<p>I know of 4 states where I do NOT want to get married and have kids: Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and Texas. From what I've heard, the schools in these states have more test obsession than any other states.</p>
<p>Are there any states where these dumb tests haven't had as much of an impact on education?</p>
<p>Here in Connecticut there is a high emphasis on testing. My sophomore English class was mainly spent preparing for the stupid and idiotically easy CAPT test. The teachers here teach to the tests and only to the tests.</p>
<p>"I know of 4 states where I do NOT want to get married and have kids: Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and Texas."</p>
<p>I can't speak about the first three states, but your not getting married and having kids in Texas will most definitely help our state from being further dumbed down. </p>
<p>Please consider doing some reading on the subject.</p>
<p>xiggi: What about the TAAS? I've heard that the schools in Texas now live and die by the TAAS results.</p>
<p>Thanks to Every Child Left Behind, we now have a whole nation devoted to high stakes testing. So you may have to move to Mexico to get married and have kids.</p>
<p>Certain regions in Alabama (mainly suburbs of Birmingham and Huntsville) are relatively free from state-mandated standardized testing because it is so absurdly easy. In my school district, we finish all aspects of the Alabama Graduation Exam before the end of sophomore year...</p>
<p>However, other regions are not so lucky since the schools do not have the funding to adequately actually educate the populace, sadly enough.</p>
<p>Virginia does not live and die by SOL scores... in fact most teachers seem to do about two weeks prepping for them, but otherwise teach their classes the way they feel best and liberally interpret the SOL goals.</p>
<p>Or at least that's the way it's been where my family has lived in VA and we've been all over (Fairfax, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, ect.). I'm sure if the school fails to meet the minimum it becomes a different story. I think instead of judging it by state you need to judge it by individual school districts.</p>
<p>Maine has gone in the opposite direction from high stakes testing. We have Learning Results, which requires (it's too complicated to present briefly) meeting certain standards each year as you go along. Standards, and assessments to measure their achievement, are set by teachers, and done separately in each school system. So each student would end up with a kind of record/porfolio showing that he/she "can solve quadratic equations/understands the Biology classification system/has writing samples showing an acceptable level of accomplishment", etc.
If student's Learning Results portfolio falls short, no diploma.
It is a theoretically ideal approach, but there has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth at the cost of developing the standards and measuring, time taken away from teaching to do assessments, etc. Ergo, delays in full implementation each of the last 2 years (when it was supposed to be fully in place).
Many teachers are disenchanted and several my age (older than hills) are looking toward earlier retirement than planned. I truly believe this is honest frustration with the bureaucratic hassles of the system, not an unwillingness to be held to high standards.
I'm proud of my state for the concept, but have no clue how to solve the problems of going this route.</p>
<p>I'm no great fan of the state testing, but its a step or nod in the right direction.</p>
<p>A little like actually having your football team play games. </p>
<p>Without it, you just listen to administrators, parents, and parroting students repeating the mantra that their school is one of the top 5 in the state, county, or whatever. </p>
<p>With it, you get to hear complaints about teaching to the test, dumbing down, etc.</p>
<p>I'll take the tests and work on fixing them. They are far too easy</p>
<p>dadx: We had standardized tests (SRA in K-8, IGAP in high school) back in the 1980s and early 1990s, but there was one important difference - these tests were NOT high-stakes. Nobody was denied a diploma or fired because of test results. We weren't taught to the tests. Teachers didn't have to spend weeks drilling students on questions similar to those on the tests. We didn't have anything like today's hysteria.</p>
<p>The TAAS test in Texas has been replaced with the TAKS test. At my school, raising the passing rate is almost an obsession. Teachers , especially those at the lower levels, are essentially teaching the test. From what I understand, students in elementary school who dont pass all of the TAKS test aren't allowed to go on to the next grade (correct me if I'm wrong on that).</p>
<p>I understand the reasoning behind having standardized testing, but sometimes, I think it has gone too far. In addition to taking the TAKS test, in my school district, we also take TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) tests in every single class (like an end of course exam, but in addition to our AP exams and our class finals). Also, for the past few years our school has had the "honor" of being selected to field test future version of the TAKS test. The total amount of class time lost to testing is tremendous. Last year, in the week before the AP tests, I was in my APUSH class exactly once. The four days before AP exams were dedicated to TAKS field testing, which actually doesn't even count for anything. </p>
<p>I think the new superintendent in HISD (Houston Independent School District) has the right idea - keep TAKS standardized testing as a way of ensuring scholastic achievement, but cut down on other excess testing that does nothing but cut back from class time.</p>
<p>I think the OP is confused. Massachusetts parents are test obsessed, but not with the MCAS. They are obsessed with the SAT and AP exams.</p>
<p>As the parent of a better student, we cared less about the MCAS, and found it took little time from HS.</p>
<p>High stakes testing discriminates against learning disabled students. I am a public school educator and I have watched young lives shattered over these ridiculous be-all and end-all tests....I refer to hard working, good students who maintain good grades but simply cannot perform on such a test as LEAP with their modifications pulled out from under them. (Oh yes, there's much lip-speak that the mods are there, but they most definitely are not there in the manner that the child is accustomed to, just believe me) Most of the posters here have above average children and consequently "think the tests are easy." Believe me, for a dyslexic student, LEAP is the worst nightmare imaginable..... NOT EVERYONE IS A SUPERB TEST TAKER.</p>
<p>"Puts on flameproof garments"</p>
<p>We see a lot of wheel spinning and angst from the standardized testing in our little corner of AL, but we are also beginning to see glimmers of improvement in some of the lowest, most poorly supported schools that were flirting with state takeover. The school board "reconstituted" 4-5 of the schools - all faculty and principals had to re-interview for their jobs at that school - and gave bonuses for working at these schools, and in turn required teachers to follow a remedial program that included extra prep for the tests. You must understand that the faculty of these schools was made up of a core of teachers who had taught there for years (maybe 1/4 or 1/3) and the rest, the majority, were inexperienced, teachers who would come and go (my husband taught his first year at one of these schools, in and out, that's the history). So the "reconstitution" actually stabilized the faculty with folks committed for 5 years - that is showing progress. Now I know some will say, the kids are just demonstrating test taking, not learning - but as far behind as these kids are, there is some genuine learning going on.</p>
<p>The problems we see are bureaucratic - when new testing comes along it doesn't substitute for the old test - just more days of instruction missed. The richer suburban districts - it is just a pain, and an expense. some students in these districts don't do well, but there is no big push to help them because their numbers are small, andthe money has run out. And my favorite, the school has to have a high level of attendance on the day of the test for the school to pass - too many kids absent, automatic failure. Almost 2/3rds of the schools in the state that failed, failed on this one thing - what has that to do with quality?</p>
<p>Here in Missouri, the MAP test dominates our education. The administration lives in fear of funding cuts due to low performance on the tests. Our curriculum revolves aroung the test material, although there's no telling what will actually show up on it (our 10th grade Biology test had complex Astronomy questions). THe test subjects determine what classes we are required to take, and fill up way more than half of our schedules that could be spent in college prep. and advanced classes. EVERYONE here loathes the MAP test, and while the actual tesing takes only two weeks, it has an effect on the entire year. : (</p>
<p>Ohio is getting there, probably not as bad as other states, but our superintendent has cut a Foreign Language exploratory in favor of yet another test prep class in 7th grade. The new OGT, from what I hear, is supposed to be impossible to completely pass the first time, though I'm sure few posters on CC would have a hard time with it ;)</p>
<p>We already have about 50 seniors a year unable to graduate each year because of their dismal test scores, and I fear those numbers are only going to increase. Hence, our already non-competitive, test-obsessed school will only base a further emphasis on these ridiculous tests and eliminate opportunities for the rest of us.</p>
<p>I see only one reason to even consider state testing--to determine the level of grade inflation in schools. There are other ways to do this than a doomsday one-week test that determines the fates of students who would otherwise graduate.</p>
<p>I think Vermont goes against the trends you guys seem to have in your states (other than JMMom from Maine). Like her state, we have standards or benchmarks for each grade. There is very little teaching to any tests that I know of. There are some standardized tests at certain grade levels but I never noticed any teaching to any tests. Some of these tests are meant to evaluate how a school is doing, not necessarily each kid. What is VERY big in Vermont are portfolios. Every kid in the state must have writing and math portfolios at certain grade levels that are graded by evaluators on a state level. The math portfolios involve problem solving and the writing portfolios must have certain pieces in them and then there is various criteria for grading both these portfolios. </p>
<p>So, there are standards to be met in Vermont but it is not all through testing. I don't think teaching is geared toward tests here. Thankfully. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Washington seems pretty high on testing. The WASL is tough. Back in my day we took the Iowa tests every other year I think and another test twice in HS. That seems like enough.</p>
<p>
I believe this applies to the tests used for No Child Left Behind, as well. I have heard of schools offering raffle prizes (boom box etc), pizza vouchers.... to get that figure up. Although our school doesn't do that, I know the principal sweats it out (I think 95% attendance is required?). And then there is the worry about kids who blow off the test, just running down the answer sheet and randomly filling in answers (yes, they do this). So our principal sweats that out too.</p>
<p>Because unless I'm wrong, whether a state has high stakes testing or not, we all have NCLB. (I certainly could be wrong; I've given up reading the news articles on the subject).</p>
<p>At least the TAKs in TX cover more subject matter now. When it was the TAAS, no science or social studies was covered--and thus not taught. After adding science and social studies, the state had to redouble effort in those areas. Still, the science test is more of a reading comprehension test. </p>
<p>The TAAS/TAKs writing is very much like the new SAT essay. Formulaic. </p>
<p>I do agree that there is too much "accountability" in that the number of schools caught cheating on their TAKs results is increasing each year.</p>