Teaching the test seems to be conducive to improving test taking skills but real academic progression is not always represented. Additionally, Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation in a way to prepare students for life and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests.
At the end of each tier a participant’s academic progress is analyzed, if it is determined that farther intervention is appropriate, then, the student is moved to the next tier. Because RTI uses a unique and innovative approach to learning students and parents may feel more receptive to it. An Overview It is very frustrating for educators when a student is struggling in their academics but continues through the grade levels. School administrators are likely to recommend placing the student in special education classes. Unfortunately this cannot be achieved unless a student is tested for and labeled as learning disabled.
Student’s may have an “off” day and not perform their best possible. Another con I that this testing causes many teachers to only teach what they know will be on the tests. This can lead to boring classrooms that lack creativeness because teachers are worried about what to teach instead of how to teach it. (ProCon 2014) Standardized Aptitude Test: a standardized test created to predict an individual’s ability to learn certain skills. One advantage of a standardized aptitude test would be that it compares students from different areas.
When a student fails a class or grade, they also have failed learning the material that is repeatedly said to us by administrators is “important”. While the idea of social promotion has good intentions, in reality the practice of sending a child into the next grade level when unprepared is unprofessional. In an article, Merit System Boosts Kids-More Passing Under Stricter Promotion Rule, from the New York Post, a College graduate explains, “the extra year in third grade provided me an opportunity to learn and write English and understand the concepts of math and reading.” Some may say that who cares about the elementary students, they don’t learn anything valuable and so on.
Dr. Charles Ballinger is the executive director of the National Association for Year-Round School and was quoted in an article by Ann Svensen. He stated,” Students retain more when breaks between instruction are shorter, and teachers don’t need to spend much time on review” (Ballinger in Svensen). Ballinger is saying how the year round school system eliminates the need to have review time which gives students an opportunity to learn more information throughout the year overall. In addition, when schools choose to change to the year round school calendar, they see higher scores on tests and grades in general. This is only possible from the students retaining more and more information from their previous years in the school.
Some people believe that Standardized tests are not reliable or consistent. Standardized tests are reliable and objective measures of student achievement. “Without them, policy makers would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools and teachers who have a vested interest in producing favorable results.” Furthermore, “Multiple-choice tests, in particular, are graded by machine and therefore are not subject to human subjectivity or bias.”(ProCon.org.2013.) many people might agree that standardized tests are essential in the learning process, while others might disagree. Standardized tests make certain that the children taking the tests are being measured on the same material.
Cheat to Success In the article, “Can Students be Paid to Excel?” Jennifer Medina reports that paying students for their performance at school can actually help them become better students. Then again, in the introduction of “Drive”, Daniel Pink gives proof to show that “extrinsic motivators”, like money, are not always the best way to inspire learning and growth in a person. This is why Los Angeles middle schools should not offer students cash rewards to improve the student’s academic performance because as time goes by, student’s academic work will go down the drain. Most students get the job done as long as they are being paid to do so. I know from reality and from the introduction of “Drive” by Daniel Pink, that states, “Rewards can deliver a short-term boost---just as a jolt of caffeine can keep you cranking for a few more.
“Twenty three percent of full-time undergrads, who are 24 or younger, work 20 hours or more a week.” # The average cost of earning a four-year degree continues to rise, thus putting most undergraduates in a position of financial difficulty. Sure enough this alone stands out in the students mind as a task they know they must accomplish. Added on to the other loads of work and social pressure, a student can find their self worrisome and strained. # Freshmen undergraduates in general, take in a heap of stress due to their new surroundings, new social networks, and strengthened workload. The desire to want to be socially accepted and popular for some can also take on some form of stress for students.
Kids Can Learn English If You Teach it Right In the article, “Kids Can Learn English If You Teach it Right” Ronald James criticizes our education system today as he discusses that upon receiving their high school diploma, children still lack important reading and writing skills necessary for success. He discusses the obstacles that freshmen have to endure when they enter high school simply by not having the basic literacy skills needed in order to ensure future success. In the article, Ronald James discusses a variety of reasons for success of remedial courses including the standards for passing are setup by the department, that college teachers have a greater authority than public school teachers have, and that the criteria for passing the English remedial course are very strict. Through his well convincing points, it can be said that our education system today lacks a key characteristic which is the emphasis on reading and writing skills, thus, disabling students from reaching their full potential. Firstly, the standards for passing are setup by the department.
Senioritis not only has a strong impact on student performance in high school, but it also has a large impact on college bound students. Nearly one-third of students entering college require remedial help (Mrozowski, 2001). Even worse, experts estimate that nearly a quarter of college freshman drop out due to the difficult academic transition from high school to college, which could be attributed to having a “soft” schedule during senior year (Newsweek, 2000). In order to avoid senioritis, teachers can apply many different motivational strategies to help students during this fun, yet very important year. Before discussing how teachers can motivate seniors, it is important to look at the different types of senior students a teacher may experience.