The Teacher Shortage Is Real and about to Get Much Worse. Here's Why

One of the main stressors of teaching is the sheer amount of testing. Students are tested as frequently as twice per month and an average of once per month.

While testing has been around for decades, its increased involvement returned in 2002. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), teachers are “teaching to test.” These tests were designed to standardize the process and track progress. Schools must make accommodations for children failing to make progress.

There was a slight change to the law under the Obama administration. Passed in December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives greater control to states. However, children are still consistently tested through grades three to eight for literacy and math. According to Harvard professor Daniel Koretz, ESSA does little to relieve the pressure of testing.

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Ponder by Jeremy Perkins is licensed under Unsplash unsplash.com

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