Our school sent our child home with workbooks

[lisajl]

Workbooks for the proficiency tests for the fourth grade!

I was wondering if anyone else in Ohio is doing this, or any other state!

I am not sure I want to waste the summer on this stuff!

I know he needs to pass the tests, but he is only a kid once and will only get the summer once!

Am I the only one having problems with the testing?

Lisajl

 

[jamsmom]

Depending on how much there is, you could do a little at a time. Not so much as to help with the test, but to keep his mind "fresh"



I sound like a former teacher, don't I ?

 

[d.kurz]

I also have big problems with the testing. There's no way I would torture a 4th grader with work in the summer. Unless he was struggling with the regular work and it was remedial stuff. I have an LD high schooler and they are always trying to force him into special classes to better his scores on the testing. Thankfully he has a wonderful IEP teacher who agrees with my POV.

 

[peg2001]

Hmmmm. . .I thought the whole point behind those tests was to see how the SCHOOL was doing. If parents are teaching the material at home, how does that rate the school?

I have serious problems with all the standardized testing that is going on. Too much class time is now being used to "teach the test" so that the school looks good.

I had been planning on yanking my DDs during test days but then someone told me they would have to make it up.

Peggy

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yeah I think Standardized Tests are really starting to run our lives year around.

Last year my kid's took a Cartooning class, a photography class, spent a week at an outdoor adventure daycamp....... Those are the types of summer enrichment that I prefer.

This year my 7th grader is starting his SAT prep work.

 

[lisajl]

peg2001...that is what I thought!

I am looking at the five workbooks they sent home...
writing, reading, math, science and citzenship.

Angry? Yes, I am. This should not take over his life.

He has an IEP also. He has something called cluttering.
He reads at a 6th grade level, but comprehends at his third grade level. I don't see a big problem with that. But, every time I go in to the school the teacher tells me we better make sure we crack down for the test next year.

They rewrote his IEP so he will get more time to process his thoughts, but he did very well on his off year testing this year.

I have just about had it with the public school system.

I was watching a news show the other day and there are about 12,000 seniors in Florida that may not graduate because of the proficencies. A woman in charge said that some of those students are honor students, already accepted at Ivy league colleges, etc.

They read one of the questions and the anchor person could not answer it, nor could any of the people working on the set.

AAAHHH!!! These tests are driving me crazy!
Lisajl

 

[wovenwonder]

These tests are meant to test the 'school' for how well they are doing at teaching your child! The school gets extra funds from the state(s) depending on how well the students test.

I would return the booklets with a note that if you wanted to homeschool you would be doing it.

They are just trying to get the child to do the best possible with the least amount of work on their part.

I would definitely return these books to them!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

send the books back,how many kids want more work in the summer

 

[Evil Princess]

Thats crazy. No wonder why we're all stressed out by the time we get to high school! So much pressure...SAT prep courses in 7th grade? Wow...a 1600 much be easy after that much studying!!

 

[SandiH]

As a teacher - and one who's not big on standardized testing - I have a few questions.

How's your child doing in school now? Is he understanding the concepts? If so, he should be fine taking the tests.

If your student struggles in school, perhaps a bit of work during the summer would be good. I'm not saying sitting down all day long to work on worksheets is the way to go but perhaps some hands on projects would be good to help the child know the concept (from his head to his toes) and be able to apply it.
People should be learning all the time.

As far as testing goes, I think we do too much of it and the emphasis is in the wrong place. Unfortunately, it's a way of life right now and it's not just public schools. Private schools often have the same or similar standarized tests to be able to show how well their students do. I think they are just one small part of how we should be assessing students, teachers and schools.

I do find it hard to believe that students accepted in to Ivy League schools are not passing this test. In Florida, you only need a 40% to pass! Surely the SAT's are more difficult than the graduation tests.

I could go on and on - but won't. You need to decide what type of summer is best for your child. You are his ultimate teacher and the one who's responsible for him.

Good Luck!

Sandi

 

[FOJMO]

I believe in summer breaks as much as the next person, but I don't believe that a child should not keep up some sort of study/work schedule for 8 weeks (or whatever the time is) of fun, fun, fun. I know from experience, that when they start school again, if all they've done is play, etc. it's very hard to get back in the swing of things.

Most schools at least have summer reading programs where the child is required to read at least two books from the summer reading list. My DD (17) does much better staying on a schedule throughout the summer.

This summer she is taking online classes though Florida Virtual School and will be much less stressed out when regular classes resume in August.

I know that, as an adult, if I were to have an 8-week vacation, it would be worse when I got back to work than if I would've worked straight through.

You can still find time for the fun stuff!

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by FOJMO
I believe in summer breaks as much as the next person, but I don't believe that a child should not keep up some sort of study/work schedule for 8 weeks (or whatever the time is) of fun, fun, fun.

I think you should definitely set aside 30 minutes/day to work on it. It may be that the teachers are doing a good job trying to get the kids ready for testing...there's just not enough time to fit everything in during the school year. Every year our state raises the bar on what the kids have to know on the tests. If enough students do well, the state figures that the tests are too easy, so they make them more difficult every year.

 

[amid chaos]

Personally, I 'd like to see the politicians take these tests...then I'd like to see the scores on the 6pm news.....

 

[Karel]

Have they stated that he needs to do them over the summer? Is school ending soon in Ohio, because here we have more than a month to go till summer. There is a test booklet in the school packet that comes home every Wed, and I haven't looked at it yet but the note says its for the parents to give them an idea of what questions the kids will have.

Believe it or not, there are some parents and kids who want to prepare for the standized testing. I would love to give my LD kid some practice tests so he know what he's in for and he won't stress about the unknown.

During the summer, my kids do school work several days of week - practicing math facts, vocabulary, reading and keeping a journal. I do it mostly to keep my LD kid from slipping but I think all the kids benefit from review work.

 

[Cinders]

These tests are meant to test the 'school' for how well they are doing at teaching your child! The school gets extra funds from the state(s) depending on how well the students test.

I agree. 2 years ago I volunteered in our elementary school. When they had testing I was supposed to "help" the 5th grader special need students with their tests. So the special needs students that should have done really bad may have actually done better than the some of the regular students. I was actually having to read any words that had more than 5 letters to 3 of the boys. These were 5th graders not able to read a simple story. For the math they let them use calculators and maniputives to act out story problems and geometry questions with us coaching them on what to use and do. One part of the test had 2 cartoon drawings that they were supposed to describe and tell how they knew what was going on in the picture. I kid you not the one girl wrote "Because my brain told me so." I had to have her erase that and coax her to change the answer to be at least in the same ballpark as the accepted answer. It still amazes(and scares) me that these students were sent to the middle school this year.

I can see where some kids need to continue learning throughout the summer so they can try to stay at grade level. Whereas others will do just fine doing "hands on" living in the summer. Kids dont just learn in school they also learn outside school.

 

[bobcat]

Another teacher here and I really dislike the proficiency test. Lisa sending summer work home really isn't that unusual. With the 4th grade testing being high stakes, if you don't pass the reading test you don't move to 5th grade, teachers are under a tremendous amount of pressure. Also consider the fact that the test covers an entire year worth of knowledge even though it is given in early March. Seems to me that there are a few more months of learning after March. So in reality teachers are having to force 9+ months of learning into 7, or less. Since you mentioned that your child has an IEP the teachers may be wanting to give him more practice so that he has more oportunities to succeed.

Talk to your child's teacher if you have questions about this. I'm sure they will be happy to help.

 

[Towncrier]

Although school administrators denied it at the time, our fourth grade students spend the entire school year studying to take the Ohio 4th grade proficiency exam. Both of my kids survived, but I don't think that they learned anything useful in fourth grade other than how to be scared to death about passing a test.

 

[DEH3rd]

"These tests are meant to test the 'school' for how well they are doing at teaching your child! The school gets extra funds from the state(s) depending on how well the students test.

I would return the booklets with a note that if you wanted to homeschool you would be doing it.

They are just trying to get the child to do the best possible with the least amount of work on their part.

I would definitely return these books to them!"

Who is "They"? Listen, I'm a teacher, and I am not crazy about all of the standardized testing, but let's get real.

Politicians are the ones making decisions about education. I am a conservative libertarian who voted for Bush (yeah, I know, weird for me to be in public education & not be a raging liberal...can't stand 'em), but I think No Child Left Behind should be called No Lawyer Left Behind. If schools do not "teach to the test", the states can & will take them over. If everyone's special needs are not met, individual teachers will be sued. It stinks, but it is true.

School have no choice. If they do not, it is their jobs. All the papers will do is report on the failings of the school, the teachers, & the administrators.

I wish we could test the parents in this world who will not require a little work for their children over the summer. Learning is a life-long process. You don't leave your brains in the desk with the rest of your books in June. TRhings are quite competitive these days...a little "off-season workout" is nothing but good for children.

The biggest problem in education, though is not the politicians, it is the parents.

20% are great & supportive. When you call home, they always want to help the process.

20% are quiietly responsible, and make sure that their kids are well prepared, hardworking & respectful

20% are apathetic

40% think that their children are angels from heaven who poop chocolate icecream, and the fact that all seven of their teachers, 3 administrators, 2 guidance councelors and the local police chief have contacted them to help discipline their child can only be attributed to the fact that everyone in the public school system has failed their child and has a personal agenda against all of their family for the past seventeen generations! (breath) The parents complaining about their kids having to do a little work are going to be the ones who usually fall into this category. I know you will reply indignantly, but be a little introspective. It is because of parents like you that curriculums have been "dumbed down" over the past decade. Johnny's bookbag is too heavy....too much homework...not enough time for the 13 baseball leagues he is in....Get a grip & help your kid succeed. Stop whining!
If you don't like it, CONTACT THE POLITICIANS. Our options are nil.

 

[Karel]

Originally posted by Cinders
I agree. 2 years ago I volunteered in our elementary school. When they had testing I was supposed to "help" the 5th grader special need students with their tests. So the special needs students that should have done really bad may have actually done better than the some of the regular students. I was actually having to read any words that had more than 5 letters to 3 of the boys. These were 5th graders not able to read a simple story. For the math they let them use calculators and maniputives to act out story problems and geometry questions with us coaching them on what to use and do. <snip> It still amazes(and scares) me that these students were sent to the middle school this year.

Whoa, hold on there. I don't like the tone of this but it may just be the way I'm reading it. My son is one of those special needs kids. He has modifications on his IEP that adapt standardized testing to his needs, including someone reading him the test and extra time to complete it. Even with the modifications, he tests really low but at least the mods give him a fighting chance. He's a smart boy but it takes time for him to process all the information.

Why he has to bother at all...? I agree to the theory of standardized testing because there needs to be some assesment about the success of teaching methods and what's being learned. OTH, it's hard to cram kids into these tiny little molds that the state wants.

As to teachers teaching to the test... this is material the kids should know anyway. It's not like they're testing them on something that has no relevance to school or their lives. Yes, it's hard to find time to teach everything but there's a lot to learn.

 

[mom2boys]

My little cousin is graduating high school in a couple of weeks. Her school actually suggested to certain students that they NOT take the SATs. Apparently the school didn't want these students to pull down the school average. (not my cousin - she's an honor student who took several AP classes.)