What the heck is TAKS Testing? (Howe, Point: appointed, how much, elementary school)

[AGA]

Originally Posted by BentBow

After being assured by the teacher, she had it under control yesterday, I had the teacher send home what my daughter needed help with.

Guess what was sent home...

A study Guide for the math TAKS test.

Last night I had her do the first practice test.
It is worse then I thought. 9 of 18 questions right... I'm PO'ed at this point. This is real easy stuff(at least to me)
I helped her with what she got wrong, and she is in there bright and early this morning retaking the test from scratch.

This year about 8 weeks prior to the actual test, all the 5th grade parents were asked to send in a few $ to purchase the TAKS workbook for Math. It was used as a ramp up for the test.

I have no complaints since my kiddo passed with flying colors and had commended score/results, but I can see where this could be a confusing area for alot of reasons.
I too would be shocked if my student was getting a's in class and did not pass the test.
So much of passing that test is knowing not only "the skills", but how to read the question, etc... and the workbook/taks focus did give them those tools.

[hoffdano]

The TAKS test is useful but is not by any means a gold standard to compare either children or schools. I don't think it will ever be possible to create a single measure accepted by all.

I am a parent of three children, all part of the Lake Travis ISD. They have taken MANY TAKS tests over the years, and the earlier version, the TAS tests. At the very minimum Mad Marty - the tests have changed over the years and you simply don't even know it.

The teachers, at least in LTISD, do not spend their time teaching to the test. Yes they prepare the kids for the test. And at lower grade levels, they practice. Many kids need to practice taking a standardized test. But the vast majority of the school year is spent learning their subjects, not TAKS.

[girlcitizen]

Please keep in the mind that another category is 'Special Needs Children'. These are students w/ learning disabilities, autism (usually mid-high functioning), mild-moderate mental retardation and other impairments. Yes, they too are required to take the SAME test as your child is - but they receive modifications. Do the modifications help? Of course not. (modifications being extra time, having the test read to them, etc.) If you child's school has a high percentage of special needs classes then that too will affect the overall TAKS score. So, all of the general ed. students could pass with flying colors but special ed. may pull the score down to 'Recognized' or 'Unacceptable'. Does that make sense? It's quite sad because this fuels the discrimination against special needs students by administrators and teachers who MUST get good scores each year or their jobs are in jeopardy.

[girlcitizen]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

The TAKS test is useful but is not by any means a gold standard to compare either children or schools. I don't think it will ever be possible to create a single measure accepted by all.

I am a parent of three children, all part of the Lake Travis ISD. They have taken MANY TAKS tests over the years, and the earlier version, the TAS tests. At the very minimum Mad Marty - the tests have changed over the years and you simply don't even know it.

The teachers, at least in LTISD, do not spend their time teaching to the test. Yes they prepare the kids for the test. And at lower grade levels, they practice. Many kids need to practice taking a standardized test. But the vast majority of the school year is spent learning their subjects, not TAKS.

Yes, most public schools are teaching the TAKS test, but just not in the way that you think. The new curriculum is designed and shaped by the TAKS - so the reading, math, science and social studies textbooks and lesson plans were SHAPED by the material that will be on the TAKS. Textbook companies research what the TAKS covers, then design the books and curriculum within to mirror the test contents in an instructive manner. I'm not saying it is a good or bad thing but yes, they are teaching the test.

This is argumentatively part of the reason behind the decline in strong critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills that we are finding in today's youth. Educators in high school and beyond are finding that children can't think for themselves, frame an original idea and support conclusions- not enough time is being spent on these skills anymore. Children (esp. middle and high school) aren't asking 'WHY?' anymore. We have to support the creative desire to learn and ideas.

[hoffdano]

Good points about TAKS shaping or framing the subjects. But let's also recognize that at the middle and (especially) high school levels many other subjects are taken. These are not TAKS subjects.

My son's 4 projects in physics this year have been challenging and require teamwork and problem solving. My daughter's engineering graphics class requires her to reverse engineer common household items and break them down into components.

I believe that standardized assessments are probably overall a good thing. It should reduce some of the extreme variations in teaching that occur.

[S6Sputnik]

Regardless of all the above, I am proud if my daughter who did well on all three of the 5th grade TAKS test this year...She missed a total of 3 questions of about 125!! She worked hard to make sure she would do well and did.Cheers to that and IMHO the complaining about these tests is silly!

[hinke]

I have mixed feelings about the tests. On one hand, if we don't test then we may not find out a child is behind until it is too late. But on the other hand, too much pressure and stress is put on these little kids. Stress from both home and school to do well (doing well means ratings and ultimately money).

My daughter is in Kinder this year but I was told next year is the last year they have Spanish lessons, because they have to start getting ready for TAKS testing. What's to get ready for? It should be the stuff they are learning every day. I was also told that in the 2nd grade they will lose one of their recesses, because they have to get ready for the tests! Kids need these breaks throughout the day.

Homework? Another subject I have mixed feelings about. They are in school for more than 7 hours per day, I think that should be enough time for them to get done what they need to get done. If a child is behind, or needs a little extra practice, then by all means they need homework. But if my child is where she should be, we don't need busy work. As an adult I feel the same way, if my husband works 8 hours per day that should be enough, he doesn't bring home work. As in the above situation, he does occasionally "get behind" and have to work extra, but that is the exception not the rule.

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by S6Sputnik

Regardless of all the above, I am proud if my daughter who did well on all three of the 5th grade TAKS test this year...She missed a total of 3 questions of about 125!! She worked hard to make sure she would do well and did.Cheers to that and IMHO the complaining about these tests is silly!

My 2 gradeschool aged kids go all exemplary on their TAKS this year and I still reserve the right to complain about it.

I am a huge fan of the Quest program though. It really tries to teach the kids to think through problems rather than regurgitation.

[Monica_Pointless]

ok, as far as the threads that i have been reading some people think that the taks is some easy little piece of cake to pass to the next level... but see the thing is when i read these things i chuckle slightly because all i see is naive people talking about what they "think" they know like for example someone here said that their sophomore daughter said "how can people not pass these tests?" how simple it sounds and yet passing them still isnt being accomplished especially by comments like those so therefore the parent thinks this stuff is easy but see this girl is just a sophomore i mean yea she can get held back a grade but so what when you have the stress from all other things like i dont know maybe LIFE taks does seem rather difficult for others especially those who aren't given a good mental preparation so yes TAKS is difficult and pointless cause i am in college and it hasnt helped me once since i have been here learning every year about nothing but the TAKS really screwed me over and now i am paying for the consequences so like i said depending on the kid who is taking it depending how easy it is its not simple for everyone and yes schools here in texas are good but they wont stay like that with the TAKS being such a pimple to pass... so yea good luck...

[hoffdano]

Monica - This may come across the wrong way. If it does I apologize.

But do you want us to take you seriously when your entire post is one giant sentence? Did they teach punctuation and sentence structure in your high school?

I am not naive. My children have been taking the TAKS (and TAAS before that) for years. They are smart kids. But they aren't brilliant. They don't study for TAKS. They just blast through the test and do very well. The questions just aren't that hard. The test establishes a base level of achievement that any reasonable student should be able to reach. And if you don't get through it the first time - you can take it again. And again.

If you struggled with the test - then perhaps the school district didn't do as well as they should. If that is true - the TAKS was successful in identifying a problem. You can blame your school and your teachers if you want. If you are totally honest with yourself though - I bet you know you didn't do your best listening in class and doing your homework.

If you have lived a tough life - broken home, poverty, etc - then you have other legitimate things to explain your testing challenges. But if LIFE is just normal teenage stuff - I am not very sympathetic.