Angie Nichols Smith, 10 years ago

So here is my issue with all of this….I have watched my 3 young children v go thru test after test, didn’t matter if it was just a test for the school or a district test or a state test, they were and still are taking tests. As a parent of 2 504 kids, they had the ability to at least take a modified version of the STARR….not anymore. Even though they are 504, they are now graded as every other child, but how does that effect their self worth when they don’t do well? Is this one test enough to prove what they have learned over the course of the year? The answer is no….and in the meantime, the faith in themselves is gone because we made such a big deal about testing. Even as an adult I still don’t do well when I heard the word test! !! I understand the need for testing, but does so much emphasis need to be placed on this test? Cut testing back, instead is math and science every other year, and then the following year language arts and history, make it a test every 3 years. Keep district testing in place every year. These districts see these kids, know them, and deal with them on a daily basis, and us as parents have helped make these districts what they are. If our teachers made more money then the states around us, maybe we would have higher test scores, since that seems to be all that is loojed at.