Schooling Question?

Looks like I'm the first to bite on this topic a few months later! I think that it's a good thing. Here's why: Most schools allow ample time for re-testing should the need arrise. So, if it's a simple matter of choking because it is something new, you have an opportunity to get them used to it through a few more test sessions. If, however, it is a matter of them simply not being ready to begin school, it allows them more time to develop before being put in a situation they're not ready for. I believe that will help ALL children. It will help avoid possible embarrassment later in life for children who would otherwise go on to be held back a grade because they started schooling too young. Likewise, it would save some children from being forced to either move ahead a grade or (pardon the term) "Dumb Down" to the lowest common denomenator in the class. Most children who are put in that situation end up staying in the same grade due to fears of the parents of social rejection from older peers, and end up being so bored with the lack of challenge they are faced with every day that they turn elsewhere for entertainment and become poorer students for it. I'm tired. Did that make sense?

Perfect sense to me. Kids that "choke" can retake. unless they're going to a school without any tests, they need to learn how to take them anyway. I started my daughter in a private kindergarten. She didn't turn 5 until the 3rd week of classes and wouldn't have made the public school cut off. They woudl ahve said she was too young for kindergarten. Going into first grade at a charter school (public school) she tested perfectly grade level for a beginning first grader in everything except math. For math, she's with the second graders.

Interesting....our school system has testing from 3rd grade until 12th grade. So all kids can be prepared and expect testing each year. Gives no surprises to any of the kids. Do kids choke when tested...yes but I think as they get older it does get easier for them when a test is placed before them.

Due to the No Child Left Behind act all states are required to administer competency tests at several levels. Now, I do believe that testing is necessary, else how can we determine if the students are learning, and if not is it the student or the teacher? However, the way the federal governement is going about ensuring that each child gets a quality education is a joke. First off, while all states are required to have competency testing there is no nationaly standard. So there is a huge variance in just what a child is expected to know at every grade level and upon graduation. Also, schools do need to be held accountable, but the way it is right now can be disastrous to schools that have a large population of ESL or learning disables students. Another problem with this system is that when a school is in "failure" they will throw all sorts of money into fixing that particular school. That money is coming from the budgets of other schools and special programs. Now,, the school that was doing well is doomed to failure becuase of thier lack of funding. Grrrr... I didn't mean to go on a rant.....

as a parent of three boys, one in college now, other in 11th grade and one in 1st grade (my last being adopted), The school system seems to experiment on our children to see what works best to measure "success". My eldest son (being bilingual and tested "gifted) was placed in an ESL class (an promptly taken out after complaints when I found out)due to his paperwork saying that he spoke two languages, so what is the point if testing. I think that bench mark testing is fine to get a measure of the childs progress and possible needs. My niece used to fail all the timed test despite her being an A student, so accommodations were made for her. But as for the No Child Left Behind Act. It is a crock. It does punish the schools, as a school that has done well one year and scores are down or do not increase, the next, funding is reduced. So testing to support that act is a farce.