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Education system bad PISA?

By: Megan Allen
Do tests really work in the education system and if there was no testing how would you
measure what we learn? The Program for International Student Assessment results (or PISA), is
a standardized test comparison to international countries that measures the average knowledge
of math, science and reading for children from 4th to 8th grade and it is taken every 3 years.
America is testing 36th out of 65 countries and continents. How can we test competitively with
international student placement exams such as the PISA? Is PISA really the best standardized
test our country should participate in? If it is, increasing the education systems curriculum in
applied science would be helpful to our future generations. The problem is our placement has
been the same for ten years with no improvement no matter how much money is spent per
student creates stress. By informing students how competitive and important standardized
testing is we can motivate the un-motived. My proposal is, improving our assessment scores and
education system by implementing stress management, and understanding motivation.
The main issue is these tests are expensive! Maybe a less costly ways to get similar data
such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study also known as TIMSS? In
comparison, a cost of a state-level score of about 1,500 students in the state cost roughly
$700,000 for PISA which is approximately 466.67 per student or approximately $500,000 per
grade for TIMSS. Nationwide, thats around $25 million per PISA assessment and $15 million
per grade in TIMSS if all states participated (Sneider).
I favor switching to TIMSS standardized assessment as a better exam for our country to
participate in regards to grade level knowledge of math and science. As described in the release

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of the 2007 data, TIMSS is designed to align broadly with mathematics and science curricula in
the participating countries. The results, therefore, suggest the degree to which students have
learned mathematics and science concepts and these skills likely have been taught in school
(Sneider). Organizations involved in testing and education such as High visibility of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has ensured that PISA is the
most prominent of the international assessments. Indeed, while in public the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency(NGA) is careful to say that it is in favor of international benchmarking in
general and not in favor of any particular test, in practice the organization has tended to favor

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PISA (Sneider).

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Academics are compared to an Olympic sport in some countries! Students need the
proper tools to win. Lets transform this stress into the fuel that motivates us to be better
learners. Current stresses of students and lack of motivation of are a due to low income, poor
home environments, hunger, not able to concentrate to learn the lesson, bad teachers, problems
with peers, stress of the future, failing an exam, and any situation that threatens self-esteem
(Tennant).
The stress reaction known as fight or flight increases muscle tension, blood pressure,
heart rate, breathing rate and blood flow to our muscles. The body is getting ready to fight off

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danger or run for our lives, and you do work at higher levels of efficiency (Tennant). This may
be debatable if this is the best state of mind but Tennant reports the health problems associated
with mental and physical stress on are bodys imbalances can cause: high blood pressure, vessels
constrict, and muscles tense up. Students with stress disorders are prone to are headaches,
weight gain, reduced eyesight, nightmares, bed wetting, skin diseases, asthma, allergies,
digestive problems, facial, neck and back pain, behavioral issues, depressing the immune system
and high levels of cortisol can lead to diabetes, cancer, coronary artery disease, and Alzheimers
(Tennant). We need to start young in teaching stress management skills to our youth so these
skill our imprinted when life is really hard. Our current education system is traumatizing
children and decreasing intellectual abilities. All these diseases are currently an issue with
children and adults in the USA.
Human beings have natural ways to regulate stress response: by relaxing, playing,
laughing, going for a walk, soothing baths, and sports or getting a massage; these activities help
deactivate stress which releases tension in tight muscle, stabilizes blood flow to muscles,
strengthens the immune system, better control of impulses, able to manage negative emotions
such as fear, frustration, anger, sooth oneself, move out of a defensive survival behaviors, relate
to other in more empathic, compassionate ways. A calm mind releases dopamine and serotonin,
neurotransmitters the pleasure and feel good wellbeing sensation. A calm heart releases
tranquilizing hormones that promote harmony towards others (Tennant). Tennant says the best
way a child learns is in a relaxed state of mind. Being calm turns on more circuits of the brain.
Positive emotions help a child to pay attention, concentrate, solve problems, be creative,
learn, and remember (Goleman p.85 from Tennant article). It is essential a teacher know how to
implement positive calming strategies for the classroom.

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Achievement for our country in international assessments benefits us with the chance to
increasing technology and bragging right in comparison to other countries. Parents are important
in motivation of their children! I was motivated by a phrase my Dad imprinted in me starting at
the age of 5, when retiring at 65 a person will need 1,000,000 dollars in their retirement fund to
live on for twenty or thirty years. This is a long term goal in saving and the art of motivation in
disciplining ones self in future career and retirement. Good teachers are an important source of
motivation when inspiring children to learn. I feel a higher salary with benefits for teachers
would be helpful. A source of funding would be found by taking from the prison by decreasing
the amount spent per inmate in our prison system. We spend $62,300 a year to keep one inmate
in prison, and just $9,100 per year per student in our public schools, according to the California
Budget Project (Fulton).

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In the film EFT/Tapping for stress relief in the classroom, the Pacific Grove Middle school in
California incorporated these techniques in class after a mass shooting occurred on school
parking lot. The teacher Ms.Moira Mahr was having difficulty keeping the children on task. She
learned the EFT tapping technique and felt it would be helpful. She asked for permission from
the principle and a permission note from the parents to sign and return back to her.
When she started implementing this technique in her classroom she was concerned
about the time she was sacrificing to practice EFT tapping meditation; however she found the
class time in-between was more productive, focus, collaboration, less anxiety. What the
principal noticed higher test scores, higher attendance, less bullying. The classroom developed
trust and more kindness. When students saw a class mate struggling they remind them to do the
EFT tapping and are able to get re-grounded and focus on the lesson.
Improvement suggest

Changing to a less costly test.

Have longer gym hours.
Consider changing educations class hours to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Increase teachers wages by decreasing money spent on the prison system.
Making parents be part of the learning process.
Incorporate stress management EFT tapping technique in the classroom.

I suggested focus stress management with the teachers struggling with students to practice
learning in a safe and healthy environment to increases self-esteem. The type of stress
management I researched be used in the classroom is a technique called take 5 which is a EFT
(emotional freedom technique) a specific mediation with a tapping technique on significant
meridian energy pathways (diagram on next page). This technique stimulates the body similarly
to acupuncture without the needles. These areas tapped are energy meridian pathways points
stimulated with the pointy finger and third finger while acknowledging emotion and saying
positive affirmation to calm the brain and be open to solutions. This technique helps clear and
balance the body/brain electrical system when a person is frustrated or angry. Teaching children
EFT tapping techniques with a deep breathing at the end of the tapping techniques is a valuable

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tool to help student empower themselves past life stress This 5 minute specific meditation
tapping techniques would be used at the beginning and end of lesson of each class.
The EFT tapping solutions is free to learn. Teachers tapping foundation was created to help
support teachers and help them connect with needs of children. Learning to manage stress and
understanding motivation would be helpful in students lives today and for the next generations.
When teachers are happy students are happy! Happiness comes from earned success. I am
definitely for standardized test; lets learn to be better test takers as a team with stress
management, and understanding motivation.

Work Cited
Sneider, Mark. "The International Pisa." Education Next Fall 2009: n. pag. Print
Tennant, Victoria. "The Powerful Impact of Stress." John Hopkins School of Education (2005):
1-16. Web
Fulton, Mary Lou. "Do the Math: School vs. Prison." The California Endowment. N.p., 15 Aug.
2014. Web.

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EFT/Tapping for Stress Relief in the Classroom. Dir. Nick Ortner, Alex Ortner, and Jessica
Ortner. Tapping Solution Foundation. N.p., 2007. Web. 20 July 2016.