Tuesday, May 19, 2009

You Know It's Gotten Ridiculous When...


Pretty much any teacher in Texas will tell you, the biggest thorn in their side is the TAKS test. Even teachers who's grade-level or content area is not tested are affected. I will not go into this because it has become a moot point in most ways and just gets me all fired up.

We got our TAKS scores back yesterday. My kids did great and I was so very relieved, my knees almost buckled. 96% passing rate is considered outstanding, and I was very happy for sure. However, with that happiness comes some resentment, too. Because I know that with those great scores comes sacrifice. Teachers in Texas have to sacrifice real-world lessons and content, ideas that could make an actual difference in a student's life, because we are to the point where we must teach to this silly test.

I was looking at the TEA website, trying to find the state average for the 10th-grade ELA test, when I stumbled upon this ridiculous headline:

Breaks okay during testing

New correspondence clarifies that students can take bathroom breaks while testing is under way.


And you know what else? If you were to click on the link above, you would be taken to a FULL PAGE memo, clarifying HOW, WHEN, WHERE AND WHY kids can take bathroom breaks during the TAKS test.

Wow. You know it's gotten ridiculous when you have to have instructions for going to the restroom.

post signature

8 comments:

  1. WOW!! That is crazy!! I really would love to go back to school and finish my degree in education so that I can teach, but you know...those bathroom breaks seem kind of complicated, I might just need to stay where I am...LOL

    All kidding aside, I would love to go back and get my degree to teach...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did it say teachers can go too? You know if it isn't in the book, you better not do it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, I LOVE my new deisgn!!!

    I wish they would have let us have breaks during testing when I was in school... oh well!

    Hope you are having a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh dear, well I am glad it is over for you all.Why do they have to make it so stressful.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. I heard they are doing away with TAKS...is that true???

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dawn: That's what they say, but it is being replaced with EOC (end of course) tests, which will still be standardized in some way, so I have a feeling they won't be much different. But I have hope that they will! We shall see!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Agreed! And I only teach 2nd grade. My kids are always scared about going on to 3rd because they hear so much about the test and I never mention it. Sad, really.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is a shame that some of the greatest lessons in life and school take a backseat to the TAKS. I've seen 5th graders so stressed that one hid under his desk and cried. Really, that is criminal to put children under such distress.

    ReplyDelete

Comment away, y'all!