Education

Assessments and History: Can You Assess It?

November 19, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Theodore K. Rabb writes that in an ideal world, evaluation would be unnecessary. After all, he says, Socrates never gave grades.

But assessment is here to stay, the professor emeritus of history at Princeton University acknowledges, and the current buzzword in education is “proficiency.” And yet, he argues, there is a huge divide between the nature of most history assessments and the proficiency they are supposed to demonstrate.

What do you think? What do teachers need in order to teach history effectively while meeting accountability standards?

A version of this news article first appeared in the TalkBack blog.

Events

School Climate & Safety K-12 Essentials Forum Strengthen Students’ Connections to School
Join this free event to learn how schools are creating the space for students to form strong bonds with each other and trusted adults.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
IT Infrastructure & Management Webinar
Future-Proofing Your School's Tech Ecosystem: Strategies for Asset Tracking, Sustainability, and Budget Optimization
Gain actionable insights into effective asset management, budget optimization, and sustainable IT practices.
Content provided by Follett Learning
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Budget & Finance Webinar
Innovative Funding Models: A Deep Dive into Public-Private Partnerships
Discover how innovative funding models drive educational projects forward. Join us for insights into effective PPP implementation.
Content provided by Follett Learning

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The 10 Most-Read Opinions of 2023
Here are Education Week’s most-read Opinion blog posts and essays of 2023.
2 min read
Collage of lead images for various opinion stories.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
Education Letter to the Editor EdWeek's Most-Read Letters of 2023
Read the most-read Letters to the Editor of the past year.
1 min read
Illustration of a line of diverse hands holding up speech bubbles in front of a subtle textured newspaper background
iStock/Getty
Education Briefly Stated: November 1, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 11, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read