Teaching & Classroomstandardized testing

TAG, Notebook to discuss ‘teaching in the time of testing’

By 
The Notebook
 | November 8, 2011, 4:15pm UTC

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook and the Teacher Action Group are excited to announce a co-sponsored event titled – "Cheating or Resistance?: Teaching and Learning in a Time of Testing" that will take place Monday, November 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the United Way Building.

The Notebook is pleased to share our recent reporting on testing as part of this event, and we hope our readers and members will take time to participate in a lively discussion of testing from a variety of perspectives.

During the event, TAG will be leading some political education on the background and history of testing and evaluation, as well as the issue of cheating that has been so prominent in national education news this year.

Participants will be asked to engage with questions such as:

  • What is the impact of testing on students, teachers, schools?
  • Given the current educational climate, what can educators and communities do moving forward to ensure our students receive the best education possible?
  • What alternatives would we like to see, and what might authentic assessment look like under a different framework?

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Notebook journalists will discuss stories about inconsistencies in test results and other points that led to an article that sparked this conversation.
  • Dina Portnoy, director of Alumni Programs at Knowles Science Teaching Foundation and a veteran teacher with nearly 30 years experience, will discuss the impact of testing on the teaching profession.
  • Anissa Weinraub, Teacher Action Group organizer and current Philadelphia high school teacher, will offer an account of testing from an educator’s perspective.
  • A student representative will provide a view of testing from the other side of the desk.
  • Others to be announced.

We hope you can join us and look forward to what will surely be an informative and inspiring discussion. Light refreshments will be served. A big thank you to PCCY for organizing the incredible space for this event. For more information, please contact TAG member Mary Del Savio at mary1@sas.upenn.edu.