[IAEP] Pedagogical Vision for the Journal was GPA Report - Feedback on using the Journal

[Yamandu Ploskonka]

I like the change of subject line, elegant, thanks

>
> We are getting very enthusiastic responses to Sugar as an ePortfolio 
> creation tool.  No one likes standardized tests. Portfolios represent 
> a far better alternative for assessing student progress.  If we can 
> create a good system for creating and managing them we will have 
> contributed a great deal. We are working with one of the experts in 
> the field, Evangeline Harris Stefanakis an author and professor at BU.
>

Well, congratulations.

As much as I dislike playing devil's advocate, the problem I see with 
the above quote (cf. C.Meeks) is that it attempts to show as simple what 
is a very messy issue.

I deeply agree with a central core,"If we can create ... great deal". 
Besides this being a big, big, big "if", I do believe that the impact of 
our whole project and desire and dream is well summarized in that single 
sentence.

Now, why that is not easy has to do with an even bigger bag of cat. 

So big that it actually should be at least looked at before pretending 
we can dismiss it.

For one thing, the whole subject of assessment is on the table.  Does 
assessment make *any* sense?

And then, at some moment, we need to come back and touch reality.  
Whether "no one likes standardized tests" is true or not (no such 
sweeping generalization survives Logic 101), it really doesn't matter 
and is very much an academic question better discussed among those of us 
who have it made to a warm house, enough food and broadband, even though 
I am finding that I am unemployable as a teacher within the public 
school system here as my pieces of heavy paper do not have the kind of 
seals they want to see - funny turn of destiny, where the reality of the 
real world bites even me, such a nice guy.

Fact is, all nice and dandy in the idea, and mostly useless, I'm afraid. 

Has BU abandoned the SAT or such requirements?  Does regular testing in 
Prof. Harris' and her colleague classes take into account different 
learning styles, attention cycles?  Let's assume they do.  In how many 
other places is that the law of the land?

I'm sorry. I don't like the weather, I don't like to be taxed, I don't 
like to hear discouraging news on the radio. 

They're there - not much we can do about it.  Denial don't help.

I see as priority to fix what exists so that it is better, understanding 
that our point of view may be skewed as we live a privileged existence, 
yet most of the world's kids still will get a break only if they can 
manage to do good while under the gun of the standardized test.

Missing that is missing reality.

Not that we should abandon the dream or the Portfolio.

Yes that we should spend as much time and effort, at least, to help kids 
deal with the reality they have been handed.  Otherwise we are really, 
really doing them a disservice.

end of yamarant