Childhood Testing

I believe that children need to be tested; but the test should not be the most important thing in the child's education, meaning some school literally “teach for the test.” Children need comprehensive learning; they need a blanket assessment; but I don't feel that money needs to be tied to it. Some schools spend the whole school year teaching the items that will be on the standardized test, so the school will perform well, get good marks, and thus get better funding. Children need to know how to take a test, but they also need to know how to make change. They DO NOT need to have politics shoved down their throats. They need to understand how the real world works, without all of their morals and ethics, engrained since birth being degraded, dehumanized, and told how wrong it is.

I fully believe that aptitude test, IQ tests, and such, accomplish what the teacher needs to be able to teach the whole student. However, that teacher is so bogged down with redundant paperwork and extra work that she does not have time to serve each child's learning style. Let's face it, teachers take so much work home with them now, they have very little time with their own children.

In Russia, education for preschool through tenth grade is mandatory and is free. All other schools available, such as vocational and professional schools are partially fee based. Russia has instituted Standardized Testing called EGE (similar to SAT) for all children. Those children with the highest scores are the ones that get to go to university free. Others may apply, and is fee-based at approximately $2000-$8000 per year and $1500-$5000 for additional cost like books, board, and other fees.

School exclude children with disabilities, mental and behavior problems, deviant behavior, migrant workers, and refugees. Legislation puts all of these children into boarding schools when they can find them. About 100,000 children are in institutions and do not have education appropriate for their age. 4.5% of all Russian children have disabilities and most attend no regular educational institutions.

Children's Rights: Russian Federation. (2014). Child Rights. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/russia.php