Whenever I ask my 10 year old niece what she has been learning in school, it is always the same response, “Going over TAKS material.” It is no surprise that children have little incentive to go above and beyond in their educational growth when they are never pushed to do anything more than prepare for a standardized test. With the way our educational system works today, high school graduates come out learning nothing more than how to do well on a multiple choice test. It seems like it is about time to reevaluate our present educational system and come up with a better way to push America’s youth to their highest potential.
I noticed the shift in focus of course material my senior year of high school when we were allotted a certain amount of time every school day to just review for TAKS testing. I understand the state’s concern with the test scores, since they will determine the amount of government funding the state will receive each year, but why is it that this is ALL we are pushing for? What happens to the children that already know the material for the standardized tests they have to take at the end of the year, do they just have to sit and listen to things they already know instead of furthering their education? The present system that governs our public school systems does provide opportunities for remedial students to catch up with other classes and be able to pass a standardized test, but it stunts the educational growth of students that are above average. If we are going to continue to run our educational system on the No Child Left Behind Act then we need to come up with a better way to cater to the children being forced to stay behind.
The basic education you receive in the first few years of your life set the stage for how you will continue to learn in the future and how successful you will be at it. If children are never pushed beyond their limits and forced to think for themselves, which should be the real goal, then they will never be able to hold the jobs for highly skilled workers that are becoming more and more important to today’s economy. Thus, I think the NCLB Act needs to be updated and changed so as to cater to all students, and not just students that need that little extra attention, because in the end, every mind needs sculpting and it is dependent on the sculptors to provide it with a good future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree with Amelia's post No Child Should Be Forced to Stay Behind. I have also noticed a stronger concentration on TAKs testing now then when I was in school. I found this blog interesting because she started out with a personal story, which really got my attention. She then went on to make some very clear cut, strong statements like:
"With the way our
educational system works
today, high school graduates
come out learning nothing
more that how to do well on a
multiple choice test."
I also thought the fact that she mentioned the other side's argument, and then refuted it, showed maturity and thoughtfulness on her part. When she concluded, she summed up what her main points were in a very logical, fluid statement.
Now for the content. I agree completely with Amelia's thoughts on the NCLB act. We cater to the slower students, which is good, but we ignore the faster students, which is bad. Students that understand things a bit faster then average are forced to sit and listen to the teacher explain the same point over and over again. I liked the way my high school use to do things. We would have the "advanced" classes along with the regular classes. We all learned the same stuff, but the advanced classes were taught at a faster speed and the students in them were allowed to do extra projects. Now, with the NCLB act, my sister is forced to sit and learn what the TAKs test has on it and nothing else with students who don't understand things as quickly as she does. When she asks questions about something that interests her, the teacher says "That's not covered on the test, we don't have time to talk about it." So, yes Amelia we should "come up with a better way to cater to the children being forced to stay behind."
I agree with Amelia that now-a-days students in school are"never pushed to do anything more than prepare for a standardized test." I will be a senior this year and will not have to give any forms of TAKS test. Also, since I was in India until the end of 10th grade my last year TAKS test was the only one I took but I doubt whether it atcually serves its purpose work. When I went in the testing room I was nervous since it was my first time but after the test I felt that it was joke on the knowledge I was given. I personally think the standard of the TAKS are too lax. And, because of the TAKS tests most on-level classes focus on passing the TAKS test. For the AP and IB students, the test is a joke.The goal of these state standardized tests should not be Federal funding but that that each student that graduates high school receives considerate and appreciable amount of education.
Post a Comment