Children are growing every day whether its weight, walking, crawling, or talking. When they are growing this is something that should be assessed because it shows how the child is suppose to develop by a certain age and where they are suppose to be at that age. Some children may grow faster than others but in a certain age range children should be at or around the stage the other children are at. For example, during the age range seven-eleven the children are at the stage where they should now starting to think logically and start to do abstract thinking. So I feel that the way a child develops should be assessed. In school the child should be assessed because the teachers should know if the child is on the same level as the children of his or her age or below so that they could know what to do to help that child.
In Cuba the
children are assessed depending on the way that they can read. Since education
is the number one thing in Cuba the people there make sure that the children
who are there learn to read. For example, in Cuba all the schools closed down
for a long period of time so that the children could learn to read, so that one
day they could all become successful and have a better life. The teachers in
Cuba would make sure of it by going to the houses where the children stayed.
I think that
children should not be assessed when it comes to entering into a college or
graduate school because to me a student could be smart but when it comes to
standardized test they don’t do as well. For example, the SAT, ACT, the MCAT
and whatever else requires students to get accepted into another school or pass
to another grade like the LEAP, or GEE. Now I believe the IOWA is okay because
it’s just testing to see where the children are but it does not hold them back
if they don’t pass.
I think it is interesting about the information you shared about Cuba. Being a teacher, I could not imagine doing home visits for an extended amount of time to see how the children are reading. I also think there are much more factors of education that should be assessed in Cuba. For example, an emphasis on math facts and problem solving techniques could increase knowledge for these children as well. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first taught Pre-K in NC, part of my job at the beginning of the year was to do a home visit to see where my children lived and learn more about their 'situations' prior to school starting. It gave me a deeper understanding of the children in my classroom, but to do it continually like the teachers in Cuba, I am not sure. I do agree tests that show where children are can be okay, but in that case we should not call them tests.
ReplyDelete