Mention state testing to parents, and you are likely to get a variety of colorful responses and reactions.
What if your child studied his/her heart out for a state final only to find out it wasn’t going to count this year? Well, that’s what’s happening here in Florida for a few of the state administered math tests, which typically account for 30% of the semester grade. Read all about it here:
I don’t have a Middle or High Schooler, but I have had umpteen conversations with a few annoyed parents about the EOCs (End of Course Exams) that were administered this month. And these were all conversations BEFORE the test and BEFORE this news. Kids didn’t know what to expect. The material wasn’t properly covered in the classroom.
Not sure how I’d feel if I learned the test wasn’t even going to count. I’m guessing the information brings happiness to some, who no longer have to worry about the tests’ impact on their child’s GPA. And then there are those who spent hundreds of dollars on tutoring to prepare for the test. My guess is they are pretty miffed. And how about the child who was hoping to boost their class average by nailing the test? Agh. And then, there’s the whole question about the lack of test vetting or validation.
So many things to discuss. Would love to hear your cheers and sneers on this one!
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Great job on the article! All this testing is ridiculous. Even at the elementary levels – the teachers can’t do what they want anymore because of all the time required by all this testing. They aren’t reading as many novels or creative writing. At the high school and middle school level – they take the kids out of their classes for these tests. So they miss a whole class and often times multiple classes. Also the technology doesn’t always work and it takes twice as long. And 30% of your grade on a test that the teachers haven’t even seen – how is that fair? Very bright kids complaining of these tests being so difficult – its not their fault, either the teachers aren’t teaching the right things or these tests are way too hard. How about those kids in less affluent districts who can’t afford tutoring required for all this testing? The madness needs to stop – it’s too much and taking away from the good teachers and lessons. Why not have one test at the beginning of the year and the same test at the end of the year and track progression! I could go on and on – aren’t you glad you asked for feedback? However, I do love the PV schools and think they are amazing. This crazy testing needs to change at the state level.
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This is disappointing on nearly every level, but I can tell you that school administration indicated that the counties will likely have latitude on how this is handled and we don’t know that as yet. The current thought — again which needs to be confirmed over time – is that the EOC scores will not count for graduation/promotion type decisions since, practically speaking, the information would not be available in time. It is possible (but not yet known fro sure) that the EOC grade will ultimately be factored into their final grade (albeit in the Fall) and updated retroactively.
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