When Students cheat on exams it's because our School System values grades more than Students value learning.Of course it is not JUST the students cheating on the standardized exams, the teachers have also been caught fudging the numbers or helping students cheat, and in more than a few places.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) April 14, 2013
The fact is that once you place all of the importance on the educational product (Test scores), rather than the journey (The educational experience itself), you devalue it in a way that makes it seem as if the ends justifies the means.
If all anybody cares about is that the correct boxes are filled in, then HOW they are filled in, and by WHOM, becomes less relevant. And therefore the education itself becomes less relevant as well.
After all what value does a professional test taker have to future employers?
My district is really proud of their mission statement, which declares that we value 'lifelong learning.' Except they don't; they value high test scores to keep that state money flowing...or trickling, since we're in Michigan. Meanwhile, due to the emphasis on teacher evaluations tied to tests, music teachers are opting out of band and orchestra festivals, where a single low rating has cost some their jobs. So the kids are denied the benefit of playing and receiving criticism from someone other than parents. I work with music kids, and the lack of retention is alarming. They don't learn their scales, can't name notes, can't retain a fingering from one class to the next. And practice? Horrors? They have soccer and baseball, dance and drama. But please don't give them an earned C on their report card or you;ll get the wrath of 100 6th grade parents raining down on you.
ReplyDeleteI had concert choir, and I know it helped me in ways I can’t even articulate. I really feel for educators these days.
DeleteRegarding the test takers, they might get a job, but it’ll be quickly apparent that they can’t solve problems. Then they’ll have to find someone to cover for them, hide and hope it isn’t noticed, or join a “posse” that gets through the day with bluster and intimidation (I think we’ve all met those types).
A few will engage in remedial activities.
Multiple studies show that music students do better academically in other subjects.
DeleteI used to be a music teacher.
I saw the writing on the wall and fifteen years ago got my multiple subject credential and went into the classroom. I did that for 10 years, then saw more writing and got a library media credential, MLIS and national board certification in library. I am lucky to be at a school that values my teaching skills as they know the students will not learn information literacy or research skills anywhere else.
Standardized test scores aren't inherently evil. What is evil is the way they are now being used as a weapon. They will be the destruction of what was once the best school system in the world.
Hi, Gryph --
ReplyDeleteSorry to hijack you post, but it seems ol M. Joe Shep has lost his marbles. He is now claiming that he knew all along that GinaM was using RAM as her avatar and that he *tricked* her into confirming his suspicions. Oh, and he has admission of guilt, which he kept, also too.
http://palin4president2016.blogspot.com/2013/04/mad-trig-truther-cellar-dwellers-fire.html
IMers -- WARNING - do not post a comment on palin4president2016!! As some of us know from experience, M. Joe Shep has no scruples regarding your personal information and will post your name and e-mail address and encourage harassment.
Anonymous8:25 AM
DeleteBWAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my goodness....MJ done truly lost the last of his MIND!
What the FUNK was old horny goat talking about?
It's a very competitive world out there for today's students. Getting into the right school is huge pressure, heck, even in my day we were given the SAT in 9th grade just to get a baseline score. We then were tutored in the SAT and took it twice more, sophomore and junior year.
ReplyDeleteWith 4 year degrees being worth much less in the workplace today, it's most important to get the "right degree" from the "right school" if you want to make that Bachelor's degree work for you. That means testing well and testing high and running a high grade point average. That's how student achievement is measured so what else is a child (and his parents) to do but whatever it takes to pass the tests with the highest scores possible?
My senior year in high school, I was in an honors English class taught by Ms. Hunt. She is quoted in my yearbook from that year:
ReplyDelete"If there was one thing I wish I could teach students, it's an appreciation for knowledge and not for grades."
She is my all-time favorite teacher.
Prediction:
DeleteIf the politicians get their way, the last English class you'll have will be in 8th grade. (P.E., History and the arts too.) High school will consist of nothing but STEM classes and will be only three years so all students can progress to university a year early.
Mark my words and the date. It may take a while but this is the direction public education is heading.
Thinking back on when I was in school, we were taught art classes, gregg shorthand, home economics, languages, gym, recess, typing, penmanship, music and debate classes. At the time, computers were in their infancy, and we all felt a lot of these classes were "a waste of time".
ReplyDeleteNow I realize, even though "shorthand" and "home economics" are almost obsolete, these classes DID promote important stimulation of different areas of the brain and promoted our own thinking of new ways to approach learning. With schools being run as businesses and "test taking skills" taught over real learning, we're failing our kids, and cottage industries like "Learning centers" and "SAT Prep" courses just prove DeGrasse's point.
The politicians keep slashing funds and cutting what they see as "unnecessary" classes, without realizing the bigger picture.