I have always been a firm believer in removing standardized
testing or at least the pressure they cause at the least from the school
systems. Children should not be measured
based on their ability to answer questions correctly on a lengthy pencil and
paper test. Over the years, multiple
studies have been published challenging the old school thinking that
standardized testing is the best way to measure a child’s knowledge. Standardized testing does not set everyone
that takes the test up for success. As
an educator, I feel as though a child should be measured based on all of their
abilities. Allowing a child to choose
their form of assessment gives them the opportunity to succeed. Some children do well on paper and pencil
tests, where as others do better constructing with tools, and other children
may do well acting out or creatively sharing what they know. It
comes down to ensuring that every child is able to be successful in life.
My husband’s family is from the Netherlands and his father
was an educator there years ago before moving to the United States. I often have discussions with my
father-in-law about the differences between the education system in the United
States and in the Netherlands. At the
end of the elementary school years, Dutch children take a test called Citotoets (Cito test). The
results from the test and the teacher’s advice, along with the child’s
interests and abilities are “used to help determine which type of secondary
education [the children] will enter” (www.expatfocus.com). From research and personal conversations with
my father-in-law it seems as though in the Dutch education system standardized testing
is not as commonly practiced as it is in the U.S. Children are assessed at the end of the
primary school years and secondary school years in order to determine their
next step in the educational system.
I would like everyone to remember
that you have to know your students well and give each one of them the best
chance to do well and succeed in life. You
are preparing them not only for making it through your classroom but also getting
them ready to be productive members of our society.
Reference
Expat Focus. (2000-2013) The Netherlands (Holland) education and schools. Expat Focus.
Retrieved
April 13, 2013 from http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-netherlands-holland-
education-schools
6 comments:
I think that it is a good thing that children have to take a test and then the teacher make's a recommendation. More thing like that should be done here in the United States, then I think that there wouldn't be so many children just passed on without knowing anything.
Amber,
I completely agree! I am not a fan of standardized, bubble-sheet tests. (I never scored well on those types of tests.) There should be a variety of ways to assess children so we can match up the best support for them to be successful. All children learn differently so why should we think that a standardized test is a fair assessment of all children? I also firmly believe that you have to know the children you teach and what motivates them to succeed. Once you determine what motivates them and the ways in which they learn best, you as an educator are set up to help them achieve their goals.
This coming week in our elementary schools in Florida the students will be taking the FCAT test. This test determines whether a child passes or fails the third grade. A child could have straight A’s and fail the FCAT and be retained. There is nothing about this that seems fair or right to me. Children deserve to have a fair chance and some children just do not test well. We as educators must fight for our students and schools to make testing fair across the board. There are many other ways to measure a child’s intellectual skills instead of standardized test. An example of this would be portfolios of the child’s work.
I agree with you Amber, the standardized test is not a good tool to use for our children because they all learn differently and not all children do well on test. There are many children who aree recieving a low intelligence grade when infact they know the material, but just can't comorehend under the pressure of the standardize test.
I am not completely against standardized testing because it allows us to understand where we need to focus more on as educators. Standardized testing allows us to determine if one school or area is doing better than the others. We can then further investigate their school or areas practices to see where we need to develop. Every student is not a test taker and standardized test are sometimes not fair and doesn't reflect the students development as a whole.
Amber I just wanted to thank you for all of your wonderful blogs this semester. I have enjoyed reading them and understanding other perspectives in the early childhood field.
Sincerely,
Brooke Downs Guy
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