STAAR Testing - Anyone Opted Their Kids Out of Taking It?

[Flint knapper]

From a Seasoned Professional Educator with 26 years of experience:

It won't hurt your kid to take the test!

They can say what they want to, but the Star test and any other standardizes test is nothing but a money generator and has nothing to do with how well the kids are being taught.

I taught school for 26 years and todays test, just like always is geared to do nothing more than to make money for the people that developed it !

If the kids do really well on any of the questions one year, they will change the way the question is asked the next year just to trip the kid up!

Just my $.02

[Mudslinger]

Do you have any links to back up your first statement?

Not sure if this is the case for every district, but here, we have what they call I believe a value added bonus that is tied to grades and the STAAR test, at least that is what they tell us.

[Mudslinger]

My wife retired from teaching 1.5 yrs ago. I don’t ever recall her saying anything about what is in the first paragraph.

Second paragraph is pretty spot on, although I’ve never heard of a teacher being jailed for testing impropriety.


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Here you go:

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/04/27/fbi-arrests-five-in-a-texas-school-district-test-rigging-scandal

[AZST_bowhunter]

I am strongly considering opting our daughter out of STAAR testing. There are many things wrong with not only the standardized test but also the vast amount of time spent teaching to the test rather than the curriculum. I'd like to hear experiences from those that have opted their child out and if so what grades were they in and did you see any repercussions for doing so?

My wife is a teacher, she thinks all kids should opt out, then she can get the once every two weeks of holding "practice test" time back. Last year, she found a question in the STAAR that was a 5th grade TEKS (she teaches 3rd). As long as your child is passing there is NOTHING the school or the state can do to hold them back. The test does not count against there class score, but does look bad on the school. If a student doesn't take it then it goes as a failed test against the school.

I had a buddy in high school that didn't open his test booklet at all, he just filled out the answer C on ever question on the scantron and put his head down lol. He was finished before the teacher was done giving us instructions on how to fill everything out lol. It was classic!

[Roscoe]

Here you go:



https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news...igging-scandal

I’m being picky here, but this administrators being arrested, not teachers. Admins I’d heard of. ;-)


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[Soggy Bottom]

When I was in elementary school we had the TAAS test. Same type of deal. Don't remember people or the kids stressing so much over the test. Guess it has changed. Seems like standardized test have been around for a long time.

[Acameron52]

What’s the benefit of opting out? They’re still going to have to sit through class everyday and learn about the test. Might as well take it.

[Sackett]

For the record, my daughter scored in the upper 90th percentile on her STAAR Testing last hear in both categories. It's not "her" test taking ability I have issue with. A lot of you need to do some research on STAAR Testing and speak with actual teachers in a modern classroom. I spend A LOT OF time and volunteer quite a bit at my daughters school. It would completely blow your mind how much The STAAR Test prep takes away from teaching actual curiculum from students in school today. When the TAAS test was given, we (students) did not spend 40% of class time learning how to pass specific areas of a test.

Also, it is FALSE that any bonuses or incentives for teachers are based on STAAR Testing results. There are A LOT of errors spread by mis-informed school administrators on that issue.

I have raised my daughter to not skirt responsibilities and I don't feel the STAAR Test has anything to do with "Life Responsibilities". Did any of you know that STAAR Testing determines class placement in Jr. And Sr. High schools? If your child scores poorly, they WILL/DO place your child in a class with similar-scored children. Guess what that does. Even though your child may be very smart, but doesn't test well on STAAR, they get lumped in with a lot of kids who could care less about school. The same kids who distract classes and take away from the teaching.

[Dudley]

What’s the benefit of opting out? They’re still going to have to sit through class everyday and learn about the test. Might as well take it.

This is correct. And, there is no option to allow opting out. I guess you could keep your kids home all week so they didn't have to take the tests, but that would mean being absent several days - not "opting out". And then, they would actually count as a failure against the school. And if they are in 5th or 8th grade, they would be held back next year instead of being promoted to the next grade. I don't like the test at all, but it is part of what I have to do, whether I agree or not.
By the way, everyone can see the past STAAR tests. Go to the TEA website and search Released STAAR tests and you can see several years worth of tests in all subjects/grades. Print them off and share them with your kids.

[jessBsemple]

Not sure about the "test performance based" pay is, but they have talked about merit based pay. "Talked" is all.
All released tests are available on the TEA website. Last year, passing was 50%. You can find a scale for the passing "grade", I think it increases by 2% each year?? You can find that on TEA website, as well. They most likely won't hold anyone back if the student has been 90% and up for current and previous years, but they might be "placed". Some kids don't test well. There's quite a bit of pressure.
Opting out in 5, 8, and EOC might create more "pressure" for your child. Think about them and their quality of life (school life, too!). They are talking about auditing the test, again "talking". Yes, teachers, admin., and anyone that handles the tests can get in trouble for testing "irregularities." Someone has done some stupid shtuff, otherwise they wouldn't have annual meetings and webinars about how to act. The test in Oklahoma isn't a whole lot better. In third grade, a student needed to be reading at a 4th grade level to pass. The GT kids passed! Chances are, your child has already or is about to take(n) a practice test. There are many groups against the test out there, but not many have gained any traction.
Do your homework and get information from reliable sources before you opt out.

[KyleW]

Wow you can opt out of STAAR testing? I thought it was required to pass certain grades?

I hate that they teach towards a test but keeping your kid out of it isn't going to change that. In my opinion, make them take it. If your kid knows they aren't going to have to pass the test, do you really think they are going to pay attention in class?

[DosToros]

I did not grow up in Texas but I always Thought that taking the standardized tests as a kid DID prepare me more for college entry tests such as the ACT etc. but I dont Know much about the STARR test.

[d_e_smith]

I did not grow up in Texas but I always Thought that taking the standardized tests as a kid DID prepare me more for college entry tests such as the ACT etc. but I dont Know much about the STARR test.

It’s just a regular old standardized test that throws in some elevated grade questions. There are way worse concerns in the public school system than standardized testing.

[rudeman]

Yes sir, we opt out. But we ended up putting my daughter in a Private Christian School. No way in heck do we do public schools.

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[Cbb1722]

I could see 7th graders and up doing it until they have to take the psat and sat. Any grade below that’s just ridiculous. Ain’t no third grader relating that test to college. ISDs only care about the averages. The school gpa. The attendance percentage. Once a kid graduates they don’t care about what happens to them in life. Schools need classes to prepare kids for life such as taking out loans. Building credit scores. Saving money. Instead of making them take fine arts and British literature and two years of a foreign language. Make them take financial classes for two years. And then if you have kids that wanna take higher education classes THEN adjust their class schedule to that. STAAR testing is the biggest waste of time and a waste of coulda been better education. And that is why we don’t have people in our younger generations that have no common sense. Because the school systems themselves don’t have common sense ways. Now that’s just the way I see all of it.