tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19855347.post114049938891009256..comments2024-03-24T18:43:21.700-05:00Comments on Forgetfulone: State Mandated TestingForgetfulonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895803172098820967noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19855347.post-16789434859882372512008-12-08T10:20:00.000-06:002008-12-08T10:20:00.000-06:00It is similar here in Michigan as well. These tes...It is similar here in Michigan as well. These tests are very frustrating. My oldest always does very poorly on them. She also struggles in school. When her last tests results came last year, I was hoping I could get the school to finally see she needed help. They just told me not to worry, the tests didn't mean anything.<BR/><BR/>It was nice to know all that time & work spent on taking them meant nothing for the kids, ugh!Ginnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09928304350897366869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19855347.post-14884872326369798062008-12-08T10:18:00.000-06:002008-12-08T10:18:00.000-06:00I'm not a teacher, but my husband is, and now that...I'm not a teacher, but my husband is, and now that my son is school-age, I'll be dealing with TAKS directly. I think it's ridiculous that so much time and feffort is expended on "teaching to the test". Whatever happened to teaching kids the things they need to know, giving them the tools they need to make a go of it in life? I understand that children need to have some basic level of competence when they graduate, and I don't have a problem with that being tested. What I do have a problem with is the test basically being made the be-all and end-all when it comes to measuring academic success. And for what it's worth, I helped grade practice essays for the TAAS test - one of the previous incarnations of TAKS - when I worked for the county, it was our community outreach project one year. I was appalled at the horrible spelling and grammar and penmanship and poor use of punctuation. And yet we were told to "grade holistically", not to look at things like spelling and grammar, but to consider how the students communicated their ideas as a whole. I'm sorry, but if you can't spell and punctuate and use proper grammar, you can't communicate. These essays were written by high school juniors, and my six-year-old's spelling is better than some of what I saw demonstrated there. If I were an educator, I'd be a sight more concerned about whether my students could handle the basics like spelling than whether they could pass some assessment test cooked up by a bunch of high muckety-mucks.<BR/><BR/>We had standardized tests when I was growing up, but it was no big deal. There were no practice tests or prep sessions, we just showed up on test day with our #2 pencils and got to work. What's wrong with that? Seems like that's a more genuine test of what a student has learned than it is to have them take a test that they've practiced for all year long. And tying any kind of financial incentive, for teachers or schools, to academic performance just spells "bad idea" to me.<BR/><BR/>You're not alone in thinking this testing is a load of hooey, that's for sure.Lisa @ The Plain-Spoken Penhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589278128659676715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19855347.post-18753749573310393032008-12-08T10:03:00.000-06:002008-12-08T10:03:00.000-06:00Sing it, sister!I am vehemently opposed to state t...Sing it, sister!<BR/><BR/>I am vehemently opposed to state testing. I have six kids, 5 of whom are internationally adopted. Two of my kids have severe learning disabilities, who don't understand the testing, have huge anxiety about it, and (I'm sure) pull the numbers down. My others don't have the cultural background to "compete" with their peers. The testing doesn't measure the amound of learning they have done in a year. It only measures how much time their teachers spend "teaching to the test."<BR/><BR/><BR/>Corey<BR/>jcwaters2002@yahoo.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19855347.post-1141510720368744442006-03-04T16:18:00.000-06:002006-03-04T16:18:00.000-06:00As a current teacher, I have to agree with everyth...As a current teacher, I have to agree with everything you said. In NC, the testing requirements aren't much different. We have 9-week, writing, reading, math assessments, field testing, EOG's for reading and math, and next year - EOG's for Social Studies. <BR/><BR/>While I understand and agree that every child should have an understanding of the material taught to them at the end of any given academic year, I believe we spend too much time, $$, and effort on the testing and the results of that testing. Don't even get me started on rewarding teachers or schools. That's a whole other post in itself.<BR/><BR/>So, those are my thoughts...Best wishes to the kids...<BR/><BR/>Lisa :)Lisa Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02632948086466141425noreply@blogger.com