Wednesday was TAKS day at several of the schools in our area. I have strong opinions regarding this test. The following is just a portion of something I wrote the day of TAKS, because I was so frustrated with the darn test and the amount of wieght in puts on our children, parents, teachers, schools, etc. If you want to read my entire complaint let me know and I will e-mail it to you. Actually my children do not mind the test. They finish in just a few hours and instead of spending the rest of the day (4+ hours) reading or taking a nap, I pick them up from school early. This is a big no, no and I get not so happy looks when I arrive to pick up my kids.
Here is a portion of what I wrote; e-mail me if you want my full opinion.
---There is a series of tests that all 3-12 graders in Texas must take every year. This test is called the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). I HATE this test!!! This test is how the schools, teachers, children, and districts are rated. I dislike this test because; First it takes time away from our children learning. There are several practice TASKS tests and practice worksheets students do in order to do well on the test, all teaching evolves around it. Second, it puts undo pressure on our children. Students are reminded constantly about how important the test is. Third, one single test should not have so much input on the schools ratings. If a school gets a high rating it is solely because the students did well on the TAKS.
As a teacher I totally understand where you're coming from about stupid tests. Where I taught was a Reading First school which meant that a lot of emphasis was placed on the reading program. We had all these theme skills tests that a lot of emphasis was placed on. A lot of the students grade came from these tests and if the students didn't do well on the tests than their grade got brought down. A lot of parents were angry at me when I was just reporting grades. It was really irritating. I knew the students knew better but we just had to report the grades they got. Ahhhh! I think you are awesome to pick up your children on days like that. It is pointless for them to be there wasting time.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree with you, We take a Benchmark exam here, they even have pep rallys for it. I would like to read your e-mail. I never thought of checking my kids out of school after the test, next time. I really hate it when they waste time at school.
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