state tests today at school and my dd is sick-UPDATE #65

[rileysmommy]

Yes, it is stressed to not take your child out of school for vacations or dr appts during the PSSA's but if a child is sick then there are make up days. I can understand your dd being upset about the breakfast and afraid the other children would blame her if they don't get it. My dd would be worried about the same thing. I hope her teacher is understanding about it.

My dd has a bad head cold but because of PSSA's I have sent her to school when I might normally have allowed her stay home at least one of the days. She's making it through alright but I'll be curious to see how this year's scores compare to last years.

Hope your dd feels better soon.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

However, here in PA I do not think these tests have anything to do with not passing a grade. I find it interesting that some states do that.

Actually, they may be counted as part of a grade, or at least a graduation requirement by some schools. The high school I am observing in does just that. But that's for older kids.

But the time is coming - the Keystone Exams WILL make up a huge part of kids' grades in upper grades - and they will be here next year. Something to look forward to...

Glad your little one is feeling a bit better. There are scheduled make-up days for PSSAs in the schools - they are there for exactly this reason. You can't stop kids from getting sick. Don't sweat it - much better for your child to have to do a make-up than for you to send her to school and get the whole class sick (and then EVERYONE needs a make-up).

 

[Leajess99]

This week the kids have PSSAs which are our state tests. DD has a bad cold and was sick last night and didn't fall asleep until 1. She had chills, headache, really stuffy nose and an upset stomach ( though she never threw up, just felt like it). The bad thing is her teacher promised the kids a classroom breakfast on Friday if they all showed up each day this week. Now I have to call the school and talk to the teacher. DD is so worried the other kids will be mad at her. I know they bribe the kids to do well on the tests, but I'm not sending her to school sick and exhausted. She'll just have to make it up.

I hope your daughter gets to feeling better quickly. We don't do testing until mid to late April here so the kids can get through Spring break and no bad weather.

 

[Leajess99]

we do LEAP here in Louisiana. They have a phase 1 on March 22 and a phase 2 the week of April 11. I am looking at the note they sent home the other day:

if a student does not take or is absent for the March test day then he/she is not allowed to take the Phase 2 in April EVEN WITH A DOCTORS NOTE (that last part was in bold). This results in ONLY being able to take the LEAP test in the summer, leaving no opportunity to retest if LEAP is not passed.

WTH?? Now the standards are set so low here in Louisiana that practically anyone can pass it but I used to be a special ed teacher and for some of my kids, it was touch and go. If they missed the test in March they could only take the LEAP once and if they didnt pass, too bad, You have to repeat the entire grade.
SO now my DD, a born worrier, is freaking out - what if we are in an accident on he way to school that day? What if I am deathly ill? What if we have car trouble? I guess if your kid has the flu, you gotta send them anyway!

I am so glad that our schools do not use the tests to decide if you get to advance to the next grade. While my kids do very well on the test I know we have kids who just don't test well. It would not be fair to them to hold them back because their anxiety got to them and they did poorly on the test but they have all As and Bs.

 

[ccgirl]

Here, you only get to make up the test if you are sick. You may need a dr's note so I would check into that. Vacation is not considered an excuse for make up. OP - thank your for not sending your child sick. You did the right thing. I would just call the school and discuss and see if they require the dr's note.

 

[thebeesknees]

I had this issue a couple of weeks ago. Our state administers the CSAP, and my son was super sick - we wound up in the ER with him one night. When I called the school to find out what I should do, they told me not to worry about it. They have make up tests for just these cases. They just don't advertise it, or people would pull their kids out for anything, not just illness. I obviously was not going to send him in sick, but I didn't want him to get a 0% because he didn't come in. They were really nice about the whole thing and actually thanked me for keeping him home so that A) he could do his best when he took the test, as test scores can affect the school's funding and B) we didn't infect the rest of the class.

 

[luvmy3]

I thought a teacher's perspective might be helpful. First of all, we take a test in March, not January because it covers everything we are supposed to teach in the entire year, so we are already testing early. I do think the bribery is ridiculous, but you have to look at it from our point of view. If a child doesn't show up and then is unable to take the test at some point during a testing window (in Nevada, it is three weeks), then we automatically don't make AYP for not having 100 percent participation. AYP is Annual Yearly Progress. So, I have the kid whose mom took him out for the entire testing window to go on a vacation to the Phillipines. Now, we won't make AYP and it is very likely, because this has happened to us on two other occasions, that our school will be liquidated. I will have to reapply for my job not because I am a poor teacher but because I had a kid who didn't show up for the test. It doesn't matter that, on average, I have 75 percent of my students meet standards on the tests. It is not the teachers who are putting pressure on these kids. It is the government. I could care less about testing. I see much more benefit in looking at how my kids progress through the year. However, we are in a testing age. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when people pull kids out for vacations during testing. Your kid is sick? Well, they'll come back, make up the test, no harm, no foul. But to take your kid out for a vacation really irritates me.

I don't agree with pulling kids out for vacation during test times so I can totally understand your frustration as a teacher if they do. However, I see the pressure the teacher's themselves put on the kids regarding these tests, I know they (the teachers) have their own pressure from the gov't to deal with, but they are the ones passing the "pressure" buck onto the kids. A simple reminder that its test time is sufficient, there is no need to send home a daily reminder, bribe the students, tell them to tell the parents to make sure we feed them right, put them to bed early, don't take them out the night before etc. (Not saying all teachers in all schools do this, but there are ones in mine that do).
Having said all that, I was not given any grief when my kids were sick for test day. I contacted the teachers directly and let them know and they were fine with it. Most teachers understand that kids get sick, and it may be a pain for them to give a make-up test but they are definitely understanding if they have to because a student was out sick.
OP, I don't think you or your dd will have any problems, I'm sure the teacher will still serve the class breakfast, she was most likely making an idle threat (which is still very wrong IMO).

 

[Styx Fan]

Here in Michigan our tests are called the MEAPS. And like everywhere they are really stressed to the kids. Making the kids stressed. Luckily, at this point, they are not counted toward passing or not, or toward any grades. So I am able to downplay their importance to my kids (14 and 7).

My DS14 is not a kid who ever worries much about school work (even when he should!) so it's easy to keep him from flipping out over the tests. DD7 is so different and very driven to do well, we'll see how she reacts. But I will continue to tell the kids it is the school and teachers being tested, not them. They should relax and just do their best. I will not make a big deal about them at home, no matter how the school carries on. I will not help them stress out my kids and I will do all I can to downplay them.

There is no way I would send in a sick kid and would be very unhappy if anyone else did and exposed my kid to more germs than usual. The school isn't going to pay my doctor bills or come take care of a sick child!

I understand where the schools are coming from from their perspective, but my priority is my kids. My kids both test well overall and are a real asset to the aggregate scores

 

[MomToOne]

I'd set your daughter's mind at ease by telling her you will bring in donuts or something for the class Friday morning if the teacher sticks to the 100% or no breakfast threat. And I'd TELL the teacher I was bringing the stuff in, not ask her. I don't like teachers that use peer pressure on young kids like that.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

OP: They can make it up, there is a teacher that is assigned to proctor the test to the children who were absent. She'll be fine.

... and that's pretty crappy of the teacher.

 

[bwilcox]

I don't agree with the breakfast bribe. However, as far as pressure from teachers goes, in many places a teacher's job depends on how well their students perform on the standardized tests. OF COURSE they are going to feel pressured, and in turn pressure the students to be there and do their best. If you don't like that, call your state reps and complain about standardized testing!

 

[MomToOne]

I don't agree with the breakfast bribe. However, as far as pressure from teachers goes, in many places a teacher's job depends on how well their students perform on the standardized tests. OF COURSE they are going to feel pressured, and in turn pressure the students to be there and do their best. If you don't like that, call your state reps and complain about standardized testing!

I believe you can find ways to motivate children other than invoking peer pressure, which is what this teacher is doing with the breakfast bribe for 100% attendance. Kids have enough of that to deal with without an adult adding to it.

 

[lovebug33]

Here was what I sent home to parents: a letter stating that due to state testing, I was not sending home homework for the two weeks they would be testing. Our school, on the other hand, sent home a brochure and THREE letters. Now, this obviously came from me because I had to send it home, but just because it comes from school doesn't mean it is from the teacher. I don't believe in bribes. We had an assembly and kids got tickets for drawings and then if they pass they get a party. I fully do not believe in that. It freaks some kids out and I am sorry but not every kid is going to pass. In my class, when they finish the test, we have a party just for finishing. Everybody participates, as long as they finished (so boy in the Phillipines won't be getting it). I am just happy that all of my kids did the best they could, whatever that might be! And, I fully agree not to send the kid if she is sick. I don't want her germs . Calling the school is always a nice gesture, though, so we know she won't just be late!

 

[bwilcox]

I believe you can find ways to motivate children other than invoking peer pressure, which is what this teacher is doing with the breakfast bribe for 100% attendance. Kids have enough of that to deal with without an adult adding to it.

I stated (and you quoted) that I think the breakfast bribe is wrong. Some people were saying that teachers shouldn't put pressure on the kids, and I was just explaining why it is natural for the teachers to put pressure on the kids to do well when their very job depends on it, and why people who are upset about that need to contact the people in the government who are in charge of standardized testing.

 

[Abbeys_mom]

If you don't like that, call your state reps and complain about standardized testing!

This.

This seems to be a well intentioned government gone horribly wrong, yet again. Let's not sit idly by and let this continue to happen - stand up and say something! It does not affect my kid yet, and not nearly in the same way (private school), so I am not yet in a place to say something. But I am shocked at the amount of TEACHABLE time being devoted to taking the test. And how long does a teach prep the class? Really, what if we took that time and devoted it to actual teaching? How much better off would our kids be then?

To the OP and other parents, I can't believe you are forced to decide between sending a sick kid to school and your child feeling stressed or guilty - what an awful place to be. I hope it all works out for the kids.

Wow, that is a sad comment on our society - placing state and federal mandates above our physical and/or mental health.

 

[Pembo]

I kept my ds home on a testing day once. He was coughing so much that the other kids would have done poorly bc they had to listen to him cough. He made it up the next week.

 

[GJM]

My DS has his writing test next week, and in May it is Math, Science and Social Studies. His school puts so much pressure on the kids it is crazy. I tell him take your time and do the best you can. He is an A/B student all year round - I really believe some kids are just not good test takers. I would be really upset if my child didn't go on to the next grade if he failed the state test but was an A/B student all year.

I would also take donuts or something in for the class - I think that was wrong of the teacher to bribe like that. If you are sick you can't help that.

 

[richmond282]

I'm in NY and 2 of my kids have missed a test because they were sick, there was never a problem making it up, and quite frankly I wouldn't care if they missed it entirely anyway. The teachers put way too much pressure on these kids when testing time comes along. Perfect example in the OP about the teacher promising breakfast if everyone shows up. So on top of being sick, the OPs dd has to worry about missing the test, and disappointing her teacher and her class. We get hand-outs the entire week before, reminding us parents to make sure our kids don't have too crazy of a schedule the week of tests, are getting a good night sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, etc. My ds (who is prone to anxiety anyway) gets so worked up that I think the material on the test becomes less important to him than making sure he has done everthing the teachers want him to do.

I agree whole-heartedly! This was our first year with DD9 testing here in Indiana, and the pressure they put on them all year is unbelievable. Not to metion not teaching multiplication tables and suspending spelling for a semester so they can teach to the test. I would much rather have my DD have a love of learning instilled in her than sit through a bunch of state required tests that can't possibly measure a child's true potential.

I realize that we are all from different states, but Tennesee just passed a bill that says teachers jobs will be evaluated based on their students performance on standardized tests (whichever one applies to them.) Our jobs are LITERALLY on the line based on how students do on their tests. Now I'm a band director so since I don't teach a class that has a standardized test, I will be evaluated based on the school's average scores for subjects I don't even teach. Ridiculous, right??

I don't agree with the breakfast bribe. However, as far as pressure from teachers goes, in many places a teacher's job depends on how well their students perform on the standardized tests. OF COURSE they are going to feel pressured, and in turn pressure the students to be there and do their best. If you don't like that, call your state reps and complain about standardized testing!

THIS! Instead of complaining to teachers about the tests, write, call, email your state reps to express how you fell about these testing requirements.

 

[Colleen27]

Ugh, I hate the whole notion of rewarding attendance, especially when it is a whole class reward that brings peer pressure into the mix as well. The last thing we should be doing is encouraging kids to go to school with contageous illnesses so that they don't get picked on for messing up the pizza party.

And besides, you'd think having a healthy, rested, prepared kid doing their best on a make-up day would be preferable to a sick, tired, barely-dragged-into-school kid bombing it on the "right" day, given how much importance is assigned to test scores these days.

 

[Colleen27]

Here in Michigan our tests are called the MEAPS. And like everywhere they are really stressed to the kids. Making the kids stressed. Luckily, at this point, they are not counted toward passing or not, or toward any grades. So I am able to downplay their importance to my kids (14 and 7).

At least we get ours over and done with early so it doesn't end up dictating as much of the year's teaching schedule as in some other places. I have friends who complain that pretty much everything from Christmas until test time is devoted to/geared for getting ready for the testing; there's not so much of that with the MEAP because the kids are barely back in school for a month when it is administered.