VIDE Transitioning With to SBAC

VIDE Transitioning With to SBAC

 

 

In a recent article published by the St. Thomas Source The Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) announced that it is in the process of making the transition to online assessments with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) for Virgin Islands students. What does that mean for us and just what is the SBAC?

“The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) is a state-led consortium working to develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward college- and career-readiness. Smarter Balanced is one of two multistate consortia awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010 to develop an assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by the 2014-15 school year (SBAC, 2014).”

At least for me this means that our students and educators will now have a means to measure their progress while implementing the Common Core State Standards within our curriculum as well as resources offered within the forms of networking with others abroad who are going through the same process or have already gone through the process. I’ve read countless articles with regards to the implementation of SBAC tests within schools, both good and bad, but the main problems seemed to stem from either schools that where inadequately equip to make such transition and advocates (parents and educators alike) that have a firm position that SBAC tests aren’t needed at all. Many advocates feel as though it is just another way for the government to access data for their own personal gains, and that it is not for the betterment of the pupils involved. The biggest problem with implementation was that many school districts didn’t have enough technological support nor proper equipment. According to the article in the Source in order to make the next step to online assessments, VIDE spent months working with the department’s technical staff to identify the technical needs of each school, streamline connectivity issues and gather the necessary equipment.

“ According to VIDE’s Office of Instructional Technology Director Dr. Clinton Stapleton, many of the territory’s computer labs were outfitted with new thin clients, which replaced the existing, older, hardware. The thin client devices are easier to manage and maintain and are more energy efficient, and they can hook up to a centralized server; Training sessions with state, district and school technical staff were also conducted, focusing on how to manage and configure the devices for now ongoing field testing (The St. Thomas Source, 2014).”

Since it would appear that they have considered all possibilities as far as technology is concerned ( or as far as I can tell since I’m no expert) then the only thing left is the actual implementation of the SBAC tests and of course the reaction/ response from the community. I would dare to say that within our community we (as I am a member) are ok with this transition and welcome what it can do for our educational institutions. Of course I’m simply going off of mostly private notions from individuals and not organizations, but there is one major reason for my saying so and that reason is lack of public outcry. Many other educators and parents have publicly voiced their concerns with SBAC tests (among other concerns) especially when field testing for implementation began a few months back, but still there was nothing within our territory to suggest otherwise. Now don’t get me wrong, I completely support the move and am very glad to see the different strides being made by the VIDE to ensure implementation is swift and still accurate. I can also say that I’m proud that we’ve finally taken the necessary steps to ensure that our students can continue to compete and excel at the same standards as students abroad.

 

For further readings on the U.S Virgin Islands on topics of education and our children please read When Is It Time To Get Rid Of The Pacifier, Guy Benjamin Elementary is Closing; What Now? And Alternatives to Suspensions and Expulsions.

 

 

This blog post is the opinions of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on the institution’s she is employed for nor is those she affiliated with through volunteer work or otherwise. For more opinions from us please visit our blog page usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com or email us at usvi.childhood.learning@gmail.com and like us on Facebook or follow Ms. Child Advocate on Twitter.

 

When is it Time to get rid of the Pacifier?

When is it Time to get rid of the Pacifier?

 

 

 

I don’t usually like to do points mostly off of my opinions, as everyone has the right to their own but I must admit that the urge to write this blog post has been extremely overwhelming (partially because of my own feelings on the matter and the other half because others seemed to think it was ok). Earlier this week I witnessed a little boy whose age couldn’t have been any less than three, with a mouth full of teeth speaking clearly and then he put his pacifier in his mouth. Honestly, I think I spent the first five minutes observing the child (from the back of the room) play and interact with children of various ages (18 months-6 years) but the more I observed the more it resonated with me that he was too old to be using a pacifier especially while out playing. As my focus then shifted to his parents and other parents surrounding I could tell many of them were having the same thoughts I did. I’m certain that his mother has some qualms with it for when it was his turn to go to the evaluator she removed the pacifier from his person and quickly stuffed it in her bag.

I won’t contest two things; the first is I could be completely wrong and he could simply be a child who is very mature and advanced for his age, and that it’s possible that the pacifier is a tool being used only in times of need (like getting him to sit still, play with others well, or sleep). But my main concern is for the child and the fact that such prolonged use of the pacifier at his ‘advanced’ stage may result in dental problems in the immediate future and the long run; It’s simply for the same rules has giving children baby bottles with nipples to drink from after their teeth have formed. Straying from the topic a little, I’ve once meet a parent who thought that it was natural that both of her children (eight years apart) experienced decaying of their primary teeth. While I don’t want to paint an ugly picture I had the pleasure of meeting both children from very young stages in their lives and I can assure you (and many will probably agree) that there is nothing natural or healthy about kids having a mouth full of rotten teeth; it was sadly the only thing that distracted others from their academic achievements and even their appearances. I reason for saying this is that it is not all right to let children ruin their primary teeth because they will get new ones and studies suggest that even when adult teeth are formed children with prolonged use of pacifiers are more likely to have dental issues such as;

1.     

Openbite

 

2.      Overjet (great chances

 

 

 3.      Posterior crossbites (children with more prolonged use are subject to anterior openbite and posterior crossbites)

 

 

While I am not a dental hygienist and can’t offer much on the prices of braces or other orthodontic wear for children, I can say that from the accounts that I’ve read it seems very painful for children. The only alternative to the pain is to put children under anesthesia and many of us know the risks of what can happen when children are put to sleep; anyone remember the little girl that died after going to the dentist? As I said in the beginning I don’t generally like to write about my personal opinions in matters but in this case I had to make an exception.

For further readings on the U.S Virgin Islands on topics of education and our children please read Children Are Dying, Thank God you’re NOT MY MOM!!!, and Thank God you’re NOT MY MOM 2

 

 

This blog post is the opinions of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on the institution’s she is employed for nor is those she affiliated with through volunteer work or otherwise. For more opinions from us please visit our blog page usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com or email us at usvi.childhood.learning@gmail.com  and like us on Facebook or follow Ms. Child Advocate on Twitter.