i know i have at least 1 tesacher who occasionally pops by here, so i thought i'd pose a question...
i'm working on a research paper for my rhetoric class on the topic of the high school exit exam... what do you guys (teacher and non-teachers alike) think about it?
9 comments:
what's a high school exit exam?
put simply: it's a pass/fail exam that students have to pass in order to earn their diploma...
hmmmmm.. without any research i'd have to say that i disagree with a test like that.. I am bad at testing so I think it's not for all people.
A) Not all people test well, like bitchet said (can I just say "Bridget?").
B) If a student has "passed" their CLASSES then I don't think they should have to take an overall test to PASS for their diploma. Passing the classes is what EARNED the diploma already.
C) If the theory for an exit exam is to see if the student has learned what high school taught, then what really needs to be addressed is the teaching of the CLASSES. Often times students are passed along when they shouldn't be, which results in them not being well-educated and subject to an exit exam to prove such. If kids were graded accurately and not passed without earning it, there would be no need for a "filter" at the end of the education process. The idea is that if the student is being evaluated properly along the way you won't need an exit exam to pass them.
I don't know if I'm the teacher of which you speak, but I'll throw in my two cents.
Education has gotten progressively results oriented. This is a backlash against all those cases in which kids go through the system, graduate from high school but can't read the wrapper on a roll of sh*t-tickets. The result, I guess is holding schools under additional scrutiny, such as the No Child Left Behind legislation that holds all schools accountable for students' test scores.
Yadda, yadda.
Such testing serves two purposes:
1. Setting a standard for the students to meet, thus standardizing the educational system.
2. Keeping schools on their toes to ensure that they deliver quality instruction, lest they come under the aforementioned scrutiny.
I've often thought our educational system to be devalued over the years, both on the parenting end and that of the schools/government. The result was a declining of fundamental skills - ask any college admissions officer what writing skills look like of late.
I don't find anything unreasonable about high-stakes testing. The time has come to unplug the Playstations. Unfortunately the bulk of negative effects falls on the shoulders of urban kids who have a tough time finishing school as it is.
The other negative effect is that teachers are then forced to 'teach to the test,' meaning that rather than have more liberties in delivery of instruction, they invariably align instructin with the passing of the test in mind, in other words, rather than teach science, kids are taught how to pass a science exam.
I don't know... you can argue ad-nauseum about it all day. Fair/unfair? The bottom line is that students have to get serious about their education. That self-esteem sh*t got us in this predicament.
(I forgot where I was going with this - someone kick me off my soap box).
p
Amy Ruthanne, you and only you can refer to me as bridget.. raphie and autumn must call me Bitchet
Aw, thanks Bridget! (Everytime I type "bitchet" I feel like I'm cussing someone out!) :)
i had to take proficiency tests in both 9th and 12th grade. despite being an honor student, i'm a total goob when it comes to math classes, and it took me forever to pass the 9th grade math.
i think they're unfair, especially for kids with learning disabilities, but i guess i understand them.
how'd your paper go? i'd be curious to read it if you care to throw it my way.
p
Post a Comment