Some students have to study hard, some don't. Just like for some kids sports come easy, some have to work hard at it. It's irresponsible to insinuate to a child that if they have to work harder than others to get good grades, they deserve a 'handicap' so they can get all the benefits of good grades and don't end up missing out on anything. Good grades should be rewarded...period. Some will have to work harder, but it is a positive, beneficial goal to acheive...so all that acheive it should be rewarded - regardless of how hard they had to work to get there. It's important to teach children that life is not fair...and you have to deal with that. There will always be someone for whom things come easier, who has more money, who doesn't have to work so hard for what you work your tail off for. That's life. If a child has to work harder than others to get good grades, then they should be encouraged to work harder. No one is "owed" a party for good grades just because they tried. They need to try as hard as they, as an individual student, must...in order to get the good grades. Being excluded from a reward given for good grades because one didn't get the good grades needed to attend, would indeed help a child get where they need to because it teaches them how hard they as a person need to work to get those grades, and the benefits of working that hard.
Many people are against the "end of year" testing and instead feel that passing should depend instead on what went on the entire year. I tend not to agree, and let me explain why. The purpose of the education our children spend 12 years getting, is to prepare them for the real world they will spend the rest of their lives in. This means that retention is the key. They must retain what they learned for use later...not just memorize it short term. If a child learns a math concept short term - and gets a great grade on a quiz...but has not retained it and cannot use the concept months later on the end of the year exam....how are they going to have that skill to use years later? Memorizing is not learning, and neither is short term understanding. Retention is what learning is all about. Quizes should be used to determine if concepts learned in the short term were not absorbed completely immediately after those concepts are taught. EOGs should be used to determine if the student retained from the year-long class (or semester long in some instances) that which they should have. Parents can help by reinforcing what kids learn throughout the year. Hands on use of the skills learned, helps retention of those skills. As kids learn more complicated math, give them opportunities to use those skills. Ask random questions that help them continuously bring those concepts back and use them repetitiously. That is how information is retained.
Regarding education funding during this administration, I don't know how much has changed statewide, but Bush increased education funding by 58% in the first three years of his administration with additional increases in subsequent years. In fact, he was criticized harshly by those in his party for allowing Ted Kennedy to so heavily influence NCLB. The link below is to a non-partisan (if anything they are a bit left-leaning) fact check site. http://www.factcheck.org/democratic_internet_ad_confuses_fiction_and_fact.html I am a bit conflicted. My kids have done really well on EOGs, but I realize that some really smart kids just don't test well. I think testing should be done to measure how well schools, as well as individual kids, are performing, but have heard some very valid complaints about various aspects of the current EOGs. Unfortunately bureaucracies, like the public school system, are not known for addressing complaints in a constructive manner, when they address them at all.
Some children don't test well. Some children have learning challenges that despite putting in the extra effort do not do well. EOGs are not measuring how well children have been taught their academic subjects. The tests are a measure of how well the teachers have taught the tests. Because they spend so much time doing so at the elementary level ... subjects like history and science are put on the back burner because they are not on the test.
I sure hope your daughter heard that wrong because that is terrible! How about an end of EOG class party, or an end of year class party... but not YOU PASSED so you get to have a party, while those of you who didn't don't. :evil: I'm sorry, I just think that horrible.
and that will be very useful for the children in their grown up years. How should we quantify the billions we spend on education? We continue to lose ground to other countries. It is time to radically alter the concept of public education in this country. When are we going to stop teaching a test and then not enforcing it when children fail.
I did not say the children should be passed on if they fail! We were talking about children being excluded from a reward party. A child should NOT be socially punished ... excluded from a reward ...because he/she did the best he/she could on a test but did not pass. <noted - the original poster now says the party is a reward for attendance ... not whether a student passes or fails. Some previous posters though shared they feel it is okay exclude children who do not pass>
In my child's elementary school, they are having an EOG dance. The only requirement to attend is that you were present for all three days of EOG testing. Your grades have nothing to do with the reward, only attendance does. My child is looking so forward to her first school dance.
When are we going to stop teaching a test and then not enforcing it when children fail. So are you saying that those kids who have made realy good grades throughout the year but fail the EOG should fail their grade because working hard all year has meant nothing in the end??
A dance for attending the three days of tests that determines if you pass or fail.......that is a valid life lesson. Note to boss: I need to have a party for showing up for work three days this week to work on one of my projects. Wonder if that counts as a day of instruction? Is it about educating children or making them socially acceptable in the eyes of the government?
How do you quantify results? If you choose an EOG test than yes the child should fail because their grade because they did not meet the results to be promoted to the next grade. If you choose grades how do you account for the differences in teacher grading?
Well the flyer she brought home says 'We will celebrate our perfect attendance for the EOGs', so I would think that means a child didn't have to pass to attend, but daughter said that's what she was told, so who knows? lol I am pretty sure the point of the 'party' today is to be used as a relief the testing is over. When my son was in that grade that's what it was, celebrating it's over and we can all now relax!
The EOG's are a reflection of the way the teacher has taught but it also is a competition across the county and the stae. The test is to see how wel the student does but more so how well the teacher taught it, then how great the school is and which school in the county beat the other school academically, then which county in the state scored the highest. Who stresses the most ...our kids. I am one of those who does not agree with the EOG's because...you have a goof-off all year who seems to not care at all then here comes the test...he or she passes.. no problem. Well yeah maybe they were listening when others thought they weren't, but the pressure on the kids to make a 3 or higher in order to pass that grade is not right. Science is going to be included.
From my understanding, the EOGs have two purposes. 1. As a measure to report to federal government. 2. As a factor in retention. A factor, not the only consideration. Are teachers using scare tactics (such as no party) to get students to care about their performance? Probably. It will vary from teacher to teacher and school to school. Grades, don't even get me started on that awful system. Accountability-Needed, but all involved players need to be accountable. Students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Pirate-American schools behind? Yes, by how much and in which areas are pushed into the media at different times. The TIMSS report is a good one to look at for Math and Science. But be warned, the recommendations for change are not for the conservative. My $0.02.
I think the score of 3 means "Proficient" or "Meets Standards". Individual schools are responsible for retention, from my understanding. There is no set procedure for the state on which student passes and which student doesn't. Science is going to be included now because states have to report science scores for NCLB.
Magnolia... I too support the idea that there must be some accountability in education. I long for the days when we were taught subject matter and skills that enabled us to pass whatever tests were placed in front of us. I decry the idea that so much time is spent "teaching the test." I firmly believe that if students are truly educated, they will be able to pass whatever tests they are given. Comparing our work and accountability with that of a teacher is unfair. In business, we all have our function designed to contribute to an achievable goal or outcome. Each team is responsible for ensuring their timely completion of each task or event that leads to success. If accounting, or receiving, or sales, or marketing, or any other department drops the ball, they are held accountable. You can claim that your portion was done, and that the lack of progress for the project is another department's responsibility. That may well be true. How does society hold the different entities responsible? Testing does reflect some of the contribution that the schools, at large, and the teachers themselves provide. However, I would submit that there is no accountability placed where it's needed most: that of the parent. To be honest, there are a few students who succeed in spite of terrible odds against their succeeding. These are a distinct minority. In my experience, within a few moments, I can pretty much tell which parents are involved in their child's education. It's not rocket science. I merely listen and observe the children to see how involved the parents are. Absent a developmental area, the articulation that a young child presents is my first key. We've all seen those children who are well behaved and whose diction is easily understandable. I have no valid scientific study to back it (they may exist, I just don’t have one handy) that would support a belief that I have: Involved parents who read to and listen to their children read have more articulate children. Extrapolating that involvement to other areas, these children will perform better in math, science, and on the dreaded EOGs. It's time to share the responsibility for failure of our children’s education with more than just the teachers and the schools. Where are the parents? As always, I enjoy your POV. Safe weekend this weekend, folks. Enjoy your time off. And when you sink your teeth into that delectable meal off the grill, in the mountain lodge, or at the beach..Remember the young Marine who is standing his post, the young AF pilot who sits in a ready room waiting to unleash her considerable skills and armaments in our defense, the Coast Guardsman who is prepared to perform his SAR, the mess steward preparing meals for the 6000 community members of the aircraft carrier sent to project our strength, and the 82nd AIRBORNE soldier who sits at the Green Ramp, combat loaded, and ready to jump into a maelstrom of a firefight. All of these people would love to enjoy a three-day holiday with their family and friends. They cannot. They chose, instead, to provide that for us.
Maybe I am "old school", but I don't see what was wrong with the way the teachers averaged the grades to determine the child's grades...way back when I was in school. I know times have changed and so has administration from the government to the actual school itself. I don't think we turned out so bad when it was not as complicated. I have had the great fortune of trying to average a class of high schoolers to see if they were going to pass or fail and what they had to do in order to get there. I hope my child passes on the second go-round or yes I will be a whiner at the JCBoED trying to see if I can get her promoted because I think she deserves it. No life is not fair but as the other person was talking about her child not being able to attend a party for not passing, that is the craziest thing I have ever heard. That child should not be singled out and kicked to the curb while the others are enjoying their treats. That kid stresed right along with the ones who did pass. What are the teachers going to do with the ones who did not pass. Give them rice cakes and water in the ISS room???
