Test! Test! Test! Yes, Let's Test!

The current mantra of Education Reform says: Test and See! Students, teachers, schools, all are graded on how well they test.
But is the standardized test the best gauge of ability or potential. I'll confess, that if you look at my SAT's or even my GRE's you won't be all that impressed. Still, I managed to earn a Ph.D. in theology. Now, I didn't go to the University of Chicago or Harvard -- my GRE's weren't strong enough -- largely because I didn't like math and didn't take any after 9th grade!
But for those of us who didn't do well on those tests, take heart, Albert Einstein is our patron saint. What Einstein knew, says Walter Isaacson (Einstein's latest biographer) is that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Isaacson raises a yellow flag of caution on the testing movement -- in your haste to figure out what we know, don't forget to ask the question of inspiration. And, don't forget that people like Einstein were rebels of a sort -- they did things their own way, raised questions, resisted conventional wisdom. It seemed to work for him. I hear Thomas Edison was of a similar cast. So, let's be careful about what we ask for!

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