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After being assured by the teacher, she had it under control yesterday, I had the teacher send home what my daughter needed help with.
Guess what was sent home...
A study Guide for the math TAKS test.
Last night I had her do the first practice test.
It is worse then I thought. 9 of 18 questions right... I'm PO'ed at this point. This is real easy stuff(at least to me)
I helped her with what she got wrong, and she is in there bright and early this morning retaking the test from scratch.
Well it's not what they got, it's why they got it. I don't know how many times I've gone over either homework or tests with my kids and they knew exactly what to do, but either suffered vapor lock, performance anxiety, or were simply careless. When I hand the exact same test to my son, who scored a bad 60%, and have him redo the ones he got wrong and he gets 100% of them correct the second time around (and rather quickly to boot), that's him being sloppy and how I approach that situation differs radically from the scenario where he continues to get the wrong answers because he either doesn't understand the question or doesn't understand how to answer/solve the question. I don't sweat it if they don't understand some concepts, that's natural even in the best teaching environment (key word is _some_). However I get on them good for the lazy/careless stuff, just no excuse for it. I think it's this latter point that suffers the most when parents are not engaged in their kids education more so than pure content.
ok, as far as the threads that i have been reading some people think that the taks is some easy little piece of cake to pass to the next level... but see the thing is when i read these things i chuckle slightly because all i see is naive people talking about what they "think" they know like for example someone here said that their sophomore daughter said "how can people not pass these tests?" how simple it sounds and yet passing them still isnt being accomplished especially by comments like those so therefore the parent thinks this stuff is easy but see this girl is just a sophomore i mean yea she can get held back a grade but so what when you have the stress from all other things like i dont know maybe LIFE taks does seem rather difficult for others especially those who aren't given a good mental preparation so yes TAKS is difficult and pointless cause i am in college and it hasnt helped me once since i have been here learning every year about nothing but the TAKS really screwed me over and now i am paying for the consequences so like i said depending on the kid who is taking it depending how easy it is its not simple for everyone and yes schools here in texas are good but they wont stay like that with the TAKS being such a pimple to pass... so yea good luck...
"If you struggled with the test - then perhaps the school district didn't do as well as they should. If that is true - the TAKS was successful in identifying a problem. You can blame your school and your teachers if you want. If you are totally honest with yourself though - I bet you know you didn't do your best listening in class and doing your homework."
Granted, I only substitute, but I see a lot more of this than kids just having a hard time grasping something. Yes, kids will act up with a sub, but there are several instances when I've co-taught with the actual teacher and there are a number of kids who just sit at their desks and say they don't feel like doing the lesson, or they'd much rather sit around talking to their friends or be disruptive. The ones who have a hard time with the work ask the most questions. Kids who are just being lazy make it patently obvious and it shows when it comes to test time. I was subbing today and some teachers were having this very conversation.
ok i understand what you are trying to say but on your comment about "one long sentence" ok i didnt write my opinion in concerns for grammar or anything like that so as to why you are judging me on my grammar rather than what i am trying to say. Honestly, i dont think you have anything logical to say about my opinion ok sure YOUR kids flew through the TAKS thats excellent! but your kids arent going to represent all of Texas education and there is proof all over the internet where you can look up exactly what i am talking about (look up on google AGAINST TAKS) this Test is rediculous and stupid this exam taught me absolutely nothing for the future and for your information i paid more attention in class than what you pay to what is really going on Mister! you need to open your eyes and see how it affects the general education for all exam testers not just your kids; yea sure your kids come first but if you cared so much you would be reading up and studying everything you could to make sure they are getting the best education wouldnt you? like i said i am a college student and everything i learned in elementary, middle, and highschool about the taks has not helped me at all and it will not help your children either just wait the very daughter who said that the taks is simple and she dosnt understand how others can't pass will say the same thing that it dosnt help anywhere else so like i said instead of pin pointing my grammar and what i say read what i am telling you and stop being such a tight wad about it!
We just pulled our son out of public school here and a big part of it was the TAKS. He hasn't taken it yet but he complained of having to do daily worksheets with the type of math he learned in kindergarten (they were TAKS practice sheets) He actually told me he felt he was "becoming dumb" at his school. My son attended an exemplary rated school here and we were really disappointed with the lack of rigor and opportunity for challenge (as was he).
As much as some of you don't like the way Pointless Monica has delivered her message (in terms of sentence structure and formatting) I think she makes some good points.
Wow! That is an interesting article - the book excerpt, too. I am not a classroom teacher, but do supplementary science teaching through a non-profit organization, so I talk to classroom teachers frequently. Although some of the specifics in the excerpt are things we never talked about (percentages of transfers & tutoring, for example), the general mood of teachers seems to be that the testing has taken over their curriculum, at the expense of the real teaching they know how to do, but have no time for. In addition, classrooms no longer have time for hands-on learning, field trips and enrichment. The things that excite kids' curiosity and intellect are being cut out. My organization, which does science learning field trips, now uses the science standards to plan the trips, but many teachers have stopped taking their kids out because the test taking leaves no time for experiential learning.
I found this thread interesting because we have the same problems here in Florida with our FCAT testing. My children were never taught their multiplication tables in elementary school here because the teachers were too busy teaching them the strategies to pass FCAT. That is all they learn in the public schools around here. Now my 19-year-old daughter is struggling in her college classes because of the poor education she received. However, she can ace a standardized test with no problem whatsoever. What a joke.
ok i understand what you are trying to say but on your comment about "one long sentence" ok i didnt write my opinion in concerns for grammar or anything like that so as to why you are judging me on my grammar rather than what i am trying to say. Honestly, i dont think you have anything logical to say about my opinion ok sure YOUR kids flew through the TAKS thats excellent! but your kids arent going to represent all of Texas education and there is proof all over the internet where you can look up exactly what i am talking about (look up on google AGAINST TAKS) this Test is rediculous and stupid this exam taught me absolutely nothing for the future and for your information i paid more attention in class than what you pay to what is really going on Mister! you need to open your eyes and see how it affects the general education for all exam testers not just your kids; yea sure your kids come first but if you cared so much you would be reading up and studying everything you could to make sure they are getting the best education wouldnt you? like i said i am a college student and everything i learned in elementary, middle, and highschool about the taks has not helped me at all and it will not help your children either just wait the very daughter who said that the taks is simple and she dosnt understand how others can't pass will say the same thing that it dosnt help anywhere else so like i said instead of pin pointing my grammar and what i say read what i am telling you and stop being such a tight wad about it!
Monica - it is very difficult to take you seriously the way you write. TAKS doesn't teach you anything. It is just one way to measure how much you learned.
You seem to think your poor grammar and communication skills don't matter. It does! You can stock shelves at a store with communication skills like yours. But a business won't hire you to advertise or sell for them.
I have never said that TAKS is a perfect test or measure of achievement. But the standard for passing it is not high. Either your school(s) is poor and/or you were not giving it your best.
We just pulled our son out of public school here and a big part of it was the TAKS. He hasn't taken it yet but he complained of having to do daily worksheets with the type of math he learned in kindergarten (they were TAKS practice sheets) He actually told me he felt he was "becoming dumb" at his school. My son attended an exemplary rated school here and we were really disappointed with the lack of rigor and opportunity for challenge (as was he).
As much as some of you don't like the way Pointless Monica has delivered her message (in terms of sentence structure and formatting) I think she makes some good points.
I don't think Monica made any good points at all. All she said was that I was a tightwad about her poor writing. Google searches that produce hits on complaints against TAKS just shows some people don't like TAKS. Because almost no one actually likes tests like TAKS you will find little if you search for TAKS fans.
As for your son - I don't know what school and what grade he is in. But my kids all took the TAAS, then the TAKS multiple times. Yes they were taught in elementary school to prepare for it - so they could pass it. But that was all in elementary school. It passes. I don't believe they were harmed at all. They somehow managed to learn their math tables, how to reason, solve problems, and prepare for an AP workload in high school. I can't imagine pulling my child out of school because of the TAKS.
If you want to see examples of the TAKS tests - look below:
I don't think Monica made any good points at all. All she said was that I was a tightwad about her poor writing. Google searches that produce hits on complaints against TAKS just shows some people don't like TAKS. Because almost no one actually likes tests like TAKS you will find little if you search for TAKS fans.
As for your son - I don't know what school and what grade he is in. But my kids all took the TAAS, then the TAKS multiple times. Yes they were taught in elementary school to prepare for it - so they could pass it. But that was all in elementary school. It passes. I don't believe they were harmed at all. They somehow managed to learn their math tables, how to reason, solve problems, and prepare for an AP workload in high school. I can't imagine pulling my child out of school because of the TAKS.
If you want to see examples of the TAKS tests - look below:
I looked over a few math and English tests for elementary grades. I didn't see anything that wasn't reasonable to test children for.
When your kids were in elementary (my son is in second grade) did they go to school for seven hours a day with only ONE recess? Did they do TAKS worksheets everyday? Did they only get PE once a week? Were they sending your kid home with an hour of MEANINGLESS homework in the first grade? Because if not, times have changed.
I think it is fine to give kids standardized tests to see if they know what they should, but the problem is with how high the stakes have become. The test is no longer a tool or a means to an end, it is treated like an end in itself. Looking at the single digit addition my son was being drilled on daily in the second grade was the last straw. Perhaps we were spoiled at our old school (out of state), but the public school here was kind of a joke.
I agree with Monica in that just because your kids tell you that they cannot understand how anyone can fail the test doesn't mean they have a legitimate appraisal of its merit. I also agree that because they are teaching to the test, many students are not being adequately prepared with the necessary critical thinking and other skills necessary for higher ed.
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Quit Beating around the bush!!
