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This is probably second week in a row that whenever I tune into 101.5 station while driving, they're talking about PARCC test. Every parent that has been calling in is determined to opppose the test. What is the big deal?
Standardized testing dictates the teachers' curriculum and holds them directly accountable for the results. Teachers don't like this because they are held accountable for student's results on that particular day with many external factors outside of their control at play. They also claim that teaching to the test takes up too much time and hinders real learning leaving children, even successful ones, only with the ability to get the answer and not really understand the mechanics of how they got to the answer. Testing counts on fitting all shape pegs( students) into round holes, teachers claim that this is inherently flawed. They also, quite reasonably, believe being evaluated in this manner is unfair since there are many external factors that can cause a student not to perform well( like complete lack of parental involvement in the child's academic endeavors)
Generally, parents of kids who test well are fine with standardized testing, quelle suprise. Parents of kids who don't test well feel that it stifles creativity and tries to measure something that in their minds really can't be measured. Not to mention standardized tests only test the general knowledge of the student and have no way of measuring growth of the student. Some parent also feel these tests put too much stress on their kids. Much like the teachers some parents don't believe that standardized testing are capable of measuring anything.
The problem is that the US education system is failing. As a system it is failing and falling behind the rest of the developed world. More standardized testing and accountability are the government's way to try and right the ship. Will it work? Who knows but the old way was not working(standardized testing isn't new but the accountability factor is, which changes the game significantly).
Despite its flaws, I'm pro testing, much to the dismay of my teacher friends.
Last edited by Goldendoodle1969; 01-30-2015 at 12:11 PM..
I went to one of the most respected high schools in TX but it was one THE MOST depressing and frustrating experiences in my life. No matter how much I understood the subject and no matter how much I tried, I could never do well in test. This had all sorts of ramifications in school life.... some of the highest rated teachers at this school simply trained students to take a test which didn't help me one bit. I probably didn't help their ratings either.
Let's just say I pretty much gave up on the idea of going to college opting to enter a trade school for auto mechanics. My father pressed for me to try college for a year... I eventually stuck with it.
It was only in college did I manage to improve.... working my curriculum towards heavily lab oriented classes and taking up a work study program. Graduated (albeit in 6 years) and doing well. In fact, I am working a position that historically wouldn't be offered to a person with anything less than a masters.... I proved them wrong.
While I agree that our educational system is slipping very quickly and I really don't have answers to help correct the situation, reflecting back on my terrible experiences and hearing this news really doesn't sit well. In fact, it brings concerns for my own children who just very well be "wired" to learn in a similar manner..... Will school help him to flourish and grow or will it stifle him in tests? I'm not exactly confident.
To sum it up, many parents and educators feel like the PARCC test in particular (which is ramping up to eventually be 5 tests per year, per child, with oppurtunities given for 2 rounds of makeups for absent students) are not developmentally appropriate.
The tests are also 100% online, leaving school districts 1 year to scramble for funds and equipment and bandwidth to suddenly administer hundreds of simultaneous online tests that include online videos and online animations. So now all your educational tax dollars are going to be spent on student computers and internet access, and all of your child's school libraries and computers will be tied up for 2-3 months of the year for testing (because every grade has to test every subject, and every child is offered 2 makeup opportunities if they are absent). This means children won't get to check out library books, or use computers for other projects--because they computers will be only for testing during this time.
Even if a district is now going 1:1 (and now there's a rush for schools to go to 1:1 laptop programs specifically for this testing), the bandwidth issues are such that other teachers in the building NOT testing will not be allowed to use the internet for assignments, research, projects, streaming live videos, etc for those 2-3 months.
It's kind of a mess. You also have to follow the money--the federal and state governments are paying millions of dollars to implement these tests and what happens if the tests are way above level and students don't do well? Well then Pearson can make more money selling test prep materials to the schools. It's just all about the money, and not about improving education for students at all.
Now schools are starting several rounds of pre-tests, so that students can get used to the online version of the PARCC (try getting a 2nd grader to understand dragging and dropping on a mouse when all they have at home is a touch-screen IPAD). Ever 2nd grader in my school tries to move things on the computer monitor itself. So now, each kid spends like, 20% of their instructional time preparing for a test. Instead of you know, actually learning something.
These are all excellent points. Schools should have a computer for every student, every student from 1st grade on should know how to operate a computer and a mouse, and take an online test/complete online forms. These are essential tools in the world, much more important than being able to successfully navigate to their favorite app on an ipad. Dismissing test prep as non-learning time seems obtuse since learning how to take tests is an essential part of life.
Last edited by Goldendoodle1969; 01-30-2015 at 01:38 PM..
Our education system is slipping not because of how schools or teachers conduct their business, it is because our culture has lost its priorities, we can't battle instant gratification, there is no lack of self discipline, and there is a general apathy towards education itself.
The powers that be think more testing is the answer because this is a way to blame the schools. The schools aren't the problem, it is how we raise our kids.
Example: I teach high school. We are in the middle of midterms. We give our students study guides for the midterms which they are to complete and we review prior to the exams. Out of my 115 students, guess how many actually completed the study guide. Less than 20 kids did the whole thing. Another 50 did maybe a quarter to half, the rest didn't even bother. We are practically giving the kids the test in the form of a study guide! And they are too lazy to do it! Simply amazing.
There is no doubt in my mind the Chinese will become our overlords in the future. Our kids are too busy playing with their phones, watching crap on tv, and could care less about their future or our countries future. And it's not their fault. They are the products of their parenting and environment. It is truly very sad.
The parcc tests are more challenging then all previous tests. Parents don't like it because it will prove how stupid their kids are. There are only about 10 states now that will participate in parcc. All of the southern states opted out first because they already know they breed idiots down there and there was no way in hell anyone was going to pass. The only states left are mostly in the northeast, because our kids are smarter and are up for the challenge. I don't like standardized testing mostly because it takes time away from actual teaching, and there is too much of it. But tests are a part of life and so far it is the best way to assess a mass of students and compare what they know.
Example: I teach high school. We are in the middle of midterms. We give our students study guides for the midterms which they are to complete and we review prior to the exams. Out of my 115 students, guess how many actually completed the study guide. Less than 20 kids did the whole thing. Another 50 did maybe a quarter to half, the rest didn't even bother. We are practically giving the kids the test in the form of a study guide! And they are too lazy to do it! Simply amazing.
There is no doubt in my mind the Chinese will become our overlords in the future. Our kids are too busy playing with their phones, watching crap on tv, and could care less about their future or our countries future. And it's not their fault. They are the products of their parenting and environment. It is truly very sad.
Lol. I love it when the generational bashing comes out in these threads. I was one of those "lazy" high school kids, but I also worked many hours as a high school sophomore/junior/senior. Most of the time, I not only lacked the inclination to do things like study guides, I also lacked the time. It's tough to go to school from 8-2:30 every day, get home at 3 (walking), and then have to work from 5-10 pm three nights a week in addition to both days on the weekend.
I ended up going to college and doing quite well. I'm also a productive, tax-paying member of society. I wouldn't despair too much at this point. I'm sure many of your students will turn out just fine.
Anyway, I disagree with standardized testing. Many kids simply don't care/try when it comes to these tests, except maybe the HSPA since it's required for graduation (or was when I was in school). They felt like a bogus time-waster when I was in school. I always did pretty well on everything except the science parts, but then again the tests were created for the lowest common denominator, so they felt dumbed down in a lot of places.
My school relied heavily on testing and segregation accordingly. For a person like me at that immature age, this amounts to an onslaught of negative reinforcement and feedback. You don't see a failed score.. you see a failed person. Its demoralizing. I took each and every low score personally. I had no one to talk to about it. They then place you in a lower level class and with that comes even lower quality instruction. After all, the most senior and prestigious teachers/faculty want to instruct classes that continuously rank high among test scores. Meanwhile the students that need the most talented teachers and the most innovative ideas in instruction don't get it at the lower classes. The higher level classes, filled with students that absorb the material like sponges, get the most capable teachers... ironically... those classes are easiest to teach.. just present the material and test against it.
The sad thing.. I loved to learn. I spent much of my after school time reading various topics of my choosing while I waited for my parents to return from work (engineer and registered nurse). I loved history and science in particular. I would randomly pick up the encyclopedia (no internet yet) and read flip through the pages. I could tell you events in history as if it were a story and how it began.... and explained the ending. NO I couldn't remember specific dates... and sometimes names were foggy.
Do you ever wonder why games can take hold of a mind so well? Its positive reward/reinforcement in small intervals with opportunities to discover and experiment.... along with a tight (short) continuous interval of practice, repetition, and re-direction towards a well defined goal. You are expected to fail.. if you don't.. you are not trying hard enough or challenging yourself. Failures is an acceptable outcome. Failure is not greeted with negativity. What's important is that you reflect on that failure and adjust.. try again. For those that work in the software industry (I am a principal software engineer)... its very much similar to the Agile processes.
This is quite different from lecture.. test (fail)... next topic.. lecture... test (fail)... next topic... until you hit the final to yet fail again because you were never presented with the opportunity to discover were things went wrong and go through another iteration.
The only class I scored perfectly in was shop. You built a table. Tested it for stability, strength, aesthetics. You discovered ways to improve on your design. You then built another table incorporating what you learned. Do it again. By the end, you have not only learned what makes a perfect table.. .but you learned the beginnings of the research and design processes.
You don't read about how someone else designed the perfect table... build it... some person compares it to the original.. and then marks it as a failure or pass.
Honestly.. If my experience is the best what a good public school system has to offer, we are in a load of deep crap.... its simply a matter of time.
PS> My school was also heavily college prep type material. I have some fellow students that obviously were not college material. I felt that the school simply tossed them aside.... no opportunities to pick up skills/trades etc.. Shop was continuously under threat for de-funding... and it was basically all that was left. Even worse, the culture at my school looked down on those types of students.... they were under performers. There were very little established/supported after school activities that catered. Math club and FBLA were the most well funded and supported.
"our schools are slipping" yet where do rich foreigners send their kids to college?
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