Standardized testing in school

In my state in the US we have standardized testing that starts in 3rd grade to 9th grade. The scores received from this test is a basis for state funding & ranking.
Do you let your children participate in these tests? I have the option of opting out, which I do for my kids every year, based on a formal letter where I state it is against my religion.
But it's not against my religion at all. I don't believe in standardized tests at all.
Do you?
Why or why not?
Thanks!

Don't even get me started on my rant against standardized tests!!! I ten to start frothing at the mouth. In the state where I live the last two months of the school year are given over to testing. What a crock! Some of the tests are computer based. Many of the students I work with come from low income families. They don't have access to a computer at home so they are at a disadvantage when testing.

A friend of mine who retired from teaching made the best comment I've ever heard about the tests - We are supposed to teach children individually - target the material to their learning style. Then we give them all the same test!"



Am starting to froth, time to quit.....

We have two different types of standardised testing in our schools.

HLAT - which tests the child's ability to read and write and every grade from 1-9 does it.

PAT - which are provincial achievement tests, written in grades 3, 6 and 9. They are supposed to show that the kids are learning the curriculum but they do rank schools from these tests. The scores do not affect funding but it does make parents want to send their kids to the higher ranked schools.

My son is in grade 6 and will be writing both sets of tests this year. I don't really like the idea of standardised testing but my son thrives on them, he loves showing off how much he knows. He is autistic and so he will have a scribe (his writing is that of a kindergartener) and extra time if he needs it. I will admit that I like seeing the grades on the test, but they don't really mean anything here. You can opt out of testing.

Funding for our schools is based on the number of kids enrolled as of Oct 1 and an extra amount for kids that are coded (special needs of any sort).

I have a family member that condemns me for opting out bec it puts my kids at a disadvantage when they take the SATs for college. She says.
lol I didn't have these growing up & I got thru the SATs & 1 of my 3 kids will not be attending college.

It takes sooooo much time out of the school day to give these tests....& that's time my kids are not being taught, just entertained.

I like learning about this topic, I'm so happy to see reply posts on this thread. I got not much to add, but questions. Like, on what ground can parents/teachers make a change? Have we seen any good news about these opinions/protests from politicians/educators/PTAs, anything? If one state is doing better with funding and standardized testing scores, certainly another state can learn from it. Has any state changed the tide at all?

Another question is, how do kids feel about it? Too much pressure for some kids? Computers, I say we need more discussion with the provider, tech people/giants, right? Educators/State board are just middle men, if parents feel political unfairness on the educational field, I'd listened to Michael Moore, or anyone with world wide view, it is also important to educate dumb parents, their brains are standardized way too much by now if you know what I mean. Democracy ain't easy, let's keep it alive and well.

When I opt out I have to make an appt with the principal, go in & go thru the test booklet. I've heard most parents sign the paper & leave. I do go thru the test & see if the homework & what they're teaching matches to the test.
This yr I came across a math question for 6th graders that caused me concern.
It said a woman used 8 cups of water to make 3 cups of brown rice & 1 cup of white rice.
Bells & whistles were going off in my head. There's not enough water to make that rice!

I know the question was about ratios, but to me it wasn't. Would kids see this flaw? Maybe most would not, but what about kids that eat rice daily? ESL students?
Are the kids asked to only look at a problem a certain way to solve it? Why all this collaborative teaching & collaboration in the work world?
We're asking kids to look at problems a certain way, but not to see it another way; a deeper way.
When I stated this to the principal he didn't say anything. I told him that the question should be based on making jello. Something you can't mess up.
But most would say my point has absolutely nothing to do with the question & disregard it.
I find that thinking egocentric.

I've heard rumors of fining schools based on the number of kids that opt out.
Also basing teacher salaries on their students performance on these tests.
I know a very good teacher, over 25 yrs teaching now. He doesn't recommend any of his students to go into teaching anymore.
Too much red tape.

While I fully agree that the US has gone standardized test crazy and that there are better ways to learn than teaching to the test, these tests now serve as gate keepers. If kids opt out, it hurts their teachers and their schools because funding is directly tied to the tests. Good teachers can get penalized for not having their kids sit the test, and school districts are prevented from earning "bonus" money from the state for good performance if the number of students who take the test falls below a certain percentage. The result is that the quality of the school itself declines.

Succeeding on the SAT, ACT, GRE, etc. is really more about knowing how to take the test than it is possessing knowledge about math, reading, etc. The competitiveness of college admissions today is sooo different than it was 10 and 20 years ago. Now kids spend years taking test prep classes and learning strategies for answering multiple choice questions. Even lower ranked colleges require a certain score for admission. I don't agree that doing well on the SATs is the best way to assess college performance-- but that's just how the system is. Not having experience with th tests does leave kids with a disadvantage compared to their peers. 20 years ago, only the wealthy were taking prep classes and most people just showed up and sat the test. Today even the poorest districts are offering after school test prep classes to try and close the gap. It's unfortunate that these tests matter so much; as a professor I wish they focused more on critical thinking and writing than on bubbling multiple choice questions. My college students are often unprepared for the essays. But if the kids can't do well on the SATs, they won't have the opportunity to get a more expansive education in college. I hate that I will have to play the standardized test game with my own kids someday, but I still want them to be as prepared as their peers will be.

When I opt out I have to see the principals. My oldest DD principal always comments that she'd do very well in the test & they'd like to have her take it.
Yes, she is very smart & her score is basically worth dollar signs.
When I opt out my other DD the principal says nothing. She has several learning disabilities & would fail miserably. In their eyes it's probably good she opts out. She is not worth money.
So students intelligence is based on a score on a once a year test that brings a school money.

The significance of this test is huge. I receive emails from the teacher & principal on what to feed my child for breakfast, what time to send them to bed, how to encourage them that morning & the school will have pep rallies to get the kids excited.
To me, it's ridiculous!
Now if teacher incomes are going to be based on student performance which teacher is going to get the slower ones? Who is going to want to teach them bec they know their scores will b lower & bring in less money for a school.
This becomes a slippery slope not even based on education but ultimately based on MONEY!

I recently heard a TedTalk about decision making & how kids stress too much about which college to choose & test scores. He emphasized that college is about the experience, not the name of the college. What you get out of college is what you put into it. The life skills taught during this time.
My child can find the area of a rhombus, but will not be taught how to balance a checkbook or what APR is when applying for a credit card. These r life skills that need to be taught not just from a parent....because half the time my kids don't listen to me anyway lol!

I didn't opt out. If anything my sons have exceeded in their writing skills anything that I would have imagined before the state began testing. Here's what's at stake in my home...

"Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship provides a tuition waiver for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university. The scholarship covers tuition only; fees and room and board are not included.The scholarship must be used within six years of a student's high school graduation."

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/adams.html