Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn (2004) What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? - Two:6

Two: Standards and Testing
6. Standardized Testing and Its Victims

"Fact 1. Our children are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world." Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"As the late Senator Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., put it in a speech in 2000: 'Making students accountable for test sco... http://tl.gd/9os868less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"It's more than a little ironic to rely on biased tests to 'close the gap' between rich and poor." Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"As the late Senator Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., put it in a speech in 2000: 'Making students accountable for test scores works well on a bumper sticker, and it allows many politicians to look good by saying that they will not tolerate failure. But it represents a hollow promise. Far from improving education, high-stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality, and from equity.' Here's why...The tests may be biased...Guess who can afford better test preparation?...The quality of instruction declines most for those who have least...Standards aren't the main ingredient that's in low supply...Those allegedly helped will be driven out." Kohn

Paul, we miss you greatly.

"The implication here would seem to be that teachers and students could be doing a better job but have, for some re... http://tl.gd/9osgerless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Unless we act to stop this, we will be facing a scenario that might be described without exaggeration as an educat... http://tl.gd/9osgr6less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Unless we act to stop this, we will be facing a scenario that might be described without exaggeration as an educational ethnic cleansing." Kohn

I am wondering, has Kohn gone too far with this statement? I don't think so, but I think most people will find this a bit ridiculous and use statements like this to write off those who make them. What do you think?