Parents are Failing Exams

Exams have been a big part of schooling for ages and I think they will be here for years to come, yet every year that goes by, I am more convinced they defeat the purpose they were created for. Teachers use exams to measure the kids’ success, which is OK, but they forget that the kids’ success is mainly related to how successful they were at teaching their subjects.

I am extremely upset with the way exams are conducted. My own children, Eden, Tsoof and Noff, vary greatly in age. They have studied in many places around the world with different teachers and in different school systems, and I have encountered this problem everywhere, so no matter where you live, this post is for you, because parents have the power to change it.

The reason I am extremely upset is that one of my students, a gorgeous girl who came for an assessment, was about to finish 7^th Grade and go to 8^th Grade, but could not read at 3^rd Grade level and was doing very poorly in class. When I did her assessment, I was convinced I was wrong and made some mistake, but she could not read a short paragraph of instructions and failed at 3^rd Grade comprehension level.

Now, I have a question for you. What is the point of having tests if a girl is allowed to move from one grade to the next without recognizing she has a problem and without giving her any help?! Her mother was very, very angry. She had sent her precious daughter to private schools from the first day of schooling, her school had complained during the previous year about her daughter’s behavior, but no one ever thought of saying anything about her poor academic achievements, never mind her enormous frustration.

The poor girl had been overlooked for nearly 5 years!

How on Earth can parents help if they do not know there is a problem?

This is how it works:

Children have workbooks that they never bring home, “in case they forget to bring them back to class”, so parents cannot tell what they are studying or what their level of studies is.

Children take various exams that are never returned to them, so parents do not know what their children know and what they do not know and they cannot help their children when there is a need.

Good teachers let the kids see their tests and then take them back to keep “for their records” (in case someone complains).

Great teachers let their students see their tests and go over them with the whole class, so the kids learn from their mistakes, but then, they take the tests back and keep them for their records.

Most schools give homework assignments on Monday, which are due back on the following Friday. This way, working parents cannot help much during the week and cannot use the weekend to sit with the kids and help them, so they are not aware of what their kids know and do not know.

The report card at the end of year appears after school is finished and you discover that your child got a C or a D on some of the subjects. The great schools add a description of what the child is supposed to know, but most parents have no clue how to help their child get there during school breaks.

How on Earth can parents help if they only know there is a problem at the end of year?

Best scenario, you come to a parent-teacher interview at the end of the term and you discover that your child does not know how to do something. If you are like most parents, you do not have access to workbooks and appropriate study material that will give the child extra support, but the teacher will not give your child extra work to compensate for what he or she is missing. Instead, the teacher will expect you to sit with your child and help. Get it? They expect you to teach your child…

Every time I help my kids with their schoolwork, this upsets me. I studied 4 years and have 25 years of teaching and special education experience to help them, but how can other parents be expected to do it for their children?

How on Earth can parents help if they do not know the expectations or the methods and have no teaching experience?

Exams are tools for teachers to measure their own teaching methods.

Exams are tools for parents to decide when the teachers’ methods work well for their children and when to step in and help, so they must be aware of every assignment, every exam and every quiz their children do.

Happy parenting,
Ronit