I believe that children
should not be assessed for their academic abilities. Standardized tests can be daunting for many
reasons other than the content. There is
the preparation, anxiety, stress and pressure, all negative emotions that
school-age children should not be experiencing, especially from an assessment. Keeping in mind the idea of the whole child, there
are many reasons for each child’s cognitive abilities based on each child’s
cognitive development and these tests are not addressing that. I think the only reason to assess children is
to simply check for understanding in an applied way and then use that
information to provide specific support.
I had heard a lot about
the education system in Finland and wanted to learn in what ways school –age children
were assessed there. I learned some interesting
facts that all contribute to a highly successful public education system in Finland.
-Retention is very
uncommon and almost unheard of
-Teachers are selected
from the tops of their required master’s in education programs and are trusted
and respected
-Small schools lead to
a more supportive and caring environment (Hancock, 2011)
-There is less homework
-There is lots of play
-No private schools or universities
-Teachers receive decent
pay, have more responsibilities and are not accountable
-The Finnish attitude
does not celebrate competition but cooperation
-All schools are equal
and there is no public recognition of any superiority
-The belief is that educational
equality breaks down social inequality
-They provide free school meals, easy
access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student
guidance
-No mandatory
standardized tests before voluntary upper-secondary school, “high school”
-Teachers assess
children, “using independent tests
they create themselves. All children receive a report card at the end of each
semester, but these reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher”
(Partanen, 2011).
If we
compare the Education System of the United States to that of Finland the
differences are striking and make a lot of sense. Helsinki, Finland Principal Timo Heikkinen
sums it up, “If you only measure the statistics, you miss the human aspect”
(Hancock, 2011).
References
Hancock, L. (2011). Why are Finland’s Schools Successful? [Web
Article]. The Smithsonian, September.
Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/?no-ist
Partanen, A. (2011). What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s
School Success. [Web Article]. The Atlantic,
Dec., 29. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.co
m/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/
Rosana,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I love that teachers are not held accountable. Some states in the US want students to evaluate their teacher for merit pay purposes. This is absolutely ridiculous. I am curious how educators in Finland view this. Standardized testing begins in high school...this is a major plus. Testing children as young as third grade is way too early. Educators are still building on a child's academic foundation at this age, not to mention that they are not mature enough to handle the pressure. The US can definitely take lessons from Finland. We can be such an arrogant country in some respects, but do you think we ever will?
It is as if our states do not trust us educational professionals. Operative word...professionals. Do you think our states will ever decrease the amount of standardized tests we burden our children with or at least push this type of assessment to higher grades?
Thanks!
I also do not agree with the way we impose testing on our children and believe it is not the answer to finding out our students’ abilities. There are solutions to this testing problem, but we for years done it this way. I remember taking these tests as a child. I would worry myself half to death about what the outcome would be. Educators for years have accepted this method of evaluation and assessing children. But times have changed and research has shown us that children learn and comprehend things differently and having only one standard of testing does not give us a full picture. Like anything else change does not come easily and unfortunately not easily accepted.
ReplyDeleteBobbi
Rosana,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed following your blog weekly. I have learned a great deal from your understanding of many subjects that coincide with child development. I enjoyed reading about your birth story through the eyes of your mom. I am very excited about the opportunity I will be given in the future, as we collaborate together in our educational journey.