“Children are viewed and defined by sets of numbers rather than by the experiences and activities of their daily lives.” What a powerful statement. My school recently completed their EOG testing. I listened as upper elementary grade teachers compared our school scores to other scores in the county. I was bothered by the fact that teachers from other schools were pleased that their scores were higher than ours. Did these teachers forget that it was young boys and girls taking the test? Didn’t they care that actual children were devastated when they received a 1 or 2 on the test? I think there is too much emphasis placed on these types of test scores. I think this was clearly shown through the cases studies of Daniel and Zonnie.
Daniel was obviously a very intelligent and gifted young man who was proud of his heritage. His love of music was clear. He played three types of musical instruments, and had the ability to play music by ear. Daniel had a supportive family and was active in his community. This is what builds Daniels character not a standardized test score. Daniel obviously has the ability to learn but due the situation at his school he did not put forth his best effort. Daniel was only going through the motions, and settled for C’s and D’s. Zonnie could be described in the same way. She also had a strong support group at home, and was proud of her heritage. Zonnie loved to write poetry. However she did not like to write in school because the topics were based on cause and effect of stories they covered in class on topics she did not enjoy. Zonnie did not put forth her best effort and settled for B’s and C’s.
Imagine the grades Daniel and Zonnie could have made if they were working on lessons they enjoyed. Why not give students the opportunity to express themselves through their lessons. Let the children select their own topics when writing, and give them the opportunity to select their own books when reading. Teachers need to make a conscious effort to reach every student in their class, and embrace their culture differences. Pam Aubuchon
Comments (5)
I agree that teachers need to make an effort to know something special about a child's background. I like to begin each year by reading "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge" by Mem Fox. This book is about a young boy's search to understand the definition of memory. I then have my students create a memory bag with items or pictures from home and we spend time listening and sharing. As a grade level we take a picture of each child and create a "Who's Who" Bulletin board and the students write an “I Am” poem. I am the son of, brother of etc… These activities set a positive tone for the year.
Elizabeth Achor
Posted by Elizabeth Achor | June 11, 2010 10:51 AM
Posted on June 11, 2010 10:51
I am glad I read Elizabeth's post. Now I have a new resource for next school year! Thanks! It seems like many of us share similar feelings on standardized tests. HATE THEM. A standardized test does not necessarily measure intelligence. You can be a good student, family member, citizen, person, etc. and never "pass" an EOG. Strong character and ability to learn needs to be measured by many tools, not one test. I am guilty of putting Cs or D's on report cards even though I knew in my heart that the child was a smart, well-developed learner. What do we need? Some kind of grade reform? But how can you grade expression? Some parents must see X's and grades. I am not sure we can break the cycle. From all of the posts I have read there seems to be a general consensus among teachers. We as educators must put forth the effort to get know our students, their communities and their families. Our jobs must take us out of the classrooms and more into the lives of the people we teach.
Posted by Carol Sherrill | June 11, 2010 1:08 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 13:08
I think what you said about students being viewed by numbers. My school also recently got their EOG scores back and there was as much empasis put on how each group did as they put on who the kids were. I think it is sad that we have this problem, but I put the blame for that on the goverment. They put so much pressure on schools to make sure that the different socio economic groups are doing well that they forget that their are kids in those groups and that they aren't just numbers.
Posted by Katie Templeton | June 11, 2010 4:41 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 16:41
I think that it is very sad that we have to compare children and schools by numbers! That is what the state says that we have to do. I am a kindergarten teacher and I am proud to say that yes our upper grade teachers looked at the child not the numbers for the EOG. Yes they did have to look at the numbers and the children did have to retest. But our teachers did not label the child by their score.
Children should have the opprotunity to work on topics that they enjoy and express their ideas through art and music. I only we had more time or maybe the key is less testing!
Angie Somers
Posted by Angie Somers | June 11, 2010 6:17 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 18:17
I agree completely about the EOG scores and multi-cultural students. Every year my school which is 60% Hispanic and 100% free & reduced lunch, is looked upon to bomb when testing is concerned. Yes during my 10 years we did go through a patch of school improvement 5 years ago, but our school has remained one of the top 3 highest performing schools in the county.It's these sterotypes and stress that create such negativity in a school environment.
Posted by Nikki Leggins | June 11, 2010 7:33 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 19:33