Does this Encourage Teaching to the Test?

[emily31]

DD goes to an "exemplary" school, and the teachers spend a huge amount of time preparing for state testing. On our Christmas break, they even sent home a diagnotic math test (with the State test name stamped all over it). She spends two hours in math class, and another 45 minutes on math homework (not classwork, work assigned for home). The teachers started pressuring the kids in class in the second week of school (saying things like, "If you can't do XXX now, how are you going to pass that on the test?).Those are just a few examples.

Anyway, one of her teachers is holding a writing workshop tonight at 6:30 that is for parents and kids to work on state testing preparation. I didn't plan to attend. DD makes A's and I think school time is sufficient for preparing for the test. The test does not determine whether she passes this grade.  Additionally, I think  by parents attending, it is just further encouraging the teachers to cram for the test. I'm starting to waver though since I found out that all of dd's friends' parents are attending. I'm feeling like a bad parent for not going, but really feel like if lots of parents attend, it just means that we are supportive of these methods of test preparation.

[zebra15]

First you need to look at what 'exemplary' means. Does that mean the school scores well on standardized tests?  The school does recieves lots of funding? The students are ranked some other way?

Does your district require students to pass some sort of standard test to graduate regardless of grades?  If so that could be part of the pressure to do well on standard tests, no matter the grade.

Most things done in the classroom have purpose.  If your school values these state tests then most of the classroom work will be toward the test.

You didnt mention how old your child was, but I wonder why there is 120 mins of math a day.

[whatsnextmom]

I can support some test prep. It's good for kids to have experience with filling in bubbles and using scratch paper instead of the test paper. The kids don't even need to know it's "test prep." Just work it into the regular work. It's good for teachers to review just prior to testing and make sure that the major areas are covered. No kid needs to be surprised by something they see. I don't even mind some of the games they play giving out tickets for kids who come on time and are quiet in the halls during testing (they then raffle off big prizes.) I know the year my DD's elementary started this, they had a substantial jump in scores across the board and it didn't disrupt or stress out the kids at all.

I would be very upset with the constant, year-round threat of having to learn something "for the big test" months away! How stressful is that? I know the first year my DD tested (2nd grade) she was SO stressed. She had a younger, less experienced teacher who was really nervous about the results and talked about it all the time in class. DD did well but not as high as her achievement would have suggested she'd do. The next year, the stress was off. The teacher let them test in their jammies and chew gum. DD got perfect scores.

As for the workshop, well it depends. If it had the potentiol of being fun for DD with all her buddies there, maybe. If you feel it'll be stressful, skip it. Personally, I totally would have skipped it for DD but I might have attended one for DS in writing. My DS always gets "advanced" in his test areas but writing is a weaker spot for him (and they don't test essay writing until middle school in our district.) It might just be helpful in his own situation even though I really could care less about the test itself.

If you have a little one, I reccomend the book "Testing Miss Malarky." It's a funny picture book showing how crazy the school goes before testing and then how everything goes back to normal when it's done. It was a tradition in the early years for both my DD and DS to read it before the first test day.