http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276 Your High School Student not going to get to wear a cap and gown even though they passed ALL their graduation requirements including the dreaded Senior English Paper? Your Junior High Student losing out on ALL extra curricular activities so that they may attend special after/before school "cram sessions"? Your Elementary Student coming home with stories of students crying in class because the teacher tells them they are not going to the next grade? You say you don't give a rats a$$ because you don't have any school age children? Well you better start caring because thanks to YOUR tax dollars, even MORE of your tax money will be needed in the near future to support 60% of the next generation that does not have even the most basic requirement to hold a semi-decent job: A High School Diploma. Are YOU prepared to feed 2/3rds of Texas? Welcome to TAKS Hell. Its the latest in an ever increasing testing sensation which started to get out of control with TAAS. Thanks to TAKS testing, Texas children now have less than a 40% chance of EVER attaining their high school diploma. This is a statistical fact coming from PH D's of UT and Rice in a recently released study. At the same time, it has not even resulted in even a 1% increase in scores of any objective of the SAT. Please take a moment and share YOUR child's TAKS Hell. What are they going through? What has the emotional cost been, or the loss of other activities or meaningful learning? No story is too small. Your High School Student not going to get to wear a cap and gown even though they passed ALL their graduation requirements including the dreaded Senior English Paper? Your Junior High Student losing out on ALL extra curricular activities so that they may attend special after/before school "cram sessions"? Your Elementary Student coming home with stories of students crying in class because the teacher tells them they are not going to the next grade? You say you don't give a rats a$$ because you don't have any school age children? Well you better start caring because thanks to YOUR tax dollars, even MORE of your tax money will be needed in the near future to support 60% of the next generation that does not have even the most basic requirement to hold a semi-decent job: A High School Diploma. Are YOU prepared to feed 2/3rds of Texas? Welcome to TAKS Hell. Its the latest in an ever increasing testing sensation which started to get out of control with TAAS. Thanks to TAKS testing, Texas children now have less than a 40% chance of EVER attaining their high school diploma. This is a statistical fact coming from PH D's of UT and Rice in a recently released study. At the same time, it has not even resulted in even a 1% increase in scores of any objective of the SAT. Please take a moment and share YOUR child's TAKS Hell. What are they going through? What has the emotional cost been, or the loss of other activities or meaningful learning? No story is too small. en-us (update) I could go on forever about how bad NCLB and testing is for Texas children. But don't take my word for it, listen to what others have to say. NCLB Sucks (warning- F-bomb dropped near the end)  video.google.com/videoplay "One" Child Left Behind (apparently the law has been revised) www.youtube.com/watch  NCLB: Truth and Consequences (a documentary) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind (Was this meant to be funny? I'm NOT laughing) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind? (hey, this is NOT funny either - I drive a bus!) www.youtube.com/watch  No Child Left Behind (comments from a concerned teacher) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind (just because no list would be complete without a good music video) www.youtube.com/watch A Loud Revolution (Yeah right, with the sheeple I'm around?)   www.youtube.com/watch  Don't Leave Us Behind (okay HE gets it - why is this so hard to understand?) www.youtube.com/watch  NCLB - Testing- According to "Daniel" (I wonder how many other kids feel this way?) www.youtube.com/watch High Stakes Testing (I think I've seen this somewhere before...lol) www.youtube.com/watch When Assessment Goes Wrong (If you only watch ONE video this it is) www.youtube.com/watch Sec. of Education has only worked as a substitute teacher LOL video.google.com/videoplay   http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47155 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47155 (update) I could go on forever about how bad NCLB and testing is for Texas children. But don't take my word for it, listen to what others have to say. NCLB Sucks (warning- F-bomb dropped near the end)  video.google.com/videoplay "One" Child Left Behind (apparently the law has been revised) www.youtube.com/watch  NCLB: Truth and Consequences (a documentary) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind (Was this meant to be funny? I'm NOT laughing) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind? (hey, this is NOT funny either - I drive a bus!) www.youtube.com/watch  No Child Left Behind (comments from a concerned teacher) www.youtube.com/watch No Child Left Behind (just because no list would be complete without a good music video) www.youtube.com/watch A Loud Revolution (Yeah right, with the sheeple I'm around?)   www.youtube.com/watch  Don't Leave Us Behind (okay HE gets it - why is this so hard to understand?) www.youtube.com/watch  NCLB - Testing- According to "Daniel" (I wonder how many other kids feel this way?) www.youtube.com/watch High Stakes Testing (I think I've seen this somewhere before...lol) www.youtube.com/watch When Assessment Goes Wrong (If you only watch ONE video this it is) www.youtube.com/watch Sec. of Education has only worked as a substitute teacher LOL video.google.com/videoplay   If they can't pass the TAKS, then they surely will not be increasing passing rates on the SAT. That is if they even take the SAT. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47156 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47156 If they can't pass the TAKS, then they surely will not be increasing passing rates on the SAT. That is if they even take the SAT. So I guess that is what they blame the current dropout rate on!  All they teach is taks, not reading writing and math like when we were in school http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47162 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47162 So I guess that is what they blame the current dropout rate on!  All they teach is taks, not reading writing and math like when we were in school So, Richard, do you have classes that take the test from hell? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47164 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47164 So, Richard, do you have classes that take the test from hell? No, my 8th graders already took the math test, which all the other grades take Tuesday. Me and my kids are being "relocated" to a classroom for 3 hours that has no TV  :( I should have planned a math field trip or something. We are going to get BORED after an hour or two lol At least we will have some testing to do later in the week though :P http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47165 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47165 No, my 8th graders already took the math test, which all the other grades take Tuesday. Me and my kids are being "relocated" to a classroom for 3 hours that has no TV  :( I should have planned a math field trip or something. We are going to get BORED after an hour or two lol At least we will have some testing to do later in the week though :P I totally agree with you.  Did I ever tell you that when my son tried out public school for the first time they gave him a TAKS test going in to see if he could test out of the grade I claimed he had completed?  No TAKS prep and an academically relaxed home.  He did so well they wanted to give him the test  for the next year.  By the end of his first school year my great test taker was going to TAKS tutorials, missing his favorite class,  and told that he would fail if he didn't do well on this TAKS.  He came home scared - I said, "This is the same test that you have already aced." He developed a test anxiety during the one year he went to public school.  I didn't want him to have test anxiety before he took a test like the SAT!!!  The next test that he took was his PSAT and I wonder how well he would have done WITHOUT the test anxiety.  I thought, "I gave you guys a confident test taker and you gave me back a child who was scared and nervous during tests." It wasn't any teacher's or school's fault, of course.  Our public school experience was wonderful and my only gripe is that small change that happened in my child's mind.....  He went from being a confident test taker to being scared of tests.  Nervousness and anxiety work against learning and memory. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47181 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47181 I totally agree with you.  Did I ever tell you that when my son tried out public school for the first time they gave him a TAKS test going in to see if he could test out of the grade I claimed he had completed?  No TAKS prep and an academically relaxed home.  He did so well they wanted to give him the test  for the next year.  By the end of his first school year my great test taker was going to TAKS tutorials, missing his favorite class,  and told that he would fail if he didn't do well on this TAKS.  He came home scared - I said, "This is the same test that you have already aced." He developed a test anxiety during the one year he went to public school.  I didn't want him to have test anxiety before he took a test like the SAT!!!  The next test that he took was his PSAT and I wonder how well he would have done WITHOUT the test anxiety.  I thought, "I gave you guys a confident test taker and you gave me back a child who was scared and nervous during tests." It wasn't any teacher's or school's fault, of course.  Our public school experience was wonderful and my only gripe is that small change that happened in my child's mind.....  He went from being a confident test taker to being scared of tests.  Nervousness and anxiety work against learning and memory. Are private school teachers less accountable because they don't have to worry about that TAKS?  Are private school students being left behind (OMG wasn't that a book series - we don't want to be left behind, do we?  LOL) because they don't have to worry about the TAKS?  I think they are better for it.  Public school teachers and children should be allowed to opt out of TAKS.  It should be a teacher's choice as to how students are assessed....  "I want my child to be "left behind." You guys go on ahead we will stay back here and read some books together and go on some field trips... ." http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47204 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47204 Are private school teachers less accountable because they don't have to worry about that TAKS?  Are private school students being left behind (OMG wasn't that a book series - we don't want to be left behind, do we?  LOL) because they don't have to worry about the TAKS?  I think they are better for it.  Public school teachers and children should be allowed to opt out of TAKS.  It should be a teacher's choice as to how students are assessed....  "I want my child to be "left behind." You guys go on ahead we will stay back here and read some books together and go on some field trips... ." I remember taking these tests when I was in school, I don't understand all the uproar ? It's a standardize test, I blew through them, they're a joke to any above average student. I was upset that I never aced the math section. When I graduated from college, my sr year, we had a comprehensive final exam. It was composed of questions from every required engineering class, then your specific field. It was pretty damn hard and you had to pass to complete your degree. The moral of the story, get used to tests, if you start complaining about them in grade school, you're only setting up yourself for future heart ache. Parents should encourage their kids to have a positive attitude from early on, it'll pay off later on in life. Seriously, the TAKS should be a breeze for most students.  Go in there, knock it out and move on. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47214 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47214 I remember taking these tests when I was in school, I don't understand all the uproar ? It's a standardize test, I blew through them, they're a joke to any above average student. I was upset that I never aced the math section. When I graduated from college, my sr year, we had a comprehensive final exam. It was composed of questions from every required engineering class, then your specific field. It was pretty damn hard and you had to pass to complete your degree. The moral of the story, get used to tests, if you start complaining about them in grade school, you're only setting up yourself for future heart ache. Parents should encourage their kids to have a positive attitude from early on, it'll pay off later on in life. Seriously, the TAKS should be a breeze for most students.  Go in there, knock it out and move on. There's a difference between children and adults when it comes to education, learning, and testing.  I'm not saying that all tests are bad at every point in a person's education or career.  I'm saying that there is such a thing as depending too heavily on tests and test scores.  Focusing on teaching children "short answers for a short answer test" is not producing intelligent problem solvers or thinkers...  http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47225 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47225 There's a difference between children and adults when it comes to education, learning, and testing.  I'm not saying that all tests are bad at every point in a person's education or career.  I'm saying that there is such a thing as depending too heavily on tests and test scores.  Focusing on teaching children "short answers for a short answer test" is not producing intelligent problem solvers or thinkers...  How should the state measure a districts success across the state ?        http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47236 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47236 How should the state measure a districts success across the state ?        Are TAKS scores REALLY a valid measure of a district's success?  You know that not all children have to take this test (because they won't do well) and some are given alternative types of tests and not all of those tests that are taken are actually averaged in to the total that we use to judge "success."  (There's a certain percentage that a school can leave out.)  Does someone know the details?  So what does that total really tell us?  Of the test scores we actually averaged.....  Remember the school that got busted for only turning in it's best scores? Why can't, "I know my child is learning because he brings home a report card, shows us his work, or shares with us what he is learning during dinner" be an indicator of a child's success?  That's how we did it when I was in school.  Come to think of it, I do remember taking a CAT test at some point.  "A BALOOGA IS A BEAR...."  !! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47245 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47245 Are TAKS scores REALLY a valid measure of a district's success?  You know that not all children have to take this test (because they won't do well) and some are given alternative types of tests and not all of those tests that are taken are actually averaged in to the total that we use to judge "success."  (There's a certain percentage that a school can leave out.)  Does someone know the details?  So what does that total really tell us?  Of the test scores we actually averaged.....  Remember the school that got busted for only turning in it's best scores? Why can't, "I know my child is learning because he brings home a report card, shows us his work, or shares with us what he is learning during dinner" be an indicator of a child's success?  That's how we did it when I was in school.  Come to think of it, I do remember taking a CAT test at some point.  "A BALOOGA IS A BEAR...."  !! Rebecca, the alternate tests that you mention are in a state of transition this year. Previously, special ed children took a test known as SDAA. But the government has passed laws that heal all disabilities and allow special ed children to take the TAKS test on grade level. This is because all children are capable of performing at the same grade level at the same time, regardless of their disabilities. The new tests for special ed students are TAKS-A and TAKS-M. These versions are in larger print and do not contain the extra dozen "field test" questions that are not scored each year. I do not know much more about them. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47294 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/RichardFromShiner/7276/#c_47294 Rebecca, the alternate tests that you mention are in a state of transition this year. Previously, special ed children took a test known as SDAA. But the government has passed laws that heal all disabilities and allow special ed children to take the TAKS test on grade level. This is because all children are capable of performing at the same grade level at the same time, regardless of their disabilities. The new tests for special ed students are TAKS-A and TAKS-M. These versions are in larger print and do not contain the extra dozen "field test" questions that are not scored each year. I do not know much more about them.