- My friend Stephanie recently returned home after a trip to Korea. The first thing I asked of course was, “How was it? Did you take any pictures?” What if when she showed me evidence of her trip, she just showed me one picture instead of a whole album? That one picture would only show a tiny portion of her experience and really limit my understanding of what her trip was like. Just like if Stephanie were to only show me one picture, accessing students based on one standardized test would be incomplete and ultimately unfair. Hence, what makes a reliable assessment would be relying on multiple sources of evidence rather than just one. In other words, considering an individual student’s collection of tests rather than focusing on a single test for any sort of criterion. However…
- Problem: Many countries rely on single standardized tests to make high stake decisions such as Honors/AP class placement and college admission
- Response: What are your own individual views on standardized testing in America? How does this affect the quality of our education system? What is education to you? It seems teachers nowadays are being pressured to teach to the test, to feed the students what they need in order to pass. Is this what quality education is?
- Consider the top two educational systems in the world Finland and South Korea (http://www.mbctimes.com/english/20-best-education-systems-world). Both countries use standardized testing regularly, yet each country places very different emphasis on the type of education they are getting their students to pursue. Academic education is highly valued in South Korea. Just think, after school there is hagwan, which is school after school, extra tutoring for students starting from elementary school. While not mandatory, if you do not attend a hagwan, you become severely handicapped for the college entrance exams. There is no time for electives or leisurely activities. Kids usually return home around midnight only to have to start working on their homework. Consider too, that South Korea has one of the highest suicidal rates in the world for teens. But at least their students are putting out good test scores, right?
- Then we look at Finland….
- Students do not start school until they are 7 years old
- Young children do not receive homework
- No exams until you turn 13 years old
- All classes are mixed ability (differentiated instruction!)
- The day is filled with numerous opportunities for break and leisure
- Finland ranks higher than South Korea in standardized test scores. So what is standardized testing really testing? How can one country give their students breaks and free time, while another works their students hours and hours a day, yet both achieve amazing test results?
- America seems to be following along with South Korea’s view on education. If students learn the material, they should pass the exams. But how can you assess something when students are not given the same access to the material they need to learn. This is clearly a question for another day. But the takeaway here should be this: standardized testing, while beneficial at getting teachers to be held accountable for their jobs, is not the only way to get students educated. Just look at Finland. With all of their free time and leisure, they still outranked South Korea, where the students hardly have any leisure.
- Response: How can we, as future educators, work to give our students an education closer to what the students in Finland have? Is this the right path for us to follow or does our country need more structure and discipline like South Korea?
Friday, September 19, 2014
Chapter 5 Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Kara, I totally agree with what you are saying. Standardized high-stakes form of assessments do not benefit learners. If anything, I believe they can potentially handicap their self-esteem. Standardized assessments can be an enormous gate keeper for any student particularly those at-risk. Ultimately, as future educators it is in our hands to diversify our lessons and ease the pressure on our students to be defined by standardized tests. Each student should be validated for their creativity and diversity. Each student is an individual that deserves the opportunity to be offered multiple forms to be assessed and encouraged to be successful in various settings.
ReplyDeleteVery nice points, Rosa!
DeleteWithout transparent criteria, our students may feel underprepared or fooled when it comes to testing. When students know exactly what is expected of them, their efforts seem more worthwhile. It's as if it's like working blindly on a task, unknowing what to expect when it comes to grading and what your teacher is asking for because all the criteria is too vague, and following a guide of specific points that must be hit. With a guide like the second, students are better equipped to handle the material confidently.
NIce post!
Saarah Mohammed
Dear Kara,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all of your points! I do believe using standardized tests hinders the development of students, because they get discouraged seeing their results. For example, my younger brother is a senior at Cristo Rey H.S. which right about now is the time to start applying for colleges. Sadly, his ACT score is not so great which bums him out. However, I motivate him and tell him that the ACT should not stop him from achieving his dreams. Yes, he might have to take another route, but it is still possible. My brother is just one example of the negative effects that these standardized tests have on students. How many more are there?? As future teachers, what are we going to do about this discouragement that is going around in schools?
Kara, I really enjoyed your opening metaphor and I think you raise a lot of good points and questions! It is interesting to look at two very different cultures and compare their educational outcomes, especially when you see that--at least as much as standardized testing indicates--the outcomes are very similar! I personally dislike standardized tests, because while they do provide a national measure of academic achievement--supposedly--I think they advantage the wealthy and those who are well assimilated into the mainstream culture. If we abolish them, however, we will most likely have to think of another way to measure students' academic capabilities, because as it stands, schools teach courses with highly varying levels of intensity, so if a student earns an A in calculus at one school, that might mean something very different than a student who receives the same grade at another school. As we have observed though, these national measures tend to put undue pressure on educators, arguably lowering the quality of education students receive. Perhaps it would be best if students simply took tests made up by their colleges of choice in various subjects and then based on those scores their admittance would be considered. This is still high stakes--and potentially a lot more test taking--but at least students wouldn't feel so defined by this one single test. I certainly won't come up with the answer to this problem at this moment in time, but I think if we as teachers all put our heads together we can figure something out!
ReplyDeleteKara,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your opening story, as it did a great job at painting the larger picture that we must focus on as teachers in regards to standardized testing. It's very true that it is harmful to evaluate students' abilities off of a single test, simply because it does not give attention to diverse groups of learners and instead puts pressure on students to fit a specific expectation that may be far off from what they may be capable of. As teachers, the most important thing we can do in the classroom is make sure that our lessons cater to a diverse group of learners and give students opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and understanding in ways that fit them best. Standardized tests can really lower a student's confidence and overall have a negative effect on their attitude towards their education, so as teachers we must not let standards get in the way of making sure our students are given opportunities to embrace their individuality as learners.
Hey Kara,
ReplyDeleteYou raised some great points that I really agree with! Standardized tests aren't "inherently bad" as the text put it, but if the driving force behind standardized testing is to check what students have learned than the US needs several different approaches to student assessment. Our book emphasizes FAIRLY assessing students and it's clear that the only way to do so is with the photo album assessment model. Moving towards the Finland example that you provided as a less traumatic and stressful learning environment would be my personal goal as a teacher and a goal that I see many educators/ school administration moving towards.
Hey Kara-
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! I did not know that about Finland and South Korea and their similar achievements yet stark differences are fascinating. It seems- with the little information I have- that Finland is basing their education on each students' understanding of the material. They strive for authentic learning and create opportunities and situations that create that. South Korea, like the US (in general), values the "quick and dirty". We pass information along and hope they remember enough to pass the exam.
I've noticed my mentor teacher at Juarez does create a lot of authentic learning moments. She does not test the students, rather she grades based on skills they are able to perform. For example, they had a response paper due today about Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience. They could write whatever they wanted, as long as they responded to the text. Also, they are not graded on correct answers, but on their honest, genuine attempt at writing a response. At Benito Juarez they use a benchmarking grading system, so all grades are skill-based, not test based.
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! I agree that a student's fate should not be sealed with one exam, but instead-by a collective assessment that considers more than just a test. The weight and importance placed on standardized tests sets many students up to fail. For example, what about the students that are incredibly smart but, for whatever reason (take their time, panic, etc.), are not good test takers? Or what about those that are taking the test but cannot concentrate because their family can only afford to feed them once or twice a day. Or those that are dealing with the pressures and effects of domestic abuse at home yet are expected to come to school and focus 100% on this test? Or what about those students living in a homeless shelter with their family because their parent has lost his/her job? All of these scenarios can and have happened. My sister teaches at an elementary school and she has dealt with students who have had to deal with all of these issues during testing season. Even though standardized tests have led to an increase in her salary due to her students performing exceptionally well, she still does not agree with the importance our education system places on standardized tests. I do not know much about Finland's education system, but from what you have shared with us it seems like they have the right idea.
I believe the biggest difference between the Finnish educational system and our system is the way we carry out assessment for students. The Finnish system uses more individualized assessment, letting students take education at their own pace. In our system, we have the overarching nationalized tests, which creates a high-stakes atmosphere. It may be impossible for a nation-wide individualized assessment held in the US, but we can bring it down to the classroom level. We as teachers must prepare our students individually for a test rather than grouping them altogether. We can do this by having informal meetings with each student and checking up on their progress. The class is not one single entity but a multitude of individuals with different ways of learning that we must account for.
ReplyDeleteKara,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you used Stephanie's story to compare it to the educational system we have here in the United States today. You have a strong argument differentiating the education systems between Finland and South Korea. I totally agree with all the points you made as well. I learned many new things from your post, especially about South Korea. I did not know their suicidal rates for students was so high, but hey, like you said, at least they have good test scores. It is interesting that both countries are successful when it comes to their education, yet they function very differently. It would be good to do some research comparing the actual standardized tests from each country and see if they are really testing on the same content. Amanda's explanation does make sense on trying to justify why each country works differently. Finland perhaps is striving more authentic education while South Korea sounds like they are aiming for drills and memorizing.
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteVery informational post and I especially like the analogy that you have used in the beginning. Concerning my viewpoint towards standardized testing, I believe that we should create a mixture of both of the two educational systems that you have mentioned. We should strive for students to leave more at their own pace and to actually enjoy having breaks in-between class and to actually have recess. It’s not rocket science that some free time to rejuvenated between courses would actually help students learn better as well as to get rid of the excess energy that they might have. However, one must remember that comparing the US system of education (along with all of its issues and dilemmas which it faces) to the educational systems of South Korea or Finland is like comparing apples to oranges. Neither of those two countries have such a culturally and ethnically diverse population nor experience such a large influx of students being immigrants and not having the proficiency in the language in which their education is taught in.
While I agree that the Finnish model of successful education should be the way in which we as teachers should go, standardized tests should not be fully eliminated. If written and used correctly, they offer teacher a valuable asset in gaining insight on their students. But the key thing is that the tests should not be the sole indication of how well a student is. Unfortunately, we will still need to provide and practice with students techniques for passing standardized tests since if they do decide to enter a specific workforce ( i.e. lawyers, doctors, and so on) , a standardized test is what they’ll have to complete and the ability to pass it to get the desired job is something that won’t go away anytime soon.
Thus I am conflicted about following either system too much due to the different circumstances that our educational system has as well the reality that our students will have once they attempt to enter a particular workforce. However, a lighter emphasis on standardized testing should be something that we should be pushing for while at the same time still giving students the opportunity to getting used to the format.
As many have mentioned, this post was very insightful/informational in regards to other country's viewpoints (whether good/bad) on standardized testing. I dont believe I necessarily feel as though either country's system should be adopted as I more so feel that the US needs to reevalute how we view the education/testing relationship. Their are many types of learners and many different tools of evaluation to see if they are learning. I do not believe testing is always the best answer and evaluator. I know for myself, I feel that I am a horrible test taker. Whether it be from anxiety, comprehension, technique etc or just the countless test I have been forced to take since adolescence. I do find it hard to come up with a standard evaluator across all academia, but maybe that says something within itself. I believe the practice of standardized testing is very controversial/worth discussing, there is just so much that goes into that conversation, which I find so hard to even begin grapling with. I think the most important thing as Lupe mentioned above, is that we must help students see that they are much more than their scores and encourage them to excel.
ReplyDelete