Originally Posted by onesnowyowl

No curve here...I'm a believer in outcome based education, but not the way NCLB promotes it (measuring outcomes via standardized testing seems the lazy way out to me). I wouldn't assign grades. I don't believe they're demonstrative of actual learning on the part of the student. Can the student show me, the teacher, that they know the material and have learned the appropriate skills? I've thought of a number of ways to evaluate mastery of skills and knowledge beyond standardized testing (I hate hate hate that stuff) and the existing system of grades. These are also reasons why I no longer want to be a teacher in the public school system--too much focus on students jumping through hoops instead of teaching actual critical thought and analysis.