38-341-2002
Taking the TAAS was far from difficult. The reason may be that the
high school as well as the middle school that I attended would tutor all their
students. In middle school any student that was going to take the test would be
taken out of class during a specific period during the day and would be tutored
on specific topics the test would cover. In high school my english teacher did
prepare her students well. We wrote several papers which topics were similar to
some topics used on previous TAAS tests. We were also taken out of classes to
further assist in preparation for what was to come. Taking the test seemed
easier for those who really took the tutorials seriously. I went in the room to
take the test thinking the best thoughts of passing and as many others do left
thinking horrible thoughts of failing. After all if you did not pass one part
of the test it would have to be taken over the following year and that was not
something people looked forward to. As far as awaiting the results that part
was nerve wrecking. The results on the test were positive and of course the
school got recognition for the students doing so well. If it had not been for
the extra work these teachers put into it many people may not have passed that
test at all.
38-342-2002
TASS testing what is that? I had not heard of the Texas Standard Test
until my freshman year in high school. I had previously gone to a private
school and so this was completely new for me. At the time all I knew was that
for three days I only had to go to school for half a day and that was fine by
me. Sopohomre year came around and it was my turn to take the test. I found
that all my teachers were focusing their curriculum around the TAAS test; any
exercise we did in English was to prepare us for the test. At this time I
thought it must be a hard test if we are spending this much time on it. As it
turned out it was the biggest waste of my time. Yes now having known the
difference between a noun and a verb I was allowed to graduate high school and
in the eyes of Texas prepared for the world that lay ahead. I remeber thinking
that all I wanted was to be at home sleeping in like the rest of the school. We
had three parts each taking half a day all to test to see if we are ready or
able to graduate. I heard if you didn't pass the test you couldn't graduate
high school and I remember thinking, “who didn't pass,” and yet there were
those who didn't. I also remeber thinking how can the state judge if we are
ready and able to graduate based on our sopohmore year; we still had two more
years to go but the test that determines whether you can or can't graduate was
given sopohmore year. Those who didn't pass would take the test until they did.
As soon as the test was over it became the biggest joke among studends and yet
the school was so pround that this years results had surpassed those of
previous years and were one of the highest in the state. I now understood why
the rest of the school would laugh at the mention of the TASS test or why when
I asked if it was hard and if they thought I could pass they would simply
laugh. It was and still is a joke but student's (not sopohmores) still seem to
love it I know I did; why? because we got to sleep in three days out of the
year.
38-343-2002
The endless hours of preparation my teachers spent on the TAAS test in
retrospective seems even more pointless now than it did while I was in high
school. The test was too easy, even when they made it “harder.” I can't figure
out how people didn't pass that test on the first try. I honestly think that
all the time my teachers spent preaching the TAAS was completely wasted. It
could have been better spent teaching acceptable styles of writing, rather than
“How-To” and descriptive papers. My point of view in 10 words or less: waste of
time and effort.
38-344-2002
The experience was really dumb. The TAAS is a test that one could pass
in about 8th grade. I think if you can't passs the TAAS you shouldn't make it
to high school. Standardized test are constraining students. Schools do
emphasize passing the TAAS and sometimes a little too much. But if a school
can't prepare them for a test as simple as the TAAS it raises many questions.
38-345-2002
The experiences I had were somewhat helpful when I took the TAAS.
Although it did seem a little exhausting when "preparing" had I not
had any coverage of the test material I might have done poorly (or a least
worse). It is in my opinion seemingly unfair for those who do not have the
resoures for standarized test preparation. The minorities in which the school's
academic level is low may not be as fully prepared as a school in which a
higher level of income may benefit the school. In a small perspective there is
not a thing to do but just accept your environment and according to the person
passing should be their own requirement.
38-346-2002
The high school I attended wasn∆t very big on preparing for the
TAAS. The only ones who were prepared were those in remedial classes. I
don∆t think we even prepared at all in our English class since it was AP.
In my opinion the test is very easy. I think the state stupefies it so every
can pass and they then look good. I got a 4 on the writing part and almost
perfect on the rest. Most of the stuff it tested over was stuff I had learned
in middle school. I don∆t think it adequately tests the stuff you should
know by the time you take it in 10th grade. I also think that if they wanted to
gauge the knowledge of students in Texas they should give the exam at the end
of the 12th year of school.
38-347-2002
The high school that I attended prepared us to the maximum. We had
special classes that we attended to help us prepare specially for the TAAS
test. When it was time for me to take the test I felt really well prepared. The
test to me seemed very well rounded and very good about testing everything we
were supposed to know. On the test I got Academic Recongnition for all but the
writing. I didn't have any problems with the test.
38-348-2002
The only standerdized test I took was the sat. I found the reading
section a little difficult because I really had to understand what I read and
apply the things I read which was hard because it was times and that put
pressure on me. If I am expected to understand things o cant be rushed or it
will got in one ear and out the other. Also it didnt really test my intellect
because people have good and bad test days and things I might have know or have
been able to figure out might have been stunted because of high stress level or
other problems. They are a waste of time and I dont think are accurate
38-349-2002
The only time I ever took the TAAS exams was in junior high and I
thought it was a waste of time then. They really didn't test our knowledge they
were too easy.
But I will tell you about my SAT and ACT experiences. In a nut-shell
they were really hard. First of all English is not my bag; I have never been
really good at it to bgin with. However I do feel that taking the SAT and the
ACT helped me to recognize what I need to work on for the future. I even took
the Princeton Review class (it had to be cut in half so I didn't get the full
benefit)however what I did get helped me tramendously.
38-350-2002
The school that I attended put so much inferences of standardized test
such as TAAS test. They were more concerned with having the all the students
pass the TAAS test to reflect a high literacy rate in the school rather than
actual education. Preparing for the TAAS was ridiculous we did entirely to much
preparing for the test considering the level of difficulty was not that great.
We had eight classes four classes a day and in each class the first twenty
minutes of our 90 minute class we were required to practice TAAS questions and
watch corny videos that helps use answers questions to basic TAAS problems. In
those twenty minutes we waste at the beginning of each period we could be going
over material required in that certain class. For the students that already
taken and passed the TAAS had to also participate in the preparation of the
TAAS test. Even after all the help and videos that was to supposed to aid the
students pass the TAAS test students still end up failing the certain part of
the test. The test should be abolished in high school learning because the
material the test covers is material s that we already know.