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More Talk on Standardized Testing

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"To ensure a fair selection, you all get the same test. You must all climb that tree."


Yesterday when I picked Eli up from school, I ran in to talk to his teacher for a bit. She was expressing her stress over the fact that she had realized that day that they only had three weeks until their "big math test" (standardized test). She was worried because they haven't learned measurements yet, and they are still working on time, etc., and she was stressed!

As I looked around the room, I saw books lying on students' desks, a table full of homemade weather vanes, lots of literacy bags.

Last week Eli was so excited about all his class was learning about weather. They read books, watched some fun videos (he loves Bill Nye The Science Guy so much that I checked out some from the library for him to watch), and were making weather vanes. He was telling me many, many facts about hurricanes and tornadoes.

My thought was ... his teacher is going to have to cut out some of this interest-led learning to get those math concepts learned because there is a test coming up.

It's sad, really.

Tell me what you think Eli will remember most this year ... what he has learned about weather, or measurements?
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  1. MaryMarch 13, 2012 at 4:24 PM

    If he is kinesthetic, he will definitely remember the weather stuff. It is so sad what the teachers have to deal with, and worse that students are robbed the joy of learning for these tests!! Good thing he is coming home soon right!??!

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  2. Mary PratherMarch 14, 2012 at 6:52 AM

    I am hoping he remembers both.... but I'm thinking he will remember the hands on stuff that interested him the most.

    Yesterday at the library my son pulled out a book for me to read to him - called "First Grade Takes a Test". We read it, and the whole concept was so foreign to him (but not to my daughter who went to school through third grade!).... standardized tests are really and truly sensenseless when you think about it!

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