Education : Education Of Preservice Teachers And 2 ) Emphasis On High Stakes Testing Essay

Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he is fed for a lifetime. In today’s society, education is very similar to this statement. Schools are commanded to teach aspects of life that only benefit the student for an end-of-the-year test. Students are not taught what is to come in the life after school. Because of the poor quality in education today, the emphasis on standardized test has become overwhelming.

When imagining a well-rounded school, one might think of a school filled with discussion based English classes, interactive Math classes, exciting labs, and rich History classes; one may also think of an endless list of extracurricular activities and athletic teams. Sadly, many public schools across the country do not have these opportunities. The Diane Ravitch book: Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, focuses upon Ravitch’s opinion on this important issue. Since the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, schools have focused on math and reading scores; because of this, schools have disregarded and cut back on other subjects that they are not being tested on such as

First, the elementary social studies standards goes from kindergarten to fifth grade. It is imperative to note that both the

Following the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, US students have slipped from being ranked 18th in math in 2000 to 27th in 2012, with a similar decline in science and no change in reading. Standardized tests are unfair and discriminatory against non-English speakers and students with special needs [E. (2011, January 01)]. A 2007 national study conducted by the Center for Education policy revealed that since 2001, 44% of school districts had reduced the time spent on science, social studies and the arts by an estimate of 145 minutes per week in order to focus on reading and math while neglecting the other areas of study.

“The world’s greatest problems do not result from people being unable to read and write. They result from people in the world-from different cultures, races, religions, and nations-being unable to get along and to work together to solve the world’s problems.” These statements by James A. Banks have made a profound impact on my view towards multicultural education and the nation’s current trend of standardization and high-stakes testing. Scholarly research shows that the emphasis placed on testing and standards, mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is causing teachers to focus entirely on basic skills in reading, writing, and math (Banks & Banks, 2010). This focus on basic skills is taking much needed time and attention away

There are a great number of things that can create problems for students in regards to their academics. One such issue is misunderstandings. There are some that are more common than others and will be identified in order to recognize potential problem areas and solutions. In addition, there are some misconceptions that are associated with particular content areas. One content area that will be under scrutiny will be the Social Studies classroom. These potentially problematic instances will be identified and methods will be devised using the “Backward Design” (Wiggins, & McTighe, 2005) approach in an attempt to reduce issues the teacher may face.

This article, "What Do Test Scores In Texas Tell US?" by the Rand Corporation looks at the pros and cons to high stakes testing in Texas. High stakes testing was meant to improve academic scores and motivate teachers, but unintended concerns have risen. Professionals and the media question exactly how beneficial these test are, and if we should continue to use them. Texas was looked at because students had made huge strides in statewide testing. "Gains in Texas Assessment and Academic Skills (TAAS) reading and math scores for both majority and minority have been so dramatic that they have dubbed the 'Texas Miracle '" (Rand, 2000). The success was so great that Texas students were put through further test to validate that these impressive scores. Students tested on the National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP) between 1994 and 1998. After comparing the scores for TAAS to the scores of NAEP many questions arose for the validity of statewide testing. Tables in the article show that the TAAS scores are differ greatly than those of the NAEP. Though the scores between the two test were much different Texas students who took the NAEP were higher than the U.S. average. Also, by 1998 the gap between the scores of white students and students of color got smaller. Questions about why the gap between the TAAS scores and the NAEP scores were so great were never directly answered. Suggestions were made that Texas teachers could more easily prepare students for the

With its charts, graphs, and political cartoons, on the surface the Document Based Question (DBQ) is certainly more visually appealing than a standard multiple-choice assessment or traditional instructional strategy. However just how effective and authentic is the DBQ? What rationale do teachers, school districts, and state departments of education have for choosing the DBQ as an integral part of the social studies curriculum? What sort of psychological and social foundations of curriculum are rooted in the DBQ? A review of published literature regarding the DBQ provides some insight into these questions.

In conclusion, the instruction of social studies has continue to take a back burner role in classrooms,because it is not one of the subjects in the high stakes testing covered under the NCLB. However, this can change if teachers employ effective teaching strategies, that will help everyone to realize the importance of social studies content at every grade level. This will ultimately help our students to have the knowledge, and understanding to appreciate our diverse culture.

discussed is the belief that the damaging effects of these curriculum changes are affecting primarily low-income children in urban areas and that there is little potential for these children to get a well-rounded education later in life. I believe that the article certainly poses some strong points that should be given further consideration, however, as a whole the article does not adequately assess both sides of the story and thus was generally ineffective in the end. Tim Walker’s article “The Testing Obsession and the Disappearing Curriculum” suggests that unrealistic pressures put on teachers are having devastating effects on elementary curriculum, but his analysis came across as too biased on the whole to be considered a legitimate argument.

The curriculum area known as Social studies

On the article, The Impact of NCLB and Accountability on Social Studies: Teacher Experiences and Perceptions about Teaching Social Studies by: Lisa Winstead she states that schools do not give enough care and importance to social studies classes. She examines and interviews 9 school teachers to get their view and to know how do they implement/ tried to implement social studies in their classrooms. Winstead begins stating that after the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act there was a shift on what was fundamental for children to learn and what was not. The NCLB act put emphasis on subjects such as language arts and math and left out social studies as a non-important subject. Since Social Studies is not assessed and is not measure by how well students perform on it, schools, administrators, and teachers dedicate about 20% of the week in a social studies teaching material. Sometimes teachers try to incorporate social studies material into other classes, they try to do interdisciplinary lessons, so in that way they will teach more social studies content blending it with subjects such as language arts. Moreover, the teachers used for this study feel like teaching more social studies will help students develop their voice as well as gain knowledge about how to negotiate their social and political worlds through participating in social studies classes and discussions (Winstead, 2011). At the same time, Social studies classes can also help ELL students because it can bring connections

A very current and ongoing important issue happening within the education system is standardized testing. A standardized test is any examination that's administered and scored in a calculated, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests. Standardized aptitude tests predict how well students might perform in some subsequent educational setting. The most common examples are the SAT’s and the ACT’s. The SAT and the ACT attempt to estimate how well high school students will perform in college. But standardized test scores are what citizens and school board members rely on when they evaluate a school's effectiveness. Nationally, five such tests are in use: California Achievement Tests,

Public education in the United States is perhaps one of the most critical issues we face as a nation. Once pronouncing the United States as a “nation at risk”, the educational institution began to implement one reform strategy after another. In efforts to improve schooling for K-12 students, education reform has fiddled with class size, revised graduation requirements, and created standardized testing just to name a few. Unfortunately, traditional public schools are still failing to provide students with a quality education. This is disheartening as we learn that the United States lags behind in math and science compared to our international counterparts. It is safe to say that educational reform has spent billions of dollars over the

Visualize a standardized test taken annually by millions of students in the U.S.A. that directly affects teaching methods, school budgets, and grade promotion. Presently, millions of schools are utilizing high-stakes tests to determine these major factors. The United States expects students to perform well on standardized testing, or school districts will suffer financial consequences under the No Child Left Behind Act (Au 502). This places pressure on everyone from administrators to students in a school district. Schools worldwide are stressed to succeed on these standardized tests when they only measure a fraction of a student’s intelligence. Standardized testing must be discontinued because it negatively affects school curricula,