A head teacher tells students: These test results don't tell your whole story. And the Internet concurs.
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July 13, 2014
The Internet is celebrating a letter sent to students in a British elementary school from the head teacher.
Addressed to each student by name, the printed letter cites the recent results of England’s national curriculum test for students in Key Stage 2, which covers children ages 7 to 11.
First the letter from Barrowford Primary School to its students:
Please find enclosed your end of KS2 test results. We are very proud of you as you demonstrated huge amounts of commitment and tried your very best during this tricky week.However, we are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you... the way your teachers do, the way I hope to, and certainly not the way your families do.They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture.They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day. They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school.They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends.They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best... the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything.So enjoy your results and be very proud of these but remember there are many ways of being smart.
Now a comment: This is a lovely letter, but British students face highly competitive exams in high school to qualify for university.
Along those lines, here is an article from yesterday’s Telegraph in London about a push in England to increase high school rigor, a familiar lament to Americans. Note the end of the course exam reference – something Georgia students will recognize.
GCSEs and A-levels will be overhauled with a greater focus on developing the higher level skills that teenagers need at university and in the workplace, it has been announced.New draft syllabuses will be published by the Department for Education on Tuesday as part of a wide-ranging plan to improve the “integrity” of school leaving exams and ensure pupils are properly prepared for later life.For the first time, new maths A-levels will require sixth-formers to interpret at least one large data set such as mortality and health statistics – placing a greater emphasis on interpretation and problem solving skills.In foreign language courses, pupils will be expected to learn about sociological andA head teacher tells students: These test results don't tell... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: