barbara Chow’s Commentary “Rigorous and Deeper Learning” (Oct. 6, 2010) was very timely, it raises a troubling issue. Most states that use high-stakes testing for student promotion mainly assess students’ core-content knowledge. If we are to be fair to students, then, as we implement the five concepts that Ms. Chow proposes, our assessments must measure student abilities in all concepts.
This is especially true in a school like my own. We are a public charter school that serves dyslexic children. Many of these children do well in critical thinking but are very weak in the other concepts. Yet, they are assessed like all other students, mainly on core content, and this is not equitable.
So, as we move to infuse all five of Ms. Chow’s concepts into teaching and learning, assessments must measure all of them equally.
O. Cleveland Hill
Thibodaux, La.
