Former Obama Official: Standard Tests Do Reveal Which Teachers Are Best

Another legislation is almost over and the Legislature has once again done nothing to improve educational performance in our state which so often trails the nation (which in turn trails the world) in educational performance.

Interestingly enough, the Obama Administration (unlike many Democrats in the Legislature) has actually been quite supportive of Gov. Martinez’s reforms. Now, we have Peter Orszag, Obama’s former Office of Management and Budget head, has written this article detailing how standardized tests can and should be used to evaluate teachers.

The use of such standardized testing to even partially evaluate New Mexico teachers has been anathema to the unions which have effectively killed any and all such reforms. Now, are standardized tests perfect? No. If we had a truly free market education system where resources were commanded by parents and children, not bureaucrats and politicians, they could choose whatever method of teacher evaluation they wanted. But that is not the reality. Standardized tests, imperfect as they are, accurately measure teacher effectiveness. Unfortunately, that accountability is not welcome in the world of education.

HT: George Richmond