I read in a letter to the editor in "New York Teacher" that there should be an alternative to the state assessments that our students take every year. The author of the letter explains that perhaps we should model our assessment procedures after Europe where they track their students at an early age to see whether they are university bound or trade school bound.
In a comment from my previous post about NCLB and leaving kids behind a reader writes about her daughters anxiety about testing.
Is there an alternative to all the testing? Does anybody have any ideas? I would love to hear them?
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1 comment:
Hi LI Teacher,
Umm not too sure that modeling Europe is the best way forward.
My daughter was 'spotted' as being a high flyer in primary school and was pretty much left to do her own thing as it was clear she could cope on her own. Lo and behold she has managed to achieve to grades and has got a university place.So the early assesment was correct. My youngest son was at the other end of the spectrum being classed as special needs. He also was left to cope on his own!The fact was that he wasn't really special needs he just needed a different teaching style. His mind is substantially faster than the other children and he got bored and then became disruptive. The diagnosis was ADHD and they wanted to give him ritalin. I refused this as it was clear to me that there was nothing 'wrong' with him. The fault was in the system at not being able to teach him fast enough. It's turned out that we taught at home and he's currently two years ahead.
It reminded me of a lecture I attended in which the education authority was asked whether they would be happy to prescribe Ritalin to the teachers to 'speed them up', as oddly ritalin has the opposite effect on adults compared to the effct it has on children ,i.e.slowing them down!The response was near hysteria but to me the logic is the same.
It is quite clear to me that most resources are devoted to pupils in the middle ground,and I guess in a democracy that's the only way it can be.
It is my belief that these gifted children will achieve regardless,and will have an ride through school if they have a stable background. The problems will arise when they come from broken homes, where they will find more destructive routes for there talents.
Nice blog
check mine out
http://usefulquitstuff.blogspot.com/
Warm regards Monica
Ps.what's your name?
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