?! Since WHEN were these tests optional? How the hell did I miss that? Is it different for kids in New York, cause I'm pretty sure I didn't have a choice when I was in school.
As a Florida high school student, with my closest friends having ANXIETY ATTACKS over these stupid standardized tests, let me tell you: they don't work. My teachers are stressed. My friends are stressed. I'm stressed. The worst part is that WE STUDENTS AREN'T LEARNING! If I were to theoretically become an engineer, I'd be hapless. Yeah, I passed all math requirements, but this is NOT due to my ability as a student. We're all being taught how to take Standardized Tests, tests that may total 30% of our overall grade AND determine our teachers' fates. I'll be the first to admit, under the mandatory curriculum, I'm not learning how to do anything applicable. I'm being taught how to take a test. And, last time I checked, there's no multiple choice in real life.
If pineapple has three legs, how many colors does it take for him to reach moon on a boat, considering he was eating BBQ three days later on the pluto?
I've never even used some of the symbols in that equation! And I'm a computer programmer. In fairness, I also know how to limit a number to the maximum value a test could be.
It's funny when you don't live in America and laugh at how broken there education system is then you realise that the conservatives got back into power and we're all fucked
What actually needs to be talked about is the amount of bullshit that is taught. They'd rather kids learn about leaves and Genghis Khan than what a mortgage or taxes are. It's never been about the learning or the kids, its about getting good grades and getting out so you can move onto an even more corrupt system, college.
The concept of (frequent) standardized testing is not the actual problem. The problem is with how the curriculum is designed. It does a pretty poor job teaching students how to think and reason, and it largely fails to motivate the students to learn because it centers around memorizing facts (which is boring and rather pointless). If a student doesn't even understand why they are learning what they are learning, then the teachers have failed.
When it comes to aptitude tests, you don't "teach to the test" if you want your students to be successful. Students get stressed out and do poorly on these tests not because they are poor "test takers", but because they are weak when it comes to logic and reasoning, and they don't discern between knowing facts and understanding that information and knowing how or when that information can be applied. They might know how to to basic arithmetic or algebra but they struggle with quantitative reasoning which requires critical thinking, problem solving, and sometimes lateral thinking approaches. They might know how to read but they barely know how to propely analyze what they read, how to draw valid inferences, or how to apply the information. When it comes to the sciences they might know a lot of facts, but many don't have the first clue how and why we know what we know, or how the basic science concepts apply to or are reflective of real world phenomena. It's so sad that while students might know a lot of scientific facts, they are effectively scientifically illiterate since they don't know or understand what to do with that information.
The other MAJOR issue is that students tend to be rather clueless regarding how the world works. They have little knowledge of economics, politics, the legal system, etc. They don't know or understand what's happening in the world and are fairly ignorant of history. It's no wonder they can be so easily persuaded and manipulated by politicians and the media when they become adults. The education system is supposed to serve as a buffer against the propaganda machines, but it fails spectacularily in that regard.
It's thus unfortunate that all this outcry against standardized testing is deflecting attention from what the actual problems happen to be with our education system.
But if you don't have tests then how you are going to evaluate? Are you going to give same ranking to smart and dumb kid? In india we give around 8 tests a year and our 10 and 12th is by body of education called boards. Problem in india is bit different if you dont get very high marks you are considered a failure and kids have not given opportunity to master there other talents nor given idea that there is world outside getting good marks and becoming engineer doctor ca or mba
I don't get it. American universities consistently rank as some of the best in the world, so how can their lower education system be such a mess? What is with all these tests?? Am from the Netherlands and as a kid I only had to sit one (what I guess was a) standardize test: the CITO test, which all Dutch students take at the end of primary school to determine which level of secondary school will be best suited for them. What, exactly, are they testing all these US students on, anyway? Isn't that the whole point of grades/marks in school? Students study the material, and you test them on THAT. From what I've gathered, US standardized tests … are mainly used to compare individual student's grades to the nationwide average(??) … but why? If a student, at the very least, is doing well enough to get passing grades, what does it matter if they're not in the top echelon of academic achievement? Am I missing something here??
This is why I go to a private non-government funded school, where test are not optional but they do not decide whether you pass or fail, rather what they are supposed to do, see how you rank among other kids in the nation.
My state has MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System). It's absolutely no surprise that many kids refer to it as the Massachusetts Child Abuse System in the elementary schools. We spend half the year learning how to write open responses specifically for MCAS grading standards. And for five years, I have struggled with those tests. I am a good student and I've always done very well in class, but I got 2s and 3s on those sections of the tests. They are so hard, and stressful, and they make us start taking them in 3rd grade.
We're lucky, because we haven't had to switch to the PARCC test, but they did try it out at our school with randomly selected students. It was torture for them and most of them didn't finish within the 3 1/2 hour testing session. For some states, like RI, that is the standard test.
Speaking as a student, the test are so stressful and it's awful to take them. We start taking them in third grade, with two days of ELA and two of Math. Fourth grade has two ELA days, two Math days, and one day to write a Long Composition essay, which is expected to be about 2 1/2 pages long. Fifth grade has two ELA, two Math, and two Science days, where students are tested on subjects that they've learned over the past three years. Sixth grade has two ELA and two Math sessions, seventh grade has the same ELA, Math, and another long composition essay. Eighth grade is the same as fifth grade with the ELA, Math, and Science testing. In tenth grade, students take it again, with ELA, a long composition essay, Math, and Science.
And ours is easy in comparison to the PARCC testing.
I really hope this video has some type of positive effect for us students because we spend so much time trying to be ready for testing. So many classes are spent in preparation when we could be focusing more on actually learning. Perhaps this will change, but I don't know, because I'm only a student.
One of the best ranters – US Education – time to get rid of standardized testing.
?! Since WHEN were these tests optional? How the hell did I miss that? Is it different for kids in New York, cause I'm pretty sure I didn't have a choice when I was in school.
I'm beginning to hate my own country when I see bullshit like this. You can quote me on that NSA.
I keep watching this show…and I keep wondering how ANYONE in the USA actually thinks that America is the best country in the world….
As a Florida high school student, with my closest friends having ANXIETY ATTACKS over these stupid standardized tests, let me tell you: they don't work. My teachers are stressed. My friends are stressed. I'm stressed. The worst part is that WE STUDENTS AREN'T LEARNING! If I were to theoretically become an engineer, I'd be hapless. Yeah, I passed all math requirements, but this is NOT due to my ability as a student. We're all being taught how to take Standardized Tests, tests that may total 30% of our overall grade AND determine our teachers' fates. I'll be the first to admit, under the mandatory curriculum, I'm not learning how to do anything applicable. I'm being taught how to take a test. And, last time I checked, there's no multiple choice in real life.
3 minutes in. Jebus, I only took 1 standardized test a year when I was in Elementary and HS. (San Diego, CA) The hell happened?
If pineapple has three legs, how many colors does it take for him to reach moon on a boat, considering he was eating BBQ three days later on the pluto?
I've never even used some of the symbols in that equation! And I'm a computer programmer. In fairness, I also know how to limit a number to the maximum value a test could be.
FOR GOD'sS SAKE WHY ARE NONE OF THESE VIDEOS AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA ANYMORE!?
It's funny when you don't live in America and laugh at how broken there education system is then you realise that the conservatives got back into power and we're all fucked
What actually needs to be talked about is the amount of bullshit that is taught. They'd rather kids learn about leaves and Genghis Khan than what a mortgage or taxes are. It's never been about the learning or the kids, its about getting good grades and getting out so you can move onto an even more corrupt system, college.
The concept of (frequent) standardized testing is not the actual problem. The problem is with how the curriculum is designed. It does a pretty poor job teaching students how to think and reason, and it largely fails to motivate the students to learn because it centers around memorizing facts (which is boring and rather pointless). If a student doesn't even understand why they are learning what they are learning, then the teachers have failed.
When it comes to aptitude tests, you don't "teach to the test" if you want your students to be successful. Students get stressed out and do poorly on these tests not because they are poor "test takers", but because they are weak when it comes to logic and reasoning, and they don't discern between knowing facts and understanding that information and knowing how or when that information can be applied. They might know how to to basic arithmetic or algebra but they struggle with quantitative reasoning which requires critical thinking, problem solving, and sometimes lateral thinking approaches. They might know how to read but they barely know how to propely analyze what they read, how to draw valid inferences, or how to apply the information. When it comes to the sciences they might know a lot of facts, but many don't have the first clue how and why we know what we know, or how the basic science concepts apply to or are reflective of real world phenomena. It's so sad that while students might know a lot of scientific facts, they are effectively scientifically illiterate since they don't know or understand what to do with that information.
The other MAJOR issue is that students tend to be rather clueless regarding how the world works. They have little knowledge of economics, politics, the legal system, etc. They don't know or understand what's happening in the world and are fairly ignorant of history. It's no wonder they can be so easily persuaded and manipulated by politicians and the media when they become adults. The education system is supposed to serve as a buffer against the propaganda machines, but it fails spectacularily in that regard.
It's thus unfortunate that all this outcry against standardized testing is deflecting attention from what the actual problems happen to be with our education system.
9:55 apparently not well enough lol jk rowling
But if you don't have tests then how you are going to evaluate? Are you going to give same ranking to smart and dumb kid? In india we give around 8 tests a year and our 10 and 12th is by body of education called boards. Problem in india is bit different if you dont get very high marks you are considered a failure and kids have not given opportunity to master there other talents nor given idea that there is world outside getting good marks and becoming engineer doctor ca or mba
I don't get it. American universities consistently rank as some of the best in the world, so how can their lower education system be such a mess? What is with all these tests?? Am from the Netherlands and as a kid I only had to sit one (what I guess was a) standardize test: the CITO test, which all Dutch students take at the end of primary school to determine which level of secondary school will be best suited for them. What, exactly, are they testing all these US students on, anyway? Isn't that the whole point of grades/marks in school? Students study the material, and you test them on THAT. From what I've gathered, US standardized tests … are mainly used to compare individual student's grades to the nationwide average(??) … but why? If a student, at the very least, is doing well enough to get passing grades, what does it matter if they're not in the top echelon of academic achievement? Am I missing something here??
This is why I go to a private non-government funded school, where test are not optional but they do not decide whether you pass or fail, rather what they are supposed to do, see how you rank among other kids in the nation.
They don't want an educated populous. And by they, I mean the people with the money.
Here's a good rule: The number of standardized tests that I take should not be higher than my life expectancy.
My state has MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System). It's absolutely no surprise that many kids refer to it as the Massachusetts Child Abuse System in the elementary schools. We spend half the year learning how to write open responses specifically for MCAS grading standards. And for five years, I have struggled with those tests. I am a good student and I've always done very well in class, but I got 2s and 3s on those sections of the tests. They are so hard, and stressful, and they make us start taking them in 3rd grade.
We're lucky, because we haven't had to switch to the PARCC test, but they did try it out at our school with randomly selected students. It was torture for them and most of them didn't finish within the 3 1/2 hour testing session. For some states, like RI, that is the standard test.
Speaking as a student, the test are so stressful and it's awful to take them. We start taking them in third grade, with two days of ELA and two of Math. Fourth grade has two ELA days, two Math days, and one day to write a Long Composition essay, which is expected to be about 2 1/2 pages long. Fifth grade has two ELA, two Math, and two Science days, where students are tested on subjects that they've learned over the past three years. Sixth grade has two ELA and two Math sessions, seventh grade has the same ELA, Math, and another long composition essay. Eighth grade is the same as fifth grade with the ELA, Math, and Science testing. In tenth grade, students take it again, with ELA, a long composition essay, Math, and Science.
And ours is easy in comparison to the PARCC testing.
I really hope this video has some type of positive effect for us students because we spend so much time trying to be ready for testing. So many classes are spent in preparation when we could be focusing more on actually learning.
Perhaps this will change, but I don't know, because I'm only a student.
It's the circle of stupid and it screws us all.