The results of a Gallup poll released yesterday revealed that 55 percent of parents in general and 63 percent of public school parents do not want their children's teachers evaluated based on their test scores.

"Standardized tests in general were not popular with many in the survey, which included a telephone poll of 1,000 American adults supplemented with an online survey of nearly 3,500 more. The online survey included people initially selected at random, but only those with access to the Internet," according to an ABC News article.

The survey was conducted in response to the growing number of states (now over 40) that are ensuring teachers and principals are evaluated at least in part by student test scores. Though many states also evaluate teachers based on student work, parent feedback and observations, the general consensus was that too much stock is placed on student test scores.

In addition to asking about the relationship between teacher evaluations and student test scores, the poll also asked parents about the right to opt students out of exams and about their agreement with Common Core standards.

"Of public-school parents questioned in the online poll, nearly half — 47 percent — said parents should be allowed to excuse their children from taking one or more standardized tests, 40 percent disagreed and 13 percent didn't know. More whites supported the idea of opting out of tests. Some 44 percent of whites agreed, compared to 35 percent of Hispanics and only 28 percent of African-Americans. A majority of blacks, 57 percent, said parents should not excuse their children from the tests," the article said.

As for Common Core, 55 percent of parents opposed the standards; 41 percent of blacks favored the standards while 29 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of whites did.

Read the full story here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

08/24/2015