Posted on 09/09/2014 5:14:45 PM PDT by dontreadthis
Teachers have been complaining for years that children are forced to take an excessive number of state-mandated exams that, if failed, can prevent students from advancing a grade level or even graduating from high school.
There’s a national movement afoot to reduce — or even eliminate — these state-mandated exams and go back to the days when grades and other factors were used for grade promotion.
In recent months throughout Florida, the movement — once fueled solely by parents — has now reached school boards, which have even debated telling the state Department of Education it wants to opt out of such testing. The Lee County School Board recently voted to opt out of state testing, but quickly rescinded the motion after the state Department of Education said Lee would lose $280 million in funding.
Lee County’s discussion opened a dialog among many school boards and parent groups about opting out of state testing.
In Palm Beach County, the board discussed the issue after many parents had filed complaints wanting to opt out of state testing.
In Orange County, a parent group called Opt Out Orlando is fighting to get the state to give parents an “opt out” provision. The group notes the state already allows school administrators to promote third-graders who fail the mandated test if the student’s portfolio — grades and other factors — measure up.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocala.com ...
State testing doesn’t test students, it tests teachers, hence why teacher unions are so against these tests.
But typical liberal smoke screen - ‘It’s for the children...’
No,teachers' UNIONS have been complaining about he tests because they allow a measurement of their teaching skills.
“Other factors” = “social promotion.”
An illiterate, dumbed-down population is easily manipulated. And that’s what Common Core is all about. Don’t teach them how to properly spell a word, how to write a sentence in proper syntax, or even how to do basic math. Just give them pointless yes/no tests to gauge their “feelings” or the “feelings of others”. And it doesn’t matter that they are allowed to go all the way through high school without ever learning how to read, write, or even use penmanship. The govenrnment-paid teachers get their bonuses as long as the test results prove that the kids are “politically correct”.
The tests were never intended to be used to determine whether or not a student was promoted to the next grade. The tests were intended to tell the teachers how the students responded to provided instruction. THe schools were to look at how the students performed in specific areas and do so over the years so that schools could improve and fine tune their instruction.
THere was an uproar when NY city schools received error laden test results. THe test scores had to be recalculated and horror of horrors, numerous children who were thought to have scored in the lowest (say 10% mastery of content for that school year) tier had actually scored a bit higher (say 12% mastery). Agreed that the testing company should have to pay through the nose for making an error. The part that shocked me was that parents were outraged that their kids had to go to summer school as a result of the testing company’s error. If my child scored horribly on the test I’d be BEGGING for additional class time, summer school but these parents were irate because, technically, the slightly higher score meant their student wasn’t REQUIRED to attend summer school. I’m not indifferent to summer vacation plans and child care issues etc. - but isn’t it more important that the student aquire more than the low teens in mastery for that school year so he/she doesn’t fail the next year or drop out in frustration?
Teachers have been saying there’s too much testing for decades but this story is posed as if it is a new and burgeoning problem that must be addressed.
I had teachers, in Catholic school in the 70ss who hated much of the state testing - teachers not liking them is nothing new, and doesn’t always have anything to do with unions. My daughter’s teachers are not in a union and they don’t like them either.
Thank you.
I got off track. I meant to make the point that the tests were to be used for instructional evaluation and can still be used that way. Drop the grade promotion basis and just use them to evaluate the instruction. Okay to make graduation based on other things - dubious but okay. So make graduation depend on grades but still use testing to determine if kids are learning anything for that grade promotion. Have SOME idea whether you are just pushing kids through a chute or if they are learning something.
umerous children who were thought to have scored in the lowest (say 10% mastery of content for that school year) tier had actually scored a bit higher (say 12% mastery).
Sure. Don’t test the kids. Just take the teacher’s word for it that the kids are learning. [/s]
Standardized, objective testing is necessary to determine if, in fact, the kids are learning. Whether the right stuff is being tested, that is another question.
IMO, the SAT tests were not run properly - they did not stress enough how important they could be to one's future and ensure that folks took them seriously enough to apply themselves.
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