No More Teaching to the Middle

by The Varsity Tutors School@Home Team

The majority of conventional schools operate using a standardized curriculum. On one hand, it makes sense to instill selected knowledge and skills in every citizen. No matter where life may take us, there’s no doubt that we could all benefit from being literate, competent in arithmetic, and aware of basic scientific principles, for instance.

Standardized curricula also have appeal rooted in practicality. When you know the typical student-to-teacher ratio, which averages 16:1 at American public schools, it becomes clear why a mostly one-size-fits-all education is the default approach for administrators.

Yes, conventional schools may allow middle and high schoolers to choose their electives as a way to cultivate additional interests. It’s also true that many schools offer a remedial and honors version of certain courses to suit diverse student needs.

However, these options usually represent the best circumstances at conventional schools. If a district experiences budget cuts, staffing shortages, low student enrollment, or any combination of these factors, electives, as well as specialized courses, may be removed from its program.

So, where do these issues leave students who have exceptional needs on either end of the spectrum? For children with learning differences, it means they won’t get the extra scaffolding they need to reach their full potential.

For gifted students, it means they’ll be left bored and disappointed by a curriculum that can’t satisfy their hunger to learn. Stacey Wells from Homeschooling.Mom writes, “For a child that is extremely intellectual and very gifted in learning, public school is like a dead weight on them. They learn so quickly that they are often considered obstinate, as they will always finish lessons, readings, and problems faster than the rest of the class. If they insist that they already know what is being taught, they will be viewed as prideful or sarcastic. In reality, they just seem to absorb knowledge like a sponge and mass-schooling cannot serve those needs.”

Another problem with standardized curricula is that they tend to be accompanied by excessive standardized testing, or what Valerie Strauss of Washington Post calls “an obsession” that “has taken over our schools.”

While standardized testing is nothing new--in fact, it has been used in the United States since the mid-1850s--studies show that the amount of standardized testing administered has increased significantly in recent years. For this trend, many detractors blame the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was passed by President George W. Bush in 2001.

According to Alyson Klein of EducationWeek, the law “effectively scaled up the federal role in holding schools accountable for student outcomes.” The government has turned to testing as the principal means for assessing student progress and thereby, the extent to which school employees are “doing their jobs.” For instance, one specific requirement under NCLB is that “states must test students [annually] in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.”

The resulting overreliance on testing has been a topic of fierce debate for the last two decades. Tim Walker, contributor for the National Education Association, writes, “Unfortunately, standardized tests based on a narrowly prescribed curriculum and linked to specific grade levels are not a good way to judge student or teacher success.”

In the same article, Walker reports that 70 percent of educators “do not believe their primary state assessment is developmentally appropriate for their students” and that just “13 percent agreed that the NCLB-required state standardized test their students took met that standard.”

Students are equally disillusioned by incessant examinations. In 2019, CPR News interviewed Denver teens about “the things that stress them out most.” Sixteen-year-old Mixi wondered aloud, “Why do those [standardized] tests have to define who we are and how smart we are?” Seventeen-year-old Zaida responded, “Being a 2019 teenager isn’t easy.”

CPR News also tells the story of a pediatrician named Rhema Thompson, who claims to have noticed an uptick in testing anxiety over the years. From February to April, the most popular months for testing, she reports seeing “a new patient each day complaining of stomach aches and panic attacks brought on by test anxiety.”

And parents are observing the same trend. According to surveys conducted for a 2016 project at Harvard Graduate School of Education, “49 percent of responding parents were concerned that students are experiencing too much standardized testing.”

Homeschooling is often viewed as a healthier alternative to the traditional schooling environment, though it’s not always a way to sidestep standardized tests entirely. After all, testing requirements for homeschooled students vary dramatically between states.

Some states, such as Connecticut, Utah and Texas, have no testing requirements in place whatsoever. Others like New York and Hawaii mandate testing at “certain intervals” but allow choice in terms of which tests are taken.

Still, homeschooling is a breath of fresh air when compared to the deadening standardization and frequent assessments associated with brick-and-mortar schools. Homeschoolers can work at their own pace, receive extra attention when it’s needed, and be taught according to a customized teaching style.

Naturally, students with learning disabilities may need to progress through the curriculum at a slower pace. Advanced students, on the other hand, may want to move faster than usual and explore additional related topics. The flexible nature of homeschooling lends itself to either situation.

Wendy Hilton lists customized pacing as the first advantage to homeschooling special needs children. In her blog post “Should You Homeschool Your Special Needs Child?” she writes, “In classrooms now, the teachers and students are expected to stay on a very strict schedule and to get a certain amount of work done each day/week/etc. This can be very difficult for any child, and our special needs children often just cannot keep up [. . .] They need plenty of time to learn and practice and use new information. And they need the chance to use this information over and over until they can retain it.”

The Utsey family of Washington D.C. also turned to homeschooling for its tailor-made nature. Mother Monica Utsey says, “The main reason that I decided that I want to homeschool was I wasn’t able to find the right fit, and the right fit being culturally represented in the classroom . . . One of my concerns was the whole starting his history with slavery . . . I wanted to push that timeline back.”

As a homeschooling mom, Monica can ensure that her sons receive a comprehensive view of Black history. In addition, she’s able to incorporate music in each lesson she does with her son Ayinde, whom she describes as “very musical.” After speaking with a home-based preschool teacher who noticed Ayinde’s inclination from a young age, Monica explains, “Whatever it is I see that they lean toward, I lean toward, and I use that [when teaching].”

Studies show that homeschooling can provide higher quality education because it allows for pace, content, and teaching style to all be adapted to the student’s needs. Authors Brian D. Ray and Carlos Valiente of The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal confirm, “A growing body of research indicates that graduates of home-based education excel. Eleven of the 16 peer-reviewed studies on success into adulthood (including college) showed that homeschoolers had better results for political tolerance, college GPA, and college retention than students in conventional schools.”

Varsity Tutors School @ Home offers something for every homeschooler, whether it's customizable complementary instruction in both academic and elective subjects or a digital app that makes daily homeschooling logistics easier for parents. Learn more here.