The Horror of TAKS

Testing Testing Testing... Thats all I have heard over the past month. Here is my biggest issue with testing in Texas. The stress it places on the child that has to take the test is horrible. As a Texas high school graduate I feel current school age children's pain. Going through public schools you are given test to see your placement level. They also judge if you should move to the next grade. When I was in school it went as follows you take the TAKS test in 9th and 10th grade and it doesn't count toward moving up a grade. BUT your scores still should be passing or you will be put in a remedial class for either reading or math. Oh! But when you reach 11th grade it was called the TAKS exit exam. This exam was the deciding factor of graduation. Thats right no matter if you made straight A's and had a 3.0 g.p.a. you could not walk across the stage if you did not pass TAKS. Now the stress of knowing that you will not walk across the stage after all hard work put into your classes for the past four years. I was one of the students who didn't pass TAKS the first time when given. But I thank god till this day for my TAKS tutor she came and saved the day. In school we were not focusing on TAKS we were just learning as the teacher taught. It always seems that as soon as TAKS season came around thats all the teacher wanted to focus on. In actuality why isn't TAKS integrated throughout the year not just when its testing season?

Here is a article on the new STAAR test being harder than TAKS.