Quote From: mustbecrazyI hate the standardized testing that is done in Washington State, and is now a graduation requirement to get a diploma. If one fails it 4 times between 10th grade and 12th grade, the best they can get is a GED.
The testing is done on a regular basis, starting in 3rd grade. The schools at all levels are now teaching to the test, and it has really hurt the old style curriculum. Creativity has gone out the window!! The junior high and high school curriculums include WASL classes, aimed at helping the students to be able to be successful on the WASL...the time would be better spent on teaching the practical skills needed for life.
Also, state funding is based on a school's test scores, the higher the scores, the more money the school gets. The schools with the most needs are short-changed. Our school is made up of a mainly spanish-speaking group...the ESL classes fall short in teaching these kids to speak English, and the parents get NO help at all in learning English, and so there is a big communication gap between teachers and parents. They must hire translators for parent-teacher conferences!! In spite of that, our school district has one of the highest WASL scores in the state, but like I said, they spend way too much time teaching the kids to take the test, and much too little time on creativity and practical life skills. How many times will a person have to WRITE OUT answers to life's questions in the real world??
Our district is small (small town), and there is a shortage of teachers because the district cannot afford to hire enough teachers to provide reasonable size classes. How can there be individual attention when there are 30 kids in the class?? I volunteer at the elementary school where my youngest son goes. I am helping a third grader in my son's class, who doesn't know how to read. He is still working on basic phonics and sight words. How will he succeed on the WASL when his reading and writing skills are so far behind?? Hopefully, with help, he can get caught up before the WASL counts for his graduation and diploma!!
There is legislation in the works in Washington State to throw out the WASL. I'll definitely vote for that. Some standardized testing is reasonable to assess how well the students are learning, but I don't think that a teacher's job should be on the line when the scores are low. Testing is meant to be diagnostic, and the schools can learn new ways to teach the kids what they need to know.
Well, I've taken up enough of the board...I have strong opinions of this issue.
PS My oldest son is now a straight A student by getting a sleep study which revealed Narcolepsy, and he is now on the right meds. (previously a D student) Adderall, which was prescribed for his previous diagnosis of ADHD was not working. The ADHD label is given too quickly, and meds are prescribed too often, or the wrong meds, without doing thorough testing to see what is causing the behaviors!! Our other 2 boys were incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD when they actually have Restless Leg Syndrome and Vision problems...both things which will cause ADHD symptoms. Way back in the postings, I have written more about their histories...homework battles, and their solutions.
Same thing is happening here in California. Teachers no longer have time to teach, to teach students how to think. The standardized tests have limited teachers to teaching only what is on the tests. State-funding is the same here, with the higher scoring schools getting the money, not all schools.
I live in a school district that is non-unionized, i.e., the teachers don't belong to the union. While the teachers do have to give the students these standardized tests, the prinicpal sets the curriculum for his/her school, in complaince with district standards. The district receives money from taxes, etc., and that money is distributed to all the schools in the district, so that those in poorer areas aren't suffering. So, my district has a set curriculum, set activities (sports, chorus, band) so that kids can excel and teachers can teach.
The neighboring district which is facing the problems I mentioned in my first paragraph above, and that you mentioned, is failing. The state has threatened to take it over twice over the last 5 years. They have had poor graduation rates and poor test scores for the last 25+ years. The district I live in, has been thriving over that same period, has some of the top test scores in California.
I'm all for getting rid of all the standardized tests, within reason, of course, but maybe your school district needs to have some fundraisers or ask the people of the town to vote for more taxes. I'm also not opposed to making the school day longer, because standards have fallen so low compared to where we were in the 80s. Compared to the rest of the world, the US ranks fairly low, where we used to be # 1 in the world. That's appalling as education is the one thing kids have until they're 18 and out of school. It's even sadder that these kids go on to fail in college or have to go back to take remedial college classes before continuing with their education.
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