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See I think that these sorts of tests are looking at the wrong sorts of things. What they should be looking for is relative improvement rather than reaching a p

by liedra 16y ago

See I think that these sorts of tests are looking at the wrong sorts of things. What they should be looking for is relative improvement rather than reaching a particular level. Especially in underprivileged areas, where the kids might be doing much more poorly than more privileged areas. Don't get me wrong, I think that if there are poor teachers then they should be dealt with, but I think that these standardised tests of kids across the board are not the way to go about it. I'm thinking maybe something like a "peer review" type system could be put in place that takes more into account than just the output of the kids on one test (the results of continuous assessment across the whole year, for example; teaching reviews, etc.). Of course this would come with its own issues, but it would certainly cut down on the pressure that comes from that one test!

RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
Most teacher and school assessments in the UK are based exactly on that - achieved improvement versus expected improvement. Schools in underpriveleged areas and which perform poorly on standardised tests still themselves score well if the results are "good given the context and circumstances." The tragedy is that teachers who don't teach to the test and provide an excellent education that is tailored to the children they have are starting to worry about the security of their jobs, whereas poor teachers who have no real ability except to regurgitate the texts and drill the kids on process and recitation are relatively safe.
- tokenadult 16y ago
  The tragedy is that teachers who don't teach to the test and provide an excellent education that is tailored to the children they have are starting to worry about the security of their jobs, whereas poor teachers who have no real ability except to regurgitate the texts and drill the kids on process and recitation are relatively safe. Evidence for this empirical statement? I have my doubts about this, because the best teachers I had in childhood (too few, but more than one) were able both to engage the pupils from the dullest to the brightest with deep, thoughtful questions and able to cover the fundamental facts of the lessons with efficiency.
  - count 16y ago
    I concur with him based on being married to a teacher, and interacting with a bunch of teachers on a near daily basis. This is all they talk about after school...
  - RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
    I only have the information based on talking to perhaps 100 or 150 different teachers over the course of each and every year, and the conference I was just at raised this very question during a question and answer session.

by liedra 16y ago

RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago

Most teacher and school assessments in the UK are based exactly on that - achieved improvement versus expected improvement. Schools in underpriveleged areas and which perform poorly on standardised tests still themselves score well if the results are "good given the context and circumstances." The tragedy is that teachers who don't teach to the test and provide an excellent education that is tailored to the children they have are starting to worry about the security of their jobs, whereas poor teachers who have no real ability except to regurgitate the texts and drill the kids on process and recitation are relatively safe.

tokenadult 16y ago
The tragedy is that teachers who don't teach to the test and provide an excellent education that is tailored to the children they have are starting to worry about the security of their jobs, whereas poor teachers who have no real ability except to regurgitate the texts and drill the kids on process and recitation are relatively safe. Evidence for this empirical statement? I have my doubts about this, because the best teachers I had in childhood (too few, but more than one) were able both to engage the pupils from the dullest to the brightest with deep, thoughtful questions and able to cover the fundamental facts of the lessons with efficiency.
- count 16y ago
  I concur with him based on being married to a teacher, and interacting with a bunch of teachers on a near daily basis. This is all they talk about after school...
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
  I only have the information based on talking to perhaps 100 or 150 different teachers over the course of each and every year, and the conference I was just at raised this very question during a question and answer session.