LETTER: Let teachers teach

Despite the difficult home and neighborhood situations of many students, most will show real growth in knowledge in school, but Indiana’s standardized pass-fail tests are poor indicators of growth [Panel considers end to linking test results, teacher pay, IBJ.com, Aug. 10]. This problem is compounded by attaching high stakes for students, schools and staff to unreliable test scores that do little to inform instruction. All the test prep, mapping, recording and reporting add to the teacher workload and decrease valuable prep time for teaching and grading of homework and tests, which are better indicators of students’ growth and which guide future instruction.

Educators and administrators have been reporting this to policymakers for several years now. The policymakers have set the standards and should get out of the way and let teachers teach.

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Nancy Papas