Testing For Intelligemce

Testing For Intelligence in the United States








The reality in the United States right now is that we focus extensively on test scores and far too little on the whole child. We then choose one-size-fits-all fixes based on those test scores while ignoring solid research about the infinite ways kids learn and children develop. The true measure of students’ proficiency and readiness for college, career, and citizenship must be based on more than just their scores on any state standardized reading and math assessments. It has to be based on valid, reliable information from multiple sources.


It is important to consider the meaning and purpose of assessment; the different types, including formative and summative, standardized and subjective, and informal and formal; and how assessments are used to monitor student progress, provide timely feedback, and adjust teaching-learning activities to maximize student progress. We should know what assessments can’t do for us and when we look at the data and assess its meaning, we should decide how to use it for future planning ("Assessment 101", 2011).








Assessments in Finland - Improve Learning

Finland has recently received international attention for its students’ high performance on the

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Every three years, the PISA is
administered to 15-year-old students in approximately 57 countries (Kupianinen, Hautamaki, &
Karjalainen, 2009). Finland has scored first or second in mathematics on the past four
administrations of the PISA and has the smallest variance across schools, meaning that Finland
does not have a large achievement gap. Because policymakers and education reformers often
assume that large-scale assessments are “indicators of the condition of school mathematics,”
educational practices in Finland have been examined and compared to those in other countries
(Dossey, 2007, p. 1435). Officials in many countries, including the United States, have visited
Finland to try to determine why Finnish students have performed so highly on the assessment (de
Lange, 2007).

Kupianinen et al. (2009) suggest that Finland’s high scores on the PISA are due to a lack of highstakes testing. Finnish students do not take a national, standardized high-stakes test until they

matriculate secondary school and then only if they intend to enter higher education. Instead, the
purpose of assessment in Finland is to improve learning; it is “encouraging and supportive by
nature” (Finnish National Board of Education, 2010, “Encouraging Assessment and Evaluation,
para. 1) (Hendrickson, n.d.).
Additional Thoughts
I feel that in the United States some people become teachers because they only have to work nine months out of the year. There are not enough teachers that are actually passionate about their job and want to be present with the children. I believe that alone stops our children from reaching their potential. In Finland the teachers are purposeful and get better results.

















References

Assessment 101.  (2011, December 7).  Retrieved from

http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/assessment-101

Hendrickson, K.A., Assessment in Finland: A Scholarly Reflection on One Country’s

Use of Formative, Summative, and Evaluative Practices.  Mid-Western Educational Researcher • Volume 25, Issues ½  Retrieved from:
http://mwera.org/MWER/volumes/v25/issue1-2/v25n1-2-Hendrickson-GRADUATE-STUDENT-SECTION.pdf