TAKS: Helping or Hindering

Everyone in Texas knows that it is a state law for students in grades 3 - 11 be required to take an end of the school year test known as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). However, many Texas citizens are against this law because of circumstances having to do with their own children. Ask a Mom or teacher what they think of the TAKS test and you will hear an array of things that are wrong about this test (Hate 2009). The student’s grades during the school year should determine whether a student is promoted to the next grade not because the student did not pass their correct level TAKS test. Under current Texas Educational Law, students must take and pass four exit-level tests in order to receive a diploma, this is not considered right to many parents with students in school (Chapter 2008). Parents consider this wrong because they believe that completing twelve to thirteen years of education, just to take one test and missing just one question on that test determine whether they graduate. This is depriving them of something they have very well earned. If the skills required for these tests were just basic skills, or relevant skills for that matter, I would have no problem with the law that Texas endorses. However, these tests are tough. These tests require that students know such things as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, Geometry and Social Studies, meaning that students in their junior year in high school must recall information from their eighth grade year all the way through their current year. People outside of the education bracket talk about the reasons for the TAKS test are to make sure that students do not graduate before they know their basic skills; Physics is not considered a basic skill. No one needs these skills unless they plan to be a science teacher or an advanced physicist in the field of science. How many common jobs do you come across that list a degree in physics as a requirement to do the job? Still, I believe that a student should be held accountable; it is the law. There have been many bad laws over the years. If we all blindly followed these laws as a country together, white people and black people would still be segregated. I want the students to graduate knowing how to read, write, and balance a checkbook. Students should be able to calculate a tip from their dinner check, they need to know how history affects our current society, and understand basic science. Students should be able to think critically, think for themselves, and question things so they do not follow blindly. Students should be able to work effectively in groups, listen, and express themselves well in front of others and manage and validate information and resources. My beliefs are that the TAKS test does not ensure any of this. It is unfortunate that many educators feel pressured into preparing students for the TAKS that they fail to explain what they are teaching. This means that they fail to teach the students things that would be useful outside of school walls. Therefore, we end up graduates who can solve advanced quadratic equations, classify living organisms, and tell the difference between a plant and animal cells. The sad part is that they do not have the slightest clue on how to budget money, complete a financial aid form, solve real-world problems, or even think for themselves for that matter (TAKS 2006). These skills should be taught in the classroom also. Maybe if people were willing to think outside of the box and speak up about what they think is right. Then perhaps we would not be bound to the TAKS for the final answer to a student’s knowledge output, and whether he or she would be able to move on to the next level. However, are the skills of reading, writing, math, history, and science what they are learning? No, they are learning how to pass the TAKS, which really entails nothing about real world experiences and problems. As far as I and many others are concerned the first two letters of the acronym TAKS, meaning Texas Assessment could be changed to Total Annihilation, because the TAKS having nothing to do with what a real person would need in the real world, it is the single biggest piece of destruction to education ever created. They may say that these test scores are used on all levels in order to judge the student body’s progress and the school’s progress. All this is reason enough to explain to my story about my daughter. Why I believe that the TAKS test should not determine whether you pass or fail, and why grades and normal tests should be the makings of a student not only my children but also all children in school having to take the TAKS or whatever test applies to any student all over the country. My daughter has struggle through the entire school year with her math. She has worked hard to pass. She has had good days and bad days with math. She finally made it thru the year with a 90 average. Which I feel is excellent. The school administered the TAKS test and she missed the cut off by 20 points. This averages out to about five questions. Because she missed five questions, she was required to attend summer school. I was then informed that if she did not pass summer school that she would not be promoted to the next grade. I feel that this is unfair. The fate of a student’s promotion should not rest on one test solely. I believe in testing a student to see what he or she has learned. When I was in school, we called those final exams. I think final exams should be administered to determine whether a student is promoted to the next grade. Final exams should count for at least 40-50% of a student’s final grade. It was that way when I went to school, and I like to think I turned out okay.

Reference List:

Hate the TAKS test? New legislation proposed in Texas may abolish the TAKS system, April 3, 2009 http://www.mykindofmom.com/?p=498 TAKS: Is it Helping or Hindering Our Students, March 9, 2006 http://musingsfromtheacademy.wordpress.com/2006/03/09/taks-is-it-helping-or-hindering-our-students/ Chapter 2: Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, Oct 14, 2008
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/techdig07/Chapters/Chapter2-TexasAssessmentofKnowledgeandSkills.pdf