Unlike some Floridians, I am all for standardized testing. My standardize testing however, would extend nationwide. This means that all children of a certain age/grade level would be tested using the same common test. This is done in several areas of the world including the Caribbean, Europe and parts of Asia. It is the benchmark in determining if all schools are performing on par with the minimum required standards.
Had there been a common test, Florida’s Board of Education would no doubt have figured out a long time ago that young Floridians are on course for a career in “would you like fries with that”. I am baffled however, that it took the Board of Education this long to figure out that young Floridians in the public school system could not compete with other states. I knew this years ago when I had to explain to a subway employee that 1/2 a dozen and six were the same thing.
I see parents on the news complaining about the testing that it makes the children feel “uncomfortable”. These parents have no clue or seem to have lost the clue. Regular testing is common in the public school system in the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, especially in China. It assist both parent and child.
As for those worried about otherwise brilliant kids that test poorly, here is a real life scenario from my past. As a child, I went to schools that tested regularly. My brother was an average student on a test, but brilliant when spoken to. If it was not for standardized testing on a regular basis, no one would know that he was just a person that tests poorly or how to help him overcome his anxiety that is crucial for today’s work world. With the help of his teachers, mother and myself, he soon overcome his anxiety about tests and when it really counted, he was not only brilliant in speech, but on paper.
No one is handicapped. We are all handicable it just takes a little extra effort to see that. China is on the fast track in overtaking the US economy
