Penn State Berks will hold a screening of the documentary STANDARDIZED Lies, Money & Civil Rights: How Testing Is Ruining Public Education on Monday, October 13, 2014, from 6-8 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium in conjunction with this year?s Common Reading selection, This I Believe. Dan Hornberger, producer of the film, will be leading the discussion. A question-and-answer session will take place immediately after the film. This presentation is free and open to the public.
STANDARDIZED opens with a brief synopsis of the history of standardized testing in public schools. While many point the finger at the failed No Child Left Behind Act, the desire to create a national curriculum began many years before the presidency of George W. Bush. The film covers the general public's perception that these tests are accurate measurements, but when closely examined, they merely make a great deal of money for the test manufacturers (and education reformers) and provide practically no insight into a student's ability. The film also follows the money trail and sheds light on just how much money is generated by tests and their supporting materials.
Strong testimonials by educational experts such as Dr. Mark Naison, Dr. Yong Zhao, Dr. Shaun Johnson, Dr. Timothy Slekar, and many others prove that the only people benefiting from these tests are those who are creating them. The concluding segment provides options to improve schools without testing. The 74-minute documentary, produced by Rockfish Productions, premiered in Reading on December 7, 2013 and has had over thirty screenings.
For more information, contact Dr. Tami Mysliewicz, Associate Professor of Biology, at 610-396-6274 or via e-mail at [email protected].