The Broken Model: Assignment B

The Broken Model: How Standardized Testing Limits Students
Author: Salman Khan
Reading: The Broken Model (Part 2 of The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined)

Author's Argument:
In The Broken Model, Salman Khan’s  argument is that what we have in place in our education system doesn't work today, if even at all. What is in place now relies too much on standardized testing, grades, and labeling students instead of focusing on true learning and mastery. He believes that students learn at different rates and that schools should give every child the opportunity to fully understand concepts before moving on. Instead of measuring intelligence with test scores, Khan believes education should help students reach their full potential through personalized learning.

My Interpretations:
I agreed with many of Khan's ideas while reading this chapter. It made me think about how our current educational system often sets children up for failure instead of success. What kept ringing in my head while reading was the school to prison pipeline. Labeling children at an early age and limiting opportunities before they have a chance to succeed can trickle down to a bunch of negative consequences.

I kept thinking about one recent incident I experienced at my center. The child was receiving speech services, but his mother knew he needed additional support. Although we shared the same concerns, the North Providence School Department kept telling her that because he was "repeating" (the only goal in his IEP), he did not qualify for more services. I felt they were dismissing her concerns and evaluating his skills only "in the moment" instead of looking at his overall development.

I also had to advocate for my own nephew during his kindergarten screening in Tiverton. Because he refused to participate with a screener he did not like, the district concluded that he was not ready for kindergarten and questioned whether he could function in a classroom. I knew that was not true because he attended the childcare center where I work every summer for eight hours a day, successfully following routines and participating in classroom activities. This was another example of evaluating a child based on a single snapshot rather than looking at the whole picture. In my experience, this is far too common, especially for Black and Brown families.

Quotes That Stood Out:
One quote that stood out to me was, "Tests say little or nothing about a student's potential to learn a subject." I completely agree with this statement. There are many ways to assess what a child knows besides standardized testing. We also have to consider attention spans, anxiety, and the fact that some people simply do not test well.

Another quote that resonated with me was, "It's a process of exclusion, which is exactly the opposite of what our schools should be trying to accomplish." This statement immediately reminded me of the school-to-prison pipeline. When students are labeled early, they often receive fewer opportunities, lower expectations, and less support, which can have lifelong consequences.

Lastly, Khan writes, "You have to allow students to explore the subject on their own." I strongly agree because people truly learn by doing. Reading, watching, and memorizing information are helpful, but meaningful learning happens when students actively engage with the material.

Connections:
I found strong similarities between Khan's chapter and the Youtube video we had to watch. Class Dismissed. Both argue that today's education system was originally designed to create obedient workers rather than independent thinkers and that students deserve learning environments that foster creativity, mastery, and critical thinking instead of compliance.

I also found that Khan's arguments closely connect to "Standardized Testing and School Segregation: Like Tinder for Fire?" by Knoester and Au. Both argue that standardized testing reinforces educational inequalities and often reflects existing racial and socioeconomic disparities instead of actual student ability. It also connects to the FairTest article "How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline," which explains how high-stakes testing contributes to students being pushed out of school and into the juvenile justice system.

My Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed reading. It confirmed many beliefs I already had about education while giving me new ways to think about why standardized testing can be harmful. As an education coordinator, I see how labels can follow children before they have had the chance to demonstrate their true abilities. I believe schools should spend less time sorting students into categories and more time helping every child succeed. Every child deserves to be seen for their strengths rather than judged by a single test or one difficult day. This chapter reinforced my belief that equity in education begins with changing how we assess and support children.