Educational Origami

Claire replied to my last post on standards and I commented. As I wrote the comment I felt this is possibly more that just a reply, so I have posted it here. Thanks Claire

There is a sign on a wall of an office near my classroom that says “Presume good intent“. I believe that intention here is good.
As I said in the post I use standards all the time. I am moderator for the International Baccalaureate organisation. I moderate their standards and my moderation is also moderated.

I don’t have a problem with standards if they are used for the improvement of learning. I do have a problem with the baggage that goes with them. I do have a problem with ranking kids, in marking them above or below the norm. I do have a problem with the potential for league tables and ranking teachers. With workloads and teaching to the test.

While I was in the States earlier this year, I saw the impact of national testing. I saw teachers who taught to the test for an entire year. I spoke to teachers who were focusing only on the national tests and forsaking  all other teaching because, quite literally, their jobs depended on it. I spoke to administrators desperate to make a difference but tied to a funding system dependent on students making the national grade.

I don’t want to see teacher teaching to the “test’ oophs standard. I don’t want to see teachers performance in the classroom based on one or two annual events. We all ready see this in secondary schools with national examinations. I want to see flexible, dynamic teaching, with a clear and robust reporting system that helps and supports the learning of our children, rather than ranking or graphing.

I don’t want to lose the teachable moment for the sake of rote learning a book for the national standard.

We are not looking at national testing, we are looking at standards. The intention is a good one. The intention is, in my opinion, to clarify communications with parents and help all 3 sides of the hone-school-student partnership to understand where they are going. However, much that I have heard fails to convince me that this intention will become a reality.  There is too much other stuff blurring the focus and fuzzying the edges.

I hope we don’t see teaching to the test, league tables, performance linked employment, ranking students & classes & teachers & schools.  As Greg said in his blog “I only know of ONE principal who has told their BoT this is going to be great.  And that’s because they see it as a great marketing opportunity and a way to sock it to their neighboring schools.”

I want to see dynamic, exciting, vibrant learning & the child,  school, home partnership enthused with clear communications and the appropriate use of standards.

You never know we might be the first country in the world to get it right!

There is another adage that sadly does spring to mind. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions“.