This standardized testing BS has gone a wee bit too far. Yesterday (and today as well), hundreds of Albuquerque and New Mexico students walked out of their PARCC/Smarter Balanced/Common Core national standardized testing, not because they wanted to, but due to a variety of reasons. Computer problems (it's all done online), confusing problems that were never taught in the classroom; confusing concepts; and the timed nature. (4th graders in most states are doing this and are required to do 10-12 hours of testing...over the course of 4-5 days!) Expect more states to follow soon.
In my school district, we are expected to take this test in late April...and it is likely not going to go well. All 10th graders took a practice test last week (Smarter Balanced/SBA, practically same thing). Most of them hated it because it was too confusing and hard. More than a couple teachers at my school hate it because it is flawed, confusing and practically only is done to hawk more federal $$$ into our school and jeopardize teacher performance. And after just looking at the writing part of the test, it looks like a disaster. Thank you, No Child Left Behind.
http://krqe.com/2015/03/02/parcc-testin ... -walkouts/
Special education teachers and students also have problems - in other states Sped kids still have to take it even if they can't add or subtract very well. But the gov't thinks they should write a 5-paragraph essay about Shakespeare! Take a look at this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-le ... 90640.html
Again, I think this is going way too far.
04 Mar 2015, 12:09 am
