Considering that there is no real evidence (that hasn't been politically spun) to suggest that standardized testing in elementary school has ever helped kids or their families, then why do we support such nonsense? As it stands, California's STAR test can go as long as 3.5 hours for elementary school kids, and 4.5 for Jr. High, and older, kids. (That is, it's a 3 to 4 hour test, plus any additional time kids may need... hence the extra half hour one can tack on.)
Let us be clear: this can be longer than the SAT that only college-bound students take in their later teens. Why test elementary children in this absurd manner just to satisfy bloated bureaucracy? Why spend the funds administering and categorizing these tests when our school systems are broke? Why make kids learn to a test which is superficial in scope and knowledge when they could be enticed to learn more deeply and creatively? Who ever said we all have to know the same thing, at the same time, in the same way? And here I thought America's strength lay in its diversity.
At no point in human history have children under the age of 10 been so frequently and superficially tested. There has never, before, been a need to test such young children in this manner and I say there is still not a need to test young children in this manner.
When elementary children receive their state test scores (long after the school year has ended) has anyone ever had a teacher say, "Based on your test scores last year, we have devised a brand new curriculum, just for you, to help you learn your best this year!" Nope. The child still has to go to the next grade and learn whatever is on the docket for every other kid in that grade level and are expected to take the same amount of time to learn it and take the same standardized tests as all the others. So much for the test having any individualized meaning. (Oh, but then the test wasn't devised to help children. It was devised to help bureaucrats.)
We assess young children with tests that may cause them anxiety and stress, but then we do nothing with the results except rank schools so that bureaucrats can decide whose funds will get cut next. How does this help young children? What does this have to do with true, meaningful learning?
I need to make myself a nice pot of green tea and meditate on the meaning of education. I think we all need to.
Here, here FidgetTea! I'll raise my double shot of ExpressoSelf high in the air! What the heck is wrong with all these people who call themselves educators? Who are they educating, each other or the kids? Yikes. don't get me started... maybe I should join you for some green tea!
ReplyDeleteThe irony of it is, my child actually tests very well. But I still don't believe in what they are doing to elementary-aged kids. I have known many families whose young children have suffered for these tests... and to no logical end that I could detect.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support on the subject!
This really worries me because we have a whole generation of children unprepared for the future workforce. Future jobs will require creative thinking. The opposite of what they're being taught.
ReplyDeletebtw - im a new follow
Yep, that's right BellaV!
ReplyDeleteWhile most of our money goes to our defense, our children's education is being flushed down the toilet! I guess we're going to need our military to have most of the money as we will need it in the future to cover for all the stupid mistakes that the next generation will make. Yikes, I need a strong cup right about... NOW!
P.S. Thanks for the follow! : )
ReplyDeleteJittery, you are too funny! --
ReplyDelete"I guess we're going to need our military to have most of the money as we will need it in the future to cover for all the stupid mistakes that the next generation will make."
-- You have that right! : D
The public school system is broken. It is like a stuffed bunny that has been stitched together again so many times and with so many different types of thread, that not only are the seams weak and ugly, but also the stuffing has lost its ability to support the intended shape. Have the "powers that be" forgotten that education should be shaped to fit the children?
ReplyDeleteWe have begun to establish a generic level of acceptability (testing) that appalls me because in doing so, we have stripped away the kinds of activities (science, music, art, etc.) that promote the very creative energy and passion for learning that engenders lasting change and stimulating innovation.
Testing reinforces a broken system and rewards the schools who play the game best (e.g. have privileged demographics). But the worst thing, by far, are the invisible faces of children who do not present themselves with the typical (reading/writing/math) aptitudes and skills considered to be the most valuable(the "show me the money" skills)--which only makes things worse because without being allowed access and encouragement for their intrinsic gifts (they ALL have them), they have no fuel to learn things they may find less stimulating.
This tea drinker is heading for a cuppa coffee!
Well said Chai! Can I go with you for that cup of coffee?
ReplyDeleteAm I correct in thinking...our teachers in the public schools for the most part only teach what is the minimum required by the state to determine how much additional funding their school gets?
ReplyDeleteOne teacher (7th grade English) told the parents on back to school night: "I will teach your children to comprehend a short story and write short summaries of short stories. Basically what they need to pass the STAR tests in May. After that, please make sure your kids bring a book to read during class so they don't get bored." Can I give her a cup of really strong coffee to wake her up? Maybe she will see that she is failing to meet the expectations of this parent.
I questioned this...and I was told..."It meets the district requirements for 7th grade English."
Disappointed :(
Yep Kona, that IS correct! You've won what's behind door #1!!!!
ReplyDeleteKona, that's just darn scary about your Back to School Night experience. I once taught elementary school music and I actually had a couple of parents ask me if I could simplify the class (i.e. dumb it down). Music! We aren't talking calculus. So it goes both ways, I suppose: the school's expectations are low because the average parent has low expectations and doesn't put up a fuss. The parents complaining seem to be in the minority.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that we are breeding the next generation for low expectations, then I don't know how the cycle will ever stop. These school kids will be parents one day, too.
Jittery, I am so excited to win the prize!!! I hope the prize is the power to pass my concerns to the teachers via telepathy and pray they have the accountability within themselves to take action. I am guessing that a teacher feels accountable for what they teach their students???
ReplyDeleteI'm a teacher, a parent of two GATE kids, and a principal of 800 elementary kids. My teachers are devoted and work with kids in a high poverty, low socioeconomic level school. They devote countless hours to developing lesson plans, providing experiences so the kids have prior knowledge and pay for the things the budget no longer provides for out of their own pockets. They're devoted and work hard for our kids. My own kids' teachers have, with very few exceptions, been outstanding as well.
ReplyDeleteTeachers have been blindsided with No Child Left Behind, a punitive system designed to assure schools are labeled "failing, and to shift funding out of the public school system and into charters and vouchers. Doubt it? Ask the nearly 40 wonderful teachers my small district was forced to lay off when funds were cut so desperately. Testing kids isn't the answer. A national set of standards should help - due out in 2014, at least we can compare apples to apples then instead of everyone's standards being different and at different levels. But giving teachers the chance to teach, instead of drill and test-ready students, is really the answer.
Please tread with caution, in decaf mode, if you will. The vast majority of teachers are, amazingly, doing more with less than they have ever had and, yes, we feel entirely accountable for the learning, safety and well-being of our kids...and many times, for whether or not the kids will eat breakfast or lunch over vacation when the school is closed. In doubt? Spend a full day with your child's teacher - see what it's like to do all you can all day for the 30-40 students in your care. Then write your representatives and tell them to put teachers back in control of learning again, to support them, the same way teachers were supported when we grew up! join your school site council if you're really interested in knowing about what schools are going through in this time of crisis in America. That would put you in a place in which you can easily make a difference.
Thanks for your consideration. And, if you can, try to contact one of the teachers that made a difference in your life - send a card or an email. In our business, we love seeing kids achieve, but the thanks are few and far between. Again, thanks for listening.
Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous MIA MP herself! Hey Girl, thanks for the insight as it is important to hear from all sides. Just a heads up, there are quite a few homeschoolers putting in their views on this post and you know those darn homeschoolers, always thinking they're so smart! I so admire what you do, you and your staff are so important to many. Now if we can just clone you guys! lol Stay a while MP, you've been missed!
ReplyDelete