From the Principal
Dear Parents,
Today we began SAT testing for 1st-12th graders. We have been doing these tests for years, and they provide valuable feedback on the overall progress of our students. The SAT tests are likened unto getting an outside evaluation, but the tests are not an end in themselves. They are simply a tool we use to help gauge student performance. I don’t want to discount the value of these tests, but neither do I want to overstate their value.
Tests—whether standardized tests, curriculum tests, or teacher –generated tests—are presented from a certain perspective. But not everyone’s perspective is the same. For instance, some of the science questions on the SAT test come from an evolutionary perspective. We emphasize creation at Bethel, so our students are not as adept at questions of naturalistic origins as they would be on Biblical origins. As well, phonics can be taught in different ways. So if students are used to analyzing a word a particular way, some might get confused if asked to do it in another way.
At the same time, if students have developed skills in various subjects, they should be able to perform when tasks are presented to them. If they do not do as well as parents and teachers would have liked, we know what to work on.
I say all of that to say that these tests are not an end in and of themselves. They are a tool parents and teachers can use to gauge student performance. But it is just one kind of evaluation. Let’s have our children as well prepared as we can each day (e.g. be well-rested, eat a nutritious breakfast), and then let’s use what we can from these tests to help them do as well as they can in their intellectual development for the glory of God.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
Today we began SAT testing for 1st-12th graders. We have been doing these tests for years, and they provide valuable feedback on the overall progress of our students. The SAT tests are likened unto getting an outside evaluation, but the tests are not an end in themselves. They are simply a tool we use to help gauge student performance. I don’t want to discount the value of these tests, but neither do I want to overstate their value.
Tests—whether standardized tests, curriculum tests, or teacher –generated tests—are presented from a certain perspective. But not everyone’s perspective is the same. For instance, some of the science questions on the SAT test come from an evolutionary perspective. We emphasize creation at Bethel, so our students are not as adept at questions of naturalistic origins as they would be on Biblical origins. As well, phonics can be taught in different ways. So if students are used to analyzing a word a particular way, some might get confused if asked to do it in another way.
At the same time, if students have developed skills in various subjects, they should be able to perform when tasks are presented to them. If they do not do as well as parents and teachers would have liked, we know what to work on.
I say all of that to say that these tests are not an end in and of themselves. They are a tool parents and teachers can use to gauge student performance. But it is just one kind of evaluation. Let’s have our children as well prepared as we can each day (e.g. be well-rested, eat a nutritious breakfast), and then let’s use what we can from these tests to help them do as well as they can in their intellectual development for the glory of God.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton