More and more information and stress can be seen on individualized student work and teaching methods. Teachers are now more than ever being asked to plan their lessons on an individual basis rather than a classroom basis. One method that is often thrown out to teachers to help keep their lessons and grading individualized is through student portfolios. Many teachers squirm at the idea of keeping a portfolio for each of their students. They are often very reluctant to begin portfolios as compared to some other ideas that they hear about. So why is it that teachers are often “scared” … Continue reading →

In a previous article, I discussed the challenges of finding and keeping experienced and skilled teachers. Some states are beginning to track teacher performance by examining student gains. While tracking the gains of students from one year to the next can help administrators and school leaders see which teachers are possibly more effective, it too has it downfalls. States should never solely place a teacher’s creditably and worth into student gains on a state test. There are some factors that a teacher just cannot control. Class size and student economics are a couple. One of the problems is that the … Continue reading →

America is becoming a more educated world. In America’s history, education was not as important as it is today. The focus was mainly put on working the fields and training children to make a living for themselves off of the land. Today is a much different society. Technology requirements are blooming in almost every occupation. Educational requirements are increasing all across the careers. The percentage of Americans completing higher education is on the rise. Research has shown that education is linked to success in life. The more education that a child receives, the more successful he or she will become. … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I defined standardized tests and began detailing why some believe that standardized tests are not fair. Today, I would like to continue the discussion by adding even more factors that do not support standardized testing. Some believe that the tests are unreliable due to score variations. A reliable test will produce the same results each time the test is taken. However, standardized tests must factor in a “measurement error”. The results may be different each time the test is taken due to the child’s ability to focus because of mental and emotional factors. Therefore, a child may be able … Continue reading →