Standardized testing is part of the American education system for many years. As a child I remember taking those test.  With the system children struggle to understand the material, some children test wonderfully and others fall behind. I am a firm believer that standardized tests does not give us a full picture of what our education system is lacking. I believe as educators we can become of one of our nation’s biggest assets, teachers and school districts must focus on educating “the whole child” socially, cognitively, emotionally, and yes of course educationally. I think until we come up with a plan to teach children with different learning styles we will continue to fall short every year.  

 

Sweden assesses the students much in the same ways we do in the United States.  They’re testing is in grades 3 6 & 9 students are given these tests for diagnostic and career planning purposes. There testing is called Mandatory national subject tests.  The Swedish Education Act from 2011 changed their education system. Sweden government wanted to promote greater knowledge, freedom of choice, and student safety and security.

·        Schooling is free in Sweden, except for nursery schools and higher education, which are only partly government-funded

·        Sweden invests a total of 6.3 per cent of GDP on education while the OECD average is 5.7 per cent. Only six other OECD countries invest a greater percentage than Sweden.

·        Compared with students in other countries, Swedish students have good reading skills. In several international studies, Sweden was ranked among the very best for both younger and older children.

·        In the international TIMSS study conducted in years 4 and 8, Sweden has the highest percentage of students who feel safe at school. Ninety-five per cent of upper secondary students and older students in compulsory school say they always or usually feel safe at school.

·        Sweden was the first country in the world to prohibit corporal punishment of children, in 1979, and, in 1990, was one of the first to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

·        A national timetable specifies the minimum amount of time to be spent on each subject in compulsory school. This covers Swedish (or Swedish as a second language), English, mathematics, science, social studies, religious studies, arts and crafts, physical education and health.

http://sweden.se/society/education-in-sweden/