Comments on: Simple Answer

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:35:30 +0000

they have to keep figuring out ways to quantify who will be the workers, and who will be the managers of the work.

By: Krista Kidwell

Krista Kidwell — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:24:37 +0000

Money – hmmmm. Most things that are done are about the money. Kentucky requiring that teachers get their masters in their first 10 years teaching is about the money. KERA is about MONEY – and not for the schools. Students are those that are suffering – how can it be change that students become the focus. Politics…..hmmmm. How many teachers would pursue masters degrees in Ky if the state didn’t require it? Check the statistics on states that don’t require teachers to have their masters and how many of them actually get it. As a side note, I am not a great test taker, I get anxious and always score higher the second time.

By: Kim Clevinger

Kim Clevinger — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:15:53 +0000

I agree with many of the other posts. I think that money is the main concern of most of the testing centers today. Many people do not test well under pressure. So, if they never achieve a certain score, does that mean that they are not capable??

By: Ronn Varney

Ronn Varney — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:47:55 +0000

Standardized tests are really about money and to let the “powers that be” see who they should give more or less money. These tests aren’t good indicators of student performance, but show what they want to see. I agree that the testing centers are making the $$$$$$$$$$$!!

By: Elizabeth Freeman

Elizabeth Freeman — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:24:59 +0000

I think that adding another test is absolutely ridiculous. It is just another way to get money. I seriously doubt this test will raise collegiate aspiration levels. If anything, students will be discouraged because they will think that this type of testing is all college will consist of. How much do standardized prove anyway? This test has three parts, reading, writing, and math. All important skills but what about science, technology, and problem solving? I think that these are critical skills in todays world.
I also loved how they are making the test cheap for schools. Only 10 dollars per student, but that is still expensive if a school district has 100 8th graders. I don’t know how school districts throughout the country are fairing when it comes to budgeting, but I know that schools systems in Kentucky have very low budgets right now.
I just think that all of these standardized tests are ridiculous. Kids hate school because they are getting tested all of the time. I basically spent my first 9 weeks of school testing my kids and they are just in first grade. They have already taken 5 tests. My feeling is students aren’t learning because so much time and focus is being placed upon these tests. The tests are taking away from much needed instruction and exploration time.

By: Ashley Pelfrey

Ashley Pelfrey — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:45:43 +0000

I agree. It is all about the money. At the school where I work, we give at least three diagnostic tests a year. In eigth grade, they actually take 4 per year. I just discovered that the reason we can’t afford some of the instructional materials that we need is that most of our money is being spent on these “predictive tests” that in my opinion do not predict very well at all.

By: Shellae Peters

Shellae Peters — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:48:31 +0000

This is ridiculous! What would it change or improve? The schools here have a defined curriculum that is required by the state to include specific content so the test scores of individuals would not matter because they have to take the same classes anyway. The students are lucky if they get to take just one elective each year so this test would just become another scoring mechanism for the school, like we need another one. The education system keeps stressing “pre-college curriculum” and have taken away all vocational studies so the student that could really benefit from those classes are stuck in classes that they have no use for and have difficulty understanding. This leads to the teacher “dumbing down” (couldn’t think of a more appropriate term) the classes so much that even the bright kids who plan on attending college are not prepared. Thanks to NCLB we have students graduating from high school that cannot read on a 3rd grade level (newspapers are written on a 6th grade level), simply to improve graduation rates and meet required school guidelines. While we are creating tests, why don’t we make one that will open the eyes of the government so the drastic decline in education over the last 20 years.

By: carla

carla — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:07:52 +0000

Yep…. just another test to get money out of students, schools and anyone else who will pay it.