Teaching to the test

I have two years of college. I do use algebra but I do not label it as such. I use geometry much less, and trig even less. I think sometimes we do not know that we are making use of things. I do agree that even the teachers in elementary school teach to the test and hate every minute of it. Good news is, there is now an alternative to standardized state assessment tests. I forget what the initials are, but a school district can opt out of the state assessment and instead demonstrate that their students are work force ready and can succeed in lifeskills type situations. The district must have a plan to show how they will implement this and the state must approve it.

ElicBxn- I've been teaching since 2000, and the subject has always been on the table about where our education system is going. The sad part of discussions on forums is that most seem to think that we as teachers do not give a thought to what is being done and blindly follow the system at hand. That could not be further from the truth. In terms of "teaching to the test" it is a statement that seems to be grossly misused and abused. We legally cannot teach any test material straight from a state test. If we were caught doing so it would mean a great deal of consequences to the school and teachers who did so, including possible loss of certification. Now, standardized testing is a sampling of those state standards (which very from state to state) and those are taught within the curriculum we are teaching. I think what troubles me is that most people seem to think it is the Federal government telling us what to do and think in schools, when in actuality each state has their own department of education which sets state standards, tests, and so forth. No two state standardized tests are the same. I agree that more life skills need to be taught but the problem in America is that we have not changed our school days (length each day) or school year (days total) as other countries have in order to accommodate the number of classes being added each year. In terms of some of the "life skills" you mentioned, that is a catch 22 for teachers. We have those things we can teach but sometimes parents fight us saying it is their duty. Then you have parents who use the schools as a babysitting service. We are only given 8 hours a day with children for 181 days a year. We cannot do it all. Namaste-Anora

I really do not know Elic I also find that the ones with higher educations are finding it very hard to get a Job, because today People are looking for Experience, it is so wrong I agree though that there should be different types as no point in learning something you will never be able to use

Great topic! Regarding teaching to the test, I have a few friends who are teachers and they're all quite frustrated by this practice. They've said pretty much what you just wrote. I've been saying for years that schools should be teaching basic life skills because some students graduate from high school and haven't a clue about "real life". I think this would be useful whether one is planning on going to college or not. It's interesting you'd mention algebra since I just got done talking to my daughter about my grandson's struggles with it. He's a bright kid but he's always struggled with math, like some people just do. I loved algebra and all math courses when I was in school and I got straight A's and my daughter did quite well also, but neither of us can help him because they do it totally differently from how we learned. I can get the correct answer to a problem but since it wasn't done the "proper" way it's marked wrong. I'm pretty sure he'll never use algebra anymore than you, Peggy Sue or I have...I said that I liked it, not that it did me any good! Annie

ElicBxn, I couldn't agree with you more'! The problem is that schools are not ment for learning as we perceive them. Public schools were not formed to educate our children, but to mold them. It's all a mind game. True we may never use Algebra in our lives, but on the same level, the history that they teach is not the truth! They fill young minds with useless information and lies. The government relies on the fact that parents are so busy trying to "survive" and keep their heads above water, that they are not paying attention to what their kids are REALLY learning in school. On the same level, the kids are worn down with mundane and useless information which makes it easier to slip in the stuff they want them to learn in. It's much easier to control masses of people if they think the way you want them too! The government also knows that it is not an option for most people to home school their children or send them to a private school. The best you can do if your child is in public school is to pay attention to what they are really learning. My daughter was not college bound either and I took her out of school when she was 16. A GED is just as good as a high school diploma in the general world. She is 23 now with a family of her own and doing very well. We as parents need to decide what is best for our children...Not the government. Take a look at the generation of kids today between 16-25...Very dependent on the government to take care of them! Lazy! Ever wonder how they got that way? Did all those parents teach all those children those values? Just a little food for thought!

Eevery child doesn't really know what is it that he or she really want to do in their life until the age of 16 to 18. I am sure even you didn't knew it in that age, what you or everyone else did is tried to get the good marks. If you got good marks in some specific subject then you know that you are good on that subject. You will also know that it the field which really interests you. So everyone finds their way after that and chose different field. I think it is a hard thing to create some education system for the whole country and counting the every child from the country in it. It is decided by our Government and that is how it works. Of course they are successful in it and If you have some advise then you should give it and make sure it reaches their. I know life goes on and now when we are doing jobs then we have some other goals. I am sorry for your roommate's nephew but I am sure if he was right at his place then he will find some other place to work where he is respected for his views.

I think you are right about this. as I bet there are more kids that dont get to go to college than do and they sure are nt really ready to get out there and make a living so they do need to go to a tradeschool. NOt like when I grew up ya could get a hands on training out in the feild and didnt have ot go to trade chool for learning what ever. and some Trade schools can cost more than college also ubt they are good if ya can go to them. I helped my dad with his trig. when I was doing algebra and learned how to use a slide ruler. They dont use them now they have a tool called a caliper that measures things to the 1,000ths loved learning to use that in my last job!

I hesitate to say anything but, when I was still in school we actually were EXPECTED TO LEARN. What a concept, huh? I realize that the only way to make things fair is to give tests to the students in question. The fact that some students can take tests well, and some don't is irrelevant to the graders. They have to justify the expenditures farther up the ladder somehow. My suggestion would be to keep the teachers in the dark in order to level the playing field. Force them to teach the complete subject. My two cents on this subject.

I hate the present school systems. They're foolishly run. My daughter had some learning problems & NEEDED to be failed but they wouldn't. Each year she fell further & further behind because she'd not mastered the skills from the previous years but was passed anyways. It would have been in her better interest if they'd have held her back early on giving her time to get it together & be ready to go with the next step. The whole NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND thing is a crock of bull. Sometimes kids need or deserve to be left behind, so long as you don't forget about them. They're also not really taught useful skills. What they do teach they lose the point of. They teach the testables like the "what was this persons name?", "Where were they born?", "What was the date of this battle?". Those things don't mean squat! I HATED history because they made us memorize all that B.S. that didn't matter but didn't pay any attention to the actual LESSONS you could learn. You know the saying "Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it" is correct but your not supposed to be studying the names & dates, your supposed to be studying the WHYs! Why did Lee lose at Gettesburg? Because he was stuborn , ignored his commander & repeatidly attacked a foe that was better positioned & supplied than he was instead of using tactics to make his opponents move from their defenses. Did I learn that in school? NO I learned the battles name, the generals involved & the date. If I was in a similar position in some later war would knowing those things help me? Is knowing that such & such person failed on this date going to help keep you from failing the same thing? Only if you know how & why they failed so you don't make the same mistake, which of course THEY DON'T TEACH! It's no suprise kids get out of school, start work & have to be completely retrained. Even those with advanced education have no idea how to apply it. I've got a degree in engineering technologies. Even though I'm haven't actually been in any of the engineering or maintenance departments in any of the companies I've worked for I'm continually having to show these overeducated kids who have even more advanced degrees than myself how to do their jobs. Why, because they've only got book knowledge, no real world application. I on the other hand grew up working on the farm & doing about every odd job imaginable so what I learned got applied. Yet because I didn't continue my education ( & refuse to brown nose ) I can't get one of those jobs. It's no wonder the U.S. is declining.

I tried to take pre algebra in college but failed miserably. I had dropped out of high school in the 9th grade for a number of reasons that I can't say here and never learned how to do algebra and when I took it in college, I just couldn't understand how or WHO the hell put the alphabet and numbers together in the first place!?!? I could just SMACK that person!!

Not a new idea. They do this in Germany. Problem is, once you get yourself on one track, it's hard to move to another if it ends up being wrong for you. But it's better than educating everybody "one size fits all", when some of what's being taught is clearly useless for some students. I have never used algebra since I left high school myself...

i UNDERSTAND exzctly what u mean. I knew i was going to beauty school as soon as i graduated high school & algebra was not anything i would ever use again& i never understood it, maybe because i knew i was wasting my time trying to learn it.MERRY CHRISTMAS, ELIC.

I understand exactly what you're saying. I even told my science teacher in high school that I would NEVER need to know how to take an atom apart and put it back together again so why did I have to learn how? When I was in high school, we did have different curriculums. I was in the college preparatory curriculum. We also had one for those going directly into the job force from high school. They were taught things like how to balance a checkbook, how to manage money, things like you mentioned. I believe they called the math "applied mathematics". I don't think these different curriculums exist anymore, though. The thought process for school administrators these days is drastically different than when I was in school. Now, it's like they just want to push the kids through, no matter how bad they are or how little they understand. As long as they "pass", who cares if they know what they need to know? My son had a best friend in high school who graduated and this kid still does not know how to spell and they're both 29 years old! How he passed English is beyond me. I knew another kid who asked me to help him write a resume and cover letter so he could apply for jobs. His version of the cover letter, that he handed to me to "fix" for him, began with "To whom it would help me to get a job." Sad, isn't it?

LOL! I’ve never used algebra either and, although I passed my maths exams I don’t even remember learning it although, clearly I must have! I do agree that teaching kids some basic life skills such as the ones you mention would be invaluable because sadly a lot of parents don’t bother...I know...Because mine never did! I enquired at my daughter’s primary school in regards to assertiveness training for children where they could learn to value themselves, stand up for their rights in the correct manner instead of using manipulation or worse bullying and aggression and up to date there is nothing available except for one exceptional teacher who taught my daughter some of these skills which she badly needed because she was being bossed around by some others. I do agree that education should be suited to the individual student so it can meet his or her needs regardless of a college education to follow or holding down a first job.