I have a friend who teaches a combined 2nd/3rd grade class, I talked to her today about how testing is going, as it is her first time to administer a standardized test. She told me that today her class took the math portion and half the kids in her class and in her next room neighbor’s class were in tears over the test. Only 8 questions. Some of it was division and all of it word problems. Division hasn’t even been introduced yet. This is a regular classroom. I don’t know how you all feel, but I think it is just too much to ask third graders to be under such pressure that they are crying in class over it. My opinion anyway.
My third grader is taking the MAT7 test this week and he has come home very frustrated. He is an LD student in a self contained class with students who are significantlly below grade level in most subjects—but they are required to take the regular 3rd grade test. I understand that this testing is mandated but isn’t there a point where it becomes riducoulus? My son told me yesterday that the reading portion was so difficult that he just guessed—how is that suppose to help anyone. He is a whiz at math though and thought that part was too easy. There has to be a different way.