I hear a lot of people gripe about our schools teaching for the test, teaching TAKS, etc…. It has almost become the “cool” thing to say in the same way that it became cool to make fun of Pres. JorgeW for being dumb even though he has a Harvard MBA and is probably smarter and better read than you, or to vote for O’Bama and his changes even though most people who did couldn’t really tell you what those changes would be.
Back to TAKS…I have conflicting opinions, but I believe that they lead me to the same conclusions.
When I hear people complain about the testing and how all our kids are taught is what’s on the test, I want to ask them to look at the test and tell me which part of it they would like to eliminate from the curriculum. Think we should quit teaching Reading, Writing, Math? (those are the 3 R’s everyone talks about going back to) What exactly is teaching to test? Many parents and kids dislike TAKS because they hear so much about it, because kids take so many practice tests. Administrators and teachers dislike it because they know that money and jobs are on the line.
I think that even if there were no TAKS or other standardized testing, most teachers would still teach for tests, most parents would still ask “Did you study for your test?” and most kids would still be graded on the tests they take. I had a psychology professor in college who didn’t call them tests. He called them “measurements”, with the idea that he was taking a measurement of how much we had learned in the class. I liked the idea behind his lingo, but a rose by any other name……..
So opinion #1—I don’t think that TAKS is so bad. We have to measure progress somehow.
On the other hand, I think NoChillunsLftBhind is a failure if your measurement criterion is Have we left any chilluns behind? Opinion #2-- I think the thing missing from our curriculum is the answer to the age old question “When am I ever going to use this in the real world?” Our kids are not taught that chemistry can help them in the kitchen, that fractions and percentages can help them to be smarter shoppers, that history and reading comprehension can help them be better informed voters, that when their subjects and verbs agree in their speech and writing what they have to say will be listened to with greater respect. Our education systems have failed to help our students and parents understand that what kids are being taught is not just for the test but for life.
Opinion #3—Not everyone can or should go to college.
Opinion #4—Somebody’s got to have a job with a name on his shirt. Our society and economy can’t survive without our blue collar heroes.
Opinion #5—Many of our teachers and politicians are, as the late great Jerry Clower might describe them, “educated beyond their intelligence.”
Although I never worked as a full-time classroom teacher, I did work in education for about six years and hold a master’s degree in the field, so I feel like I have sufficient understanding to have some opinions.
I don’t usually solicit comments, although I welcome them, but in this particular case I would like to ask for feedback.
Back to TAKS…I have conflicting opinions, but I believe that they lead me to the same conclusions.
When I hear people complain about the testing and how all our kids are taught is what’s on the test, I want to ask them to look at the test and tell me which part of it they would like to eliminate from the curriculum. Think we should quit teaching Reading, Writing, Math? (those are the 3 R’s everyone talks about going back to) What exactly is teaching to test? Many parents and kids dislike TAKS because they hear so much about it, because kids take so many practice tests. Administrators and teachers dislike it because they know that money and jobs are on the line.
I think that even if there were no TAKS or other standardized testing, most teachers would still teach for tests, most parents would still ask “Did you study for your test?” and most kids would still be graded on the tests they take. I had a psychology professor in college who didn’t call them tests. He called them “measurements”, with the idea that he was taking a measurement of how much we had learned in the class. I liked the idea behind his lingo, but a rose by any other name……..
So opinion #1—I don’t think that TAKS is so bad. We have to measure progress somehow.
On the other hand, I think NoChillunsLftBhind is a failure if your measurement criterion is Have we left any chilluns behind? Opinion #2-- I think the thing missing from our curriculum is the answer to the age old question “When am I ever going to use this in the real world?” Our kids are not taught that chemistry can help them in the kitchen, that fractions and percentages can help them to be smarter shoppers, that history and reading comprehension can help them be better informed voters, that when their subjects and verbs agree in their speech and writing what they have to say will be listened to with greater respect. Our education systems have failed to help our students and parents understand that what kids are being taught is not just for the test but for life.
Opinion #3—Not everyone can or should go to college.
Opinion #4—Somebody’s got to have a job with a name on his shirt. Our society and economy can’t survive without our blue collar heroes.
Opinion #5—Many of our teachers and politicians are, as the late great Jerry Clower might describe them, “educated beyond their intelligence.”
Although I never worked as a full-time classroom teacher, I did work in education for about six years and hold a master’s degree in the field, so I feel like I have sufficient understanding to have some opinions.
I don’t usually solicit comments, although I welcome them, but in this particular case I would like to ask for feedback.
2 comments:
Said in true JB fashion.
That's a good post. Well communicated with valid and insightful points.
Woody
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