Overtested: how high-stakes accountability fails English language learners is a modern critique on the assessment-driven system of K-12 schools, especially at the elementary level, that does not necessarily condemn assessments as the cause of all problems, but the book does shine a light on the ubiquity of testing and how its overabundance may foreshadow severe problems in the coming future. “We test automatically, broadly, and often, instead of strategically, purposefully, and with precision” (Zacher Pandya, 2011, p. 3). Zacher Pandya argues for a more learner-centered approach with teachers controlling curriculum and classroom pacing to help create room for formative assessments that inform the teachers and administrators for current issues…show more content… Romano. In addition, Zacher Pandya focuses primarily on California and its push to mandate how teachers teach; the book does not consider alternative challenges of other parts of the United States, let alone the rest of the world; for instance, no mention of small, rural schools appears in the book. Living in rural and suburban areas in South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota, I have seen many challenges in just creating programs to help English Learners. Some include fear of deportation, fear of bias, response from the local citizens and government, money, finding qualified or semi-qualified educators who are willing to take on this big challenge, and many other issues. Melissa Jelinek of Columbus Schools in Nebraska echoed some of my concerns for rural areas and English Learner (EL) populations: “Right now the biggest challenge we have is funding/money” and she goes on to explain that the population of ELs in her area is big enough that changes are needed, but not big enough to have money allocated for the resources that are needed and furthermore, it is difficult to find meaningful workshops and trainings for educators and others involved in EL education because of the remoteness of towns and municipalities; most programs resort to doing a lot of professional…show more content… The author hopes for a change in the way ELs are identified; one could imagine that this would help alleviate the stress from parents and guardians who may not know English and find it difficult to fill out the forms and/or it may encourage more savvy parents/guardians who opt to not include their children in EL services because they believe, with some justifications, that this label may follow their child through his or her life and limit his or her education (Zacher Pandya, 2011, pp. 100-102). Zacher Pandya also laments the overuse of standardized tests that limit classroom time for the teacher and students (Zacher Pandya, 2011, pp.
