42-431-2002
To me the TAAS
was easy and seemed like it didn't really matter. They prepared you so much. But
the only one that counted was in 10Th grade there fore in middle school I don't
think I really stressed over it. It was always pretty easy for me just a little
long. I remember too it got very old by the last day of it. Basically it is not
fun.
42-432-2002
To me the
topic of TAAS testing has been a touchy subject. I've always had strong
feelings against the TAAS testing in the state of Texas. I think personally
that the idea of having a standardized test throughout the elementary and
junior high years is a fantastic idea. There should be a standard on where
teachers should get there students by a certain time. THe problem falls on two
basic elements. Element one is the fact that the standards should be set to a
place that everyone is capable of acheiving but it should be a standard that
one must strive to acheive. I do take into account that there are those that
learning does not come easy to and that there are people who struggle in some
aspects more than others. But in order to educate one must teach through the
difficult and those who struggle must strive to achieve the final goal of
having an education and not the final goal of passing. One should want to pass
but one must not make that the ultimate goal. I feel that the standard for the
TAAS test is extremly low and un-testing. By un-testing I mean who does it
really test, and what is it testing. The “reading” portion of the test tests us
on our ability to read a passage and find it's meaning, but it's meaning can be
derived from the title. And all the questions are related so if I can figure
out the title and resons of the paper I don't have to read the passage to
answer the questions. I don't mean to degrade I'm going to try and keep a very
formal concise nonemotional entry so that I don't get carried away, but at a
high school level the “reading section” and the “math section” do not coincide
with a high school math and reading level. Being able to apply basic high
school algebra on a standardized test taken my sophmore year is ridiculous
<sorry>. We have been learning basic high school algebra since seventh
grade, if one has gone to a school that is actually up to standards and having
our standards set so low achieves nothing! Well it achieves the political goal
of looking good. On paper it looks real good that 90% of all texans passed the
TAAS in the Houston area or whatever but what good does that standardized test
do if the questions are easy to answer and do not standardize what one must
know. So in all the standard of the test is too low and does not set a standard
for schools and teachers. By having the standards so low who really is
learning?
Element B is
the fact that one six weeks out of six is taken out of the curriculum to teach
the student populous to TAAS test. What standard is that achieving? First off
the student loses a whole six weeks of learning more about english or math to
be taught how to do well on the standardized test. A test that is supposed to
set a level that schools must have there students to by a certain grade level. How
do we as a nation state accept a “passing” grade on a standardized test that is
taught. It does not prove anything either. If we are supposed to be at this
standard and we are not it is not shown through the test because they take six
weeks t teach us what is on the test. It would be more accurate if they kept
teaching and we were allowed to take the test on our own accord. And half the
reason why the teachers teach the test is so that they reach their certain
percentage of students who have to pass so that they get there monetary reward.
That takes away from the idea of education because now it is not about
education, it is about earning the school their monetary funds. The idea of
having a standardized test is to test the education process. It is to see if
the teachers are doing there job to see if our educational system is doing it's
job or not doing it's job or if it is doing a better job. And if the teachers
are teaching us the test for six weeks prior to the test then what do they
really know? How do we really know how we are doing? How do we know where we
stand or where our educational system stands? The TAAS test is a really good
idea but it has been tainted by politics and an ever growing need in society to
put education on the second shelf. Please help our educational system to become
better in it's ways and have it strive as hard as us students do to be better
at what we/it is supposed to do!
42-433-2002
To whoever
this might concern.
I remember
having to take the TAAS test in middle school and high school. It was very easy
to complete and there was alot of review in class for the test. Even though it
is required by state in order to advance in grades I feel that this test is not
very important. The time that we spent in class could have been put to better
use learning more important material. The time in class might have been used to
teach new material instead of going over topics that I already understood how
to complete. They should either make the TAAS test more comprehensive or do
away with it all together. That is my point of view. Thank you for listening to
it.
42-434-2002
To whom it may
concern:
Finally! A
chance to vent some feelings about this "wonderful" testing system we
have here in Texas. No wonder we have a reputation as “dumb hicks", with
tests like the TAAS defining our learning acomplishments, I myself feel like
one. I believe that my bad experiences with the TAAS test began in high school.
For, in elementary and junior high, I did exceedingly well on the tests and
didn't mind taking them at all. Not to say that I didn't do well on the tests
in high school, I earned myself TASP exemption in all subjects because of the
TAAS. The high school I attended had but one goal: a TEA Exemplary rating. We
weren't taught English in my high school English classes, we were taught how to
take the English part of the TAAS test. Our grammer reveiws were old tests
questions, our essay lessons were how to write a “4" paper. Our English
teacher even graded our papers on a 1-4 basis! As strongly as I feel that it
would be wrong to mention names, my younger brother still attends the high
school I attended and I think he deserves a better education than I recieved.
So in the hopes that this will somehow change things, I am going to mention the
reason that I have no grammer skills to speak of and still think of all my
writing papers on a "1-4" scale. Her name is [X] and she is the
pricipal at [X] High School in [X], TX. Her idea of a rewarding education for
her students was that they would do well on the TAAS test. Bribes, promises of
pizza parties and coke float Fridays encouraged us to "tackle the
TAAS." To her, fall semester was just a preporatory session for the spring
TAAS. It's not a wonder that only three or four of the sixteen students I
graduated with went off to college. The rest either still live with thier
parents and plan to bum off them for the rest of their lives or attend the
local junior college. I really don't know which idea of a post-graduate plan is
worse. I think now that you can see why I beleive that this standardized
testing should be abolished from our Texas school systems. Students no longer
learn what they need to know to succeed in college they learn to take tests and
to earn their (undeserving) principals Exemplary standings. I hope that this
will have some kind of influence somewhere and that it wasn't just a waste of
either my time or yours.
42-435-2002
Truthfully
speaking my TAAS experience wasn't all that bad. Besides all of the reviewing and
preperations for the test it really didn't bother me having to take the test.
The test actually made my writing skills better. So I wouldn't exactly say the
entire TAAS experience is all the bad or difficult. It is a helpful source for
our writing skills.
42-436-2002
We have been
taking the "TAAS" for so many years that it just gets old. For me it
was a joke. They encourage you to make up facts and stories to make your
writing interesting and believable which is silly because then they grade you
on a fake paper. I know it's just to assess your writing skills but it's still
silly. The science math and reading sections are extremely elementary. I don't
feel like it helped me in any way except for the fact that when you're not
taking the test you get to come to school late.
42-437-2002
Well at my
school TAAS was a very important test. Not only did it show how one had learned
it also showed the school was doing as well. During my middle school years all
we did in english was prepare for the TAAS. We wrote an essay about every two
weeks. All the teachers used the same technique for writing which was SMEEARR.
I think that writing so many of the same kind of essays limitied us. During
that time there are so many other things we could have learned. Anyways all we
did was write essays. The day of the test we were always given alot of candy.
They always said that sugar would help us. We were also told that if we passed
with a certain grade then we would be given a trip. So everyone would always do
good. When results came I always passed with flying colors. I always got to go
on the trip. Our school was named EXEMPLARY. In the high school during your
sophmore year all the regular students would do was TAAS essay questions. If
you were advanced then you were lucky and didnt have to put up with it. In the
end you also got a trip if you did good. And I usually did so I went on the
trip. Finally I dont think it was a very good experience. I think that the test
really does not show anything. I always felt that it was a waste of time.
42-438-2002
Well I did
really good on the TAAS test my sophmore year in high school. I thought it was
a good test to take you should be able to pass this in order to graduate. Not
passing this test really means you didn't learn anything in high school.
42-439-2002
Well I really
didn't care about the TAAS test I just knew that I had to pass it inorder to
graduate from High School. I never really studied or payed attetion in my class
when we were going over practice TAAS questions. I felt that the test was dumb
and unimportant and took up time from other things. But hey the state always
thinks it knows what is best for you and your education so they make it
manditory. The only great thing about it was when you took it in the 10th grade
and passed then your 11th and 12th year of high school you didn't have to come
to school untill later.
42-440-2002
Well I thought
that the TAAS writing was easy. It was probaly because my school prepared us
for it. My school would have every student do practice essays every week and
they would have our teachers grade them and help us improve our form of
writing. They would show us our mistskes and they also showed us how to improve
it. The school did this for our benefit.