Coming from a cultural background (Amish Mennonite) where
completing high school is the exception rather than the norm and currently a
college student I found the textbook discussion on high school interesting. My
parents, uncles and aunts and siblings did not complete high school. I myself
didn’t have the privilege of a high school education. In addition to easily
passing the GED, I had fair scores on both the ACT and SAT. Gaps in my education,
especially math, have made my chosen major – biology a bit more challenging. I
was definitely not prepped for college, as a teenager, neither I or my parents
ever thought that I would ever go to college.
It is rather ironic that as other nations are moving away
from high-stakes tests, the U.S. is instituting more high-stakes tests. When
high-stakes tests are required to graduate from high school more high school
students drop out (Christenson & Thurlow, 2004). Makes sense to me, I was
homeschooled, with virtually no tests or grades, besides achievement tests once
a year. Education was about learning, not about getting a grade or even a
certificate of accomplishment. I realize that the no grade/tests model may not fit
so well with institutional learning, but I do think there is a negative
correlation between testing and interest in learning.
Before college I did a 2
year non-credit herbal medicine program. We had homework, that randomly we had
to put on the board but it wasn’t graded, and quizzes but no high-stakes
testing. My classmates and I were much more motivated to learn for learnings
sake than any other classroom I have ever been in. We learned what we learned to be more skilled
in our profession, not to pass a test or earn a degree. If high school was
viewed more as preparation for life, not only preparation for college, it would
be more beneficial for both those who continue their education and those who do
not.
Christenson, S. L., & Thurlow, M. L. (2004). School
dropouts: Prevention considerations, interventions, and challenges. Current
Directions in Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 13(1), 36-39.
doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.01301010.x
No comments:
Post a Comment