Governor Patrick is giving MCAS opponents a boost by appointing a staunch opponent to the Board of Education.  I’ve never seen a decent argument against the test, but there are plenty of amusing ones.  For example, the MCAS forces teachers to teach the test.  Guilty as charged.  Many students simply weren’t getting the basic reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic skills they needed.  So yes, the test is designed to assess the curriculum and make sure teachers deliver what’s needed.

How many of you invest and don’t watch that investment’s performance?  You’d kick a financial advisor to the curb that said there was no need to monitor your portfolio.  Well, education is an investment too.  We spend 10s of billions in this country every year to give us young adults capable of being productive citizens.  The MCAS is our return on investment indicator and gives us the ability to rebalance the portfolio when needed.