Oh, testing..

This week has been all about testing. My students have taken a test everyday this week except Tuesday. They were tested in math, English, life skills, and reading comprehension. All of second grade at Emafini had the same testing, so to some extent you can say they were standardized. On all for of the tests the scores ranged from 2/25 to 25/25. After being there for a week, I immediately knew who would score low on the exams. In my mind I also felt like they could have done better because the classroom still had all the posters from the different subjects hanging up. Some of the students realized it, especially when they were taking their English exams. All the students who received the lower grades will still move on to the third grade.I was told it was because they are in the process of getting assigned to a special school. The problem with that is, it can take 5 years. How are they supposed to catch up when they go to the special school if they are already behind by some years? In second grade in the U.S. there is not any standardized testing, but I know they test at the end of the school year, either formally or informally. I know that teachers identify students who may need help early in the year. Most students are identified in kindergarten so that supplementary help is already provided for them. I believe this single aspect may affect the students in South Africa success rate when compared to other places. I understand that there are not enough teachers, and teachers here are not specialized in one area, but I believe something needs to be done. This is not beneficial for current or future students.