STAAR TESTING
1. Pearson Publishing provides the STAAR/EOC questions, grades tests, decides on scoring (who passes and who fails), and prepares and scores 5th and 8th STAAR retests.
2. Pearson Publishing has not been shown to be a reputable company-recent information shows Pearson Publishing shareholders as being terrorists.
3. STAAR tests cover TEKS for the entire school year. Students are not prepared to take STAAR tests in March and April.
Let me be very clear about this: TEKS for the entire school year cannot be properly taught before the STAAR tests.
The STAAR tests are given early so that time remains for review and retesting for students who fail the first STAAR tests.
4. Once STAAR tests are taken, the remaining days of school are spent retesting students who failed.
After the STAAR tests are given, school is basically childcare for students who pass the STAAR tests.
5. Michael Williams, the Commissioner of Education, changed the testing code requiring that all students 3-8 go to summer school if they failed STAAR reading and math. The Federal Government provides money for summer school, thus schools make money if your child fails the STAAR and is required to attend summer school.
6. There is NO STATE retest given to all 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th graders attending summer school. Individual schools are responsible for this. Teachers who taught and prepared tests during the school year may be the same teachers teaching and preparing tests for summer school.
7. TEA is aware that there are errors on past STAAR/EOC tests. These errors have been reported. TEA has responded with answers including that while there may be more than one correct answer, it is the best answer that is counted correct. In other words, TEA chooses not to acknowledge that they make mistakes. This would result in grade changes, which would be expensive.
8. The STAAR/EOC tests have no positive educational value for your child. The results of the STAAR/EOC test are used to determine whether a child is promoted or not.
9. The STAAR/EOC scores do not provide data that is used to benefit your child. While it is said that students are given additional assistance in areas they scored poorly in, because of open enrollment (inclusion) students are not placed in classes based on STAAR/EOC scores.
10. The focus of Texas education is the STAAR/EOC tests. Thus, your child is being taught bits and pieces of information that is most likely to be on the tests.
There is so much more that will not fit on one sheet of paper. For more information, please contact directly at: ASKJVC@aol.com
Sincerely,
Janice VanCleave
www.TxCscopeReview.com
Texas Education has taken on a very liberal turn that will not benefit students in the long run. The terminology is often changed in order to confuse parents and the community. Today you will hear the term 21 Century Learning. What is the world does this mean?
