Regardless of socio-economic background or where you live, in Finland, every child is assured the same type of education with a similar curriculum. The Ministry of Education promotes equality in education and insures a basic education for everyone. This is an initiative that has been in place since 973. A core curriculum has been established by the Finnish National Board of Education, and this education is free for Finnish citizens, including course materials and school lunches. Moving in this direction, The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers have developed U.S. Common Core State Standards Initiative for schools in the U.S., which “are the first step in providing young people with a high quality education.” To date, forty-five states and three …show more content…
Teachers and students are left to their own without inspection. In this small country, a system of trust works. Individuals seem to work better when they are not told what to do. Trust prevails at all levels. The ministry trusts administrators to ensure that local systems carry out the core curriculum. Administrators trust teachers to do the same. Classroom teachers trust students and the parents trust their children and their schools. On the other hand, a compliance-based system is the norm in U.S. Teachers comply to administrative directives and students comply to guidelines for achieving a certain grade. Trust is incorporated into Finnish society; not so much in U.S. Would this type of approach work in the U.S.? The compliance system doesn’t seem to be working. The development of a consensus of what education is and must offer children was key in developing this trust in Finland. The Common Core initiative is evidence that U.S. policy makers, states, and local systems are working to define what comprises the best education for students in the 21st century…an important step
In the article, “Quarrel over Common Core: A Pennsylvania Primer” by Randy Kraft (2014), Common Core and the controversy surrounding it are discussed heavily. Kraft’s thesis is to inform the audience about Common Core and explain, impartially, the arguments for and against it. In 2010, Pennsylvania took on the Common Core Standards. These standards were put in place to ensure that students of Pennsylvania were on the same academic level by graduation, and enable them to be better equipped to compete in a global marketplace (p. 1).
One of the biggest concerning the need for an increase in rigor in instruction in American schools. She discusses that in Poland students must stay in academic classes for an extra year and teachers are paid bonuses to engage in professional development work. She also notes that in Finland they “rebooted their teacher-training colleges, forcing them to become much more selective and rigorous.” In an article written by Sarah Tantillio on Only Good Books, she recognizes the validity of these statements, but comments that in America “the Common Core States Standards, which most states have adopted, they are definitely rigorous, But how they are implemented (and assessed) from state to state and school to school is still a Very Big Question.” Further in her article she points out the large population differences between Finland, Poland, and the United States, and how this affects our education system.
In reviewing the Arizona Department of Education’s, (ADE) career and technical education (CTE) program standards for the emergency medical services (EMT), it became clear that the State of Arizona operates from an abbreviated version of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards. The curriculum for EMT is a national standard curriculum and is the foundation of EMS prehospital training. In addition, the new curriculum parallels the recommendations of the National EMS Education. The ADE, uses the National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) testing as the summative assessment upon completion of the program secondary and post-secondary schools. Although the ADE has a significant role in the continuous success of EMT programs and curriculum, the students and educational programs are directed by the Arizona Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (AZBEMS).
Today, the Arizona Board of Education released letter grades for the schools throughout the state of Arizona. The A-F Accountability System is designed to empower schools, and to provide feedback on student progress and success in Arizona. The formula, created by Arizona Board of Education, includes procfiency and growth as measured by the AZMerit test given in the 2016 school year.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—as
In 2009, governors and state commissioners alike came together to formulate the development and implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Through membership organizations such as the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/), they were able to create a system that represented a clear-cut caliber of expectations meant for students in kindergarten to grade 12. Over the past several years, new amendments have been added to keep up with the standard that 48 states have adopted into their school systems, although the adoption of the policy was voluntary (http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/). Despite majority of the states in the U.S. having decided on the policy already, there has been conflict amongst the parents of the children who are subject to the rigorous and exhausting amount of tests they must take to keep up with what is fixed into their school systems. The argument against test-taking is a controversy in itself as many believe
In Austin, Texas, members of the Texas State Board of Education use persuasion to gain votes for their personal beliefs on whether teaching methods and textbook standards should be revised or upheld. Among the board members are citizens who are a variety of educators. Also, there are experts who come to voice their knowledge of new findings, and debate about old and new educational facts. Although there were experts, there was much debate on spoken facts.
Answer: Staff: There are government policies set in place regarding pay, pay rises, evaluation of performance and staff capability. All staff members are entitled to a review of their performance during the year. There are also policies set in place to protect teacherâ€TMs personal information
The Common Core State Standards (2010) for writing in fourth grade address text types and purposes, production and distribution of writing, research to build and present knowledge, and range of writing. Students are expected to write arguments, informative/explanatory texts and narratives; develop and strengthen writing using technology to produce and enhance writing; engage in reading and writing from sources; and write routinely over different time frames. In the text message and translation activity the teacher’s goal was to help students produce clear and coherent writing while including the important components of effective writing such as setting a purpose for writing, allowing choices in how and what to write, and addressing audience
Although there were exceptions, only six states made the list: Kansas, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington State, and Wyoming (The Fiscal
The California Common Core Standard I chose was Reading Standards for Foundational Skills K-5 on pages 17 and 18. I specifically chose first grade students. This grade level is appropriate for my teaching area when I begin to student teach and for the classroom I currently work in. First grade students should be able to identify the key components of a sentence (the first word, capitialization and ending punctuation) on a piece of paper. Phonological awareness is important for students to learn early on.
In the article,”What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success,” Anu Partanen discusses the numerous changes that were made to the Finnish education system, such as eliminating inequality between students, in order to give all students the chance to receive a proper education. While reading the article, it is understood that Finland was not always on the bridge of success. it was a country that was in need of reform, which many believed to be impossible at the time. Some of the changes that were made during this reform included several aspects, with the stress on equality being number one Partanen states, “the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to
By doing so, we can rely on assessments that allow students to practice and apply material in order to foster retention and mastery (Ravitch 261). Ravitch discusses Finland and how they completely reformed their educational system into a structure that has students take zero standardized tests until they reach the college application process, a method that was enacted to promote teacher accountability and place a stronger emphasis on the noncognitive aspects of individual development. A component of the basis for the argument, Ravitch states, is that while standardized testing may be effective when it is administered fairly, it often impairs students’ abilities to critically analyze information and leaves them practicing how to guess the “right answer.” Addressing this issue is a responsibility that falls on administrators and policymakers; they must be held accountable and required to make changes that best meet the constantly evolving needs of the students. In this case, completely modifying the concept of standardized testing is a necessity.
Students' intelligence aren't measured at all for the first sixed years, so they can focus more on learning, collaboration, and personal needs rather than competing with other students for an "A". The difference between the "weakest" and "strongest" is the smallest in the world. About two thirds of students attend college, and that is the highest rate in all of Europe. They also have longer breaks compared with other schools, and teachers only spend four hours a day in the class room and two hours for extra help. Today, Finland's education system is proven to be most effective, and students outperform most of the world.