Testing for Intelligence?

Making students accountable for test scores works well on a bumper sticker and it allows many politicians to look good by saying that they will not tolerate failure. But it represents a hollow promise. Far from improving education, high- stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality, and from equity.

- Sen. Paul Wellstone (1944-2002)

Being an early- childhood educator as well as having been exposed to the elementary public school system through my work experience; I strongly oppose standardized testing in their current form. It is virtually impossible to find a single reputable scholar in the field of early-childhood education who would endorse the practice of giving such tests to children younger than 8 or 9. Furthermore, few countries use standardized tests for children below high school age—or multiple-choice tests for students of any age. Yet our children are tested nowadays to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparallel anywhere else in the world. While older generations have gone through tests before, never have the tests been given so early, so frequently and never have they played such major role in schooling. Effective assessment doesn't happen at the end of a unit, one day of the year, or using a “one size fits all” test. An education that is committed to the whole child academically, socially, and emotionally, must also assess the whole child with his or her diverse ability, intelligence, and learning style.

In a recent comparison of academic performance in 57 countries, students in Finland came out on top overall. In addition, students in Finland performed remarkably well, regardless of the school they attended. A closer look at the Finnish education system revealed the following:

·         The Finnish school system uses the same curriculum for all students.

·         All of Finland’s schools receive the same per-pupil funding.

·         Students have light homework loads

·         Finnish schools don’t have classes for gifted students

·         Finland uses very little standardized testing

·         Finland has a comprehensive preschool program that emphasizes “self-reflection” and socializing, not academics. Although not compulsory, 96-97% of children attend.

·         Grades are not given until high school

·         Becoming a teacher is highly comparative. Just 10% of Finnish college graduates are accepted, thus teaching is a high-status profession.

·         Teachers must have master’s degrees, most hold master’s degree in both their content and in education.

·         All teachers receive three years of high-quality graduate level preparation completely at state expense. Their preparation is aimed at learning to teach diverse learners – including special needs students – for deep understanding, with a strong focus on how to use formative performance assessments in the service of student learning.

·         Diagnostic testing of students is used early and frequently. If a student is in need of extra help, intensive intervention is provided.

·         Students are not sorted into different groups or schools but different types of learners and learning together.

There are differently lessons to be learned from the Finnish educational system, but perhaps one of the most profound is their investment in the educator as the key to successful education. As professor Jouni Välijärvi of the Institute for Educational Research at the University of Jyväskylä stated, “During the last 20 to 30 years most of the industrialized countries have invested huge amounts of money and intelligence on external evaluations and standardized tests. Finland has not. Finland has invested in teacher education," he says. "I dare to say that the profit of the Finnish investments has been greater."

Resources:

Darling-Hammond, L., & McCloskey, L. (2008). Assessment for learning around the world:. Retrieved from http://standardizedtests.procon.org/sourcefiles/assessment-for-learning-around-the-world-what-would-it-mean-to-be-internationally-competitive.pdf

Wilde, M. (2008, Julio 05). www.greatschools.org. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/1075-u-s-students-compare.gs