The Standardized College Application

 

 

Image from Photos for Class 

When people talk about the SAT within the United States I find that the common line of discussion is negative in nature. I’ve heard people speak about the SAT in ways that make it sound like the worst thing in the education system. Why is this? To some it is the concerns regarding advantages given to the wealthier individuals within the school system(Ragsdale). Plymouth State University dropped the requirement of an SAT for application in 2014(Ragsdale). Many other colleges and universities are following suit due to the Covid Crisis that has been affecting the world(Lee). The likelihood of this trend continuing isn’t unlikely in the post Covid era either. Many schools had been dropping the SAT or were trying to make it more obsolete, Covid has only sped up that shift. On the other hand Countries throughout the world aren’t having these same problems with standardized testing. A great example of this and one I  have experience with is the Abitur system in Germany. 

Simply put the Abitur differs from the SAT in a few major ways. First off it is split into five separate subject specific tests based upon the subjects you find the most interesting or useful to yourself. This isn’t done without still maintaining a need for a few core subjects to also be tested. “Minimum 2 subjects must have been your main intensive courses “Leistungskurse ``''(German Abitur). These courses vary from state to state within Germany, though in my state are, German, English, another language (French or Latin), and Math. The Abitur also has multiple styles of tests, one of the tests is an oral exam (the student decides which subject they would like to have as their oral exam). An example of a possible Abitur a student could pursue is, the four written tests being, German, English, History, and Philosophy, and having the oral exam be in Politics. This is not only a possible Abitur that could be done but the one I would’ve wanted to pursue if I had stayed in Germany for multiple years. This brings up the major flaw within the Abitur, it is a multi-year process within your schooling in Germany. The final two years within German school vary greatly depending on the student and are made up of classes that are aimed at preparing students for the specific Abitur they would like to take. Students in 10th or 11th grade (depending on state) decide what path they would like to take for their Abitur. I can easily imagine this being problematic for some students as they may not know what they would like to study. This was one of the larger problems I had with the Abitur though I can safely say that this system is based in a country which differs from the United States in Culture in some very unique ways. 

The Abitur is a very unique way of making standardized testing. Throughout other European countries we see other unique methods of standardized testing as well. In France there is the Baccalaureate, a difficult and stressful test based upon the final three years of schooling in France(French...). The Baccalaureate has been subject to change over the years, as schools have found themselves having to try and make sure that the students in their final year of schooling are ready for the exam at the end of the year(French... ). Sweden also has a unique strategy to the leaving school exam, it doesn’t have one. The leaving school exam was abolished in the 1960s and since then admission to universities has been based solely upon marks earned within a student's schooling. This system has been changed throughout the years as many more Swedish students want to go into college.(Testing… )

The complex nature of how best to test the abilities of a student aiming to go into college is a problem everywhere. In the United States the SAT is seen as ineffective and unfair to the majority of students. In Germany the Abitur is seen by some as a huge decision for 16 and 17 year old's to be making. In France the Baccalaureate is seen not only as a stressful experience for the students but also as a serious burden on the teachers. In Sweden simply not having an exit exam is in some ways hugely beneficial but in other ways it is a burden on the country. No solution to any problem is ever going to be perfect. In the case of an exit/entry exam this is seriously problematic. Students want to succeed and if the system in place makes it more difficult for that success to happen it could be detrimental to the future of a country. 

"French Baccalaureate Exam." French Property, www.french-property.com/guides/

     france/public-services/school-education/upper-secondary/assessment/.

     Accessed 8 Jan. 2021. Information about the Baccalaureate Exam. 

"German Abitur." Studying in Germany, www.studying-in-germany.org/

     german-abitur/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021. Used for information on the Abitur. 

Lee, Alicia. "Colleges Consider the Unthinkable: Dropping SAT and ACT

     Requirements for Next Year's Applicants." CNN, 14 Apr. 20202, www.cnn.com/

     2020/04/14/us/coronavirus-colleges-sat-act-test-trnd/index.html. Accessed 8

     Jan. 2021. Used to see how COVID has affected how colleges view SATs. 

Ragsdale, Kathie. "The Shifting Roles of the SAT in NH." Business NH Magazine,

     17 Sept. 2019, www.businessnhmagazine.com/article/

     the-shifting-role-of-the-sat-in-nh. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021. Understanding of

     the flaws of the SAT. 

Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions. Princeton.edu,

     www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1992/9236/923607.PDF. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021.

     Used for Information about international tests.

Educational Reform Here and There

    Image from Photos For Class

Educational Reform is a major topic in the United States and has been for years. There are a plethora of Ted Talks relating to educational reform each covers a different topic or viewpoint of the topic. It would seem as though the United States is lost in terms of educational reform. Many other countries throughout the world have been struggling with educational reform. This isn’t just a problem in the United States, it's a problem throughout the world.

Educational reform movements in their modern form started as early as the mid 19th century with Karl Marx arguing that public education (as it stood at the time) was, “ a form of ideological control imposed by dominant groups,”.(Global Trends in Education) This was an early example of how at the time flaws within the European public school system were obvious. These same flaws are seen within the modern U.S Schooling system. As stated by Sir Ken Robinson in his ted talk focusing on the flaws of the Education System, “ A system of education that is modeled on the interests of industrialism,”(Robinson). Sir Ken Robinson has the same fears today that Karl Marx had in the mid 19th century. While both are very different individuals, Sir Ken Robinson has his focus solely on education, whereas Marx is famous as a political theorist. Both of these individuals saw that the education system needs to be changed to help create a more diverse society of creative thinkers.

Thailand and Taiwan have both seen major changes in their education systems over the past 30 years, more than many other countries throughout the world. Thailand has been working to make sure that their students can adjust rapidly in the modern world of globalization, passing “The First 1999 National Education Act” the act was focused on the government and Stakeholders playing a more invested role in the education system.(Rukspollmuang) Taiwan has aimed to “enhance the quality of education by establishing a flexible school system, reduce the pressures of entering higher schooling, shorten the gap between the educational resources of rural and urban areas, balance the resources allocated to public and private schools, promote lifelong education, build a learning-oriented society, and reinforce international cultural and educational cooperation.”(Lee). These changes are aimed solely at modernizing the school systems of these countries. As far as can be seen these countries have seen progress and positive changes within their educational systems.

In the United States changes within the educational system have come in various forms. In the middle of the 20th century the United States implemented the G.I Bill; this bill sought to allow soldiers who were returning from fighting in the Second World War the Opportunity to go college. The bill covered many of the expenses that college brought onto incoming students. This gave expanded access to college as a whole. Another major change came during the Cold War, as the United States and Soviet Union were competing in every facet of life; school became one of the areas where major change was taking place. To compete with Soviet school systems the United States refocused its educational system to emphasize core subjects such as math and science instead of more creative subjects such as the arts.(The Educational Reform Movement)

These changes within the United States have created a new dynamic within the U.S. Where college wasn’t seen as a necessity in the 19th and early parts of the 20th century, the G.I Bill changed that. Soon everyone had more access to college with this expanded access came the problem of schools drastically raising costs and creating the modern college debt crisis where every student leaving college is in drastic debt. The focus on core subjects has left the needs for vocational education programs and has caused issues within the demand of people with experience in vocational positions.

While educational systems have seen major changes in the past 20 years the U.S has fallen behind. With the only major changes having to do with education being seen at this point as ancient in terms of educational reform. While we try to be proficient in core subjects we remove the creativity focusing on standardized tests that tell you if you are right or wrong not if you have a complete understanding of the material. As stated by both Karl Marx in the mid 19th century and Sir Ken Robinson in the 21st century the current education system is based upon the ideals of industrialism. The industrial revolution is a whole 100+ years removed from our modern day and age, so why should our modern education system also be 100+ years removed from the modern day? 

"The Education Reform Movement." Encyclopedia, www.encyclopedia.com/
        social-sciences/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/education-reform-movement.
        Accessed 19 Dec. 2020. Used for information on educational reform in the
        United States.

"Global Trends in Education." Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/education/
        Global-trends-in-education. Accessed 18 Dec. 2020. Used for basic overview
        of the history of Education Reform Worldwide.

Lee, C.-M. "International Encyclopedia of Education (Third Edition)." 2010.
        Education Reform. Science Direct, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/
        social-sciences/educational-reform. Accessed 19 Dec. 2020. Used for all
        information about educational reform in Taiwan.

Robinson, Sir Ken. "TED Talk." TED Talk, www.ted.com/talks/
        sir_ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms. Accessed 18 Dec. 2020.
        Speech. TED Talk used as basic information about the history of education.

Rukspollmuang, C. "International Encyclopedia of Education (Third Edition)."
        2010. Education. Science Direct, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/
        social-sciences/educational-reform. Accessed 19 Dec. 2020. Used for all
        information on education reform in Thailand.

American Stress

By Aidan H 

    In a recent story I read from the National Education Association (NEA) one of the major things they talked about was the stress both teachers and students are put under by the modern American educational system. The Overarching theme is that both teachers and their students are under far more stress than ever before seen in the educational system. As a student I have lived through that stress myself. The stress is something that is very real for many of the students that I know. The most interesting thing about this is many other countries have come up with various answers to this stress or have never had to deal with stress like teachers and students in the U.S have. 

    While I was an exchange student in Germany for a year, I was never under the same stress that is common for students in the U.S. This doesn’t mean school was any easier and most of the students in my class were struggling with school just like is common in the U.S. The difference that I found was that the students not only wanted to be in school, they also had more choice as to how they went about school. 

        In Germany there are three major types of secondary schools. Whereas in the U.S there is the single high school, Germany features 3 major secondary schools, Realschule, Gymnasium, and Hauptschule. All three look towards a different type of student. The Realschule is the most basic; it is simply put a vocational school with focus on developing individuals to become tradesmen. Hauptschule is the typical school which goes from 5th grade to 10th grade. 10th Grade in Germany is the grade at which students can graduate with a basic education. The Gymnasium is the school that focuses on helping students to prepare for the Abitur. The Abitur is the German Equivalent to an SAT though is much more individualized allowing students to take five separate exams in any five subjects that interest them. Gymnasium goes from 5th Grade to 12th or in some states 13th grade.(“The German School System”) 

While this system is much more complex than the U.S education system it accomplishes a few things, it allows students to decide what they would like to do with their life early on. It doesn’t aim to have all students going through the same education allowing people who would like to be plumbers to go down that pathway and students who would like to be doctors can go down their own individualized pathway. This eases the stress of most students as well as the teachers. The teachers aren’t given students who have no interest in what they are being taught and the students are for the most part very attentive and understanding. 

The System as a whole focuses on getting done the work that needs to be done and having homework specifically to study. The school day is at most 6 hours though it is usually only 5 hours.(“The German School System”) This allows for students to not have to devote a large amount of time to school and all that extra time allows for students to enjoy life. While stress is something that occurs sometimes, usually at the end of a semester, most of the year students enjoy school and are able to go about their lives without the stress of school that many students in the U.S endure on a daily basis. 

Germany isn’t the only country that spends less time on school then the U.S. South Korea, widely touted as having the best education system in the world, spends less time than the U.S on school, with the U.S spending on average 50% more time doing schoolwork, both in school and at home.(Meija) Russia ranked number 13 in schooling worldwide spends half the time the U.S spends doing schoolwork yet has nearly ten hours of homework weekly, 4 hours more than the average in the U.S.(Meija) 

Throughout the world school is done much differently yet somehow our school system seems to be far less effective than others. Is this because we have mismanaged how we organize our schools. Should we take lessons from European countries like Germany and divide our system to allow for students to take a more individualistic approach to schooling. Or do we instead try to minimize the amount of work that we put on both students and teachers by not spending so much time doing schoolwork. Countries throughout the world are far more efficient in terms of learning than we are and only spend a minimal amount of time in school. While no one answer is a perfect solution there must be a better method which will alleviate stress for both students and teachers. 

Alvarez, Brenda, et al. "10 Challenges Facing Public Education Today."

     National Education Association, 3 Aug. 2018, www.nea.org/

     advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/10-challenges-facing-public-education-today.

     Article that is the basis for the blog post. 

"The German School System." The German Way & More, www.german-way.com/

     history-and-culture/education/the-german-school-system/. Accessed 9 Dec.

     2020. Used to help look at the more intricate details of the German School

     System 

Mejia, Carlos. "How Much Time Do Kids around the World Spend at School?"

     Fatherly, 22 July 2020, www.fatherly.com/love-money/

     schools-days-around-world/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020. Used for basic overview

     of time spent at school by children throughout the world.