A child’s academic performance should be measured by
their ability to perform in the classroom.
I am and have always been against standardized testing. I believe these
tests put a lot of pressure on our youth. Some children may perform poorly on standardized
test due to testing anxiety. I believe
that a test should not be the basis of their academic ability. All children learn differently. Each child’s learning ability cannot be revealed
through testing.
France
French primary school education remains tightly
focused on facts and basic skills. Spot tests are common, especially dictations
to check a child's knowledge of French grammar and spelling.
However, formal testing is relatively sparse. All
children are given a national test of basic skills and knowledge at about eight
years old. The test occurs – crucially – at the beginning of the third year of
primary school, not at the end. There is, therefore, little pressure on the
children. The main aim is to check the standard of the school.
Otherwise, most primary schools have internal tests,
or contrôles, in maths, French, geography and history, and English at the end
of each of the five short terms that make up a school year. A child who is
struggling can be asked to redoubler, or go down a year. A brilliant child can
sauter, or go up.
There is no national examination to move from
primary to secondary education, simply a recommendation by a conseil of
teachers and parents.
Cassidy, S. (2011, October 22). Our children tested
to destruction. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/our-children-tested-to- destruction-779790.html
