General Discussion

MineralMan

(151,359 posts)

37. Yes. Each child has different abilities to learn.

Sat May 4, 2013, 02:51 PM

May 2013

Some, like me, can't be stopped from learning, no matter how hard anyone tries. Others can learn much less, due to a wide variety of reasons. The goal, it seems to me, needs to be to assist every child to learn as much as is possible, with success being measured according to each student's capabilities.

Not every student can learn Calculus in high school. Those who can should be presented with it. Maximizing each student's individual capacity should be the goal, not teaching every student to a single standard. That can only lead to a steady decrease in the general standard, and in achievement across the board.

That's what I fear is going to be the result of the current direction in education. Instead of identifying needs and meeting those needs, it's far too easy to establish a single standard and call that adequate.

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With fifth-grade test now revealed, New York's tougher new reading exams set students up to fail [View all] proud2BlibKansan May 2013 OP

My wife is a fifth grade teacher gopiscrap May 2013 #1

I have no doubt that's true proud2BlibKansan May 2013 #2

Of course the results will be used to evaluate teachers! femmocrat May 2013 #3

Some kindergarteners come to school not knowing their NAME proud2BlibKansan May 2013 #5

But if a fifth grader doesn't know his own phone number, SHOULDN'T he fail? Honeycombe8 May 2013 #6

Only if we are requiring knowing phone numbers in order to pass! femmocrat May 2013 #7

Have you seen the test? roody May 2013 #8

Some 5th graders do know... reACTIONary May 2013 #12

Exactly joeglow3 May 2013 #16

Then you're trying to measure two different things with one test Fumesucker May 2013 #22

This is an important point. kiva May 2013 #47

Differentiating kids. Exactly. roody May 2013 #79

They don't need to know % of kids performing above grade level, at grade level, Honeycombe8 May 2013 #84

I am a teacher. I know where the kids roody May 2013 #100

You are not alone in the world. Others need to know, as well. nt Honeycombe8 May 2013 #101

Then create some authentic assessments. roody May 2013 #104

This message was self-deleted by its author HiPointDem May 2013 #113

To understand... reACTIONary May 2013 #91

Sounds like you are in the business. roody May 2013 #99

Do I think resources are going where needed? reACTIONary May 2013 #107

Please disclose any financial ties with the roody May 2013 #110

LOL, That's funny... reACTIONary May 2013 #114

Glad it's funny. We still don't know. roody May 2013 #115

If you want to set aside facts and reasoned opinion... reACTIONary May 2013 #117

Do you have a financial interest in the roody May 2013 #119

No. Not even indirectly. So now what? (nt) reACTIONary May 2013 #120

A friend of ours recently moved to Florida joeglow3 May 2013 #121

My 3rd grader knows what it is. I asked for examples of words and she msanthrope May 2013 #33

What is the purpose of knowing it? roody May 2013 #80

Are you asking what the purpose of knowledge is? Honeycombe8 May 2013 #85

No. Recognizing onomatopoeia roody May 2013 #103

No, but it is an indicator of someone's education level. joeglow3 May 2013 #122

For someone who claims to be an educator Codeine May 2013 #127

Are you serious? Dorian Gray May 2013 #126

I hear so many people discussing onomatopoeia! roody May 2013 #128

I'm a gonna pee on you... WCGreen May 2013 #62

LOL. We weren't allowed to talk that way... Honeycombe8 May 2013 #86

It depends on what's in the books they studied that year. Honeycombe8 May 2013 #83

They (the testing industry) is never roody May 2013 #106

So what is the message if he tries his best and she tries her best to help him pnwmom May 2013 #18

People fail at things. That's an important life lesson, don't you think? Honeycombe8 May 2013 #88

The article says that the test was written at the mid 6th grade level, which is a full year pnwmom May 2013 #95

And it SHOULD have questions at higher levels. A lot of kids test at higher grade levels... Honeycombe8 May 2013 #98

I'm not objecting to SOME questions being more difficult, for the reasons you note. pnwmom May 2013 #108

I see. Well, I agree with you on that. Honeycombe8 May 2013 #112

yes plus say you have 10 kids in 5th scoring 99% all the time all in your class tests lunasun May 2013 #109

If that's the information they need there's no reason to put a whole class pnwmom May 2013 #125

Why do you share the results with them? joeglow3 May 2013 #123

Ugh - more destruction of the public commons in the offing I see. ananda May 2013 #4

That concerned educator is very brave. roody May 2013 #9

The level of distrust of teachers to evaluate students is out of control! reformist2 May 2013 #10

As is the level of distrust of administrators to evaluate teachers. joeglow3 May 2013 #17

test designed by minions of bill gates. HiPointDem May 2013 #43

What??? joeglow3 May 2013 #61

what do you mean, 'what???" common core is a project pushed, designed and funded mostly HiPointDem May 2013 #63

I am saying part of this is because teachers claim they cannot be evaluated joeglow3 May 2013 #81

teachers do not claim they cannot be evaluated. they claim that the evaluations being promoted HiPointDem May 2013 #82

Personally, that distrust is based on my own experience. proud2BlibKansan May 2013 #92

Sadly, I work with people who say that of teachers joeglow3 May 2013 #94

Listen, if 5th graders can't make good inference guesses at this age, you have a problem. I just Pisces May 2013 #11

+ 10 (nt) reACTIONary May 2013 #15

I believe you mean "rote answers." pnwmom May 2013 #19

Yes I meant rote. Oops Pisces May 2013 #21

lol. i'm sure your first grader did better.... HiPointDem May 2013 #44

I agree. DevonRex May 2013 #20

The test doesn't care if they made a "great pick off of reasoning." No one is there to talk pnwmom May 2013 #24

Once the test is administered no one goes over the the correct answers and why they were correct? Pisces May 2013 #27

No, no one does. And the tests aren't made public. Apparently, your first grader is your oldest? pnwmom May 2013 #31

You just proved my point. In life you have to sometimes pick the least bad answer. Things aren't Pisces May 2013 #35

It's not a question of having things spelled out for you. pnwmom May 2013 #39

And if you were testing adults, you'd have a point. jeff47 May 2013 #129

Yeah. The only thing the statement implied was a need for the tunnels. JVS May 2013 #132

The tests are top secret. The roody May 2013 #116

Even if the kid can infer well, roody May 2013 #105

The test is "calibrated for the 'middle of sixth grade'".... reACTIONary May 2013 #13

I agree with you. I think the problem is linking it to the teacher ratings. Everyone wants CYA. This Pisces May 2013 #14

the test is going to be used to fire more teachers and close & privatize more schools. full period. HiPointDem May 2013 #45

A test that asks... reACTIONary May 2013 #48

i don't infer it, i know it. and how do you 'infer' that the content of a single test question has HiPointDem May 2013 #53

One might think that ... reACTIONary May 2013 #87

I think if we took away the paranoia of firings and privatization away no one would care about this Pisces May 2013 #55

1) it's not paranoia. 2) people *would* care, as the tests & test prep are crowding out everything HiPointDem May 2013 #58

Back in the 1950s, when I was in elementary school, MineralMan May 2013 #23

If everybody in your class graduated, then the likelihood is that there were some students pnwmom May 2013 #25

They are still going to graduate without knowing much about math or english........ PDJane May 2013 #26

I'm not fond of the current concept, either. MineralMan May 2013 #30

You don't think that knowing something about math... reACTIONary May 2013 #49

You can know enough to take the test. PDJane May 2013 #57

Algebra? There's a test for that. Calculus also. (nt) reACTIONary May 2013 #89

You're missing the point, and I'm tired. Never mind. PDJane May 2013 #93

How 'bout a history example jeff47 May 2013 #130

Clear and succinct. Thank you. PDJane May 2013 #131

Yes, there were some students with learning difficulties. MineralMan May 2013 #28

I wish all schools were set up like yours then -- but it is not considered acceptable pnwmom May 2013 #34

Yes. Each child has different abilities to learn. MineralMan May 2013 #37

+1000 pnwmom May 2013 #40

establishing a single standard is exactly what is being done, and it started with bush. obama HiPointDem May 2013 #77

I think it won't matter what test is used. Everyone will complain an everyone will have a different Pisces May 2013 #29

I looked at the sample questions. Without having access to MineralMan May 2013 #32

yes. and now kids have 3-5 times *more* standardized tests, and more in the pipeline. HiPointDem May 2013 #46

But, they are not using the results from those tests MineralMan May 2013 #50

no, they're using them to privatize education, and they don't care about your opinion on the HiPointDem May 2013 #51

I doubt that you care about my opinion either. MineralMan May 2013 #52

it matches many people's ideas in today's education system. it just doesn't match the opinions HiPointDem May 2013 #54

As I said, I'm not going to discuss educational philosophy with you. MineralMan May 2013 #56

then why did you respond to my initial post, since there's no point? the only 'philosophy' HiPointDem May 2013 #59

Because I did not notice to whom I was replying. MineralMan May 2013 #60

and so why did you just post another comment to one of mine within the last 5 minutes? HiPointDem May 2013 #68

Because I chose to do so. MineralMan May 2013 #69

yes, there is, but i can't say what at DU. HiPointDem May 2013 #71

were the adults able to answer all the questions correctly? riverbendviewgal May 2013 #36

I bet you did SRA. pnwmom May 2013 #41

i liked sra. one of the reasons i did was that it was self-directed and the tests weren't for HiPointDem May 2013 #73

which helped identify them and for the teacher to give them extra help riverbendviewgal May 2013 #90

What's so different? The amount of time spent preparing for and taking winter is coming May 2013 #124

"long, dense, off-the-wall nonfiction passages"---EXACTLY WHAT PA'S PSSA WAS/IS!! WinkyDink May 2013 #38

Apparently, this NY test did include fiction and poetry, so MineralMan May 2013 #64

Well, there ya go; I skimmed. BAD teacher! WinkyDink May 2013 #96

kr. let the firings and school closures commence. HiPointDem May 2013 #42

Education is not primarily a labor issue. MineralMan May 2013 #65

you said you didn't want to discuss educational philosophy with me, so why are you here? HiPointDem May 2013 #66

Yes, I know you think it is primarily a labor issue. MineralMan May 2013 #67

whether we're talking teachers or students, education is a labor issue. no, it's not that simple HiPointDem May 2013 #70

So you believe. And there's the issue we have. MineralMan May 2013 #72

the students don't lose because you & i disagree. our disagreement doesn't affect students one whit. HiPointDem May 2013 #74

Same argument. WSWS is not a place MineralMan May 2013 #75

i don't know what wsws is, and i don't see anything about it in these threads. you can disagree, HiPointDem May 2013 #76

+10!!! (nt) reACTIONary May 2013 #118

K&R idwiyo May 2013 #78

I miss question one. LWolf May 2013 #97

One thing I am sure of is that senseandsensibility May 2013 #102

I cannot understand how chervilant May 2013 #111