Teach Reading, Not Testing: Best Practice in an Age of Accountability

Finally, a responsible approach to reading instruction that does not require teachers to abandon everything they know about teaching students how to be literate and how to LOVE reading! Test preparation worksheets and drill and kill activities do not make children into life-long readers. Hollingworth and Drake provide research from the academic community to support the instructional strategies that are offered in this very practical book. In addition, they include stories from the field about the ways the accountability movement is influencing teaching practice and what can be done about it. These authors mix an insider’s perspective on assessment research and development with a practitioner’s experience in achieving reading outcomes at the elementary and secondary levels. Their aim is to show how all students can be prepared for standardized tests, without teaching to the test. The key components of their approach are: aligning instruction to the state or national core standards, using formative assessment, connecting units to real-world contexts, motivating students effectively, and holding on to best practice in literacy instruction. This book affirms the professionalism of the classroom teacher without vilifying standardized tests.