Valiant, Etc.

Ed news is dominated these days by testing and test scores. Articles abound promoting testing as an important school/teacher accountability measure with a recent backlash surge of items lamenting high-stakes testing and its impact on student drop out rates, etc.

At VALIANT, etc. we care little about test scores (other than as an indicator of a sample of the student’s knowledge and as a guide to further instruction) and are more concerned with what we call “Life Scores.” A high life score indicates that a person can cope with the things life presents at various stages of development. The individual knows how to confront the problems that arrive on a day-to-day basis, has a plan for learning the new things that will help them grow in a desired direction, and so forth. Others have called an education leading to the knowledge and skills required to achieve a high life score a “liberating education.” We advocate this type of education and are constantly on the lookout for instructional techniques and curriculum that promote it.
(Read on …)