As the entry tag on fark.com states: “After your kid fails the minimum skills assessment, a sign reading “Let are kids walk” is probably not going to convince the school he/she should walk for graduation.”
Now admittedly, I’ve got tons of issues with standardized, mandatory assessments. They have encouraged new generations of school administrators who must force teachers to “teach to the test” — albeit not saying that in those terms — thus wasting fully one sixth of a school year just preparing kids to take a test. We’re not teaching kids life skills, we’re not teaching them to enjoy learning, we’re not teaching them anything except how to take a test.
However, what bothers me about this protest is that these students who failed had the same opportunity, instruction, content, classes, and etc. as the thousands of students who passed. Yet, for whatever reason, they failed. Despite the large amount of extra tutoring, extra focus, extra everything that was afforded to these students, they failed. Despite having taken the test at least three times already, they failed.
Is it because they’re bad testers? Maybe. Is it because our educational system is flawed? Probably. Is it because kids get promoted ahead of their level without knowing basic necessary information? Probably.
This, more than anything, makes me want to homeschool my kids.
UPDATE: My brother (who formerly taught in the FWISD), had this to say: “They want the reward without the work.” Essentially, if you read the article, it’s not about whether the students graduate, not about whether they can read or not, etc. It’s about the party. It’s about being with their friends. It’s sad and demoralizing.
Got here from Analisa and saw this and had to comment.
You do know, of course, that TAKS tests only a minimum standard. So I’m really wondering how a 3.5 kid could fail it. Crap, the question with D was always how commended he would be, not at all whether he would pass.
Here in OK, they only do the no-child-left-behind mandated testing. And you can tell. Without an achievement test, there’s no way to know how students here compare to students elsewhere. I’m really missing the Stanfords. A. Lot.
D is so far ahead of his peers academically it’s just not funny. But he’s also not the type of kid to complain and he’s not at all geeky enough for teachers to do much about it because he’s perfectly happy just sitting and drawing or reading or whatever. Hopefully next year he’ll at least get to go a year ahead in math.
But I could never homeschool. The kids would learn nothing. Mom as a teacher?!? They would freak. We’d all go mad.
So good luck with that…
Hope to see you soon… we’ll be scooting through Dallas in July.