And they wonder why their kids are having trouble passing the TAKS…

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa070524_wz_taksprotest.6fe879b.html

Wow...I'd be a genius in Texas if that is the class best!

If I heard correctly, the state of Texas is considering doing away with the TAKS test.... but rest assure... they'll find another replacement for this required state test!

What I hate... and one of the reasons I left the world of teaching.... was the fact that teachers were required to devote so much time to ensuring the students had the skills to pick out the proper answers.... and eliminate the wrong ones.... and imagine... it all starts in 3rd grade!

Tell me.. what happened to a good ole' education? If we spent the time equipping students with the knowledge of reading, writing, spelling, mathematics,etc... then when it came time to test the results would soar and the students would pass.

I mean...seriously... think about how many youngsters are working and can't even count change back to ya...why...cause they spent to many hours trying to eliminate 2 of the 4 answers and then pickin the best of the last 2 remaining answers!

:sigh:

Florida is like that with the F-CAT tests. If we have anything like that here in Wisconsin, we don't hear as much about them.

Geesh, I remember when I went to school in Chicago, we had some "standardized tests" we had to take in 3rd grade and 5th or 6th. No big deal. You took them, they weren't hard, and you went on making your volcano for the science fair.

Nanwa, I have no kiddies, but I hear from the folks here at work that the Wisconsin tests are getting to be just as bad, where they are getting to the point they are getting the third graders all worked sick and nervous about them! They are spending a week or so of classroom time before the test to work on and practice test-taking skills, to help them pass the test!

You know, it makes me crazy. These are basic minimum skills tests, and if your child is even an average student, they will get passing scores. The emphasis placed on these tests is absurd.

I told my son not to worry about it, and he has been just fine. (As long as I make him waffles and sausages for breakfast on test days).

Do they force you to teach towards the tests? If so, that totally defeats the purpose. Sure, learning how to learn is important, but learning how to test is, well, a sure why to deny a child a real education.

In my twin Texas cities much of a semester or so is spent teaching to the tests. In my cities, one allowed the students exceeding the number of credits required to graduate but failing a part of the TAKS (usually the math part) to walk and the other city didn't.

I think the leg failed to address the TAKS this biennial so now we will wait until 2009.

In IA they start taking tests in Kindergarten, they have the ITBS but then on top of that they have all of these other standardized tests they take, that they are taking tests almost 1 week out of a month. It is part of IA'a no child left behind program but I think it is too much testing and not enough teaching.

Did anyone notice the sign the first lady was carrying? It said "Let are kids walk."

First, if the requirement is they must pass the test to graduate, they shouldn't be allowed to walk. Period.

In Louisiana, we have the LEAP test, taken in 4th, 8th, and 11th grade. You must pass LEAP to advance to the next grade. While the school my young un attends does not "teach" towards the test, there are some that do (we live in the parish (county)with the highest test scores statewide for the past 18 years). He is in 4th, passed the LEAP with flying colors. Of course, his school also has no more than 14 kids in a class, which greatly contributes to their ability to teach. In 12th grade, Louisiana requires all students to take and pass the GRE. It is given at 4 times in the year (4 different parts), and if you fail any 1 part, you can't walk or graduate with your class. Opportunities to take the failed part are given several times, all before graduation.

During the school year in our school district, there are after school tutoring courses (free of charge) for LEAP and GRE. Very few students take advantage of this, and their parents are the first to whine when they don't pass.

Only public schools in La. require this testing, private schools are exempt.

We had something similar to the GRE in MD, it was 4 parts and one was all essay so it took months to get the score back. It was horrible waiting to see if you were going to have to wait and take the test again.

Believe me... you spend nearly the whole school year focusing on the test and teaching the students how to pass the TAKS... they have even made "resource" classes for the students who fail the subjects on the TAKS. So along with their regular credited classes... they have to take the "resource" classes for whatever subject they flunked on the TAKS.

Like bbs said... we have 3rd graders as well getting sick and stressing out over a test that doesn't affect them until their Senior year... other than... if they don't make a certain level they have to attend the "resource" class til they pass the TAKS.

I saw that too, I was wondering why no one had commented on that haha

Are you kidding me? How embarrassing!

My teacher friends complain that they are rarely allowed to hold a child back. The parents must agree to it and they usually don't.

I think that sums it up, doesn't it...

The man I dated had a 13 y/o, who for the first 6 years of his school life, had A's and B's. In the 7th grade, he decided that he wanted to flunk....and he did. The teachers talked with his dad, and told him that they were going to hold him back; dad did not argue (in fact, he whole heartedly agreed with them), and they did ---- they held him back. We have since broken up, so I don't know if he is going on to 8th grade this year or not.

But I applaud the teachers and the school for having the pineapples to hold this kid back. And to Dad, for allowing them to do it.

Ok, Since I graduated H.S. in 2004, I was the last grade that got to take the previous state test which was known as TAAS(Texas Assesment of Knowledge and Skills) Yes, since the third grade they drill the TAAS test into your head, it was pretty simple and easy there were 3 parts ( if I recall correctly) math,reading, and an essay. I always passed the reading maybe missing one question, math I barely passed, and the essay was average. Any way my point is the graduating class of '05 had to pass the TAKS test in order to graduate, the TAKS v.s. the TAAS way harder, longer. My grade level was the testing guinea pigs before they appproved the TAKS, and when we took these test the teachers told us to take it seriously, but since we all knew it didn't matter for our year whether or not we passed most people just filled in answers, or shaded certain dots that made their scan trons have pics,on the essay they would write stuff not even relating to the topic and just ramble about whatever. I don't agree with the tests, they're easy (well TAAS was) but it takes a lot of focus away on the "real" teaching that needed to be done

Texas has schools??

If more did, I think alot more kids wouldn't get "left behind".

ah, the conflicted youth of today...LOLoad

I agree with you Nanwa

Yeah, I didn't mean to start a debate about the TAKS but to poke fun at the parents of these kids who do not know the difference between our and are.