Testing for Intelligence!

                                           


I feel when you are assessing children it should be done to see what skills they are strong in and the areas they are weak in. This will help teachers to know the areas they need work on, and they can provide an individualized plan for the child.  I believe that children should be assessed academically when they enter preschool. This is only to help the child. Most schools offer assessments that the teachers do in the class. I worked for a preschool where each child took the Brackens Test at the beginning of the school year. When the results came back we grouped them so that we can work on those areas they needed help. We also had students that scored high or knew the basics, and we individualized work for them as well to enahnce what they knew.


Testing in the Philippines
On the UNICEF website they provided this information. Public education in the Philippines is free. Yet, the ability of schools to retain students has been poor. Out of 10 grade 1 students who were enrolled five years ago, only seven are now in grade 5. Worse, only 67% will eventually complete basic elementary education.

The quality of Philippine education has also been the subject of much debate in the past decades. The average class size across Philippine regions ranges from 33 to 50 students per class. In July 2003, 1.3 million grade 6 students took the High School Readiness Test. Using a passing mark of 50% (proportion of questions answered correctly), only 18% of the incoming high school students who took the diagnostic test passed the competency level for English; 8% passed Math and 10% passed Science. These test results did not bode well with the government. Hence, a Bridge Program for these students was recommended.

The Bridge Program is a one-year remedial program for first year high school students (12-13 years old). It focuses on improving three subject areas – English, Mathematics and Science – and is intended for students who do not meet the cut-off score in the High School Readiness Test.


http://www.unicef.org/philippines/childrensrights_8921.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

As a child I felt I had a pretty good life. I was living with my mom and dad and siblings and we did a lot, as a family. I do remember abuse that I use to witness. My parents began to fight a lot and as a child I did not understand it, because they would physically fight and I would be so afraid. I remember me and my sister and brother screaming and crying telling them to stop, but they didn't. On school days it was the worst because we would wake up to this and had to go to school. I never told anyone I would just wipe my tears before the bus came and go to school. In school I never could concentrate because I wondered if they killed one another. But when I got home my mother would be there, she usually didn't go to work that day, and a day later my parents were back talking to each other. This was devastating as a child because I kept it in and just could not wait until I graduated. I put a lot of focus on my school work and was in a lot of extra curricular activities which kept me focused. As an adult I have to think about these things and i see how it have affected me in some kind of way. I often wonder and think about how life repeats it self due to what you experience as a child. I do my best at handling things differently whether its going to counseling and finding a friend whom I trust to confide in about my life as it is today. These things affected me emotionally and socially.

There are so many stressors that can affect children's development. I mentioned abuse and I will speak about hunger in the Philippines. Hunger affects a lot of people and in the Philippines food is plentiful but most people are living in poverty and do not have the money to provide food for their families. In the on line article it said, "Children are the ones most marginalized by this situation, and it all starts in the womb. A pregnant woman who is not getting enough of the nutrients that her body needs naturally gives birth to a baby with a weakened body. As the child grows older, the lack of nutrition available in his or her diet further affects the growth and development of his or her body."

There will always be stressors that will affect our lives, but if we can make someone else's life a bit easier by lending a helping hand then take that opportunity to do so, because you never know when it will be you that need help from someone. If you know of resources that can help someone provide them with that information to help them. No matter if it hunger, abuse, or poverty.


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