West Virginia uses Finland's model to try to improve schools (college, profession)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(CNN) -- When newly minted West Virginia Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Paine told parents, teachers and educators in 2005 that he wanted to use Finland as a model for their education system, he got a lot of blank stares: Finland? What, people asked, does West Virginia have to do with Finland?
I will say that I think the US respecting teachers like Finland does could help.
The article states clearly: Develop the right curriculum, standards and teacher supports, Paine said, and test scores will take care of themselves.
In this, he was following Finland's lead: Finland doesn't use standardized tests to assess teachers or schools.
The article states clearly: Develop the right curriculum, standards and teacher supports, Paine said, and test scores will take care of themselves.
In this, he was following Finland's lead: Finland doesn't use standardized tests to assess teachers or schools.
The US didn't use test scores to assess teachers or schools (at least not on a national level) before NCLB. Better schools succeeded and were full when they produced results related to getting into college or producing people that were successful in the workforce. Numbers like graduation rates, % of kids going on to college, etc. attracted people to those communities, bringing in more tax dollars to support those schools. It was Darwin at it's best-survival of the fittest. Now the country is taking from those better schools and playing Robin Hood in the underperforming schools, yet still not addressing the real reason WHY these kids aren't performing.
The US didn't use test scores to assess teachers or schools (at least not on a national level) before NCLB. Better schools succeeded and were full when they produced results related to getting into college or producing people that were successful in the workforce. Numbers like graduation rates, % of kids going on to college, etc. attracted people to those communities, bringing in more tax dollars to support those schools. It was Darwin at it's best-survival of the fittest. Now the country is taking from those better schools and playing Robin Hood in the underperforming schools, yet still not addressing the real reason WHY these kids aren't performing.
Standardized testing existed long before the advent of NCLB. (I took the tests in the '70s.) What is different is how the data is used, and it's telling that the article explicitly states that Finland doesn't use standardized tests "to assess teachers or schools." It does not indicate whether or not Finnish students take standardized tests for other purposes.
Standardized testing existed long before the advent of NCLB. (I took the tests in the '70s.) What is different is how the data is used, and it's telling that the article explicitly states that Finland doesn't use standardized tests "to assess teachers or schools." It does not indicate whether or not Finnish students take standardized tests for other purposes.
Federal money was not tied to standardized testing like it is now. In the past it was used for schools to evaluate themselves and give them some feedback--but they also took a lot of the results with a grain of salt because you still had the kids that would circle all the 'B's" and take a nap.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
