accountability, college/career readiness, and Common Core

So I recall years ago, asking some professor or district official as to why there was such a push for "accountability" and testing. Their answer was one that I saw reflected in education circles, research, and newsletters... the idea that grades are subjective and that an A one place is a C elsewhere. Therefore, how can we judge a student's abilities (ie for college entrance ) by subjective grades? How could we , the public, even "judge" a school if grades were given willy-nilly? Does my child's B really "mean" a B? Would the same work merit a B elsewhere?
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So, "supposedly", this high-stakes accountability environment came about to "prove" what students learned and how well. This could in turn translate to the workforce and college world. A B isn't always a B but a score of 520 or Proficient is scientificslly validated, determined, measured. Its difinitive.
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So surely the ongoing test test test environment, exponentially rising under common core, adds to the accountability and validity of learning. Right? And if learning is all about college and career readiness and we must stop kindergarten dramatic plays in NY to get five year olds ready for the workforce, then these tests should help determine , well, something to do with college /career readiness. You know, like the SAT supposedly does.
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But wait. A recent study tried to correlate SAT scores with success in the first yar of college, in an attempt to develop cut scores of college readiness/success. Excdpt...the study kind of failed. There was at most a 22% correlation of SAT scores to college success. They found grades, yes those subjective fuddy duddy unreliable measures of yore, to be a better measurement for success.
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And yet, the elitist educrats still pump out this propaganda that we need and want accountability which can only be found through standardized testing. Even if there is only a 22% correlation, since, well, we are applying quantitative reasoning to qualitative subjects. It make you wonder, what IS the purpose of all thistesting and data then, if not to effectively measure or predict a damned thing?

complacency etc

(First, an unrelated blurb....yes I've been out of the blog world for some time, but still fighting the fight for education. I'm attempting to get back to blogging, despite technical difficulties without an actual computer)
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Complacency should be a sin. Why has education gotten to where it is?  Complacency, blind trust, ignorance. For right now I will focus on blind trust; however, I feel the three terms often intertwine.<br>

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Parents in general have blind faith in the school system, and I can't blame them. Teachers are indeed knowledgeable professionals, often with more know-how of child development and learning theories etc than parents...I mean, that is why theyare teachers and why we trust them educating and caring for our children. The teachers though, have their hands tied and are just the lower rungs in a top down, factorh model system. Speaking up, going against the tide, gets you at worstfired and at best, one who necomes victimizded,  dreading every day at work. I should know. But more on that in some other post But this does beg to question why so many teachers tote the line and promote bad practices and embrace them. I don't want to "diss" my fellow professionals but I musy ask, "why?" Whydo you emnrace and promote common core? Excessive standardized testing and teaching to the test? Treating children like prisoners or slaves? Do you ever atleast think, "wait a minute, this isn't right"? But I digress


Ungil I know the naswer I can only guess. Perhaps they too have blind faith. Faith that these curriculums and procedures and codes are what's best for students pecauze someone with a title behind their name ("expert") said if is "right" for the school environment. Perhaps pare ts trust teachers who trust administrators who trust think tanks, corporations, government officials that dictate what happens in theclassroom.and simce we aren't literally imbeciles,totally illiterate, unable to care for ourselves, we all blindly believe the system is working. And so it goes on.

 (Please ignore my many typos. On my tablet, backspacing to edit often goes beyond haywire and I can only see 75% of the line of text I type and no more)