Sleep affects math performance more

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-deprivation-hits-some-brain-areas-hard?utm_source=Society+for+Science+Newsletters&utm_campaign=376a7c876e-editors_picks_week_of_0808168_13_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a4c415a67f-376a7c876e-104582405

Math teachers in particular may have noticed a decline in the abilities of children and stood somewhat bemused as the 'Math Wars' raged in academia (usually waged, it has be said, by people who spent little time in the trenches).  I think most of us recognized that often the most pressing problem with a student who was struggling in maths was the fact that they hadn't eaten breakfast and had gone to bed at 3 in the morning.

Standardized Testing

Standardized Testing does not have to be a bland multiple choice test. In fact some standardization is only fair, when high school results often get students into universities. Some might argue that in  fact standardization is ever more crucial in an increasingly globalised world. Quite why the United States has fixated on dreary multiple choice tests can only be explained by one rationale ; cost. But done properly standardized Testing can be a useful tool. Like all tools, it's effectiveness depends on its appropriate use ; use a claw hammer for removing haemorrids instead of banging in nails and the results are likely to be eye-wateringly bad. Standardized Testing could be a useful diagnostic instead of a judgement on individuals or organizations.

The PISA tests and international rankings

The agonizing over a countries rankings in the PISA tests has always slightly bemused me. How come IQ tests have been largely debunked yet these PISA tests remain so revered?

Few seem to have asked the crucial questions ; who writes the tests, and how valid really are they as a measure of a country's general educational level?

It is painful to see administrators cooking up bureaucratic and unproven ways to raise results when the most effective remains the simplest ; small classes. Hire more teachers and assistants in the actual classroom and watch standards rise inexorably with the most value for money.