One Teacher's Resistance to the Pressures of Test Mentality

Caitlin Dooley, Georgia State University

Abstract

The emphasis on testing in Texas public schools has shaped literacy instruction in many classrooms. This article details how one Special Education teacher resists this testing mentality. She refuses to use the multiple-choice practice tests and prescribed programs that dominate the classrooms of many other teachers in her school; instead, she endorses authentic assessments and informed individualized instruction as a way to engage her students in the world of reading and writing.