Standardized tests are a bad thing in my oppinion. Ill tell you why!

Standardized tests are created by people who do not teach, and may have never taught. These people do not know what we are being or should be taught. When these tests are made, they may not have anything to do with WHAT the student is being taught. Not to mention, the test is given no consideration (in most cases) of the students that are taking it.

As an example: In florida, all students are required to the the FCATs. If students do not pass this test, they get held back. Even if the student is in 12th grade, go straight A's on their report card, perfect attendance and no bad marks on their record, they will still not graduate! That, in my oppinion is unfair. What do you think? Post what you think about standardized tests, please!

^ I agree with the thing about FCATs. Your grades should affect if you move on or not.

I personally dislike those kinds of tests.
In California, theres the CAHSEE, which determines whether you graduate from high school. I took it last year and passed, so I dont have to worry about it. *sigh of relief*
But in May, I have a load of standardized tests to take. Including the SAT, AP Exams, and some other tests given by the state. :s

we're taking that SCAT 9s [lol SCAT! haha sorry :lol:] and the STAR testing things next week :( i think it's really pointless, it doesn't reflect if we have learned our material at all.. 8th grade curriculum is so much more than what is on the tests! the tests are pointless, they don't count for anything, they are just a big waste of time [and very stressful, too!]. i want the tests to ENDDDD!!!!! :grouch:

Standardized tests do indeed have their downsides, but the reasons you listed are not among them. If you can't pass the FCAT, you shouldn't be able to graduate. It's really easy, and if you can't manage even that, you definately will not be able to succeed in college. Your GPA should not and cannot be a deciding factor. What if one took all gym classes or equally mentally stimulating classes their senior year? It'd be a guaranteed 4.0 average, but they would leave ill-prepared for further education. The requirement to pass the FCAT prevents that from happening. Tests like the FCAT make sure that one has a grasp of at least the most fundamental topics before moving on to a higher level.

What if one took all gym classes or equally mentally stimulating classes their senior year?
well if they got all their credits out of the way throughout their 1st, 2nd, & 3rd years, that wouldn't really be a problem.. they are just as smart as people who take intellectually stimulating classes in their senior year, because they still have that knowledge, they just acquired it earlier ;) you can't take all stupid classes and still graduate throughout your highschool career, though, because there are certain requirements for graduation that have to be met. :buckt:

okay, I have two views on this: one the one hand, they provide an assessment of what people have learned, and what they are supposed to be learning.

On the other hand, tests provide only one way of measuring how much people learn. And I have much more ranting to do on this topic:

Firstly, as many sophomores may know, the SAT has been changed. They have removed the analogy portion of the verbal section, and have replaced it with an essay, and added a reading comprehension portion. In the math section, there are no longer the geometry problems, but now there are algebra II questions. In my school, Geometry is usually a 10th grade class, but accelerated math classes take geometry in 9th grade, and Algebra II is a junior class. The PSAT that we take (and counts) will have Algebra II, when much of the class has not learned much of the material that will be on the test. This means that the curriculum will have to be shaken up, with geometry taking up only a semester of sophomore year, followed by a condensed version of Algebra II. I liked those geometry questions. In verbal, they have spent the last five years teaching us how to do analogies. And now, we've wasted five years. Personally, I liked the analogies. They were much more fun than the "proofread this sentence" questions.

And a state-run pointless test: the OGT. We took one of the 'pilot' tests, though it actually applies to the class of 2007, who will have to take it to be able to graduate. It's a waste of time. It was designed to be challenging, but I think the test writers...underestimated a few people. The social studies test was a joke. I finished it in a quarter of the time allotted. I felt malicious, so I wrote a VERY long essay for one of the questions. It was about how the industrial revolution contributed to British imperialism in the 19th century. I filled the space, then added four extra lines. :) Of course, there was a lot of American history on the test. Which means they have to change the curriculum AGAIN-American History will now probably be a sophomore class-it's currently a junior class. So where does that put my beloved AP European history...?

In my school, Geometry is usually a 10th grade class, but accelerated math classes take geometry in 9th grade, and Algebra II is a junior class. :eek: i'm taking geometry right now and i'm in 8th grade :confusion [i'm not trying to sound all smart of anything, sorry :lol:] i was just wondering, what kind of geometry is it? advanced? regular? i know they still offer it in my highschool [that i will be going to in the future], but it's a 9th grade class i believe.. or maybe some people take it in 10th, if they're behind. :confused:

I hate standardized tests. To me, they're pointless. Okay, I know how to add-you don't need to give me a test that has 30 problems on adding. :P Or subtraction, for that matter. Would I be in 8th grade if I couldn't add? Of course not. If they want to test our intelligence (because in Connecticut, that's basically what the CMTs do-see how smart you are. Seriously.) then they should TEST it, not give us some test that asks you to estimate 9.9 to the nearest whole number.

On an unrelated note, has anyone else ever gotten bored out of your freakin' brain taking that "which word fit's best" quiz? Once, I had to read how some kid named Juan's mother went and got water every morning, and what he thought about that. Who cares, Juan? I think one of the most boring things I have to read is when they talk about those stupid mexican jumping frogs, or whatever they are.
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I hate standardized tests. To me, they're pointless. Okay, I know how to add-you don't need to give me a test that has 30 problems on adding. :P Or subtraction, for that matter. Would I be in 8th grade if I couldn't add? Of course not. If they want to test our intelligence (because in Connecticut, that's basically what the CMTs do-see how smart you are. Seriously.) then they should TEST it, not give us some test that asks you to estimate 9.9 to the nearest whole number.

On an unrelated note, has anyone else ever gotten bored out of your freakin' brain taking that "which word fit's best" quiz? Once, I had to read how some kid named Juan's mother went and got water every morning, and what he thought about that. Who cares, Juan? I think one of the most boring things I have to read is when they talk about those stupid mexican jumping frogs, or whatever they are.
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HAHAHA :lol: that's EXACTLY how they are!!! you know what else they do? they show you a flyer about some whale watching trip and ask you to find out what when and where it is.. and then there's a story about a girl who finds an injured baby lamb but instead of keeping it like she wants to, she gives it to the animal services people. and we have to figure out whether she gave the lamb away because she got paid, she wanted what's best for the lamb, or because it was too heavy to carry home. akk of course she gave it away because she got paid!! do they think i'm stupid or something? :rolleyes:

:eek: i'm taking geometry right now and i'm in 8th grade :confusion [i'm not trying to sound all smart of anything, sorry :lol:] i was just wondering, what kind of geometry is it? advanced? regular? i know they still offer it in my highschool [that i will be going to in the future], but it's a 9th grade class i believe.. or maybe some people take it in 10th, if they're behind. :confused:

Ours involves Trig...

Ours involves Trig...ahh, mine doesn't :lol:

I hate standardized tests. To me, they're pointless. Okay, I know how to add-you don't need to give me a test that has 30 problems on adding. :P Or subtraction, for that matter. Would I be in 8th grade if I couldn't add? Of course not. If they want to test our intelligence (because in Connecticut, that's basically what the CMTs do-see how smart you are. Seriously.) then they should TEST it, not give us some test that asks you to estimate 9.9 to the nearest whole number.


Precisely. Can you understand a complex paragraph? WOULD I BE TAKING THIS BLOODY (sorry) TEST IF I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND A COMPLEX PARAGRAPH?????
(I'm not allowed to say bloody, am I?)

well if they got all their credits out of the way throughout their 1st, 2nd, & 3rd years, that wouldn't really be a problem.. they are just as smart as people who take intellectually stimulating classes in their senior year, because they still have that knowledge, they just acquired it earlier ;) you can't take all stupid classes and still graduate throughout your highschool career, though, because there are certain requirements for graduation that have to be met. :buckt:

Ah, but if that were the case, then they would have no problem passing the FCAT (honestly, it's absolutely ridiculous).

In verbal, they have spent the last five years teaching us how to do analogies. And now, we've wasted five years.

My school must be teh suck; they never taught us anything about the SAT.

My school must be teh suck; they never taught us anything about the SAT.

My school didnt prepare me either. I had to take some SAT Prep classes and I bought a book on it too. :s

hmm... i don't think standardized testing are so bad... we get shortened classes... two brunches, more breaks... while taking super-dooper easy tests... i think it's OKAY... just boring, and makes me wanna fall asleep :zzz:

ahh, mine doesn't :lol:

You did do like sin cosine, and tangent? B/c that is a BIG part of geometry, and my 8th grade geo. course had it. In my school, you can get 2 years advanced, so Alg II is in 9th grade.

Standerized tests bore me, with like what Seb says. I know that 8+12 is 20 did I need to fill in a bubble. Irregardless of your test, would I be here if I didn't know that 8+12 is 20? No, I would have failed awhile ago, thanks.

Your GPA should not and cannot be a deciding factor. What if one took all gym classes or equally mentally stimulating classes their senior year? It'd be a guaranteed 4.0 average, but they would leave ill-prepared for further education.

I'm not familiar with that particular exam, but that's why individual states and schools have certain reqirements. for example, my school's requirements for graduation (4 credits in English, 4 in Social Studies, 3 Foreign Language or 5 in Occupational Education, 2 in Math, 2 in Science [3 each Math and Science for the class of 2005 and on], 1 credit in Art or Music, 2 credits in Physical Education [and you can't take more than 1 gym class at once unless you're a senior and lacking in credits], and .5 in Health Education) are supposed to reflect New York State's standards and those needed for college preparation. without those, nobody can graduate regardless of how well they do on any standardized exams (although some are required to get those credits- but even in classes where they aren't required, if you fail the class you can't possibly get the credit)

but anyway...

I. HATE. THE. REGENTS. EXAMS.

Regents exams are New York State's standardized exams, that everyone in the state has to take at the completion of certain courses. first of all, the way they're done is really annoying- you have to be there for at least 2 hours, and for a maximum of 3. everyone in the state takes them at the same time, which is why you have to be there for 2 hours- so you can't finish it, then go and call someone with answers, but that also means that if you're late or something, you can't take it. it also causes problems during the January exams when some areas of the state get snow or other bad weather, because those areas can't just postpone the exams- if NY cares, they have to come up with a new exam and administer it later, and if not, those people can get off without taking it.

also, the standards keep going up, at the same time that the state is trying to cut back on spending. recently they've eliminated a bunch of positions on the Board of Regents (the organization that creates the exams), so some people are doing double duty and maybe even helping to create exams for subjects they don't even teach. plus with the increased standards they've changed the exams, then made little to no effort to inform the people that are trying to prepare people for the exams. that's what happened with the Physics exam two years ago, which I took. they changed the format, and changed some of the material, and they did inform people that they were doing so. however, much of the material on the exam, teachers didn't know to teach. the result? I believe somewhere around a third of the state PASSED. they offered a makeup exam at the end of the summer, and I think some people did somewhat better, but still not at normal levels. another thing they like to do on science exams in particular is the practice of lowering grades, what they like to call "scaled scoring"- easier questions are worth fewer points, harder questions are worth more. subjective much? yep, that isn't determined by how people do on questions, it's determined when the test is made by the people who made it. on every practice chemistry exam we did last year, the scoring guide just tells you to lower the grade. you get 90 percent of the questions right? the state says you got an 86, because tey thought the majority of the questions were easy (and let's just hope the hard questions were actually in the curriculum that they provided to teachers).

also, last year they changed the Math A exam (which is actually pretty new- going through it I had to take Courses 1, 2, and 3, but then they changed them to just two courses, Math A and Math B), and made it much harder than it was intended to be. it was all over the newspapers, and some proctors for that exam said that a lot of students were actually CRYING during the exam because it was so much more difficult than they anticipated it and prepared for it to be. as a result of that exam (since some seniors took it, and it was the only math exam required for them to graduate), a whole bunch of people didn't graduate, or at least weren't allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies. later (AFTER most schools had their ceremonies), the state came to the conclusion that it was a bad test (did they REALLY need that long to figure it out?), and they said that school districts could use the students' averages to determine whethor or not they would get credit for the class, and a lot more people were allowed to graduate, but they still weren't allowed to walk across the stage with the rest of their class.

it's so wonderful when you have a state's education department ruining memories for people :)

</rant>

All I can say is that I hate them. So. Freaking. Much. Though I always wind up doing good in the maps stuff even though half the time I'm guessing. :confused:

Standardized tests do indeed have their downsides, but the reasons you listed are not among them. If you can't pass the FCAT, you shouldn't be able to graduate. It's really easy, and if you can't manage even that, you definately will not be able to succeed in college. Your GPA should not and cannot be a deciding factor. What if one took all gym classes or equally mentally stimulating classes their senior year? It'd be a guaranteed 4.0 average, but they would leave ill-prepared for further education. The requirement to pass the FCAT prevents that from happening. Tests like the FCAT make sure that one has a grasp of at least the most fundamental topics before moving on to a higher level.
Standardized tests are fine. In Florida, however, the way the FCAT is handled is really stupid.

Teachers spend all their time in the classroom teaching students to pass the FCAT. I know, I've been there. Instead of teaching what we should be learning, they teach us how to pass the darn test. It's because the better the students do on the FCAT, the more funding each school gets for the next year.

This is just an example, but here goes:

A school that overall received an "A" grade gets $300,000 from the state for the next year.

A school that overall received a "B" grade gets $200,000.

A school that overall received a "C" grade gets $50,000.

A school that overall received a "D" grade or below gets nothing.

It makes schools want kids to do well on the test, not to make sure they're really learning what they need to learn.

I'm not familiar with that particular exam, but that's why individual states and schools have certain reqirements. for example, my school's requirements for graduation (4 credits in English, 4 in Social Studies, 3 Foreign Language or 5 in Occupational Education, 2 in Math, 2 in Science [3 each Math and Science for the class of 2005 and on], 1 credit in Art or Music, 2 credits in Physical Education [and you can't take more than 1 gym class at once unless you're a senior and lacking in credits], and .5 in Health Education) are supposed to reflect New York State's standards and those needed for college preparation. without those, nobody can graduate regardless of how well they do on any standardized exams (although some are required to get those credits- but even in classes where they aren't required, if you fail the class you can't possibly get the credit)

(I know I didn't express myself well earlier..)

I think the two requirements sort of work together, like a failsafe. I know my school's not quite as demanding in regards of credits, so something other than GPA is necessary to make sure one didn't fill one's schedule with Food Productions IV, Parenting Skills, hunting/fishing class, and Truck Driving (for college credit, actually), or abuse the credit redistribution policy (they're not always very strict about what classes count for what credit), even if that something is ridiculously easy (and poorly executed, as Lissa said). But I'm sure it is different in other areas.

Standardized tests are fine. In Florida, however, the way the FCAT is handled is really stupid.

Teachers spend all their time in the classroom teaching students to pass the FCAT. I know, I've been there. Instead of teaching what we should be learning, they teach us how to pass the darn test. It's because the better the students do on the FCAT, the more funding each school gets for the next year.

In my school, they probably wouldn't teach us what we needed to know whether there was FCAT or not. All I can say is I've seen far too many Magic School Bus and ESPN blooper videos, even in so-called college-level classes (those come with storytime).

Reading about other people's schools is depressing. Geometry (or Analytic Geometry? I don't remember my geometry class having that much trig) here is solely a high school class, freshman year at the earliest. In middle school, we were lucky if we got to Algebra I, and even then they'd recommend that we retake it at high school.

I feel lucky, here's there's only 4 standardised tests that we have to take throughout the school years (that I know of anyway).
In grades 3, 6 and 9 there's provincial testing on reading, writing and math.
In grade 10 everyone has to write a literacy test. You have to pass this to graduate.
Every single one is insanely easy, for the grade 10 one I was counting floor and ceiling tiles waiting for the time period to end :rolleyes:
There's only one other test I remember taking that is done with a large group of people, in grade 4 which was basically an intelligence test to identify exceptionalities in students (and the ones who get a certain score there go on to do a person-to-person session, I liked the lady there cos she had the same name as me :P) I have no idea if I'm using the right terms for any of this :P

all I can say about tests are: AHHHH!!!! *hides*

This is just an example, but here goes:

A school that overall received an "A" grade gets $300,000 from the state for the next year.

A school that overall received a "B" grade gets $200,000.

A school that overall received a "C" grade gets $50,000.

A school that overall received a "D" grade or below gets nothing.



Woo for No Child Left Behind! That's right, people, extra extra, read all about it, Bush gives money to schools who don't need it! Extra Extra!

ahem...

Yes I don't get why you would do that...the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

They're trying to do more SAT prep stuff at school, and add more foreign language courses, like Korean or Russian, but the problem is, we're in the middle of a budget crisis-a $14.3 million budget crisis. And the first thing they cut is usually the orchestra. There's going to be a rebellion if they try that...

*shrug* I was in pre-algebra this year, and we basically learned everything we needed to know this year for the FCAT last year. :lol:

Since I've never done them, I really don't care.

oh trust me... you WiLL care soon enough... once you hit junior year... SHEESH! by the way... what in the world is FCAT? i've *never* heard of them before... :rolleyes:

I just finished my junior year, and I have never done one.

Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) :)

I think standerdized test can be good for somethings, but I dont think they are the best option for all. For example, they shouldnt have such an affect on collage accptance!

I remember the huge thing about the FCAT being racist or something. :rolleyes:

what is the FCAT, ive never heard of that test before!

Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) :)

There's your answer. :)

What I hate about standardized tests is that teachers end up teaching specifically to the tests. And I find that annoying, that the only reason you're actually being taught anything is because of some stupid test.

I've heard things about the SAT being se.xist. Like boys doing better on the geometry-related problems that require spatial reasoning, and on the analogy portion. And since they found that girls do better on essays, they've changed it, like I already mentioned. Of course, go figure, the parts of the PSAT that I did best on were the geometry problems, and the analogies (of course the "put the comma in the right place" part was a doddle as well)

I feel lucky, here's there's only 4 standardised tests that we have to take throughout the school years (that I know of anyway).
In grades 3, 6 and 9 there's provincial testing on reading, writing and math.
In grade 10 everyone has to write a literacy test. You have to pass this to graduate.
Every single one is insanely easy, for the grade 10 one I was counting floor and ceiling tiles waiting for the time period to end :rolleyes:
There's only one other test I remember taking that is done with a large group of people, in grade 4 which was basically an intelligence test to identify exceptionalities in students (and the ones who get a certain score there go on to do a person-to-person session, I liked the lady there cos she had the same name as me :P) I have no idea if I'm using the right terms for any of this :P
lol. i know! EQAO was so easy! lol. but i got a few lvl 3's ahaha. i did pretty much the same from gr 3 and gr 6... what ebarrassing is they publish the schools scores in the newspaper. it's out of a hundred, and some schools get 90's while others get 20's lol. my school got in the 60's... *ugh* lol.

umm. in our school board you also have to take CCATs to see if ur gifted, and in gr7 u take CAT3s for the same reason i guess. but i scouldn't do CAT3s because of a teacher strike lol.

Our county is now starting the school year in the THIRD week of August. And we take FCATs the first or second week of March, just so we can get them back in May. That's what tests do: they ruin our summers. Growl.

I remember the huge thing about the FCAT being racist or something. :rolleyes:

Was it "racist" in that the people that were failing it tended be minorities in schools that had little in the way of preparation resources and THAT was why they were failing it?

I have to take the MCA's and those can predicded if your going to graduate from high school. Personally I hate these tests they test every one to much to the point that we dont learn anything!:rant:

Some people are very poor test takers. I dont agree that standardized testing is a valid assessment of what a person learns. And the NAEYC stands behind me on this.

(NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children)

I really don't have a problem with scoring on standardized tests, because I'm pretty good at them. But the fact that teachers are teaching students to pass tests...just annoys me. You don't have to fill in bubbles in the real world, everyone.

I got my GED(it's a test you can take and it counts the same as graduating) in june of this year. It was an 8 hour long test, that everyone told me i would fail a least once before passing; I passed it the first time with flying colors. Yet in school I would get basic on ALL the standardized test. If i could pass a test to help me graduate early and could barely pass test to get to the next grade, there most be something wrong. Either they need to make the GED harder or standardized test better to suit graduating. When i took my test this summer to see what class i would take for college, i was on college level for everything; yet some students who graduated from school were in classes below college level. Most of my teachers would just teach to prepare for tests and most of what they taught is useless to me now. I think public schools need to step it up and teach students to prepare them for college, not standardized test!