Texas Standardized Tests: Gov. Perry Signs Law That Slashes High-Stakes Exams Requirements
(I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD CATCH MYSELF SAYING THIS BUT I AGREE WITH TEXAS & (WAIT FOR IT)--I AGREE WITH RICK PERRY.
I HAD HIGHLY DISAGREED WITH GEORGE W. BUSH WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXCESS OF STANDARDIZED TESTS AND THE FAILED "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" DISASTER.
AGAINST SOME HEATED OPPOSITION PERRY IS A HERO HERE. I HOPE THIS IS A MUCH NEEDED TREND. WAKE THE "F" UP AMERICA, LET THE TEACHERS CREATE WHAT THE STUDENTS NEED NOT THOSE WITH THE POLITICAL POWER. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR HANDS TIED. EVERYDAY I AGREE MORE WITH THE CHARTER SCHOOL MODEL(S), AT LEAST ITS MUCH MORE COLLABORATIVE.
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FROM "THE WASHINGTON POST" APRIL 14, 2013:
"But under No Child Left Behind, a significant number of schools did
not see their test scores increase, and the federal government labeled
them as “failing.” That led educators and political leaders to complain
that the law’s requirements were unrealistic.
Since 2011, the Obama administration issued
waivers to exempt 34 states and the District from some of the more onerous requirements of No Child Left Behind.
Still, the testing has continued. (GO OBAMA!)
State spending on standardized testing grew from $552 million in 2001 to
$1.7 billion in 2012, according to surveys performed by the Pew Center
on the States and the Brookings Institution..."
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ONE OF THE REASONS I STOPPED TEACHING WAS BECAUSE THE ART OF TEACHING WAS BEING CHIPPED AWAY SO RAPIDLY.
IN ITS PLACE WAS THE MANIC IDEALS OF OVERLOADING STUDENTS WITH STANDARDIZED TESTS. EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE TEACHERS, CONSTANTLY FELT THE FRUSTRATION; AND OUR HANDS WERE TIED!
THE PRINCIPALS HAD TO PRODUCE HIGH SCORES TO OFFER THE GOVERNMENT NUMBERS WHICH EQUALED FUNDING FOR THE DISTRICTS; HENCE THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS. THEY WOULD FALSIFY SCORES OUT OF FEAR. FEAR WAS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR WHEN IT CAME TO THIS ISSUE. IN MY OPINION, MOST REPUBLICANS BASE THEIR ELECTIONS & IDEALS ON FEAR. SCARE THE PUBLIC ENOUGH & THEY WILL AGREE TO ANYTHING. SO IT'S EVEN MORE SATISFYING THAT PERRY-A REPUBLICAN-HAS AGREED WITH THIS IDEA.
I WOULD LOATHE THE DAYS WHEN WE HAD TO PREP THE KIDS--WHICH WAS BASICALLY ALL YEAR. THE WEEK OF TESTING HAD EVERYONE STRESSED OUT, SOME STUDENTS SUFFERED SERIOUS ANXIETY ISSUES AND, AT TIMES, WORSE EFFECTS DURING THE TESTING PERIOD.
ALTHOUGH MANY EDUCATORS, SUCH AS MYSELF, ASSURED THEM THAT WE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT "THOSE" TESTS SCORES, THEY WERE STILL BOMBARDED BY THE CLIMATE THE PRINCIPALS INSTILLED IN THE SCHOOL,
I CONSTANTLY REPEATED THAT I MEASURED THEIR SUCCESS BY HOW THEY WALKED INTO MY CLASS IN SEPTEMBER & THE PROGRESS THEY DEMONSTRATED THROUGH JUNE. I SAID THOSE STANDARDIZED TESTS MEASURE NOTHING, SINCE THE PEOPLE CREATING THEM DID NOT KNOW THEM LIKE WE DID. WE HAD TO INGRAIN HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY WERE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR FINAL SCORE (IT IS A FACT THAT HIGHLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE CAN BE HORRIBLE TEST TAKERS. MANY OF THE TESTS--KEY WORD "STANDARDIZED" IMPLIES IT DOES NOT FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL).
HOW IS THAT FAIR? THE INJUSTICE IS HIGHER FOR INNER CITY SCHOOLS/STUDENTS WHO LACK ANY EXTRA SUPPORT THAN THOSE OFFERED SOLELY FROM 8-3PM.
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T
exas led the way in implementing standardized tests in the early 1990s. Now, the state appears to be leading the wave of backlash against those very same tests.
Texas Governor
Rick Perry (R) signed a law Monday that significantly decreases the number of state tests students are required to take before graduating. Starting in fall 2014, students will have to complete only 5 tests, down from 15.
While House Bill 5 was unanimously passed by both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate,
Perry’s feelings on the bill were previously unknown, reports the Austin-American Statesman. Despite pressures from pro-business groups concerned about students’ job readiness,
Perry signed the bill into law, saying that it maintains “proper classroom rigor," according to the Associated Press.
The bill also reduces maximum hours students prepare for tests (from
90 down to 21), creates more flexible diploma plans and abolishes the
rule that end-of-year tests count for 15 percent of a course's grade.
Education advocates are pleased with the final bill, according to local outlet KHOU-TV.
"
House Bill 5 was a great step forward for public education
because it marks a time where we can say we quit depending on tests to
show us that schools are meeting students' needs," said Brock Gregg with
the Association of Texas Professional Educators, per KHOU.
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