STARR testing...anyones kid having trouble?

[60 Deluxe]

The Passing standard was 50% this year, 65% next year and then 80% in the third phase. These decisions are being made by the same people that have the curriculum refer to our form of government as a Constitutional Republic because they're afraid the term Democracy makes people vote democrat. Politicians, who have never stepped foot in a public school, are not qualified to make these decisions. It won't stop until politicians stop using public education as they're whipping boy while they and their children go to private schools, our children will continue to suffer. With CSCOPE gone, teacher hands will be untied but the assessment system will continue to bring real learning to a halt.

CSCOPE is far from gone, only a portion of it has been dropped. This whole testing problem was created by politicians trying to control educators. Politicians are not qualified to decide what is best for education. Now the tea party bought big business's line about how the state is wasting so much money on the region centers supporting CSCOPE when they (big business) have much better curricula to SELL. This is all a big power and money play and our kids are being used as pawns by the big players.

[westexasagent]

I read that the company for the STARR test are getting 450 million to administer it? Wonder what retired politician or current politician is a stock holder or CEO?

If they take a kid that his lowest six weeks grade is an 80 and mainly had 87 to 92's and hold him back then they are making a mistake. We are considering putting him in private school just to skip the dung of it all. I was told 150k eigth graders in Texas are in the same boat.

[Slingblade]

Don't even get me started on what I think of the STARR exams........

[txdukklr]

Where the problem is, is the **** government needs to get the hell out of the mandatory testing and let the teachers do the jobs they were payed to do, several of my math classes in school would teach you what you needed to know all year and then 2 weeks before the taks test stop and teach test specific stuff, and then go right back to teaching the important stuff. So 2 weeks out of the year were completely wasted and the test was not reflective of anything. Go ask a teacher what they think of it behind a closed door and you will hear an earful.

The whole staar testing program was a complete bust, and tied the teachers hands behind their backs to the point where they couldn't teach.

Teachers kid, so I have heard it all haha.

Kindly disagree, I think the system can be improved . . . . greatly. But I believe that every other job in the world you grade, score and check the ability to comprehend before you move to the next level. I've got one left of five kids who went through Taks and Starr, it's not easy but it shouldn't be.

Go ask a teacher? I've never found anyone that likes to be held accountable in that manner. To be clear I have multiple family members and now one child who is in school to be an educator. I'm a big believer in our school systems so this is not intended as a slight against the individual teacher.

[Jrmhunting]

My step daughter started summer school classes this morning for it. We went to a conference and the counselor told us if she don't pass it then she will repeat the 8th grade regardless of how well she did in school.
My question was why did school even matter if this test was all that was needed. But no answers for that question was provided.

[bowhuntingw]

the starr is a bunch of crap. my daughter made a/b honor roll and failed the reading on the starr. makes no sense what so ever. why the hell even have school if it all comes down to the stupid test. i feel some lard-butt in austin, having nothing better to do, decides that he/she will be the judge of how well our schools are doing by developing such a test. really hacks me off. when the school year starts, its all about that dang starr. its pretty bad when your honor roll 3rd grade daughter comes home crying because shes scared to take the dang thing.!!!!!! freakin government at its usual best!

[westexasagent]

I just wrote the governor and all the other legislators for my area...I suggest everyone else get on their guys website and email them! Raise a stink! This is bull!

[westexasagent]

I think that consistency is the key here...a STAAR test doesnt negate out a years worth of work! Why attend school if the test means so much? Why bust your hump all year making good grades and taking mulitple exams to take one test that decides it?

[staats]

Private School!!!

[scrapwave]

I remember when my daughter was in 4th grade (she's just finished her junior year now) the teachers were browbeating the kids that if they didn't pass the taks tests that year they had to go to summer school. My daughter is an A-B student but gets test anxiety so generally struggles with big tests like that. Well, she failed one of them...I think Math but I don't even remember now--by 1 or 2 questions. But I was in the Superintendent's office complaining because 4th grade TAKS test weren't even required passing years (they didn't have to pass the tests to advance to the next grade in the even grade years.) I let him know real quick what I thought of him having the teachers scaring the kids with the threat of summer school if they didn't pass this or that when it wasn't even a required passing year, and if they couldn't teach her what she needed for some stupid test during the school year how was I supposed to believe they could do it over the summer, AND that they couldn't require summer school for kids who passed their classes but failed a TAKS test if the state didn't require a passing grade on the test that year. They didn't try to make her go to summer school after that. She's a smart kid...she just gets really nervous and freezes up in tests...but thankfully this year (her Junior year) when she had to pass them all to graduate next year--she passed them all the first time! We are through with standardized testing!! Soooo glad she was in the LAST group of kids that fell in under the TAKS testing rather than STAAR!

[Shane]

I don't have any experience with the STAAR test since my kids go to private school. They take different standardized tests, and they have tests and finals in all their classes too (obviously). There may be problems with the STAAR test. I don't know. But tests are vital in education. You HAVE to test students to find out if they've learned what they're supposed to have learned or not - and that gives you an idea whether the teacher is doing an effective job too. It sucks for the teacher to be evaluated on their students' intellect and abilities and study habits (or lack thereof), but there's no other way to do it other than to test students.

I'm evaluated on my clients' investment performance, and I dang sure don't have any control over the markets. But that's where the rubber meets the road in my business. Test results are where the rubber meets the road in education. It's not perfect or 100% fair for the teachers, but that's just the way it is. If the STAAR test needs fixing, then I hope they fix it. But they don't need to do away with all testing.

[Horitexan]

We, personally, have not had problems with the kids not passing STAAR but we still have plenty of issue with the whole testing system, not to mention the whole CSCOPE fiasco.

I don't have a problem with standardized testing being a major component of the decision to pass a kid or not. Life, no matter what job you have, is full of "tests" and kids NEED to learn to deal with them. Just like anything in life, some people have an easier time than others and that's not ever going to change. So, the argument that 'the test is so hard' is ridiculous. I would argue that they're not nearly hard enough, as evidenced by the US' decline in the worldwide education rankings. Everybody seems to be more worried about how "hard" stuff is for kids instead of how good an education they really get is. I remember having a couple hours of homework at night in elementary and as much as 3-5 hours in high school. Now, its uncommon for kids not to finish their homework before they leave school! The education system has become SO focused on fairness and passing everybody, to claim "look how many of our kids graduate HS," that they've traded an actual education for a skill at passing a standardized test. Our HS was ranked 13th in the state, recently, with some bronze medal award and I can guarantee that only 1-2 kids on the graduating class could name the Secretary of State for the past for years or even name the Presidents from 1980 until now. That's pathetic.

The tests should account for a large percentage (i.e. 1/3) of their grade but I don't think it should be a game-changer for a kid that has straight A's. on the other hand, you have to wonder about the education that makes up an A&B honor roll student who can't pass a standardized test. I would argue that the problem is less with the test than with the teachers (and what they have the student, in terms of education) who handed out A's and B's to a kid who wasn't capable of passing a standardized test for their grade level! Take a kid out of a private school with A's & B's and I'll hazard a guess that that student would have NO problem passing a standardized test. This shows that the problem is with the underlying education more than with the test. Public schools have 'dumbed down' education in favor of "teaching to the test" in order to get all the funding they can get from the state and federal government. Education has gone much the way of manufacturing in this country- pride, quality and producing a high quality product has been exchanged for numbers and profits and a desire to appease the masses with a cheap product line that won't last and doesn't work as well but that they can get cheap at Walmart.

If school systems and teachers would put their foot down and start delivering a real education, with history and English and math and science, the way things used to be taught they wouldn't have problems with kids passing standardized tests; and the kids that just don't get it SHOULD be held back until they do! What is the BIG deal with kids failing and having to repeat? I mean, why are educators and parents SO adverse to kids repeating a grade? Oh yeah, they're afraid of hurting the kids feelings or dealing with angry parents who don't want to admit their kid doesn't work hard enough or just isn't as smart as they think he/she is. Jeez, what has happened to the tough and pragmatic American citizenry?? The cost is several generations with a worthless set of diplomas and no real education.

The STAAR test needs to be adjusted and revamped so that its not the sole determining factor it seems to be; but unless its just a part of a comprehensive reform of the education system it will be nothing more than another failure. You couldn't pay me to be a teacher in the public school system these days and if we had a private school anywhere close to us, that's where our kids would go. I can't blame teachers (entirely) for this mess but I can't let them off the hook either because if they would band together (the way they do on salaries and benefits and retirement) to improve education and insist on a return to a traditional method of education (instead of all this touchy-feely experimental progressive crud) I think it would give educational reform the teeth it needs to get done. But, it's a lot easier to teach to the test and play daycare all week and who wants to work harder than they have to these days. What a mess. My wife is on the PTO and the parent-teacher advisory committee at our local school and its had us pulling our hair out for the last couple years - all the blame shifting, finger pointing and unwillingness to accept fault and work to effect change in the school.

[westexasagent]

No problem with testing here...but i have a problem when ONE part of the whole thing leads to a kid attending summer school that was on honor roll all year long. I think they need to look at the big picture. Is this a kid that needs summer school and do his teachers think he needs it? His teachers say no but their hands are tied.

[westexasagent]

neat

I emailed my represenatives, the Lt. Governor and Governor the other day about my son and the STAAR test. I got a call from Tom Craddick's office the next day who in turn called the head of the school district who then called me also! WOW! I did not expect that! They were very helpful and reassuring. I recommend you guys that need help to contact yours! Tell them your concerns and what u wan to see happen. I did! He was very candid and things are gonna work out on our end.

[Jaybo31]

I emailed my represenatives, the Lt. Governor and Governor the other day about my son and the STAAR test. I got a call from Tom Craddick's office the next day who in turn called the head of the school district who then called me also! WOW! I did not expect that! They were very helpful and reassuring. I recommend you guys that need help to contact yours! Tell them your concerns and what u wan to see happen. I did! He was very candid and things are gonna work out on our end.

Good job! And good job to our reps for listening!