Comments on: Judge Weighs Third Grade Promotion Policy

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 02:43:06 +0000

REGARDING:
” If a child is passing with As, Bs, Cs, and maybe even a few Ds…then voila! They should advance. ”

If a child’s subjective grades show he has learned a subject but an objective test show he hasn’t, something is obviously wrong.

If the test actually tests mastery, then that means the child has not mastered the subject.
If the test actually tests minimum standards, then this means the child has not learned to even the minimum acceptable level.

If it does not matter, don’t even bother to teach the subject.
If it does matter, don’t act like it doesn’t.

AND
“The score they receive is based on what all other third graders in the state make. So someone will have to be low.”

If this the way of grading, the “test” doesn’t actually test what was learned.

People know how to test.
If they aren’t actually doing so, they should be treated as the criminals they are.
If they are actually testing learning, they shouldn’t be falsely accused.

Worst is parents using their children as political pieces in a vast game.

David for truly educated children
not lies

By: dman

dman — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 14:20:53 +0000

Alas, the ugly downside of teaching to a test shows it’s despicable face! If a child is passing with As, Bs, Cs, and maybe even a few Ds…then voila! They should advance. Ditch standardized testing. I taught Music for 3 years, and learning, whether it be math or social studies, just like music, is an art…not a science. Standardized testing is the government’s way of exerting more control over the lives of citizens/subjects. Return it to the local level and watch our nation bloom again. Keep this centralized approach and we’ll be back in the dark ages before long. We’re half way there, now. Just look at our current presidential candidates.

By: David

David — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:55:29 +0000

“Pam Bondi should have been formally notified about the case” like she did not know what is going on

The test itself has become more important than what the reason for measurement is in itself
But… I am glad the rest of the world isn’t in la la land
Glad my doctor didn’t opt out- my pilot- my dentist–however Obama evidently did
At 63 years old I still take test for my job to prove the standard of quality of the decisions I make are beneficial to others and myself

And for me working since I was 15 ….its been a great accomplishment I enjoy
We are living I guess in a spoiled world fraught with the “gimme” syndrome

Grow up and get over it

By: mike

mike — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:37:22 +0000

man, thats what i wanna do, any time i feel life is getting too tuff, i’ll just opt out.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 02:25:38 +0000

since when does a student have to pass a test to graduate to the next higher grade!?! the nerve!!

By: anne

anne — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 21:34:48 +0000

The kids go to school, do homework or don’t, pass the tests on Friday or don.t. At the end of the 6 weeks the teacher reads the grade book and guess what? The test grades dictate the child has studied or didn’t. This is not rocket science. The children either have the building blocks in their minds or they don’t We used to help each other learn. I remember taking tests at the end of the year which showed the 6th grader actually did math like an eight grader in the second month of the school year, blah, blah, blah. Know what? We stayed on to the next the grade. We loved school. Now the children are scared and stressed. If the children have had good grades all year, pass them! The truth be known, this is just another way of labeling the children from a very young age. Teachers recognize a truly gifted child and they handle it. Give them credit for doing their job!

By: Pamela D Deen

Pamela D Deen — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:05:34 +0000

I was a 3rd grade teacher with Escambia County, FL for 30 years!

By: Pamela D Deen

Pamela D Deen — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:02:33 +0000

The real problem is the test is not a measure of what the student knows based on a standard scale. The score they receive is based on what all other third graders in the state make. So someone will have to be low.

There is a way built into the system to allow any child that has passing grades to be promoted: a portfolio. It is a sample of each standard proving the child does indeed know the skill or concept.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 11:03:58 +0000

If a student makes sufficient grades throughout the year then that student should be promoted. One test shouldn’t be the deciding factor. I’ve known kids that make excellent grades but do poorly on tests because half of the test isn’t actually taught to them throughout the school year. If the state is going to base a child’s future one one test then they should ensure that everything on the test is covered during the year and not just breezed through or left out completely. If my child made A’s and B’s all year and was failed due to one test we would have a very big problem.

By: The DOER

The DOER — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 10:58:17 +0000

“The concern is that those decisions are not based on the same scale and consistent from student to student across the state,” she said.”

What this is really saying is that we don’t trust your teacher enough to allow him/her to create your test based on what you have learned in his/her class, so we are going to give you a state test.

This will indeed be a case to watch. There is nothing wrong with expectations for students, but when everything comes down to one test, there is indeed a problem.