The widespread use of standardized testing in public schools has created a great amount of controversy. With the implementation of NCLB act, schools are required to test students based on the states academic content standard. They are mandated to use tests designed to reflect those standards or commercially produced modified tests. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/testing NCLB aims to improve schools by using such assessments to measure both student and school improvements. Advocates argue that standardized testing will hold educators and schools more accountable, in turn producing a higher quality education. Tests can provide data that show what areas in which students are lacking, as well as give educators the information necessary to alter classes to meet the needs of their students.
In my opinion, the suggested con’s of standardized testing far outweigh the pro’s. This rigid form of testing is one component of the education system that I feel very strongly against. Students are being taught to the test and missing out on crucial knowledge. Critics argue that that such testing programs narrow student learning to what is tested-and that what is tested is only a sample of what children should know (Schmidt, 2002). Furthermore, tests often focus on what's easiest to measure, not on the critical-thinking skills students most need to develop (Webb, 1999). http://www.edweek.org/rc/issues/assessment/
I currently work at a start up college prep charter school in the south side of Chicago. This is our third year in existence. There are no tests or academic requirements for students to be admitted into this high school. Our student body is made up of students that have come from a wide variety of CPS elementary schools, with an extremely varied and often low set of academic skills. Because or mission and focus is to prepare students for college entrance, our primary focus is to hit the required test scores. The students are tested in the fall and then again in the spring and if the gains are not where they are supposed to be there are consequences for the instructors in that content area. Some of my students are greatly in need of improvement in basic skills, but our time is instead spent teaching to the test. In fact, every Wednesday each teacher is required to take a break from their content and spend the day working on act skills. We teach things like how to decipher the difference between ACT multiple answer choices ex. The distracter, the extreme, the implied truth. This may be a valuable skill for students to acquire in order to be successful on their ACT but in my opinion, it would be more relevant to spend time working on reading skills of freshmen that are reading at the 4th & 5th grade level. I can understand that standardized testing is form of academic measurement, but at what cost should it be used? Are we willing to sacrifice a quality education for our youth?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
blog #2 year round school
In recent years, the idea of year round schooling has become a popular topic of debate. I believe that there are many benefits of year round schooling. It is argued that students lose a significant amount of knowledge over the summer months. Advocates believe that that year round schooling would improve student performance by eliminating the summer performance gap. http://www.nayre.org
In my personal experience, it seems as though I spend the better part of the first month back from summer break re-acclimating students to classroom rules/procedures as well as re-teaching concepts from the previous year. In my opinion, the time that is spent re-teaching concepts forgotten over the summer months could be better spent on advancing to higher academic levels with a more complex understanding of course material.
I think that the down-time that so many students experience during the summer months can be detrimental both academically and socially. Some would argue that summer break allows for extracurricular programs, sports, and family travel time. For some communities this may be true, but for households that cannot afford to stay home from work or pay for childcare, children are left unattended. This lack of structure and parental supervision has contributed to the rise in crime and drug usage during the summer months.
According to http://www.aspeneducation.com/Article-summer-vacation-teens.html
“A report from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy suggests that more American teens try marijuana for the first time in summer than at any other time of year. This translates into 6,300 new users each day, a 40 percent increase in first-time youth marijuana use during June and July as compared to the rest of the year. A hike in new underage drinkers and cigarette smokers also occurs during the summer months.”
I believe that these statistics could be reduced if students remained in a structured supervised environment, such as school, year round.
In my personal experience, it seems as though I spend the better part of the first month back from summer break re-acclimating students to classroom rules/procedures as well as re-teaching concepts from the previous year. In my opinion, the time that is spent re-teaching concepts forgotten over the summer months could be better spent on advancing to higher academic levels with a more complex understanding of course material.
I think that the down-time that so many students experience during the summer months can be detrimental both academically and socially. Some would argue that summer break allows for extracurricular programs, sports, and family travel time. For some communities this may be true, but for households that cannot afford to stay home from work or pay for childcare, children are left unattended. This lack of structure and parental supervision has contributed to the rise in crime and drug usage during the summer months.
According to http://www.aspeneducation.com/Article-summer-vacation-teens.html
“A report from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy suggests that more American teens try marijuana for the first time in summer than at any other time of year. This translates into 6,300 new users each day, a 40 percent increase in first-time youth marijuana use during June and July as compared to the rest of the year. A hike in new underage drinkers and cigarette smokers also occurs during the summer months.”
I believe that these statistics could be reduced if students remained in a structured supervised environment, such as school, year round.
Monday, April 13, 2009
blog 1
The brief, Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success by David C. Berliner, reviews seven major (OSF) that impact student achievement. He introduces the article by explaining how the NCLB act is creating imbalance in the ways in which educators seek to close the achievement gap, relating directly to (OSF).
Brief summary of the seven Out of school factors discussed:
1.) Low birth weight and prenatal influences-examines how factors such as multiple births causing low birth weights, lack of vaccinations, intrauterine drug/alcohol exposure, mothers elevated stress levels, and lack of adequate prenatal nutrition negatively affect student’s behavioral and cognitive development.
2.) Medical care and schooling- discusses the impact that inadequate medical care has on student achievement. In addition to excessive absences, when basic medical needs such as vision and dental are not met, academic performance suffers.
3.) Food insecurities- explains the correlation between hunger, poor diet, and food insecurities and student achievement. Students who’s basic Physiological are not being met are not able to perform as well academically. http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/maslow.htm
4.) Pollutants and schooling- looks at the direct effect that exposure to different forms of pollutants, such as mercury, incinerators, pesticides, PCB, and different forms of air pollution has on student achievement. It was stated that students from minority or low SES families encountered more exposure to pollutants, negatively impacting academic performance.
5.) Family relations, stress, schooling- discusses the negative impact of familial alcohol/drug abuse, as well as domestic violence, consequently causing emotional problems hindering full academic potential. http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2531/Violence-Children-s-Exposure.html
6) Neighborhood norms and schooling- examines how neighborhood responsibility/collective efficacy impact student performance, as well as the impact of student mobility rates.
7.) Extended learning opportunities and achievement- explains the benefit that summer and afterschool programming has on student academic success. It can provide excellent learning opportunities with positive benefits for children. One downfall mentioned was that programs are not always available to the students from poorer families who may be in the highest amount of need.
As a CPS teacher serving low SES students on the south side of the Chicago, many of my students are faced with several these OSF on a daily basis. I found this brief to be especially interesting since I am faced with issues such as the ones mentioned in the article on a daily basis. I try to help my students work around these barriers in order to achieve their full academic success, which is not always an easy task. I found this study to be a very insightful description of OSF that so many of our youth are dealing with, and am delighted that professional writings are being published to draw attention to these very relevant issues.
Brief summary of the seven Out of school factors discussed:
1.) Low birth weight and prenatal influences-examines how factors such as multiple births causing low birth weights, lack of vaccinations, intrauterine drug/alcohol exposure, mothers elevated stress levels, and lack of adequate prenatal nutrition negatively affect student’s behavioral and cognitive development.
2.) Medical care and schooling- discusses the impact that inadequate medical care has on student achievement. In addition to excessive absences, when basic medical needs such as vision and dental are not met, academic performance suffers.
3.) Food insecurities- explains the correlation between hunger, poor diet, and food insecurities and student achievement. Students who’s basic Physiological are not being met are not able to perform as well academically. http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/maslow.htm
4.) Pollutants and schooling- looks at the direct effect that exposure to different forms of pollutants, such as mercury, incinerators, pesticides, PCB, and different forms of air pollution has on student achievement. It was stated that students from minority or low SES families encountered more exposure to pollutants, negatively impacting academic performance.
5.) Family relations, stress, schooling- discusses the negative impact of familial alcohol/drug abuse, as well as domestic violence, consequently causing emotional problems hindering full academic potential. http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2531/Violence-Children-s-Exposure.html
6) Neighborhood norms and schooling- examines how neighborhood responsibility/collective efficacy impact student performance, as well as the impact of student mobility rates.
7.) Extended learning opportunities and achievement- explains the benefit that summer and afterschool programming has on student academic success. It can provide excellent learning opportunities with positive benefits for children. One downfall mentioned was that programs are not always available to the students from poorer families who may be in the highest amount of need.
As a CPS teacher serving low SES students on the south side of the Chicago, many of my students are faced with several these OSF on a daily basis. I found this brief to be especially interesting since I am faced with issues such as the ones mentioned in the article on a daily basis. I try to help my students work around these barriers in order to achieve their full academic success, which is not always an easy task. I found this study to be a very insightful description of OSF that so many of our youth are dealing with, and am delighted that professional writings are being published to draw attention to these very relevant issues.
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