Assessments crucial to education
John Heim - Emporia Superintendent of schools
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
TWO YEARS AGO, I went to see my optometrist about a red spot on my eye. He said, “It’s probably nothing, but let’s do some tests to make sure.” He referred me to specialists for more tests, and it was determined the spot should be removed. Another test revealed the spot was melanoma.
Because my doctor is a thorough professional, he didn’t rely on his first instinct; he wanted to have all of the information before making a diagnosis. A battery of tests allowed a team of doctors to make the correct diagnosis. After more tests, doctors prescribed specific treatment that left me cancer-free with no loss of vision. Doctors continue to use tests to monitor my progress.
Good doctors don’t rely on gut feelings when making decisions about our health. We would never expect a doctor to guess on a diagnosis, hand us a prescription and expect us to get well on our own. Science has given doctors tools to screen and assess our health, make diagnoses and prescribe a plan for improvement. The doctor and patient must work together to implement and monitor the plan. If the plan does not work, the doctor will conduct further tests and look for a new diagnosis.
The role of the teacher today is comparable that of a doctor.
During the past three decades, research has provided us with vast amounts of knowledge about how human beings learn. Educators are able to use this knowledge to teach more effectively. We’ve also seen a change in philosophy where our job is not just to teach, but for all students to learn. If our students are not learning, it is our responsibility to adjust our instruction in ways that learning can occur.
A critical component of our instruction today is regular assessments to screen and evaluate student knowledge and performance. That is the only way we can answer the critical question, “How do I know if my students have learned the material?” Instead of relying on a teacher’s gut feeling about a student’s knowledge, we have scientific data collected over time that shows a students learning pattern.
If a student is not proficient in a subject, we use formal and informal assessments to diagnose the problem and prescribe specific changes in instruction. We then monitor the student’s progress, and if we don’t see improvements, we do further assessment and diagnosis and try a different approach. It’s a team approach with the teacher, students and their parents.
We’ve reached the mid-point of the school year and the season of state assessments will begin in only six weeks. We spend a lot of time preparing for and scheduling state assessments because the state and federal governments use these tests to measure the performance of schools and districts.
The time spent on state assessments is important and we want students and parents to take them seriously. Yet, the truth is, the more important assessments — those that really have an impact on student learning — occur daily in our classrooms. Just as doctors rely on tests to do their job, teachers rely on regular assessments so they can use their professional skills to the greatest advantage for children.
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on January 7, 2009 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The number of drawings my kid brings home in his backpack isn't very scientific, but it lets me know if he's learning or killing time while the teacher is tied up with testing. Weeks of several drawings a day gets very discouraging to me. What's the point of him being required to sit in a classroom learning nothing half of the required school days? Mr. Heim's doctor did the screening and then sent him on to the specialist who did all the testing. If the teacher is equivalent to the doctor, then shouldn't the teacher be screening with routine homework and classroom grading then sending students with questionable scores on to testing conducted by someone else while the teacher continues teaching those who are learning? I don't think Mr. Heim's analogy lines up with the way things are really going.
Posted by Absolute (anonymous) on January 7, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What is wrong with kids drawing a lot?? I think that is a great thing!
Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on January 7, 2009 at 5:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Absolute;
lol I think you are being sardonic and I hope I'm right. Nothing wrong with drawing--just don't think he should be required to sit in a classroom and do what he can do just as well at home. I would rather they have time for his spelling drills there and send home drawing assignments--his life would be a lot less frustrating that way. I'm happy to be involved in his teaching, but when he seems to be learning more here with me after a long day of being there, something's wrong. When he asks me to just home-school him, I won't be surprised--and I'll probably just do it. I'll make sure he gets a good 2.5 hrs. of drawing time a day. ; )
Posted by josiesbar (anonymous) on January 7, 2009 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The role of the teacher today is comparable that of a doctor."
With the exception of that whole $150,000/yr thing...
Posted by Absolute (anonymous) on January 8, 2009 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wasn't being sardonic at all. I think having time to draw, do art and being creative is a great thing.
Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on January 8, 2009 at 3:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Then I'm curious to know, Absolute, do you think my kid (or yours) should be required to sit for 4-6 hours a day, five days a week, for several weeks to just draw with a marker on scrap paper? I have nothing against art--he is a good artist, he enjoys drawing and we encourage him to, but when he is getting tired of drawing because it's his only recourse, there's a problem. I want him learning a variety of important things-including art- during those hours, or just let him draw at home.
Great point, josies! They don't quite get the same salary do they?
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)