SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Children Learn When Their Teachers Are Ready

Further to yesterday’s posting, there is a second education myth that helps teachers sleep at night, and that is the myth of developmental readiness - the belief that children will learn when they’re ready. Even though this is demonstrably untrue, the myth of developmental readiness is deeply-rooted and informs much educational practice. Because of it, many teachers simply accept their students’ poor performance and, mindful of the children’s self-esteem and the parents’ peace of mind, fail to honestly report how far behind the kids actually are. As a result, the students’ problems snowball and they fall hopelessly behind. Here are a three quick and easy assessment that allow parents to get a handle on their children’s real grade level.

Reading (the Part 2 passages correspond to grade level)

Spelling

Math