10.01.2007
Kindergarten Standards
I feel that having standards for what kindergarten students need to know by the end of the year has both postive and negative aspects. I think it's a good way for teachers to set goals and have high expectations for all of their students, but I can also see how these standards can be restricting. No classroom is going to be the same, especially the make-up of your students so it's hard to say these group of kids will know the same exact material as another group of kids. I think it's great that kindergarteners are learning more and more because it shows that these children are in fact capable of accomplishing more than what was previously asked of them. I think there should definitely be standards for what kindergarteners need to know before leaving the grade level, but I do not think these standards should be restrictive because all children are different and there are exceptions to every rule.
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6 comments:
I never thought about the negative side to having standards. I think that you are right when saying that it could put restrictions on the students. I wrote in my blog about how the standards did not say what type of schools there were tested at. It is important to have standards but they standards should maybe be made according to the school and the class that you have.
I can see how the guidelines can seem restrictive like you said, however I think its important to try to keep in mind that they're just that: Guides. They're not the rule, and so you can make exceptions, modify it, add to it, etc. Though a certain class may not be ready to accomplish all the standards, it still lets you know what many of the other kindergartner's WILL know, and again, you can use it as a guide to try to get as close to it as is suitable for the class and individual child.
Good thoughts! In my post I also acknowledged the positive and negative aspects of Kindergarten standards. Students do need goals and expectations, you are correct. This is only if they are reasonable, and I feel that if we keep discussing the issue within the state, country, etc. then a happy middle can be achieved. It is understandable that each classroom is different, so having certain high expectations for environments that are not necessarily as advanced as others is difficult. However, there HAS to be a point where students are responsible to know certain amounts of information in Kindergarten, as they are in other primary grades. I enjoyed what you had to say! What are some specific standards that you think should be required at this Kindergarten age level?
I was reading your negative side to havign standards and I feel that it was an important point to bering up. Not every student is the same,and we will run into some difficult times whether the children has disabilities or just different learning styles, but this is when we may have to make some adaptations in order to still fowllow the stanadards. But it is very important for the state to keep in mind that every student is different so hopefully when we encounter these standards in our own classroom, we will be able to see the unrestrictive side to them. But in all, it is an important step that the state is making to have standards in the kindergarten classroom, and I think it is a great idea.
I completely agree with what you have said, but I look at it from a different perspective. I saw it as a lack of freedom for the teachers. Teachers go to school for years to learn how to make lesson plans and how to set up a curriculum, then we don't get the chance to use these skills. It has to many restrictions for a kindergarten classroom.
I like how you brought up that standards help teachers have higher expectations for students. I think it's good to expect the best from students and having standards might help do that. But like you said, standards can put restrictions on teaching, and also I liked how you said that each classroom is unique and is made up of a variety of students so having standards that are one-fits-all can be restrictive.
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