EDUC 6160 Course Thank Yous

I would like to thank all of my classmates for their support,ideas and perspectives. I would especially like to thank two of my classmates.



Lisa Bromwell at http://lisabrownell.blogspot.com/2014/06/holistic-development.html, thank you for your prompt posting during this course. It may seem small but it was a huge help is allowing me to be successful during this course. At times I was able to read your ideas to help foster my own and at other times I was able to turn in my assignments on time within the time I allocated my self each week for class work. It made a huge difference as I had peace of mind knowing that my assignment was complete and submitted rather than needing to constantly check for new postings!



The second classmate I want to thank is Sherria Green at http://sherriagreen.blogspot.com/2014/06/standardized-testing.html. During week six we had a difference of viewpoint on our discussion topic. I truly appreciated being able to have a conversation regarding our different viewpoints rather than an argument. It was professional and educational and I now have a better understanding of your viewpoint. You took to the time to further clarify your point and how it related to the particular situation you referenced. Now as you have further explained it and I better understand the situation and results I agree with you!

Testing for Intelligence: Middle Childhood and Testing

     This topic is a very sensitive one especially at this time in the year. In the school district where I teach, 3-5 grade students have just completed the state mandated Standards of Learning (SOL) standardized testing. The tests cover all subject areas and are intense. In my school the whole community rallies behind the students and teachers of these grade levels to offer various forms of support whether it's tutoring, or moral support in the form of posters and notes for the students and goodies in the lounge to help keep spirits up. The teachers of non testing grade levels (K-2) work together to do their part to help prepare students such as giving extra opportunities to do academic work on computers to develop familiarity with technology (all the testing is computer based unless and IEP require dictates otherwise) , testing strategies or critical thinking. To say these test put a lot of pressure on students is an understatement. So much is dependent on these test and these children aren't old enough to understand why. Keep in mind that these are the big end of the year tests, they have also been tested throughout the year in each subject area in curriculum based testes and other standards based tests.
     When it comes to testing I am a proponent of assessing children's knowledge and understanding in unobtrusive ways. Student are able to show the truth depth of their learning through projects, discussions, the arts and traditional testing. I don't think testing to be gotten rid of completely are there are valuable lessons for children to learn from them however the should not be the sole form of measurement. When testing it is also important to consider the various factors that impact a child's success in the classroom. These variables change from class to class,school to school and district to district across the state. The children in one classroom may have an additional obstacle that others don't. One population of student may have more opportunities provided to them by their parents who are in a position in life to offer support whereas other parents may not by virtue of  education level, work requirements and other factors.
       The United States is not the only country to administer and rely on standardized testing however the way in which our education system approaches these testing and what is done with the information they provide is vastly different than many European countries.

                 Ironically, largely socialist Europe, with its relatively smaller socioeconomic(and academic
                 achievement) disparities, acknowledges children’s differences by offering a range of academic
                 options and multiple achievement targets. The more libertarian United States, with its relatively
                 large socioeconomic (and academic achievement) disparities,nonetheless typically provides all
                 children the same curriculum—often called the “college track”—and sets a single academic
                 achievement target (Phelps,2006)

In many European countries students are tested multiple times within a year so less emphasis is put on each test meaning lower stress levels for all involved. This information is then used to appropriately place students in program tracks that best suite their abilities to better prepare them for a line of work they will be successful with. There are a few red flag questions and concerns that jump out at me such as are students stuck in a track or what about students who aren't strong test takers, will they end up in a vocational track that is dictated by test scores that don't reflect true competency? On the other hand there are some positives.
               
    A Swiss, German,Danish, or Austrian student who enters a vocational-technical track at the lower-secondary level and finishes by passing the industry-guild certification examination as machinist enters an elite of the world’s most skilled (and best-paid) craftspersons. By contrast, a
vocational-technical student in the United States may be stigmatized by a curriculum with a educational reputation as a “dumping ground” and receive only low-quality training, with out-of-date equipment, for low-level jobs (Phelps,2006).
    The approaches to education are vastly different as well as the societies' views of the various areas of the work force. In the United States trade jobs are often looked down upon as they are perceived to not require much intellect ability . However in Europe, these jobs are viewed more positively by society and therefore students don't feel so much pressure to perform well on tests that outside of their abilities because there isn't that same concern for being in a profession with a low societal standing.
          In conclusion it is important that those in the field of education continue to fight for developmentally appropriate assessments by informing the general public and policy makers. While it is important to have a baseline for assessment for curriculum and instruction purposes this baseline can come from more creative, flexible and unobtrusive methods and be used in more appropriate ways.


                                                                               References

Phelps, R. P. (2006). Characteristics of an Effective Student Testing System. Educational Horizons, 85(1), 19-29.