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Dear Editor:
OBE (Outcome Based Education) has infiltrated our schools. OBE uses a system whereby students are educated in a group setting, that literally wastes time. When a segment is taught to a whole class but only a certain percentage are able to master it, then the smartest students are used to teach the low scorers. This procedure is practiced every day until the slower students master the segment.
This could take one or two weeks before the whole class is able to pass the test. So, by the end of the year a limited numbers of segments are mastered. The tests at the end of the year are pre-arranged by the Dept of Education so they cover all the segments and not just the ones the students have mastered. So, the students end up with lower scores because they haven't mastered all the segments.
But what is happening to the students in the middle? The middle students master the segment right away, so now they are literally going days without any instruction. By not being able to go to the next segment, they end up wasting time and all of these kids are literally dumbed down. Each year that OBE is taught, their scores keep going down because they haven't mastered all the segments.
The slower kids could be disabled students or they could be students who haven't mastered the English language. They no longer have Special Ed teachers because all the students are in one class all day every day, not like they used to have whereby the Special Ed kids would get more one on one time with a teacher. They have assistants in some classes but they're not trained to handle Special Ed kids.
Some of the schools have now figured out a way to get more trained teachers. They now hired Special Ed teachers as assistants, so the kids get more attention and can learn faster. There are ways that these schools can outsmart the Dept of Education. Teachers should have meetings so they can analyze why and how they can help these slower kids learn and at the same time, promote more class time for the middle students. If we all get our heads together, we can help our kids as much as possible while we fight to get rid of OBE altogether!
Mary Finley
Mineral Point