"No bad surprises" is a pretty good rule to live by; that is, don't pretend something bad will just go away and not surprise someone you could have warned, like your spouse or boss or co-worker. Looks like the Indiana Department of Education forgot that rule:
As Indiana children take the ISTEP this week -- the first time in years it has been given in the spring -- they're finding the new test is a doozy.
Principals, teachers and parents from across the state reported students giving up on the test in frustration, crying themselves to sleep or even calling for a ride home when they became physically ill from stress.
It's hard to argue with the idea of making the tests tougher and the students work harder; that's what a lot of us have been calling for. But to not clue teachers and administrators in -- surprise! -- so they could both better prepare students and let them know what to expect? Seems like the perfect example of bureaucratic cluelessness.
