score commended on TAKS, get out of final exams? (Midland: real estate, credit)

[cinnamon_toast]

A sophomore at the high school here just informed me that because she had scored commended on the TAKS test that she does not have to take final exams. Is this true in other school districts and does only else think this is a super-weenie cop-out? No final exams?? How pray tell does this prepare high schoolers for college? She was quite busy studying for her AP history exam but still.

[Westerner92]

I've heard of that before. I don't know how much finals count in other school districts, but at mine they only counted 10% of the semester's grade, so it was really just a waste of time, hardly preparatory for college. There was a policy that if you had no unexcused absences and greater than an 85 average, you were exempt.

I literally just got done taking two finals today that each counted for 30% of my grade. High school finals, exemption policy or not, are not going to prepare you for that. AP/IB exams are decent preparation though.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

I've heard of that before. I don't know how much finals count in other school districts, but at mine they only counted 10% of the semester's grade, so it was really just a waste of time, hardly preparatory for college. There was a policy that if you had no unexcused absences and greater than an 85 average, you were exempt.

I literally just got done taking two finals today that each counted for 30% of my grade. High school finals, exemption policy or not, are not going to prepare you for that. AP/IB exams are decent preparation though.

Agree with everything.

High school finals don't really do much for those aspiring to go to college. I know if we passed TAKS our Junior year; we got off campus privileges and stuff.

[Westerntraveler]

my school district ,Midland ISD, has a no exemptions policy. I cant remember how much the finals counted.

[texasdiver]

Yes it is true of other districts. They tend to give out exemptions like candy.

At my district you earn an exemption based on combination of grades and attendance. The standard pre-TAKS policy is as follows: You can exempt the final in a class with a grade of 90 and 3 absences, 85 and 2 absences, or 80 and 1 absence. 9th graders can exempt one class, 10th graders 2 classes, 11 graders 3 classes, and 12 graders all classes.

With the hyper-focus on TAKS and the school and district accountability ratings based on TAKS scores (and the incoming STAR test) districts are trying go get students to try harder on the TAKS. Understand that students are totally over-tested with these state standardized tests and the soon figure out which ones matter and which ones don't. TAKS only really matters if you are an 11th grader in that you have to pass it sometime in order to graduate (you get multiple attempts at teh 11th grade tests if necessary). TAKS scores are meaningless to individual students in 9th and 10th grade and the kids know it. However the aggregate TAKS scores at all grade levels determine a school's accountability ratings and even affect things like neighborhood property values. So the schools try every kind of carrot to get the kids to take their TAKS tests seriously. At my district they have a separate policy for TAKS. If you pass the TAKS test in a subject area and have 5 or less absences for the semester you can exempt the final for that subject. And if you get commended on TAKS you can exempt that class and get a second exemption to use for an elective class.

I teach HS science and for the spring final exams I often have only about 5 kids show up for the final out of a class of 25. The rest have exemptions of some sort either based on passing TAKS or grades and attendance.

[cinnamon_toast]

Thank you for helping me understand. The schools here are so different from what I grew up with on the east coast. Everything is so focused on standardized testing. With the exception of math and science, final exams were all "blue book" -- essays, critical analysis, etc. That, to me, is preparation for college. Not multiple choice exams.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by cinnamon_toast

Thank you for helping me understand. The schools here are so different from what I grew up with on the east coast. Everything is so focused on standardized testing. With the exception of math and science, final exams were all "blue book" -- essays, critical analysis, etc. That, to me, is preparation for college. Not multiple choice exams.

That's how it is everywhere now, not just Texas. Really, if you want your kid(s) to be prepared for college, make sure they are never in an on-level class. Have them take AP or IB classes, and they'll come out with a semester's to a year's worth of college credit if they do well.

[Philip T]

If you follow the history, Texas got in the testing condition it is in because things were so half-assed for so long. Math Teachers selected on their basis of being a Football Coach and that sort of priorities.

So the tests came in to just try to make a baseline. So the same slackers took those minimum standards and have tried to make it their goal. Become the best at the bottom. And all it takes to get by is 70% of the kids to read and write and do math at those bottom standards to get by. That is called "Acceptable." Means that almost 1/3 of the kids may not be able to read, write or do minimum math. Again at those bottom standards.

Up the chain, when you can 90% or more of the kids to just do those minimum test standards you reach a status called Exemplary -- even with still 10% or so of the kids not able to read, write or do math at the Minimum. But then your local property values go up due to folks trying to get away from the rest of the half-assery.

But then something weird kicks in, and that is what you are seeing and the starting point of this topic. The Admin gets (driven by the local real estate folks) "creative" to get those higher ratings, including the Commended Ratings (where the kids get a high percentage -- again of the Minimum -- correct).

Of course the same half-assed Admin is not quite creative enough to do their job, but rather to play games. And things shift in over-doing, but still half-assed. Work deals like skip finals, like this thread started with. Hold back kids in topics and classes until after the tests, on and on.

Westerner 92 is correct -- if you want your kids to come out competent from this mess -- Good Luck and it is up to you. Here is where we are at in the mess . . .

http://www.city-data.com/forum/educa...singapore.html