Teachers and Assessment

On the state of education today:  I think that teaching is such a difficult profession that most people don't fully understand the full depth and breadth of the challenges. That said, teachers should not be held as so sacred that they are beyond any sort of criticism. Right now the climate is such that teachers are constantly faced with criticism, and judging them based on a twenty minute sound bite observation made by an administrator isn't fair, or accurate, or even helpful to students (for that matter). Nor should teachers even be judged by one year of performance. It is an incremental process, assessment and improvement, and I commend all teachers who are able to stick with teaching with some modicum of idealism intact.  In the end assessment should be something that is presented as something that teachers and students can use to create better learning conditions, not as something that will make or break a career. This can be done, but isn't (for the most part) being done effectively. In order for this to be done effectively the element of fear for one's very survival should be eliminated, otherwise assessment is not effective. The same is true for assessment of students. When fear is present, tests aren't accurate or effective. Most educators know this. Assessors should feel that they are on the same side as the teacher, and students should understand that the teachers who assess them are on their side as well. So a spirit of helpfulness is needed in the whole assessment mix.
Here's an interesting conversation on this issue: https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/student-compliance-and-buy-in-to-a-class-comments-from-readers