|
Sep 15
2010
|
A questionable approach to improving education by failing more students.Posted by: Dave Moursund Tagged in: Higher Education
|
|
Click here to learn about Dave Moursund's free book on science and technology education for teaches and parents of K-8 children.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
One of my favorite quotes is:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed; it's the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)
On 9/13/2010 I posted a short comment on proposed changes to the cut off line (between pass and no-pass) for a math test required of all public school students in Oregon. I am unhappy with the overall emphasis on such high stakes tests, and I am unhappy about seemingly arbitrary decisions that may considerably affect the lives of many individual students.
The information I was drawing on came from a posting to the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics distribution list that has several hundred members. My follow-up post to that list produced zero replies.
Hmm. What can I do, as a single individual, to help change the seemingly arbitrary change on the test score cut-off point? It seems to me that my best bet is to get a small group (or, a larger group) of other people interested in the issue.
I believe that Margaret Mead is correct. However, as individuals we are bombarded with issues that concern us. We want to right the wrong, we want to improve the world. However, many people are so busy just trying to maintain or slightly improve their own status quo that they don't have the time and energy to actively address larger problems .
In light of this, it is somewhat amazing to see the number of people who volunteer large amounts of their time and energy to worthy causes.
Still, I hope you will ask yourself: "What have I done today to help address one or more of the "larger education problems" I see in the world? What have I don't to encourage and support others to do the same?
Final Remarks
Spend a bit of time reflecting on what you have just read. How does the information fit in with your current knowledge, beliefs, and activities? How can you make use of the information to help improve our informal and formal educational systems? Who do you know that might benefit from reading the IAE Blog entry?
If the IAE blog entries are useful to you, then consider signing up for a Free Subscription. (See the menu on the left side of the page). You will automatically receive email about new postings to the blog. Typically, there are about three new postings per week.
Links to Related IAE Documents
Are high schools seriously misleading our students?
Assessing Student Achievement in Difficult to Assess Curricular Areas: Social Knowledge and Skills. IAE Newsletter - Issue 57, January, 2011.
Being "Proficient" with 50 Percent Correct Answers. Math competence and math maturity. Newsletter Issue 23, August 2009.
Creating academic standards that that may be inappropriate and unattainable.
Improving Education: A Political Agenda. Newsletter Issue 29, November 2009.
In the United States, one in seven (and well over 20% of children) live in poverty.
Student assessment in the science and non-science of science and non-science courses.
Test anxiety and use of non-test methods to measure learning.
Using a spell checker when taking a test.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
written by Dave Moursund, September 17, 2010
-
- +0
-
-
Show/hide comment form
One of the ideas that occurred to me is that in our education system we place considerable emphasis on the possibility that a student will fail a test or a course, and may fail to graduate. In my mind, I have been trying to understand how or why this is, in contrast with health care practices.
What would it mean for our health care system to fail a patient? Well, one way to think about this is failing to provide appropriate and adequate health care. The United States has finally decided that this is not a good thing to do. Similarly, in education we try to provide free, high quality K-12 education for all.
How about the situation of a patient being in treatment, and the treatment does not work? Does the health care system say, "You fail." and send the patient away? Or, does the health care system try other approaches? Obviously, it takes the latter approach.
Of course, not every health care problem can be solved. Many people live with chronic health problems, and considerable effort is expended on a quality of life approach. Others are nearing the end of their life, and we many people select a hospice approach to dealing with the tail end of their lives.
I believe that one of the major flaws in our K-12 education system is that it uses the treat (and actual practice) of being failed as a major approach. Suppose that (quoting from the Apollo 13 space mission) "failure is not an option"? Is it possible to have a high quality educational system in which the threat and actual practice of failure is not an option?