Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

[chiromamma]

AKA TIMSS...has anyone's kid taken this? My son's 8th grade class has been chosen to participate. They just spent 2 weeks taking the f$%^&ing sate standardized test. 

I have the can opt him out...it's a 3 hour test. He doesn't want to take it. DH (of course) thinks test taking is great skill to build and that DS should take the test.

My main question is: Am I being irresponsible towards America's public schools by opting him out? How valuable are the results? We all know the U.S. lags behind in Math and Science.

I have a call in to the principal to see what my sone would be doing if I opted hi out of the test.

Thanks.

[ecoteat]

I don't think the school is penalized at all by TIMSS participation (or not), unlike the state tests, which would be a consideration for me. The data that comes from TIMSS hopefully informs policy decisions about how schools are supported. In theory. I don't know how well that happens, although there has been a definite push for STEM (science, tech, engineering, and math) education in recent years, largely in response to TIMSS data and also from another similar international assessment, PISA.

If just one session of testing and it isn't a big source of stress for your son, he may as well do it. It's not like the alternative to taking it is doing something else worthwhile--there probably wouldn't be any of his classes happening during the testing time and he'd just be sitting around waiting for everyone else to finish the test.

I teach middle school and I hate the state standardized tests. I do feel a little bit better about the tests that are used purely for research and don't have high stakes for the kids and schools attached to them.

[chiromamma]

Thanks. I must have written the original post in my sleep...so many typos. uhg.