Our brains begin to mature long before we are born. Our brains continue to develop most of our lives—however, brain maturity differs from one individual to another.

This should not come as a shock; when we know our bodies grow at different rates. Puberty is reached at different ages, and people reach emotional maturity at different ages. Why would we expect our brains to be any different? Having a classroom full of children of the same age or siblings of the same age does not mean that they are equally ready to learn about a specific topic or skill. It is also worth mentioning that different brain functions mature at different times.

All children need to be challenged to benefit from teachers. However, teachers must be careful to neither instruct above or below the maturity level of a child’s brain. By not teaching at the student’s brain maturity level, teachers can face problems in the classroom. Children may act out, be avoidant, challenge authority, and show aggression towards other students. For example, a child can have advanced verbal skills but might develop gross and fine motor control at a slower rate. Other children might be advanced physically but might be emotionally immature. We need to understand better how our brains mature and the characteristics of each level of brain development.

Technology is continuously evolving and changing the way we communicate, work, play, and create. Therefore, it only makes sense that digital technology advancements would change the face of education as we know it. E-learning development is now a multi-billion dollar industry; 98% of US Businesses plan to adopt EdTech in 2020.

What is Standardized Testing?#

As the name implies, standardized testing is any test administered and scored in a standard manner. A standardized test is a method of assessment with consistency as its focal point. Standardized tests require all test-takers to respond to the same questions or similar questions from a common question bank in the same way. They are scored consistently, making it possible to compare student performances to each other.

It is estimated that 15-30% of children and adolescents globally have learning difficulties. Learning difficulties or learning disabilities, as known in North America, are conditions that affect children’s abilities to learn, specifically when compared to their peers. Learning difficulties may affect essential learning skills, such as reading, writing, and math. Moreover, they can hinder long or short-term attention, memory, and high-order thinking skills, such as time management, evaluation, critical thinking. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of conditions from dyslexia (difficulty reading words accurately) to dysgraphia (impaired handwriting, problems with spelling or putting thoughts on paper) and dyscalculia (difficulty in interpreting arithmetic). It is important to note that there are other disorders that can disrupt learning; these include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Despite not being considered a learning difficulty, ADHD can disrupt learning; children with ADHD have problems staying still, following instructions, and staying focused. Autism is a developmental disability that makes it difficult for children to communicate, read body language, make friends, and learn necessary skills.