I agree with you when you say ; “However, when I consider my students I think they may have done enough when they get up at 545 every morning to attend Seminary, learn the scripture mastery passages, read the scriptures the formative assessment through questioning in the lessons is far more valuable a tool in measuring progress.:
I’d be interested to know your thoughts on the value of doing seminary so early in the morning. I applaud the changes that have happened, but feel lots more is necessary to truly equip the young people. However I also feel for the seminary teachers and wonder if the current system is designed to make their jobs easier when it comes to marking the students?
]]>acw- I think I should also say that that is also how the young man I mention was treated- his Bishop sat down with him with the scriptures and all was good. But the issues with the test remain- sorry I’m a broken record! It’s not to measure discipleship, but if it’s to make sure the content is taught then we need to look at our teacher support- seminary teachers the world over have my immense admiration.
]]>Loved this post. I definitely like your ideas of what types of questions should be assessed and (perhaps most importantly) I am a HUGE Dallas Cowboy fan. I also found your comments on “the mission field” to be quite funny and true. As someone who was born in Utah (and spent most of my life there) but currently resides outside of the state I die of embarrassment anytime I hear someone use the phrase. (And anyone who knows me knows I generally think so-called “Utah Mormons” are much better than their stereotypes. But the phrase “the mission field” should be banished from our lexicon forever.)
Now if I may be so bold as to suggest I think the title to your blog post does the material a disservice. In so far as I am reading you correctly (and I have been rightly accused of misreading people online in the past, so please feel free to push back if I am misreading) your main point is you find the one-size fits all approach that the church hands out as not suitable for the needs of students you are teaching. That one size fits all approach just so-happens to come from Utah, which just-so happens to be within the United States of America. So your critique (again, if I am understanding your argument correctly) isn’t really with Americacentrism per se. By that I mean, your problem isn’t that the way the tests are administered are so-unlike anything that might happen in Germany or other countries. And (again if I’m reading you correctly) you are also not saying that the assessments represent how the American education system works. The bigger point is there is a “headquarters” located in America that sends materials that you find constraining and you wish the system was more flexible allowing each location to better adjust to their culture and situation. Am I getting you right? If so I completely agree and think more local flexibility will create better gospel learning and teaching. If it is more of a statement on the type of education America offers, that I have no expertise in at all and no opinion.
I also like how you show that in LDS teachings (for example Elder Perry) expressly state that we need local autonomy. I believe this is the exact type of creative and productive activity that an Elder Perry would or should want to see. I hope moving forward even more autonomy is granted to local teachers and leaders. I know in some ways we are making in roads in that direction. Just in my lifetime many lessons have become less structured. But I certainly hope there is more ahead.
]]>But just as in Europe, many places in America fall short. I’ve never seen a worse assessment than in Germany:
Visit with a child. Have them read to you. Talk to them. Do some writing. Do some math. (All great so far). Tell the parent the child is outstanding and well spoken, knowledgeable and well read beyond their years. You’d love to work with them. Then fail them and and explain you reject them because they didn’t pass the math questions.
That’s not Americanism that sometimes puts too much focus on quantitative measurements. That’s the hegemony of quantitative data driven decision making period.
I’m sure the seminary group will definitely be evolving their assessment over time. But I’m also not sure can assess discipleship without it becoming a merit badge checklist; which while probably better than multiple choice questions is also fraught with problems.
]]>I was probably being too nice in the last comment- I actually am questioning their validity for the stated purpose of S&I- the tests don’t assess progress against the purpose- nor should they. They serve a different purpose and I’m not sure what that is beyond the couple of inappropriate ones I have mentioned in the post. If they meet another requirement for released time then that may be ok in that context.
]]>I also like early morning as I’m unsure where else it would fit in my and my children’s schedule. I have to say I preferred it as a student than as a parent/teacher but that’s probably because I lead a busier life and like sleep!
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