Jump to content

Menu

Do you agree?


Recommended Posts

One link given earlier this week pointed out that only 2/3 of 1st - 4th grade classroom time is being spent on core subjects. So really, schools just can't win. They should give more time to the core AND somehow give kids a broader education too.

 

I also think there are many good teachers and schools who know that students who get quality arts, P.E., recess, etc do better on core subjects. Many places are still giving these opportunities AND many teachers are incorporating these things into their lessons.

Edited by 2J5M9K
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a bit over the top but in general I do believe it's true. My dd went to public school for kinder and 1st grade and her first grade teacher was obsessed with teaching them the things that were on the test in 3rd grade. She was always telling me how she needed to get them ready for that test. She was a first year teacher so I don't know if the emphasis came from the teacher's college, the school admin, the union or somewhere else. Maybe more a more experienced teacher isn't as worried about, I don't know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally agree...NCLB and high stakes testing has eliminated the ability to teach anything but what was to be tested on at the end of the year...It will get worse if teacher pay is tied directly to testing results...The biggest word missing or used incorrectly in education is Balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I don't have enough experience with the ps system lately to really have an opinion of what it's like now, but this reminded me of a biography of Mary Engelbreit I read several years ago.

 

IIRC, she described how she didn't have much use for school and that she just went and did the work because she had to. I couldn't help thinking of what a waste it all was. She could have been devoting her time and energy to her true gift and love of art. How many Mary Engelbreit's are sitting in a classroom right now being taught to the test so their school can brag that their testing percentages were higher this year? What about the hearts and souls of these youngsters?? It grieves me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not doing science? ..what do you MEAN, not doing science? WT*? They were edging out all art years ago, that I knew, but science?

 

Where we live, science is part of our standardized test. Our school's science scores were not as high as our math and English scores, so there has actually been a push in our area to improve science instruction. It seems to be working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW, in *every* class I've been in as a substitute teacher, volunteer, and/or student observer, science has been done. History or social studies has obviously been done recently if not the day I'm there. Additionally, there is NO question about it being done daily for every student in 5th or higher when they start changing classes because they GO to science AND history.

 

The same is true of "specials" like music, art, p.e., computer, etc. It isn't done as much as *I* would like in elementary school, but it *is* being done in the school districts I've been associated with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Dulcimeramy

We were thinking of moving back to my hometown so that my son can go to public high school.

 

Just for grins, I looked at the websites of the elementary schools in town. The high school looks pretty good, even offers four years of Latin, so I assumed the elementary schools would be above average.

 

Only one third grade class gets to study social studies and science. That's it! Not even all the third grade classes in one school, but one single class only.

 

And.....

 

Social studies is 20 minutes per week and science is 10-15 minutes per week.

 

They have no art or music at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ITA. Yes, it's emphasized for effect (it is satire, after all), but it's pointing out something that's true in many schools today. In our schools, the libraries were taken out years ago...kids now get a once-a-year trip to the public library to learn the Dewey Decimal System. Music and art were taken out a while back...one of our libraries raised the money to put in a children's theater so at least they could offer this. They get pretty much no history until 5th grade (except for a semester of required state history in 4th), and science is laughable. They maybe get 20-30 minutes a week.

 

However, they're required to take benchmark tests every 6 weeks, and "official" tests at the end of each semester. 1.5 - 2 weeks of school time is spent on the "official" ones, and 2 days every 6 weeks on the benchmarks. Completely ridiculous.

 

After all that, 60% of the schools in our area aren't even meeting the testing requirements for funding - and that's not even with the national tests. That's with the dumbed-down state tests...and passing those with flying colors wouldn't even equal a "C" on the national ones. The kids are being taught nothing except how to take tests, and our schools are losing funding...over 200 teachers were laid off in one district this year. I live in a fairly large metro area in the midwest, each of the other 5 surrounding districts laid off anywhere from 40-65 teachers.

 

They spend all their time "learning" to take tests that they're not passing, they don't care because they're not actually learning anything, and the stuff that could actually inspire them to want to learn got chucked out the window long ago.

 

However, hs'ing has grown by 10-15% per year over the past 5 years in our area...and those kids, by and large, love learning. They're not required to test (although there is Iowa testing available, if they want to), and the kids are doing great - many are receiving full-ride scholarships to schools of their choice, because they're rising above the pack. Mandatory testing has absolutely nothing to do with learning IMO...giving kids something they actually want to learn, and allowing them to really dig into it, does. The arts, history, lit, and science provide that. Too bad our local schools don't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That cartoon would not be an exaggeration of the way my DS's 4th grade PS class was run. The school was entirely test-focused (testing was done 3x/yr), and since the tests only covered math and English, that's all the kids studied. One month per year (December) they would do a bunch of art projects, leading up to an art show just before Christmas. Then it was back to math and English. Science consisted of each child giving a "report" to the class on a topic of interest; that was the total extent of the science education. There was no history at all. None. But the school is oh so proud of their high test scores, and every year the Principal gets a state award. :rolleyes:

 

DS was in remedial math because he didn't understand how the teacher explained things, and since she didn't understand what she was teaching either (she was like the worst US teachers in the Liping Ma book), she treated him like he was an idiot. He was put into a pull-out program for math tutoring — which consisted of nothing but doing practice test problems. No conceptual explanations, just "go through the motions until you can get your scores up." As soon he hit 80% on the practice tests, he was dropped from the tutoring program. :glare:

 

Jackie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our local high school has eliminated science labs and is selling it's equipment because there isn't any sense in doing science when lab experience isn't on the MEAPS. That's not the only thing they've eliminated because they teach only to the test.

 

So, while it is probably not indicitive of every school, it is representative of our local PS.

 

Faith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I don't agree totally.

 

I have 4 in school - two 1st graders, a 3rd grader, and a senior. Do I think they over-test and over-assess? Yes. The teachers agree, but educators are not making the decisions - legislators and administrators are.

 

My younger dc spend 1 week with music (daily), 1 week with art (daily), and 2 weeks with PE (daily.) In addition, they have recess everyday. At both grade levels they are covering science and social studies on a regular basis. No, it isn't classical history, but so far my first graders have learned about Christopher Columbus and made globes so they could learn the continents.

 

My oldest has attended a Core Knowledge school since 5th grade. He has been exposed to even more art and music than the younger ones are. I think his English has been weakest overall because the focus has been on more modern lit with a message rather than classical lit.

 

I hate NCLB. I hate the testing. I hate the focus on numbers and statistics and probabilities rather than children. However, I do think most schools and most teachers are doing the best they can with what they have been handed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's sad but has a grain of truth. Here's the dilemma as I see it. The schools were failing. What's the solution? Well,we threw a bunch of money at schools and they still failed. Ok, so now we'll try NCLB and lots more money. Now the schools teach to the test rather than allowing the test to evaluate how much the kids are learning in the course of their year. So what is the solution? I don't know. I think more freedom of school choice would help, but that would be a band aid on the larger problem. Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have to say that I agree and disagree.

 

I can only speak as to the school my dc went to. As much as I disliked many things about the school I have to say that most of the time we were there they tried very hard to incorporate art, music, history (social studies), and science into their education. Each of my 3 girls attended music for 1 hour a week in addition to being in choir (any child you wanted to participate could and they met once a week after school for 90 minutes.) They went to art class one day a week with additional art events scattered throughout the year. They were scheduled to do history\social studies and science every day but the amount of time varied depending on other subjects. The rule was that history and science were to only be done if all "tested" subjects were completed first. I know of many teachers though that did not follow that rule and would try very hard to do as much history and science as they could. If these teachers were allowed to run the school the dc would be getting a far better education.

 

Unfortunately, not all of the teachers were so devoted or willing to go against the grain. My dd12's 4th grade teacher told all of the parents at the meet and great at the beginning of that year that she only taught to the test. She said she didn't want there to be any misunderstandings. :glare:

 

The year I pulled my dc out of ps the principal was into a big push to get the test scores higher. Apparently they scored really low the year before in math and reading so she wanted to get the school's score back up. Right after Christmas break they started doing practice testing and going over only things that would be on the tests. Everything else went on hold. It was really sad. I pulled my dc out 3 weeks before testing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was at a party last night. There were several teachers there (private school and public school). They were telling me about standardized testing in Texas. One lady told me that she was actually fired because of the TAKS test. They also said that the entire school year focuses on testing. :glare: She said her school would test the kids 5 times a year. The rest of the time was spent prepping the kids for these tests. The teachers that they didn't feel like the kids were getting a very well-rounded education.

 

I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. What a sad situation. I also think some places might be worse than others in respect to testing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate NCLB. I hate the testing. I hate the focus on numbers and statistics and probabilities rather than children. However, I do think most schools and most teachers are doing the best they can with what they have been handed.

__________________

 

 

:iagree: And a few months ago I would have been one of the ones saying, "Thankfully this is not happening around here." But I just talked to a friend who recently started homeschooling and I was telling her that I wish I could send my dc to ps just for the art b/c I am NOT good at it. She said they had cut the art program this year. What bothered me more was she was saying that she had started teaching her 4th grader clocks and her daughter was so excited because they hadn't learned about time yet. :blink: ?!? How is that even possible? I know that most/many teachers are doing a wonderful job....but I know a few discussions like this has made me less worried about any "gaps" in my child's education!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...