As I shared with you last week, after our group of volunteers tested the children, alongside the MAD folks, we quickly realized that not all of them qualified for the curriculum-based program. Only a handful of them actually tested high enough to even start with the basic beginning level produced by Cambridge.
It broke our hearts to realize that this meant that so many of the children would be turned away. They would be told they would not be able to participate in the program ... and we just could NOT let that happen.
During a meeting just a couple of days after the initial testing, someone mentioned that they felt the initial testing didn't quite capture the children's abilities, was a bit subjective and quite possibly not remedial enough.
It was decided that all of these 32 children should be re-assessed, based on a more basic and beginning level .... assessed more based on how many letters and simple words they could recognize by sight.
On a day set out by our fearless leader, the group of children gathered outside of the AES campus to be assessed.
On a day set out by our fearless leader, the group of children gathered outside of the AES campus to be assessed.
(all photos by Pam Lattimore...who really should be blogging. But don't tell her I said that!)
Those results were then calculated, pored over, and the children were placed into three separate classes. Those that had very few correct answers concerning alphabet recognition and sight word recognition went into one class ... while those with median knowledge of those alphabet letters and words went into yet another class. The top scorers remained in the original class and all was good!
ALL of the 32 students we had originally tested would have an opportunity to learn English.
The first class would be using the MAD Starter curriculum, developed and provided by Cambridge. The second and third classes would use ... um ... well ...they would use ....
Hmmm ... they would use curriculum developed by US!
During another subsequent meeting with our core group of volunteers, someone said "I just cannot imagine telling the little ones that they aren't smart enough to learn English."
After all, we have teachers and mothers in this core group of volunteers. Why couldn't ... and why shouldn't we dive in and create a system and process by which the other children could also benefit?
ALL of the 32 students we had originally tested would have an opportunity to learn English.
The first class would be using the MAD Starter curriculum, developed and provided by Cambridge. The second and third classes would use ... um ... well ...they would use ....
Hmmm ... they would use curriculum developed by US!
During another subsequent meeting with our core group of volunteers, someone said "I just cannot imagine telling the little ones that they aren't smart enough to learn English."
The rest of us looked at each other. Recalling from memory, I'm pretty sure that a period of maybe 60 seconds passed by. It was probably closer to 30 seconds.
Someone said something along the lines of "It's easy. Let's just develop our OWN program that teaches the beginnings of the English language?" and the rest of us quickly said "why not!"
Someone said something along the lines of "It's easy. Let's just develop our OWN program that teaches the beginnings of the English language?" and the rest of us quickly said "why not!"
(I love hanging out with people who have that attitude!)
After all, we have teachers and mothers in this core group of volunteers. Why couldn't ... and why shouldn't we dive in and create a system and process by which the other children could also benefit?
Next Monday, I'll share with you a bit about our process to create the curriculum for these kiddos!
