[Serene]

Read about the recommendations of teachers and schools in this story on NZ Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10415764

[gpbenton]

* focusing attention on teaching and learning, rather than assessment.

I've heard this before and never really understood. Surely you have to check that what has been taught has been learned, so you have to have assessment.

Also you have to check that the person that was taught actually did the learning (as opposed to paying the class swat) so you have to have exams. :(

Its a shame, and it means you have to teach pupils exam passing skills as well as subject matter, but I haven't seen any alternatives.

[tigerlily]

In education there seems to be a pendulum which swings toward and away from assessment. Right now America is in the midst of an extreme turn toward assessment. When I was a teacher (10 years ago) I was told by my prinicpal not to teach anything other than reading and math (that was all that the 4th graders would be tested on at the end of year exams). I literally had to sneak in some geography and science. So from my perspective, a move away from exams is great. Teachers still give their own tests, to see how the students are doing, but exams are designed to be reported, standardized and measured. It's a lot of pressure for the teachers, kids and everyone involved! Here in America, this is so extreme than entire staffs of schools (prinicpals and every teacher) have been fired because the exam results didn't improve every year. They called it "reconstituting" the school. We all lived in fear of losing our jobs as teachers.
This was because the school was in the inner city, where many of the kids had a hard time just gettting clothes and food. Most of the parents worked 2 jobs to survive, it didn't leave a lot of time for them to spend reading to their kids. I could go on and on about the factory model of education which is used (ie designed originally to produce good factory workers!) and the troubles of our educational system. I'm hoping that it's better in NZ, but probably same as here- some schools are excellent and other are fairly disappointing.

[Carol]

Why does it always have to be one way or another?

All exams v no exams
pass v fail
phonics v whole word
formative assessment v summative assessment
success v failure
rote learning v understanding



When will we realise that one size just does not fit all.
I am extremely hopeful of the NCEA systm - although I have read much against it.


All children are capable of something.
This is a system that assesses in an appropriate way. i.e. assesses to the needs of the kids YAY!:raebanana
Unit standards v achievement standards is an interesting debate...... but what it basically comes down to is what they can actually DO not what they cant.

Believe me - competition is ever present.
The term "cabbage English" is alive and well.

To enlighten those of you who dont have teenagers - any "cabbage" class refers to the "lower ability" kids.
They all know who they are. The "streamed" class know who they are. And the ones in the middle know who they are.

They are all assessed accordingly.
No-one is going to give anyone a grade that is above their ability.
Kids who are bright get more credits.

But....... everyone is assessed on what they CAN do.
So that they can all build on that - and get a job or career or trade or whatever that they are INTERESTED in.

yay.

Not at all sure why they are talking about changing - NCEA is still only cutting its milk teeth!:uhoh

[NeilV]

Love the sound of that!

In the Uk we still stuck with the base SATS, and kids in year 6 who have absolutely NO chance of completing a SATS test, are required to "try" unless they are medically certified to be unable :mad:

No matter how much support some children get, they WILL make progress, at their own rate, and in their own way. This SHOULD be celebrated :clap , because for some children, every single small step, is a step forward.