Teacher Blasts Common Core's "Open Ended" Testing

In an op-ed in the Stamford Advocate (10/10), Wendy Lecker, former president of the Stamford Parent Teacher Council, criticizes the Common Core Standards for the increase that they will bring in standardized testing. "Education Secretary Arne Duncan asserted that these tests will not just be 'fill-in-the-bubble tests' but rather will be open ended. Sounds good, right? Has Mr. Duncan actually examined the open-ended tests that currently exist?" Lecker adds that "the manner in which these tests are scored is horrifying. Scorers, almost always temporary seasonal workers, sit sweatshop style in a large room reading similar essays for eight hours straight," with minimal time devoted to each essay.