I personally feel that having a commitment to the whole child is extremely important to understanding the overall development of the child and who he/she really is. However most education systems lose sight of what is important and focus on meeting high standards set by the state and country instead of focusing on what’s truly important, the education of the children.
When it comes to standardized tests in these middle years, I see the pros and cons of both, but I personally do not care for them. It's nice to see how the students are doing state wide and nationally and see what skills the students are successful with and those that they are struggling with.
I think that the pressure that these tests have creates have caused some school systems to teach the test and not teach the students needs. In many cases it is believed that the test measure what children bring to school and not always what they learn in school. They measure the kinds of native smarts that kids walk through the door with. They measure the kinds of experiences the kids have had with their parents, they do not measure what is taught school (James Popham, Interview with Frontline). In my opinion the school systems need to stick with their curriculum and teach how to test, so that children feel comfortable and less stressed and relate the curriculum to their everyday lives.
Over all I have learned that assessment is a very important factor in every lesson, but it does not always have to be a worksheet or standardized test. I feel that assessment can really be catered to a classes needs and even to the individual students.
Assessment in the classroom does not have to be a difficult task, a teacher should already be following the curriculum, therefore one of the easiest assessments he/she can do is to document as much as they possibly can about what the children can do with and without support. By documenting such things, it can help us maximize the student’s chances of being successful learners.
As educators we need to remember that each child is unique and learn differently. We can assess their learning different ways too. For example we could measure a skill by playing games, or making things. The best thing to do is to ensure that these assessments are not pushing the child into a stressful state of mind as it will just cause them not to do well, make them feel comfortable. Over all when assessment is taking place in classroom, I want a pressure free zone. I want my students to have fun with the learning experience and not worry about what I am writing down. I want them to obtain the information presented and remember the fun way they learned it.
Coming from an Italian family I always like to learn about Italy and chose to research their school system and assessment.
The Italian school system is free and begins at age six being mandatory. This marks the years noted as primary, ages six to eleven. During these years the students study Italian, English, geography, history, math, science technology, music, art, physical education, and Catholicism and information technology. The average class size in primary school is ten to twenty five students. In the classrooms there are often two teachers and the subjects are divided among them. In parts of Italy students attend school six days a week for five hours a day, from September to June, while others go to school five days a week but all day. Most primary schools use a system of assessment based on teacher observation throughout the school year. The assessments are then recorded on each child’s report card. The record card is passed to the students’ next school when he/she leaves. In the fifth and final year of primary school, students must a primary school leaving certificate to progress to lower secondary school; those who are unsuccessful may need to repeat their final year. In other areas an exam to enter lower secondary which we know as middle school is required.
Deanna,
ReplyDeleteI found your statement that said children are often assessed on what they bring to school and not what they are learning in school fascinating. I never thought of it that way. That is an excellent point.
You and I are in total agreement on the issue of testing. I wonder how it is that we have gotten so far off track in America? I think one thing that's happening is that teachers are being increasingly blamed for everything instead of being consulted about the educational process - and we're the experts!
Teaching to the test, that is exactly what teacher are doing. However, if teacher could be a little more creative in their assessing, it may not be so painful, especially for the child.
ReplyDeleteChina also has the children in primary school take a final exam to pass primary.