A nice quote from Ravitch
Here’s a nice piece from Ravitch, Life and Death of the Great American School System, p. 166, quoting from The National Academy of Education:
The scholars warned that “when test results become the arbiter of future choices, a subtle shift occurs in which fallible and partial indicators of academic achievement are transformed into major goals of schooling….Those personal qualities that we hold dear resilience and courage in the face of stress, a sense of craft in our work, a committment to justice and caring in our social relationships, a dedication to advancing the public good in our communal life are exceedingly difficult to assess. And so, unfortunately, we are apt to measure what we can, and eventually come to value what is measured over what is left unmeasured.”