TAKS Season

It is TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) season for public schools in Texas. My fifth-grader is the middle of taking three assessment tests in math, science and reading. TAKS is administered to students every spring from third to 11th grade. Students who fail the test at the fifth grade level will not be promoted to sixth grade.

I noticed academic learning centers advertising on television. They can “prepare your child for the TAKS test.” I have known parents who spend all summer making their child work through old copies of the test. My daughter spends the summer playing.

I am not concerned my daughter will fail the tests. I am worried that she has to endure three full days of testing. It is an all day affair for these children. My daughter recently completed the reading test. She completed the exam at 1:15 PM and was the next to the last person in her room to finish.

Teachers do everything they can to make these days bearable for the children. Breaks and snacks are scheduled. However, to insure those still taking the test can concentrate, children finishing first, must sit quietly. Reading a book is the only approved activity.

When I picked my daughter up that day, she complained that they only received five minutes of recess. “But if your class finished around 2:00 PM, why did you not go outside until 3:10 PM,” I asked. “Because the entire grade level has to be finished before anyone can move!” she replied. Six sections of 25 students each, that's 150 fifth graders. I pity the child that completed that test first.

If taking three TAKS tests wasn't enough, practice tests are also given during the year. Then you add in the numerous benchmark tests that the school district requires and you have a year of testing with a few weeks of instruction thrown in for good measure.

When my daughter was in third grade, a benchmark test in math showed a sharp drop from her previous year. My daughter was in a math section that was teaching a grade-level ahead. I was concerned. The teacher hadn't noticed the difference in scores. She said the test was used by the district and in no way indicated her current situation. Further digging on my part with the school counselor revealed the answer. The benchmark tests are timed. My daughter had answered the questions correctly over 95% of the time, however, she failed to finish ½ the test.

The TAKS tests are not timed. Students are encouraged to move slowly and double check their answers. My daughter obviously couldn't keep straight which type of test she was taking that week!

Parents can view previous years TAKS tests on-line at www.tea.state.tx.us. I reviewed the fifth grade tests. The reading test was 30 pages long. I tried to answer the first set of questions for the first story. I couldn't get through the lengthy story. On to fifth grade math test. Math was my favorite subject as a child, maybe this one would be easier. I spent five minutes trying to solve a problem involving the median depth of five lakes and another five minutes trying to find the pattern in factors of 11. I had to look at the answer key!

As an elementary student, I remember taking something called the Iowa Tests. But as I recall, this occurred one week a year and only a couple hours each day. It was never an all-day affair. These tests our children are taking now are so long that breaks are scheduled for snacks, bathroom, and lunch.

You know those dreams that you have over and over again during your lifetime? One reoccurring dream I have is that I am taking a test and I can't seem to comprehend the questions much less find the correct answer. I start to panic. The time is almost up and I am only on the second question of a 10-page test. Obvious scars from taking the college entrance exam.

I took the SAT twice. I didn't like my scores the first go round. The school counselor suggested I take the test again. I remember needing to go pee before a scheduled break. I tried to hold it. The next test section was started. I had to go so bad that I could no longer concentrate. I finally broke down and asked to go to the bathroom right in the middle of a testing section. I am sure I would have qualified for a full academic scholarship if I haven't missed five minutes of that test!

I was only 17 years old, but I think those were two of the longest days of my life. The testing system in this country for public schools now requires children as young as eight to have those kind of days. These tests don't test skills assessment, they test ENDURANCE.

My daughter is an only child. We live in an older established neighborhood. There are no any other young children on our block. Recess is very important for her. If NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND means no recess, then we pass. You can find us at the playground!