[lpi-discuss] General comments on LPI levels -- training only for a test ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Fri, 2005-09-16 at 23:30 +0100, adrian wrote:
> I'm sorry I got you started on this! I have never experienced what you 
> are talking about, but I understand your reservations.

It's happening in a number of states.

Understand I am _not_ against standardized testing.  I'm not for or
against it either way, I can see the merits of both for and against.  In
fact, I'm big on "accountability" when it comes to public education --
because there is not a lot, but it has little to do with teachers.

What I'm talking about is the common result.  E.g., school
administrators being held accountable to those standardized tests, so
they start to favor extensive study just for the test.  So education,
general education, suffers as a result.  In fact, I would argue that
with the focus so much on fundamentals, it's why less and less of our
advanced students are reaching for science and math.

So when you started to say -- as I viewed it -- "train to the test," I
had some reservations.

> I don't know where you get this 'teaching to test' thing?

>From your statement in this post:  

  "All things considered, it would be more realistic to concentrate
   on a test rather than a course here. We need to make sure that the
   people have a minimal skill."

It just mirrored what I have heard from school administrators in the
formal, secondary educational realm.  I'm not trying to demonize you,
not my intent at all.  In fact, I feel it's an "accidental
narrowmindness" made with the best intentions.

> On the other hand, of course we don't want things to turn out as
> badly as you describe in Florida.

As I said, it plagues many states.  In Florida, we are a magnet state
and we have too many new students every year -- many immigrants, many
who do not speak English fluently.

On the other hand, I was dealt the reverse -- gifted kids.  That was
actually an interesting viewpoint.  I would never, ever teach gifted
again (not so much because of the students, but because of the political
garbage).

-- 
Bryan J. Smith     b.j.smith at ieee.org     http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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