Standardized Tests
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I know each state has certain tests that kids have to take in elementary school. In Alabama we had the SAT test (Standford Achievement Test). But here there's the CRCT. I read in my daughter's school papers that if they don't pass that test then they won't get promoted to the next grade.
I am confident that my daughters will pass but why put so much emphasis on a standardized test? What if the child doesn't do well in these types of testing situations but has done well all during the school year? It doesn't seem right to me.
user comments
Practice helps
For the same reasons that high schoolers take pre-SATS, younger students also take practice and standardized tests. While I don't like how schools focus on how to pass, not just overall learning, students will continue to have to take tests throughout their lives, so it's good that they become used to them.
Additionally, it's a good indicator as to where the student and the school needs improvement. With GA and SC continuing to be ranked last in the US, those tests are needed to ensure schools are on track. They certainly aren't perfect and I think schools force teachers to put more emphasis on passing the tests, as opposed to ensuring students really understand the material.
The best thing we can do as parents is to help our children deal with the tests and their schoolwork.
Business models and schools don't mix
When the big publishing companies (Houghton-Mifflin) and Riverside (publisher of many standardized tests) infiltrated our schools, It saw the end of truly innovative and creative teaching practices!
The businessmen need to back away from our school systems! Teachers do not have any say in how their schools are run! That is the main problem!
I feel your frustration!
As a teacher and mother of a public school student, I know the frustration on both sides!
The teachers are under unbelieveable pressure to ensure every student passes the dreaded CRCT! Students are also feeling the pressure. I hate to say this, but parents are a child's first teachers. Find out from your child's teacher which areas he/she is struggling in and give him or her one-on-one tutoring yourself at home. It takes time, but it is FREE!
Any child who struggles in school would fare so much better if his/her parent took the time to sit down with him and work with him/her on homework or areas of weakness. I don't want to hear any excuses about lack of time. These parents take it upon themselves to fill in any curricular gaps. Just do it! You and your child/children will reap many benefits! Go to www.georgiastandards.org and you will see what I mean. The amount of standards is unreal!
Do you want to know why some students and those whose parents are teachers are so successful in school? It is the fact that their parents do not expect the school to teach their child EVERYTHING they need to be successful.
Visualization
Googling "visualization test taking" provides some interesting
advice on preparing for high-stakes tests.
Most of the sites recommend spending some time having the child vividly
imagine successfully taking and completing the test. The whole thing has to be done in a very positive and relaxed way.
Practice, along with breathing exercises, supposedly provides a mental
"program" that the child can access when the tension is on.
I heard a radio program about this some years ago; according to that researcher
the results were measurably effective!
MamaPowers
That's exactly what I mean!
Exactly my point!
Some students just don't do well in this type of testing envirnonment. It's so unfair.
This has always been a pain
This has always been a pain in my backside. My child does well all year long. Granted, he's not a straight A student, but he pulls in mostly B's. When it comes to tests, he completely locks up. It's just the stress of it all. I don't think it's fair that these kids should do well all year and have one test hold them back.
When I was growing up in West Virginia, our standardized tests accounted for around 30% of our overall grade point average when added with our work throughout the year. I think that's fair. What isn't fair is asking our kids to do good on every single test on every single paper every single day and then saying, "Well, you stressed out during the big tests and now we're holding you back".
Just another eason why the American education system is down the drain and our kids are paying for it.