High School And Middle School

For example you will have many different teachers throughout the day, and be in many different classrooms throughout the day. Another thing that is different is that before gym class you are going to have to change into gym clothes, instead of your regular ones, other wise you will get docked points, and end up failing the class. Also once you start middle school you will quickly find out the days are longer than what they used t be in elementary school. In middle school you have the option of tacking Ban or Choir, and if you do not choose either of the two you will be places in a study hall. Study hall is a time where you get to do homework durning school, rather than doing it at your house. The biggest difference is that you will have sports practice after school, and if you fail to get good grades, which is anything lower than a C - you will have to sit out until you get your grade back to passing.

Standardized tests take away from a teacher’s flexibility and creativity. With that in mind, teachers do not fit into the same mold either. Each teacher has their own style of teaching and should be given the flexibility to teach in a way that will inspire their students. Teachers are not able to be as creative in their teaching styles, when focused on test preparation. Many talented teachers leave the field of education when they lose the freedom to teach their own way. Teaching has gone from a creative art to a structured implementation as the focus shifts to standardized tests.

“According to a review of testing research that has been conducted over the past century, over 90% of students have found that standardized tests have a positive effect on their achievement. Students feel better about their ability to comprehend and know subject materials that are presented on a standardized test. Even if a perfect score isn’t achieved, knowing where a student stands helps them be able to address learning deficits.”(12 Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Testing). This shows when students are pushed to their limits and they have been working hard in a certain subject they are prepared for test . Teachers in this situation are put to a test also (“Good teachers understand that test preparation drills and specific core instructions to “teach to a test “) . Teachers are put to the test by whether or not they can push students to their best ability to pass the exam. Students and teachers are given the same amount time to teach a specific subject and get judged off of it . This goes back to say all of the stress put on students and teachers is unacceptable because students and teachers should not be judged off of a test

Standardized testing adds a huge amount of stress on the teachers. Educators should not be constantly worried about losing their job. Columbia University’s article, Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing, mentions that,

This documentary focuses on two elementary schools in Hartsville, SC. At the time of the documentary, South Carolina ranked 45th in the country in education. Hartsville is a high-poverty area. Though it is a small town, it faces problems similar to what is seen in inner-cities. There is a high minority population and low parental involvement in the schools. Even with these issues, the Hartsville elementary schools have shown significant improvement in education quality. One of the schools went from a C grade to an A grade within a year.

Standardized testing creates a lot of stress on students and educators alike. Because of how much stress is put on them to prepare students for these tests, many excellent teachers quit their jobs everyday. In fact, in April, new federal data stated that 17 percent of new public school teachers leave their profession after four years due to stress and other reasons. Some teachers fail to teach students skills that go beyond the tests because they’re so pressured to get their students ready for these exams. This amount of stress can lead to feelings of negativity towards school and learning in general as well as cause negative health issues. Standardized tests places a large amount of stress on both teachers and students.

In the same survey as previously mentioned 75% of teachers also found themselves teaching to the test (Pinder ). When teachers feel like it is their job to teach to the test students are not receiving the education they deserve. The hassles that teachers face to get their students ready for the test wears on the teacher and causes them to dread what they will be doing that day. This is causing the teachers to not prepare for class every day as they are not enthusiastic about what they are doing. When teachers are able to teach the class and not the standards they are excited about their jobs and do great work.

Also, test don’t accurately show what kids know. 66% of parent oppose that test scores are being used to evaluate teachers performances. So, the test is only used to determine how schools are doing. Test don’t measure the ability to let kids think deeply enough in any use. This use encourages kids not to try hard and it reflect their current knowledge. Lastly, year over year 50-80% of improvement are short-term due to student knowledge. Every year over all test scores barely increases, this affects their school as well.

In the classroom teachers feel a pressure to have their students do well on the mandated tests. Not only because they want their students to succeed but also because if their students do poorly they feel that it will reflect negatively on them and their ability as an educator. Teachers also have the responsibility that if their schools receive failing scores that they could possibly loose their jobs. If a school fails to meet the AYP for

teachers are referred to as “nation builders.”22 Also, in Finland, “both men and women name teaching as among the top three most desirable professions for a spouse.”23 The old American saw “those who can’t do, teach”, continues to reverberate, reflecting elite condescension toward career educators.24 Randolf states that “educational testing has become the chief indicator of how well schools are doing, educators are being judged by these tests about which, frankly, they don't know all that much.” 25 Goldstein suggest that “testing is a part of any functional education system, but in recent years it has often seemed like the horse of school improvement has been driven by the cart of collecting student data to be used in teacher evaluation.”26

​I strongly believe that all teachers should be evaluated fairly. An evaluation is an important tool used both by administration and teachers to identify areas of strength and weakness and determine ways to increase effective instructional practice in the classroom. However, I do not believe that teachers’ pay and positions should be based on the performance of their students on standardized tests. Thinking back to the days when it came time for standardized testing, I knew that I would not do well. I never tested well no matter how hard I tried. I consistently received high scores on papers I wrote and did well on assignments, but my standardized test scores produced much different results. My sister, on the other hand was just the opposite. The teachers were not at fault because I did not test well and I do not blame them when I scored poorly.

The question that most students possess coming out of high schools usually refers to “what’s next” or “what do I want to do with my life?” I think that it is important that people have these questions at their disposal because it forces students to not only evaluate their strengths but also discover what really makes them happy. The reason for this correlates towards people striving to work in an area that makes them happy but also provides them with the money they desired in order for life to be exciting. Whether students consider going to a four-year school straight out of high school or going into the workforce, it should be a decision that fits both their lifestyle and future passion.

The concept of the middle level school is still a fairly recent one. The birth of the name and the concept came out of the need to separate and give new identities to the grades in between elementary and high school. It was determined through research and collaboration that this group of students needed a curriculum and establishment that was better suited to provide for and accompany them during their time of change from children to adolescents. The developmental properties of students in this group are rapidly changing and growing, unlike those of their peers below them in elementary and above them in high school. The previous concept of the junior high school did not fit these students. They were just a smaller version of a high school student. The high school system did not work for them. They needed a schedule and a curriculum that was designed around their ever-changing needs. Research has shown that pre-and early adolescence students have an understanding, intellect, and social order, physical and

Going off of that, I think my experiences in school have made me so critical of the testing and standards that teachers are held too nowadays. I have seen the teachers that try their best and hardest, but still have to be affected by the students that can’t test well. And it’s just that- some people can be extremely smart but be an awful test-taker. And personally, in my school

Class is defined as a group of people who have a similar level of wealth and income. Even though this ideology is more referred to specific individuals regarding their occupation, education can be considered to follow this same description. There are educational institutions everywhere, one elementary school usually in one part of a neighborhood in your hometown. As these schools grown in number and increase in grade level however, less become established and there tend to be a smaller amount of high schools within a city compared to elementary or middle. This means that for every 4 or 5 neighborhoods there is 1 high school that is responsible for accepting these residents. High schools quickly become established in large district areas,