I believe children should be assessed to see if they are attaining knowledge about their academics. I do not believe assessment should be on children so heavy that educators miss the fundamentals because they are forced to teach towards the test. Children should also be assessed to view how their brain is non academically. Children can be "book" smart but not social able to hold a conversation. Both skills are equally important to being a functioning member of society.
Brazil uses the Programme for International Student Assessment to test their children. The government feels as though the children's poor performance in school is what's holding them back so he decided for the country to use PISA as a way to monitor and help develop the success of the children and thus the country since 3 out of 4 adults were functionally illiterate (Paulo, 2010). It is apparent that assessment in this country is necessary for its success and development.
I do believe assessment is necessary to check progress however I do not believe so much is appropriate. Administrations gets caught up in assessment and forces their educators to teach to a test and children miss the fundamentals needed for a solid foundation.In some states if children to not perform on the test the way administration would like to then the teachers have to take their praxis and regain their certification, More educating and less assessment.
References
Paulo, Sao. December 9, 2010. No Longer Bottom of Class. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/17679798
Dear Shikisha,
ReplyDeleteDid you find the story in the Berger text about the peddler children from Brazil interesting? Although, they had no formal education or schooling, these children were excellent merchants and could compute challenging percentages. They learn from older children their craft and those advance skills. I am wondering if Brazil should focus on supporting this style of learning. Thanks for sharing!