26-111-2002
I have mixed emotions when it comes to the TAAS tests. In some ways I
feel that it is a waste of time. But on the other hand I feel that TAAS tests are
needed. If you can not pass the TAAS then this should be a message to you that
you need to buckle down and get with the program. I never enjoyed taking the
TAAS tests but I never had any trouble on them.
26-112-2002
I have never had the joy of taking the TAAS test but I was fourtunaly
able to experiance the joy of taking the TASP test. This test is used as a
guide or help upper level schools determan your "level of skill".
What the test consists of is five hours of sitting in a room while a person watches
you. I have never taken a standerdized test where they just say go but now I
have. The test is in three sections math wrighting and reading. The writing is
a total joke they gave me a topic about the new speed limit in Houston how
great was that then when I was done it was read by someone not a computer but a
person with a mind and able to think. What if there views are opposite of mine?
There is a lot of room for biast oppinion if you ask me. Then they give you a
whole buch of those paragraphs that say whats wrong with multipul choice
questions that's not that bad but I did that level stuff in the third grade for
DOL. The reading section consists of reading an artical about the most boring
topic that you have ever read. Talk about falling asleep infact some people
would fall asleep and then wake up and just take there test like nothing
happened. The part that made me the most mad would have to be the fact that I
was only given five hours for the whole test but if someone failed a part they
could take all five hours for that whole part! how unfair so techniclly you
could take the test in sections and have a total of 15 hours to take a test
that I finisth and passed in less then three. I'm not saying that bucause im
smart i'm a average person and I think that the standards are set way to low.
26-113-2002
I have never taken the TAAS. I did not attend school in Texas. I am
from Oklahoma and this test was never required. So I really have nothing to say
about the test however I heard through some friends that it was really hard and
that it was a waste of time.
26-114-2002
I have no experience with the TAAS test do to going to private
schools.
26-115-2002
I have not taken the TAAS since I am not from Texas and I assume that
this test pertains to state students. However I am no stranger to standardized
testings. I can say without hesitation that I do not like them. I have taken
the SATs SATII MSPAP TASP and probably a few more that I cannot recall due to
the fact that they are all the same and all hold about the same interest level.
Though I have done relativly well on these I have not scored excedingly well.
Personally I feel that I am a realivily good learner but achievement and
aptitude test (as I have learned in my AP Psychology class) are not efficient
methods of measuring the intelligence and learning capabilities of a student
especially that of learning ability in the future.
Though I do understand that these tests are used to judge the level of
education quality of an institution or community of schools I am unsure as to
whether they even predict this effectivly either. I can say that if tests such
as placement tests given for math before a school year measures the highest
level at which you retained knowledge then they may be useful. Then again a lot
of knowledge math or any other topic can be covered in that cluttered
hypocampus but easily recovered with a few sweeps of the educational brooms. Is
it necessary to completely repeat a coarse because you did not score
wonderfully on a placement test? Perhaps all you needed was a touch up and
would be off and running with the rest of your class. Instead those unfortunate
ones which I will admit my membership to this club must pay for an additional
class which they already know.
As with many things mandatory testing has its pros and cons. But
personally I cannot fully sympothize with the pros. To expect complete
retainment of knowledge that has been aquired over many months or even years is
unrealistic.
26-116-2002
I have taken the TAAS and was prepared for the test because ever since
I was like in the 1st grade I remember having my teacher tell us that we were
going to have pratice TAAS tests. She would go over so many new things with us
that by time I was in the high school I was so sick of hearing about the TAAS.
I understand that it's a big test but if they constently talk about that I'm
sure that everyone would get tired of it sooner or later. But I know that it
will never go away since there is a new test that is harder than the TAAS.
26-117-2002
I have taken the TAAS test about five times since elementry. Every
time I have taken it I have found that it gets easier and easier. Every year
all we do in every class is study for the TAAS. They don't really even make it
possible for us to actually learn. What we do every year is learn to pass one
test. Personally I don't think the TAAS test should even be mandatory.
26-118-2002
I have to admit that taking the TAAS test every single time was very
stressful and frustrating to me. When I was in high school our teachers would
prep the students practically all year until the time came in April to take the
test. I personally think it is ridiculous to take such a test because you
should only be concentrating on your school work and getting good grades in
your classes. I just hate the fact that we take the test and if you don't pass
it especially your sophomore year because if you don't pass it you don't
graduate. I mean whats the point of getting good grades all year and then to
find out that just because of one stupid test you can't walk the stage with
everyone else. That is really horrifying especially if your a senior and you
still didn't pass the test. I had friends who couldn't graduate because they
didn't pass the TAAS Exit Level Test. That whole year was wasted due to the
test and they couldn't graduate with their friends. Overall I think the TAAS
test and the upcoming TAKS test should be done away with and stop stressing
students out and then the state wonders why we have a high drop out rate.
26-119-2002
I haven't taken the TAAS. But I took the SAT and I didn't learnt
anything. About the english part I didn't know any questions.Because the only
thing that I did was guesing every the questions. I studied a lots for this
part but I couldn't do well because English is my second language. About my
math part I did really good without even studying. Because I knew all the
questions. I knew all the questions because in Spain I have already studied
them. I am from Spain and in Spain we have a really good math method.
26-120-2002
I honestly think that the TAAS test is a waste of our time. We take so
many test in all of our grade years what is this going to prove?! We have taken
these classes and PASSED them so why do we have to take this dumb test? The
test tells the state how we are doing in these certain subjects and what we
need to improve on but if we have already taken these classes and have have
mastered them and gone farther in those subjects what does this test prove?
Colleges really don't look at how you did on the test and what kind of score
you made. All they see is that you passed. If you make this test such a big
deal then why not put all subjects on the test and not just some of them.
According to you (the state and government) we need all of these subjects to
“make it in the real world” so why not test it on us. Just like the TASP
testing you only make us take a certain portion of our classes and not all of
them. I understand somewhat why you make us take it but what happens is our job
has nothing to do with math, reading or writing-then what?? This test has
absolutely nothing to do with our life and how we will turn out when we get
older--so get rid of it!!