Monday, January 31, 2005

Standardized Tests

My students are taking their standardized tests today.

I feel sorry for them. I know that it is a "right of passage" for all students age 8-18 to take these uber-boring exams, but I just think they get to a point where they are spent. They don't care about inferring, drawing conclusions, compare and contrast, and main character after 25 minutes. Yes, 25 minutes is an awfully long time for a 10 year old. I do my best to help them keep the test's importance in perspective while keeping their spirits up.

Thankfully, our school helps celebrate learning during this week with fun themes. Today, we all wore YELLOW because of the theme, "CAUTION: Brains at Work!". Tomorrow, along with the children, I will wear sweats and sweatshirts because we DON'T SWEAT THE TEST.

I recall my ACT exam when I was a junior in high school. I knew that I was not smart enough to receive a score that would allow me a scholarship to my state school, but I wanted to do well enough to get in. I knew I would because you only needed a score of 19 to get into the University of North Dakota. I remember wanting a Diet Coke...needing a Diet Coke and they wouldn't let me have one. I believe this led to the direct result of receiving a medicre score of 24. No embaressment though. I went to college, graduated in the under-average time of 4.5 years. I got a job. And VIOLA! I am a success!!!

2 comments:

Mama Duck said...

When I taught in TX our entire yearly curriculum was structured for the TAAS (now TAKS) which is a TX standardized test. All results for every school are published by grade level in the newspaper. Talk about stress! The poor kids! Great for benchmarking progress, but yikes...it was way more than elem. school kids should have to worry about! Good luck to your munchkins!

firedancerdancin said...

in texas they talk about the TAAS every other night on the news i swear it. :-) Thank god i don't have to take those standardized tests anymore. ick.

sidenote: sara! rhiannon stopped by my blog and i was thrilled! so fun to see old h.s. buddies lurking about. thanks for linking me. ;-)