What's wrong with multiple-choice assessment?

Not much (I am assuming that you read the headline). What's wrong with the use of multiple-choice assessment? Plenty. It's typically not fit for purpose, and it's generally misunderstood and/or over-valued.

Children have been harmed by the covid pandemic

I was just sent this article from the Guardian which compels me to put pen to paper, as it were, before i have finished my coffee. The findings are troubling, while the source of the findings heat my blood to the point of ebullition. IQ is a dangerous term and the concept should have been discarded in 1904. 

Promotion, appropriateness and placement

Regular readers and colleagues will know that I believe in developmentally-appropriate programming and am against birthday-based class assignments. Other than in some large cities, and the independent school sector, the typical approach is the latter which precludes the former. So for many families, the best option for "advanced" students, formerly known as "Gifted and Talented" and today often called "curious" (I kid you not!), is acceleration or skipping a grade. However, a recent study suggests that this is not without risk. 

To be (masked) or not to be

The current debates on schools and/or district requiring students and staff to wear masks involve two important considerations. The first concerns the value or efficacy of masks and I leave that to experts in the field. I am not a doctor, epidemiologist or maskologist. The second concerns the authority of the school and/or district to make and apply its own rules and here we are on a slippery slope. In this sense, I worry that we are careening towards a cliff.