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Jake Zabran

1. Dropouts
It just makes me frustrated when I see or hear that a student dropped out of school.  Yes there are multiple reasons why a student would want to drop out, but there should be much more support for the students from the school.
2. Class size
As a student when I was in elementary school my class size was always about 30, which is a lot.  Reducing class size is very important and something that should be strongly considered in every school.
3. Home Schooling
I never understood how home schooling worked when it came to grades and testing, wouldn't they just be extremely high since the parents wanted their kid to do well in school? Also, how are colleges going to accept grades from home schooled children knowing the people who graded them were their parents?

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Caitlin Stenerson

1. Funding/Budgets:
This is definitely a major issue in the State of Illinois. There is simply not enough money to go around because we are so far in debt. Programs every where are being cut. Most of these programs include music and art programs as well as general and special education. There is a negative relationship between Special Education and the funds to support it. There is a growing need for these programs, but a decline in the funds.

2. Standardized Tests:
This is a major issue right now. There is a lot of controversy over whether or not students' standardized test scores should impact teacher's salaries. Although I can see why this makes sense in theory, I still do not agree with this proposal. I believe this would lead to negative consequences, as some students do not care, or try their best when taking a standardized test. Also, if a teacher's salary is dependent on their students' test scores, this would lead to most teachers just "teaching towards the test" which is not the only or best way to learn. There is much more learning that goes on inside a classroom, than a standardized test can measure or assess.

3. Technology:
I believe that technology can be a major asset to a classroom and learning environment. It can get otherwise uninterested students engaged in the learning process. However, as technology advances, so does cost. When we do not have funds to support Special Education, I do not believe it is ethical or fair that every mainstream classroom has a smart board or laptop for every student. If there are funds for technology, why aren't there funds for Special Education and other education programs? Another problem with the growing amount of technological use in the classroom is the need for teachers to keep up. It is not always an easy task to learn a new computer system or gadget. This takes time and practice. With everything else teachers have to squeeze into their valuable time, I don't know how much room there is to learn a new program or tool every year when they come out.

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Jake Stanley

1. Standardized Testing
I believe that standardized testing is by far our most important educational issue today. Standardized testing does a lot to measure where most of our students are academically but these tests do not account for other domains of knowledge such as creativity or social skills. Standardized testing is always stressful in schools for the administrators, teachers, parents, and most importantly the students. I believe that these tests put too much emphasis on how well you should perform and the negative consequences should you fail. I do not think we should get rid of standardize testing entirely but I believe there should also be more tests that evaluate a student as a whole and as a human being.

2. Teacher Pay For Performance

I believe this is also a very important educational issue in our schools today. A "teacher pay for performance" sounds like a great idea on paper but when you get down to the undeniable facts this idea is just not feasible. Some teachers along their careers will encounter students who just do not want to learn and can not perform as well as their peers, I do not believe that an instructor should be penalized for not being able to get all of his/her students to perform well so that the instructor can receive a bigger paycheck. I also think if this were the case some teachers might be passing students along before they have thoroughly understood the concepts and are prepared to go up a grade level, this thought scares me. With that being said I do believe that it would be a good idea to provide incentives/bonuses to teachers who year after year has been able to improve students scores and the students are capable of demonstrating that they know many if not all of the concepts they have learned. The tough part is observing and choosing which teachers should receive the incentives.

3. Technology

Technology is a very important educational issue today. Technology to me does not only include laptops, iPads, videos, Wi-Fi, SmartBoards, and calculators but it also includes new parks, new textbooks, new vending machines, and even new school busses. It is time for our country to wake up and realize that schools are really as important as we stress them out to be, I have no problem losing money from my paycheck as long as the money is 100% returning back to schools so that our students can achieve better scores overall. Teachers and students will benefit from technology, it is the 21st century and I believe our students in all schools across the nation should have some type of access to technology. It is up to the teachers and staff to find a good balance of new technology and old technology in the classroom.

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1) Standardized Testing- I think that standardized testing is an important issue in all school today. These tests do not always focus on the information that a student knows or how much they have improved but rather how well they do under the pressure and time restraints as well as how well they can regurgitate knowledge and understand and apply testing strategies. I think that this is an unfair way to assess students' knowledge as it is unable to effectively assess other skills that are important for young students such as creativity, social skills, and language.
2) Tenure- Tenure is a very hot topic in the education world right now as many teachers receive tenure which can cause complacency and allows teachers to put in minimal effort. It also makes it very difficult for teachers who are not performing up to the standards difficult to get rid of as they are promised a job until retirement. It is also often handed to teachers after a certain amount of time rather than earned but teachers who have shown that they are exceptional teachers. However, on the other side, it makes sure that teachers are not fired from their jobs based on race, gender, situation, or personal reasons and promises job security.
3) Technology- Technology is a relatively new idea in the teaching field and how to use it to enhance learning instead of prohibiting it. While there are some incredible benefits to the use of technology to help students learn such as engaging the students, allowing students to express themselves in different forms, reduces the amount of paper and helps a teacher be more organized, and helps students learn more about their world there are also some negative impacts. Technology is wonderful when it works but can be unpredictable and hard to fix issues that arise. Also, it can have some poor side effects on the students health as well as distracting them from their tasks. It also is easier for students to find ways around an activity or find ways to cheat on an assignment that would not occur if technology wasn't involved.

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Tara Folgate

1) Standardized Testing
2) Technology
3) Teacher evaluations

1) Standardized Testing.
This is my number 1 most important educational issue for the fact that this is what truly drives all of what is done in the classroom now a days. These test are not only what drives the classroom but have a major impact on student's future's and the paths they will take in school. However, I believe these test need to be taken away because they are only harmful as they do not take into account students with bad testing skills,  a bad day, or having a poor teacher. These tests also limit student learning.
2) Technology.
I chose technology next because it is currently making major changes to our classrooms and they can really become positive or negative depending on how they are used. These new resources in schools need to be used as tools to participate in lessons and drive a point how. However, the technology should never teach the student or take over the classroom.
3) Teacher evaluations.
Just as I feel standardized tests should be taken away I also feel teacher evaluations should not be based on them. For many of the same reasons such as students with test anxiety, having a bad day, or having a student that still needed more help and learning to do before the test. This should not be the teachers fault because the looming test date has not allowed her to assist a struggling student fully or because she did not have time to give them extra help because they had to move onto other material on the test.

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Paige Wrasse

1) Standardized Testing
2) School Funding
3) Student Workload at Home

1. I think that Standardized Testing is just not working. First, it puts immense amounts of pressure onto both the teachers and the student to only focus on the numbers/grades. These test only reflect how well the student did on that one particular day. I remember how I was as a 17 year old taking the ACT's, I couldn't even focus for the last section, I just wanted it to be over! Also these tests are biased and unfair to many different types of students because there is no "standard student". Many students have to take the test in their second language and many get test anxiety because of how important they are in their future.
2. I think that because of the lack of funding that is being provided to these schools, it is not only not giving some students a disadvantage, but it is really hindering the teacher's ability to teach to their best of their ability. I think that a very important piece in a student's learning is for them to be able to have an outlet and be able to express themselves and their knowledge in their preferred ways. With a lack of school funding, these important extracurricular programs such as art, band, and music are being cut which leaves many students no other way to develop these important skills.
3. I didn't see this one on any of the sites that I went on to, however I was reading on this board and saw that Shelby had this listed on her top three and think that this should be a more front running issue. Students are bombarded with such a heavy workload at school and asking them to bring that home during their free time is more damaging than good. I think that it only increases stress/anxiety about school and decreases the student's enjoyment in actually going. Students should get a chance to go outside or join a club/sport without fear of falling being in work that should be done in the classroom.

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1. Class Size:
Class size may not seem like a big topic but it does have a huge impact on student learning. Smaller classes allow for more individualized learning. Smaller class sizes are not just beneficial for the students. Teachers are able to get to know their students on a deeper level as well as tailor their instruction.
2. Technology:
Technology in the classroom is an issue that has been talked about a lot in the recent years. Now that technology is advancing, schools almost feel a pressure to keep up. However, I feel like there should be a balance maintained between useful technology as well as incorporating other tools. Sometimes technology can be more of a burden rather than an aide.
3. Standardized Testing:
As a student I have never been one to think standardized testing is a way to accurately measure my knowledge of a material. In general, I feel like tests cause more problems than they do solve them. Even though they can be valuable tools if used correctly, I think that there are other ways that can be developed in order to assess students' knowledge.

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Shelby White

1)    Student Health/Lack of Physical Activity/Cutting PE and Recess

2)    Work Load

3)    Technology

My “number one reason” is listed in parts because in my opinion they all fuse together. In the third grade, my school district not only cut music and art but also cut physical education. Now that I have begun to study teaching and learning, I have the opportunity to view that year as a teacher on top of the perspective of a student. I, as mentioned in the previous padlet assignment, benefitted (and still benefit) from physical activity and being able to get up and move around during a lesson in school. Not having PE in my schedule for that one year was not only upsetting for me, but impacted my ability to learn. I know of school’s who have taken away recess, or at least minimized the amount of time they give students to run around and be active. I would consider this one of the most concerning issues in education today. Preventing students from being able to have free time hinders their ability to focus in class. Although I am aware that this cut time is an attempt to create more time for learning, I disagree with the thought that it will be beneficial to children. Considering a lot of the websites listed described student health and obesity in children being a concern, taking away time they could be getting to be active (which they may not otherwise receive at home) will not be of help to anyone.

The second reason I have listed is something I did not see mentioned on too many of the websites. I have chosen it because I have witnessed the toll homework and projects can take on children (and experienced it myself). I think, as a future educators, it is our job to think of ways we can minimize the amount of work we send home. And, when we do send work home, have it be interactive and extremely useful for the students’ learning. By doing this, we will not only encourage students to want to learn, we could incorporate ways to get families involved (which is another issue listed on many of the websites).

Lastly, after observing at U-High in normal this past year, I really noticed some of the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom. Many schools nowadays give students a form of technology (whether it be an iPad, chrome book, or laptop). Although there are many useful strategies for integrating this technology, there are many downfalls. Not only are students learning about this technology at a faster rate than teacher’s are able to grasp and understand how to use (or teach) it, technology can be a big distraction both in the classroom at home which can affect a student’s ability to learn. I think there are definitely some good ways it can be used, and it is definitely important for schools to stay up to date with technology, however, there is progress to be made.

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1. Standardized Testing:
I believe standardized testing has to be one of the top educational issues because of the pressure it puts on the students, teachers and school as a whole. I do not believe testing is necessarily the best way to measure success. Knowing that I am not and have never been a good test taker, I strongly dislike the importance it plays in determining my success. Teachers should have different ways to measure a student’s success other than through tests. In an article I read recently it suggested using long term projects to measure success instead.  Therefore, I hope that in the future the pressure of standardized testing diminishes and teachers will be able to use other materials to measure student achievement.
2. Class Size:
As schools are becoming overcrowded it is important that classroom sizes remain smaller and appropriate in order to provide a good learning environment for the students. Not only are smaller classroom sizes more effective for students but I believe smaller classrooms are easier for the teachers to manage. By having a smaller class size teachers are able to provide more specialized and individual attention to their students.
3. Technology:
Although technology in the classroom can be a great resource for learning, I do believe it should not be used as often as it is. More and more teachers are becoming paperless and resorting to technology for all their resources and materials. The issue that I see with technology is the struggle of remaining up to date. If teachers want to incorporate technology in the classroom I believe they need to have proper instruction on how to use it because of the fact that many students nowadays are more technologically advanced than them.

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Danielle Martinelli

1) Standardized testing- I believe that standardized testing is currently one of the biggest educational issues. Standardized tests do not promote learning in the classroom. Instead, they cause feelings of stress for both the students and teachers. Standardized tests cannot evaluate students in every aspect of learning; for example, they cannot assess critical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills. Unfortunately, not all students perform well on standardized tests, so I believe it is unfair for students’ academic success to be judged by these specific tests.

2) Classroom size- I believe a large classroom size is another educational issue. If a teacher has too many students he or she cannot easily identify what individual students are struggling with. Also, it is harder for teachers to discover if a student has any sort of learning disability because the teacher is not spending as much one on one time with the students. Furthermore, classroom management can become an issue when there are an excessive amount of students in the classroom. With too many students, teachers may find it more difficult to keep their classroom under control.

3) Student Health- I believe school lunches is also an educational issue. A large amount of students consume their lunch through the school system. Lunches through school should be required to provide students food that has proper nutritional value. If a student eats unhealthy foods that are high in fats and sugars they are more likely to feel tired and sluggish throughout the day, therefore, finding it harder to concentrate on their studies. Schools can help students perform well academically by providing them with proper meals.

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Angie Koch

1.Funding/ Budget cuts
- I think funding and budget cuts are a major issue in education right now. Lack of funding leads to lack of resources, staff, and supplies for students. In my hometown we got a lot less state funding than we were supposed to so our community had to raise a bunch of extra money. I think this is a major issue especially for communities that may not be able to raise the extra money. Schools start having to cut programs that are beneficial to student learning, growth, and development.

2. No Child Left Behind
-I think No Child Left Behind is a major issue in education because these policies put such a large emphasis on standardized testing causing many teachers to “teach to the test.” With test scores in a lot of schools determining teachers and schools evaluation, students’ educations are formatted around getting them to test well, not necessarily helping them grow and actually learn. This does a disservice to students and their education.

3. Technology in school
- I think this is a major issue in education for multiple reasons. Technology is so integrated into today’s society that the question is raised should technology be required in the classroom? And if it is required how is it going to be funded and appropriately connected to education? Some schools may not have the resources to allow students access to technology, while other schools may have teachers who are not familiar with new uses of technology and don’t know how to incorporate it into the learning environment. Another question more technology in schools poses is how you teach proper and safe technology uses? Technology opens up a whole new world for students that can be so helpful and educational, but can also be harmful when not used properly. It opens up a whole new realm for bullying as well.

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Veronica Schmidt

1. School Finance
Students should all be able to receive a good education and educational opportunities, regardless or where they come from. With schools being primarily publically funded this isn't possible. Public school students are not receiving equitable educations because the resources and opportunities available to them are determined by local property value. This puts a lot of responsibility on the teachers to try to give their students what they need to be successful.
2. Standardized Testing
Standardized testing is not an adequate way to measure students knowledge or achievement. Standardized testing leads to teachers having to "teach to the test" and limits the curriculum. It also does not take into account other things that make education meaningful like creativity, critical thinking, leadership, or resourcefulness. Standardized tests also cause high levels of stress for students and teachers because of their "high stakes" nature. In grade school, standardized test often led to my peers and myself being placed in lower level classes because we would not perform as well on multiple choice questions as we did in the classroom.
3. Tenure
I don't believe that tenure is necessary anymore. I understand that it was originally a way to prevent people from losing their jobs for the wrong reasons, but we have other laws and forms of protection now. Tenure has become more of a barrier preventing and making it more difficult for schools to let go of inadequate teachers or teachers that have done something wrong. It can also lead to some teachers becoming lazy because they feel too secure in their jobs and no longer strive to be the best they can be.

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Cristina Herrera
1) Social Media
2) Budget Conflicts
3) Classroom Size

1) Social Media
I strongly believe that social media is big issue impacting education today. There is now kids, as young as 7 or 8 years old with social media profiles. Many of thee kids are exposing themselves on the internet and many of the times without the parents knowing. Not only is this a distraction to academic achievements but it is also one of the biggest reasons behind bullying. Students pick on each other in very cruel ways on social media which then rises problems in school. What makes it even worse is that there is many different sites now.

2) Budget Conflicts
Money is the talk right now at Illinois. There is so many problems with the different budgets and this mainly effects schools especially public schools. Each year there seems to be more school closings and program cuts. I am from Chicago and this especially the case in this city. Every year there also seems to be a a teacher strike which interferes with the academic schedule. With out money, schools are not given the opportunity to have enough resources. I remember when I was an 8th grade we had to use the same history books from 7 previous classes. I am sure that history changed in all of those years.

3) Classroom Size
This issue is tied to the budget conflicts but I feel that it need its own point because of all the important factors that cause it. To begin with the budget cuts have closed many schools. Because of this, children are forced to travel miles to reach the school. This causes the classroom to get bigger in size. The bigger sized classroom then limits the time each teacher gets with each student. This especially effects ESL students because teachers would not really be able to give them one on one. Bigger classroom sizes also means that schools need more resources.

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Elizabeth Turner

1. Standardized testing
Standardized testing is an education issue because it does not benefit either the students or the teachers. The teachers now have to drill this testing information to their students, when they could be using it as instructional time. These tests also stress the students and teachers out. Also, some students are not good tests takers and some school districts have multiple standardized tests the students have to take and that alone is stressful and then if they are not good test takers.

2. School funding
School funding is a big issue in education, especially in Illinois. Illinois government is so far in debt and schools are not getting their funding. This means they have to cut staff, programs and shutting down schools. This leads to bigger class sizes and teachers who are not getting paid what they should. This effects the student's education because they are getting a bare minimum for education because their school doesn't have the funds.

3.Common Core
Common core is related to standardized testing with the thinking that a "one size fits all" when it comes to a students education. This is not the case and students all learn differently. I feel this also limits the teachers in what they have to teach.

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Rachel Hartford

1.) Electronic testing versus paper testing

2.) Student Health/movement in the classroom

3.) Family involvement

1.) Technology is taking over the world whether I want to accept it or not. How technology should be used in schools, I think is still up for debate.   The main factor that I care about here is if it is helping our students or hurting them. Many districts are taking standardized tests online. From my personal experience as a student I have taken tests online and struggled because of the online setup of them. When it comes to a literacy or language arts section where the student needs to read a passage it may be harder to keep track of where you are if you reading from a computer screen. I believe that technology is a distraction and I do not know if this trend of going paperless will continue and if our scores are going to continue to drop because of that.

2.) Last year I took Physical Education for Elementary school teachers and I have developed a whole new respect for those teachers. Student health is declining due to many everyday factors in and outside of our schools. Food choices in the cafeteria need to have each student include a fruit or a vegetable option.  I think we need to take charge and promote change by integrating movement into the classroom. Many teachers are probably not aware of the opportunities to do so. Go Noodle is an awesome website that has many fun interactive videos that you could use as a warm up or cool down activity in your classroom. Student health is so important and as teachers we also need to model this by bringing a healthy snack/ lunch to show our students that we can be healthy too!

3.) Students face family challenges whether you may know it or not. Divorce, poverty, culture, and violence maybe on the child’s mind while they are in your classroom. Parents need to work in a partnership with the teacher to help their child succeed in every way they can. I know there has been lots of recent studies done on how important this really is and I agree with them wholeheartedly. When a parent participates it does not just prove to the teacher that they care, but it also helps the student feel more comfortable in their schoolwork. As a teacher I will try my very best to make the child’s year in my classroom their very best, but also the parents best year in classroom. Newsletters, emails, conferences, and phone calls are just some of the steps I am going to take. I want to inform parents when I am proud of their child and when they have overcome a great obstacle in their learning! To increase family involvement we need to put ourselves out there and tell the parents that we want them included in our classroom environment.

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1) Achievement Gap
Many African American and Latino students still achieve lower than White students. Even though the No Child Left Behind Act was put in place to aid students, many Latino and African American students still fall behind in test scores.The students who fall behind in lower grade levels are more likely to not receive a higher education. Many times students who struggle in school at a young age are impacted by socioeconomic factors.

2) Standardized testing
Standardized testing is impacted by testing anxiety and bias among the questions. Students who come from various cultures may struggle with the questions being asked due to their background knowledge. Also many tests lack to acknowledge the variety of strengths students possess. Learners may know the information, but are able to show their knowledge through an artistic representation instead of a written test.

3) Student Health
The rise of obesity is linked to the lack of a healthy diet and exercise. By encouraging students to get active in your classroom can help promote exercise. Since some students receive subsidized lunches, it is important to advocate for healthy options in your school's lunch program. A student's mentality can be negative if they are not receiving adequate nutrition.

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Amy Hernandez

Issue #1: Standardized Testing
Standardized testing causes not only students to stress out, but also the teachers. Since the test scores are to evaluate the teachers, it can cause teachers to stress out. Not only does it cause stress on the teacher, but also the students. A lot of students have test anxiety and knowing that they are taking a state test rather than a test that their teacher made, can increase their test anxiety. Standardized testing is also an issue because it causes teachers to focus on preparing students for the tests rather than other subjects that a student needs.
Issue #2: School Funding
This is an issue because teachers are not able to teach their classroom if they do not have the materials for them. There are moments when a teacher does pay things from their pocket for their students, but there are instances where a teacher has to pay for ink, papers, and school supplies for their students in order to complete a lesson. Also with the lack of funding, there are many clubs and activities that are cut.
Issue #3: Student Health
This is an issue because students who are overweight as a child are more likely to be obese when they reach adulthood. It is important for teachers to teach students on how to live a healthy lifestyle. One aspect of this is providing healthy options in the cafeteria. Also it is important to give students time to play in recess, have energy breaks, and having physical education. There are research showing how helping students achieve a healthy lifestyle can benefit their academic career.

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Brianna Bartello
1.) Standardized test
I am not a huge fan of standardized testing because some students do not test well and it doesn't accurately determine their intelligence. I also don't like standardized testing because it only test a few subjects and nothing fine arts based and some students really excel in these other areas. I also feel like it promotes teachers to just teach what will be on the test and then students aren't learning valuable information.
2.) Common core
I feel like a lot of educators hate common core and me being one of them. I feel like common core limits the teachers control of the information they want to get out to their students and the way they can teach it. Common core is also bad for students because its like a one size fits all. I don't believe there is a right or wrong way to learn and thats why I have such a huge issue with common core.
3.) Grading
Grading I feel is sometimes necessary but for the most part I feel it is pretty pointless of a concept. I feel if a student grasps a concept they should pass. I feel like most things should just be pass/fail. A-F standard grading system is different around the world, the U.S. has one of the most unreasonable grading systems especially in higher education courses an A being a 92-93 and above and in other nations a A is like a 75 and up. Its insane that there is such a difference from place to place regarding grading and thats why I think its pointless personally.

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Amara Palmer

1.The cost of higher education
2. Our student's health
3.Grading

1. The cost of higher education is at a tremendous high and it is not simply because of inflation. In 2011 the average student loan debt was $26,600 now in 2016 a college grade will graduate with an average of $37,100  in debt. Honestly, the students who are in the $30,000 range are still lucky considering we have paid off the other 2/3+ of school tuition/room and board with the help of parents/scholarships. I know several students who will graduate with $60,000+ in debt. These numbers are completely unacceptable. 1 in 3 college graduates will end up working a job that simply requires a high school degree . I had a high school teacher who's fiance was working his college job as a janitor even after completing his undergrad degree in psychology 3 years earlier. At 28 years old they could not afford to get married and decided to elope. Just as we are our future students will be facing the cost of an education.
2. I believe as teachers we are able to contribute to improving our student's health considering that 1 of every 3 kids is either overweight or obese (according to the national heart association). We can improve students healthy by incorporating
energizes every hour, encouraging parents to pack their kid's healthy snacks and provide them with a list of affordable options. encourage recess within your school and never take it away as a punishment for bad behavior. Read and promote your school's wellness policy (every public school must legally have one).
3. I had an AP literature teacher who described grading as unhelpful to both students and teachers. He believed that instead of using the standard A-F grading scale which is not fluid, a school board committee containing administrators, teachers, and peers should pass a student onto the next grade level by evaluating a student's projects, papers,  integrity, effort ,etc. from the year. His philosophy has stuck with me because it reminds me of the endless ways in which you can see if a student is learning which grades can not capture.

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Julie Cartier

1. Standardized Testing

2. Common Core
3. School Lunches

I think that standardized testing is one of the biggest educational issues schools are currently facing because it does not always reflect what students know. Many students guess and go, so the overall results from the exams are not always correct. In addition, from personal experience, I was never a good test taker, so these exams never showed my academic ability or represented me as a student (complex thinker and a non-visual learner). The second educational issue I think is important is the Common Core Standards. Common Core Standards go hand in hand with standardized tests, however, examine the teacher’s abilities rather than the students. This can be an issue when some teachers focus on producing the information instead of the quality of  the information given. Lastly, I think school lunches are a rising issue with in school systems. Although schools are incorporating healthier options for students to eat, much of the time, the food choices lack nutritional value. Lack of proper nutrients can cause students to perform weakly during school, negatively affecting their academics and attitude towards school.

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Tiffany Hines
1) Technology has changed the way students learn, the way educators teach, & the way educators & students communicate, so it is important to incorporate it into the classroom. By having technology available in the classroom, it gives students an unlimited amount of up to date information, it is a great way for students to collaborate with each another, & it can be used for a variety of activities to enhance learning.
2) Standardized testing does not promote learning. Since teachers and school performance are measured based on the results they get from the standardized tests, educators want to make sure their students are prepared to do well on them. As a result, standardized testing has promoted teaching to test, which does not improve learning. These tests are also unreliable since they do not account for language & cultural factors, how well of a test taker the student is, & the student’s economic status. A single test score does not measure what students have actually learned in a class.
3) Class size has a great impact on a student’s academic performance in the classroom. Studies show that students who are assigned to a smaller class have better test scores, receive higher grades, & have better attendance. When there are larger classrooms, it is harder for teachers to effectively teach every student. It is important to have a good student-teacher ratio in the classroom so that the teacher can give an equal amount of his or her time to each student.