|
|
It's Sunday and I'm pondering which inspirational message to offer the perspicacious parents of my educational site and as fortune would have it (or misfortune - depending upon how you look at it), a cover story of the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) strikes my attention! "Easy Grades, Failing Grads!" The subtitle exclaims that more and more students in Georgia start college in remedial classrooms! It was here that my family's personal experience flashed before my eyes! And I immediately thought - yep! Grade inflation in Georgia has definitely gotten out of hand! To the tune of more than $25 million that is...
Grade inflation is the incongruity between superior performance reported in the classroom and what's demonstrated scholastically in a different academic situation or environment. First signs of it can be found as early as the elementary school years when there exists a discrepancy between a child's report card grades (which could demonstrate exceptional performance) and his/her nationally normed-standardized test scores.
This instantly denotes several issues! One, there is an inherent problem with the rigor (or lack thereof) in the state's curriculum (as was the case here in Georgia); another could be that a child may suffer from anxieties related to taking exams. Still one other could be a teacher's unbiased opinion towards a child - good or bad. If the teacher is impartial, the perspective could definitely hurt a child either way. In the AJC article, a parent recommended that his son be held back from moving on to the next grade when the teacher stated that it wouldn't be a good idea. The student was a good kid!!
To the "uninformed" parent, a child coming home with stellar grades yet dismal test scores wouldn't be a cause for alarm. The A's and B's received on assignments and report cards are what counts to them. But to the more enlightened parent, the divergence would be met with quick action and diligence. I was immediately troubled when I observed my then fourth grade daughter's Stanford-Binet scores. She was an honor student - at a private school...earning only two B's the entire year, still she scored "average" in nearly every section of the standardized-test! Before anyone could protest, we pulled her from the private school to homeschool with the intention to correct whatever went terribly wrong that previous year!
I don't particularly believe in constantly shining the spotlight on the "failures" of the public school system -after all, public schooling provides us with a free education. However, this debacle serves as a warning for parents to be more watchful and INVOLVED. Our parental contribution can affect very different outcomes in all things related to education - even on this issue.
Oftentimes grade inflation isn't spotted, as was mentioned in the article, until the student enters college - and by then the stakes become much higher. Imagine the blow to your teen's self-confidence if remedial college classes were to become a part of his/her college experience after being recognized as a top student in high school? Not to mention the addition costs involved just to get them to a point of functioning on a college level.
As many school districts have already administered standardized tests, pay particularly close to your child's scores in relation to their current grades received on classroom assignments, homework and tests. If you sense any presence of grade inflation, give urgent attention to the matter! Make it a point to talk with the teacher regarding the test scores to get insight into the problem then actively seek a resolution. It could be a challenge with test taking skills, the school or school district's curriculum or even issues with the state's curriculum.
If your child is indeed experiencing a case of test-taking anxiety then it would be a good idea to research suggestions on how to remedy the situation. There are many wonderful websites available to help. If the problem lies outside of the child; i.e. a school, school district, or state department of education issue then more needs to be done at home to "school-proof" your child. You can compare the school, school district or state scores to counterparts to notice any disparities.
As for homeschooling parents - use the test scores as a guide to decide which lessons to teach over the summer or during the next school year or if there are skills sets that need further development.
Ultimately, this is subject that deserves our utmost attention as parents and the sooner we get a handle on this issue the better it will be for your child's academic future!
By Michelle Brown-Stafford, Acceleration Specialist/Coach, Entrepreneur
Michelle has been offering educational/acceleration tips to parents for more than a decade. She is a parent to both an 12 year-old college student and a t'ween high school student.
Visit her site at http://www.mocha-charm.com for more information.
0 comments:
Post a Comment