http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out
The link above is a page that explains how many students and parents are against Standardized Testing under the No Child Left Behind law. This site was of interest to me as I was unaware of how many movements existed that encouraged parents to opt-out of the state testing. Some of the movements are asking administrators not to judge their children on these tests but on their year-long performance. Other ideas include parents writing an opt -out letter asking administrators not to administer tests to their children but to provide alternative activities for their students on the days of these tests.
I agree that these tests are very stressful for students and teachers alike and that more emphasis is placed on them than should be but don't know what other alternatives would be best.... any thoughts?
Standardized testing can be a controversial issue. With so many children with special needs, I believe this test is a difficult way to assess someone's knowledge when they may have difficulty with test taking and the stress of large exams. However, it is known that schools have different unwritten standards and expectations of their students and without a standardized test, I think our education in many schools will greatly without such structure and a general evaluation tool.
ReplyDeleteAs for alternatives, I'm not sure what could substitute. As the website explains, schools receive funding contingent upon 95% of their students taking the exam. Therefore, such a change would be a huge movement that I think with current cuts and focus elsewhere would not happen at this time.