Tuesday, April 29, 2014

statistical error...

The image at left is a report card from the 1937 school year, and you can see that the teacher offered assessment on a variety of important aspects of growth. Click the image to see it in a larger size.

I just want to remind readers that long before standardized testing became such a strong focus among educational policy makers, teachers and schools were taking care of business, and taking care of the job of making sure that their children did not fall behind.

They did this by observing student participation in class. They had serious concerns for the growth of each child, even though, as today, they were often overloaded with too many children in each class.

I don't need to romanticize that era in American education. It can do so on its own. Things have changed in American education and many parents have found that things ain't too pretty. All children love learning. Many students learn to hate being schooled. Reading is one of the very best ways to learn in a broad area of subjects, but the first thing that many students learn in school is to hate reading, and that's where the whole of American education begins to break down. When students learn to despise reading the American educational solution is to force them to do more of it, when what they may need instead is a more relaxed approach that allows them to establish personal relevance. Give the something to do. Not something more just to read.

Policy makers are focused on making certain that they get the most bang for their bucks by using standardized testing to monitor and control teacher performance. Some would just as soon see public education on the rocks and have the education of children taken out of the hands of professional teachers, and placed in the realm of corporate profits. In either case, standardized testing is the tool of choice.

What you will find on the report card from 1937 are many of the things missing from the standardized testing scheme...  traits of citizenship: obedience, courtesy, industry, cooperation and independence. You will also notice a range of subjects that have been pushed aside from most schools due to the amount of time spent preparing for standardized tests. You'll find geography, civics, drawing, history, and music as a part of the teacher's concerns.

I spent the day Saturday at the Thea Show in Little Rock, and Thea is working to prove the value of the arts in schools. Unfortunately, these days the only approved measure of education has become the standardized test and Thea must prove itself and the value of the arts by raising test scores. Policy makers want uniformity of learning across the board, as though every child and every community could become cookie cut in conformity. Instead, we should be remembering the time in which teachers were trained and trusted to understand and care for the growth of children. We should remember the time in which a level of joy could be found in schooling. At that time students in school took wood shop and participated in the arts.

Make, fix and create...

7 comments:

  1. The Danish school system operates with a report a lot like the one you have shown.
    I am not sure when they start getting actual grades, but I think it is 8th grade.
    In all the lower grades they get an evaluation where a lot of different things are observed and commented on.
    There are 3 possible "verdicts":
    Can, Can almost, Can't yet.

    In first grade an entire section is dedicated to the social competences of the child. In this section it is noted whether the child is participating in the activities in the class, is fresh and well prepared for the day, is the child able to understand and act according to a message from the teacher, does the child respect and show respect to others, can the child cooperate, etc. etc.
    This is actually a good thing, because if there would be a social skill that the child is not very good at. Then the parents will be informed of it, and the parents can act accordingly.

    Off course if there are problems with the child, teachers expected address the parents as soon as possible, for a talk about if something can be done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Danish school system operates with a report a lot like the one you have shown.
    I am not sure when they start getting actual grades, but I think it is 8th grade.
    In all the lower grades they get an evaluation where a lot of different things are observed and commented on.
    There are 3 possible "verdicts":
    Can, Can almost, Can't yet.

    In first grade an entire section is dedicated to the social competences of the child. In this section it is noted whether the child is participating in the activities in the class, is fresh and well prepared for the day, is the child able to understand and act according to a message from the teacher, does the child respect and show respect to others, can the child cooperate, etc. etc.
    This is actually a good thing, because if there would be a social skill that the child is not very good at. Then the parents will be informed of it, and the parents can act accordingly.

    Off course if there are problems with the child, teachers expected address the parents as soon as possible, for a talk about if something can be done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some schools in the US may very well have report cards still and like what you describe.

    But standardized testing is forcing teachers to pay less attention to developmental and social concerns and that's really dumb.

    ReplyDelete
  4. To understand why testing has taken over the way it has, you need to follow the money. It has nothing to do with education or learning, and much to do with profit for those who own legislators.

    Mario

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  5. I know that Bush family members have large investments in standardized testing and Jeb Bush is a major advocate. George W. Bush's administration was the author of the No Child Left Behind program that attempted to use standardized testing to force school reform.

    Over emphasis on standardized testing is a great way to kill what you don't like, or damage kids you really don't care for. But I won't go so far as to say that is anyone's intent.

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  6. Your later post on what kids don't know is a perfect followup. Kids can fill circles with a #2 pencil, but they don't know much about the real world. I'm glad my boys got to play in mud, walk in the woods and use tools.

    Mario

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mario, I hope your grandchildren have the same opportunities.

    ReplyDelete