ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

I was never good at taking Standardized Test in School!! I feel as though the people that make these laws are not in a classroom setting on a daily basis, or probably not ever!! We need to always look at the individual needs of each child!! Children are very unique individuals and it's not right for children who are in AIG classes, children who are in a regular classroom setting or children in a special needs classroom to take the same Standardized Test!! I never have understood that!! We need to assess each child's individual needs!! That could mean coming up with different test that would benefit or be appropriate for each individual child!! Children are our future and we need to take notice of their uniqueness, because each of them could make such a difference in the world with whatever career path they choose!! Thanks for letting me voice my opinion for all the parents that feel the same and our children!!

Very well said! As a teacher, I would like to applaud and thank you. The process of assessing students with a one shot, one-size fits all assessment when we have already determined the necessity for differentiated, individualized in the classroom seems ironic. Should we not offer varied, more meaningful forms of assessment so all students can best demonstrate their academic achievement their preferred way?

Good for Sir Ken

...And how about those kids whose major intelligence is in art or music or plain old ordinary biology, and who are getting stiffed because of the pressure to conform to STEM.

Great article and oh so very true.

Dr. Maria Montessori's educational philosophy and methodology are very successful at individualizing education for each and every child. Back in 1936, she wrote, "A child is a discoverer. He is an amorphous splendid being in search of his own proper form." An individualized Montessori education helps him (and her!) achieve that form.

Thank you for your thoughts on standardized testing. I feel so discouraged that even early childhood educators are buying into this educational hoax. I especially appreciated your pointing out all the money that is being made by testing companies and that an assembly line/corporate model just doesn't make sense for human beings.

If you enjoyed this piece (as I did) you ought to watch the RSA Animate video by Ken Robinson on "Changing Education Paradigms" <http://tinyurl.com/25n3b7m>. Not only does he make some excellent (and some debatable) points that could launch a high level discussion, the animation is a superb example of "ways of making education relevant to each individual"

And hooray for TEDTalks (ted.com) – their short, engaging videos have quickly become one of my favorite sources of inspiration.

Thanks for "fEEDing" us with these daily bites of news, ideas and insights.

This article says it all!! I am so frustrated with what is happening to our education system across the board!! Our worldwide rankings published last week are a perfect example of what standardization has done!!
I have forwarded this to numerous colleagues on our campus here! I am by the way a professor of early childhood education!! Thank you for providing it!!

I couldn't agree more. Both of my children have had the benefit of private schools with very individualized programs for their early years and then non-traditional high school classes. One child has significant learning disabilities and absolutely cannot function in a traditional environment. The other is very bright and loves to learn but has mental health issues and cannot function within the "drama" that is high school's social life. Our school district has several options available for those students who cannot learn within the box of "normal" education. Unfortunately many parents do not know about these alternatives and most teachers do not offer that as a solution. My learning disabled child has just been deemed a trouble-maker, lazy and other labels that have further damaged his desire and ability to be successful in his education. Schools' goals should be to turn out children who want to learn, find ways to seek out knowledge on their own and to teach the educators how to identify those students who truly need a more individualized approach. Instead, they "teach to the test" and we are producing a nation of people who do not know how to think for themselves or have developed a healthy curiosity and love of learning.

A very well written article. And so very true! Anymore it's all about just teaching what's on the standardized tests and expecting these kids to do well on these tests. There is more to education than just taking tests. There are many children out there that are not good at taking tests, but do well on their homework/class assignments. Its so sad what's happening to the education in this country. And our children and the majority of the teachers are the ones who are suffering. Life in general is not about taking tests and dwelling on test scores.

This was an excellent article! Unfortunately the powers that be just don't get it- from Bush era LNCB to Arne Duncan we are still chasing the holy grail - assessment based performance with one size fits all kids and all schools- and they just keep calling for more- To do assessment of personal development and to personalize the evaluation of schools we need competent and commited professionals in the schools who can design their own programs and defend them. Thanks for getting my juices flowing this morning.

I am a big fan of Ken Robinson so I enjoyed this article very much!

"So I think we should be doing the opposite. I think we should be personalizing everything in schools. We should be looking at ways of making education relevant to each individual child."

Absolutely! We need to begin to make a change and start looking at the individual. We want success for each and every child. I think to some extent we have this in ECE but then when the children enter elementary school, they become lost in the system.

Bravo! Well
said. I couldn't agree with this article more.
Schools, as they exist today, are to impersonal, in physical
structure and environment. Children feel anonymous.

Loved this article. As the mother of a son with ADD it spoke to the heart of what I experience each day. Although he does well on standardized tests many test scores in classes don't reflect his learning - knows all the vocab words and definitions, but gets a D because he failed to attend to capitalization and punctuation on the sentences. It pains me to have to explain that if the teacher is grading on not just knowing the words and definitions but also gramar...that's what he has to show. If more schools, companies and society in general looked to what each individual is capable of...we could move mountains! Look to people's strengths, find what motivates them, teach things like problem solving, how to research, etc. creating a love of learning in children would capitalize on individual strengths and allow each person to experience success. Schools remove children's inherent love of learning and curiosity instead of helping it bloom.

ECE is where the right idea is in my state. If we could just translate that to the public schools, what a difference we might make in those drop out rates.

I am in agreement 100%. Thank you for sharing.

I love to hear Ken Robinson speak. His enthusiasm is contagious; he is wise and clear and factually speaks about and paints a picture of truth—at least the truth that I understand. He leaves me with thoughts and questions, and often, filled with adrenaline and frustration.

He says:

“Now, everybody agrees we should raise standards in schools.”

• Just what is a standard?

“Kids are being turned off from school, in part because of the whole culture, not just the tests themselves, but the educational culture they promote.”

• What is educational culture and is it a uniform thing?

“…they have a commitment to the personal development of each of the pupils in the school. And that’s easily lost in a culture of standardizing."

• This statement begins to articulate educational culture.

“I think we should be personalizing everything in schools. We should be looking at ways of making education relevant to each individual child.”

• This statement makes me think that we do have an understanding that certain children benefit from Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) (see http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm). IEPs are designed for children with identified dis-abilities—children with exceptional rights. Yet aren’t all children exceptional? Don’t all children have the right to and Individualized Educational Plan?

• Sir Ken goes on to talk about the industrialization of our educational system (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=player_embedded#).

He says:

“I believe we have a system of education that is modeled on the interests of industrialism and in the image of it…Schools are still …pretty much organized on factory lines…”

• I believe, as Sir Ken seems to, that we cannot create change without changing this system of education. I wonder if there have been successful experiences in the United States that have managed to break away from this industrialized system.

• I also wonder, given the ease of access to information today, how much informal education occurs outside of the boundaries of our formal educational system. Is this where change begins?

I am giving this article to the parents and teachers in my center and to the beginning early childhood teachers in the higher ed classes I teach. This is the best presentation of the reality of life in education that I have heard. My big concern-how do we protect our early childhood education system from falling into the same trap? It is a battle being fought in my state.

And this is exactly why I fear the push for universal pre-k. Public education (in general) does not work. Quality early childhood educators have it right. But if the government takes over, the idea of individualization will be lost. Our preschool children will become a part of the masses to be educated as a unit. Such a sad idea.

The best piece I have read in Exchange Everyday this year! He has hit the nail on the head.

Amen, Sir Ken!!!! Please pass this word along!!!

Oh my goodness. Somebody finally got it right! We host a Universal Pre Kindergarten program and we have to test these 4 year olds 4 times a year. It's required by New York State.

I'd love to post this on my Facebook account to share as this is a very interesting commentary on where our test obsessive nation is going. I just don't see elementary+ students reading for fun and that's sad, IM0.