John Scileppi, PhD
The Problem of “One Standard”
Overview of the Presentation
 The History of Testing
 What should IQ Tests Measure?
 The Goals of American Education
 Common Core Standards
 What Can We Learn from Finland’s Educational
System?
The History of Testing
 1890 James Cattell’s Mental Tests measured sensori-
motor tasks.
 1900 Alfred Binet wanted to identify students needing
special education.
 Goddard used tests to prevent immigrants from
Southern and Eastern Europe from entering the U.S.
 Horace Mann Bond showed that tests were culturally
biased.
What Should IQ Tests Measure?
 No clear cut list of abilities
 (Intelligence is what IQ tests measure!)
 Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
 Visual-spatial
 Bodily-kinesthetic
 Musical
 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 Linguistic
 Logical-mathematical
The Goals of American Education
 Goal #1: Students must graduate prepared to be
responsible participating citizens in a democracy.
 Goal #2: Students must be able to read critically
and think critically. They must be able to
distinguish fact from opinion. from D. Roane
 Goal #3: Education is not the filling of a pail, but
the lighting of a fire.William Butler Yeats and along
with this one: A life-time love of learning
 Goal #4: I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning
to sail my ship. Aeschylus
Goals Continued
 Goal #5: Education’s purpose is to replace an empty
mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes and in similar
vein: It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to
entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
 Goal #6: No one has yet realized the wealth of
sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the
soul of a child. The effort of every true education
should be to unlock that treasure. Emma Goldman and
Empathy – the ability to walk in another’s shoes; the ability
to put oneself in another’s place
 Goal #7: The object of education is to prepare the
young to educate themselves throughout their lives.
Robert M. Hutchins
Goals Concluded
 Goal #8: The whole purpose of education is to turn
mirrors into windows. Sydney J. Harris
 Goal #9: The one real goal of education is to leave a
person asking questions. Max Beerbohm
 Goal #10: Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the
privilege to do so, too. Voltaire
 Goal #11: “Students come to us having sat around for
twelve years expressing attitudes toward things rather
than analyzing. … They are always ready to tell you
how they feel about an issue, but they have never
learned how to construct a rational argument to
defend their opinions.” R. Jackson Wilson, professor,
Smith College
Common Core Standards
 Listing of what students are expected to learn
 English language arts: reading, writing speaking and
listening, English language, media and technology
 Mathematics: both procedural skills a nd conceptual
understanding, mathematical modeling, and
preparation for further schooling and careers
 If these are the only skills assessed, will we realize all
the goals for education?
Can We Learn from Finland?
 Finland’s educational system is rated #1, ours is #17 (In
some lists the U.S. is # 35 !) Finland’s graduation rate is
93%, the US rate is 67%.
 Finland allows for individual learning goals and
learning contracts. Students and teachers are
evaluated according to these contracts.
 Standardized tests in Finland are given only once and
this is at age 16.
Finland Continued
 All students learn standard subjects but large
segments of the curriculum are determined by the
school and the students.
 The Finnish government subsidizes 100% of education
and teacher training. This results in equality in
educational opportunity.
 In Finland, trust and responsibility are valued more
than accountability.
 Any Questions?