His schools, Parker says, are sacrificing important lessons in science, social studies and foreign languages to focus on concepts that will be tested. High school biology students no longer dissect frogs. A U.S. history teacher doesn't assign research papers because they don't help him prepare students for state-mandated tests. The town's educators say they don't oppose accountability. Many of them prefer the method adopted by states such as Vermont, in which independent reviewers assess portfolios of student work.
Many educators also oppose harsh consequences for schools that fail to meet state targets.
But I think there's too much pressure with this pass-fail system. Lisa Patterson, a mother of three, views the accountability system as a social experiment whose outcome is not yet known.