SAT’s Lack Credibility In Teaching Resources
The SAT’s are out along with the knives. If you listen to teachers, as I do, you hear frustration, concern and despair. These are the voices of the professionals at the sharp end dealing with systems and procedures that don’t have their full support. The teach to test syndrome is leaving children beached as they enter secondary school unprepared for the step change in the learning programme.
Critical shortfalls in Maths and English comprehension are compounded by concern over marking standards let alone the delays. And more recently, having finished the SAT’s, teachers have been accused of showing DVD’s in the remaining time before end of term. An abundance of teaching resources potentially untapped due to frustration or lack of funds.
The curriculum has become a torrid mix of intervention, targets, pressure and falling standards. The key people involved are children, teachers and parents. But this takes a short term view. The real victims are British industry and commerce. In this ever changing world the centre of gravity can move quickly. In the space of 10 years manufacturing has migrated to the Far East, services staffed by Eastern Europeans and support has moved to India. The financial centre could well move to Frankfurt.
Unless we sort out the schooling process, listen to teachers and engage parents in the schooling process we could slip in the global rankings. Education can be fun, enjoyed and very rewarding. But we need teachers to be given a new direction and parents to be charged with extra commitment. The combination could overcome the teaching shortfall at a stroke.
