State Education Commissioner John King is getting rid of some standardized tests. Did this maven of multiple choice feel the pressure or did he see the light? Enlightenment is a long shot, but miracles happen.
But even if the right decision was made for the wrong reason, it is better than a wrong decision made for any reason. Semi-hearty congratulations, commissioner! Maybe the junk science you have swallowed has started to eat away at your bones.
Maybe you were nudged by irate parents who booed you at a public hearing last week and almost ran you out of town. Maybe you read last week’s letter to President Barack Obama, in which most of America’s greatest living authors condemned the cruel and morbid farce of test mania as currently pushed by a variety of shady enemies of public education.
Classroom teachers know it is never too late to learn. That is true of commissioners as well as children.
Ron Isaac
Bayside
