Roxana Useda ENC 1101 Professor Cash November 30, 2012 Why Trust the FCAT? Have you ever felt when taking the FCAT you are wasting your time? Over the years students have been required to take a test that will evaluate them on how well they do. The FCAT is given to obtain an insight on how much students are learning on three main subjects, science, reading, and math every year. Despite the benefits teachers and schools obtain, standardized testing like the FCAT is not effective in evaluating student’s performance because not all students learn at the same level, they fall under pressure, and they are being taught just for the test which prevents from learning skills that are yet to be learned.
In the end, she warns that the outcome will produce students who are not able to comprehend complex knowledge and schools that limit history, science, the arts, civics, and many other components of the curriculum that provide college preparatory instruction. Ravitch notes that the United States, compared to other nations, is not following a model that will produce effective change. She explained, “High-performing nations make sure that students have access to a rich and balanced curriculum, not just a steady diet of test preparation and testing” (p.
Gatto says that school diminishes creativity; if anything kids discover their hidden creativeness in class while at school. He also says that kids are not able to advance in higher learning. When clearly, kids are able to follow the teacher and be able to get A's while the subjects get more extreme. Gatto says, "teachers tend to blame the kids, as you might expect"(pg. 683) from personal experiences I can say that I have had great relationships with my teachers throughout elementary school and especially High school.
People in poorer communities tend to face harder obstacles like a bad home life, hard economic times, and influences that push dropping out of school. These students also have to deal with old, out-of-date school supplies like textbooks-even their teachers tend to not be as qualified as teachers in wealthier school districts. Furthermore, due to standardized testing, teachers in these poorer school districts tend to teach to the test by teaching with the drill-and-kill method where kids are being taught by memorizing certain multiple choice questions and answers (Neill 29-35). Surprisingly, high-stakes test like promotion tests are the main contributors to retention of students- most of which have learning disabilities. Retention, though, has proved to not help students academically.
Everything academic revolves around the year-end state testing to the point that other subjects are usually neglected. Reading, math and writing are the main thrusts of schools, and are obviously important. However, critics state that children are not receiving well-rounded educations because of the emphasis on these subjects
Students were required to pursue a set method within the process of solving factors in the classroom. Students are not graded by the answer they provide but by the process of how they obtained the answer. In working class schools, the teachers fight for dominance in the school’s setting. When the principals were asked about the history of the schools they lacked knowledge and were unable to provide this information. The teacher’s set low standards for students.
On the website isbe.net it reveals a chart that clearly shows that on the ACT we are performing below average on Math, English, Science, and Reading. Morton offers tutoring for kids during supervision so it’s not like they’re not trying to boost it up its just the way they are isn’t working. Kids don’t want to go learn when they have free period? Also they take tests to see what students need extra help on but if you actually look closely to a student taking the test they’re just marking random letters so they can be done and go home. Morton needs a new system for the students but one can’t confront the system without obstacles.
Devin Dufrene Essay 4 April 14, 2009 Failure Failure! Some students are afraid of it, Then again some students are given grades and passed anyway. Students should not be given grades and diplomas if they did not learn the necessary information and earn the grade. In this essay I will respond on how I agree with Mary Sherry in “In Praise of the F Word “on how students are hurt later in life First, if student doesn’t learn necessary information in high school he or she will not be able or having a lot off trouble in the after life with college or there new job. In example, if a student gets by in his English class not caring and not trying to learn, but his teacher likes the student so he passed him, when that student goes to college he will have trouble because he doesn’t know how to write a correct essay because he was given the grade.
My youngest daughter, Grace, since the start of her academic career, has struggled with both reading and mathematics. Having qualified for learning disabilities, she struggles every day with comprehension of basic math concepts but she does have other strengths that are overlooked because mathematics and language are the subjects that are important for schools to have their children master. According to college professor Wanda Hendrick, “the pressure to increase the importance of test scores has had negative effects on the curriculum of the schools. Instead of learning, an overwhelming focus on reading and mathematics suppress student and teacher creativity, problem solving, and the decline in science, music, and art activities.” (Hendrick). There are many ways to measure a child’s progress in school, but the one size fits all methods of standardized testing does not work effectively.
Kids are no longer pushed to excel in schools. The school system tries to convince children that they are all doing well when it is not true. When schools allow students to retake all their tests for better grades, students will not strive for perfection on their first attempt. If they do not have letter grades or finals, it is difficult to evaluate student success. These policies will keep children’s feelings from being hurt, but if Eunice cannot do poorly, she has no motivation to do better.