Can we opt out of the MSA?

[Anonymous]

I don't know what I would do, I'm conflicted. I see a young friend who is super uptight at MSA time. She has had accidents at school one in a great while and they tell her you can't use the bathroom, you can't sharpen your pencil. So she worried, what if I need to go? What if I have an accident? What if I feel sick? I'm gleaning that they are a little scare-mongering for the sensitive kids to try to get good performance from a few. I don't know if it even works on the targets and instead they have other kids who take them literally.

On the other hand, a little practice at standardized tests is great. What I don't like is so much of the year seems to devoted to prep for the test to the exclusion of all else, so opting out doesn't fix that even if it would be a symbolic boycott. If this wasn't such an obsession I'd think sitting for the test was just fine.

I have heard from the MCPS teacher that the new test is very very difficult.

[Anonymous]

sorry for the typos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what I would do, I'm conflicted. I see a young friend who is super uptight at MSA time. She has had accidents at school one in a great while and they tell her you can't use the bathroom, you can't sharpen your pencil. So she worried, what if I need to go? What if I have an accident? What if I feel sick? I'm gleaning that they are a little scare-mongering for the sensitive kids to try to get good performance from a few. I don't know if it even works on the targets and instead they have other kids who take them literally.

On the other hand, a little practice at standardized tests is great. What I don't like is so much of the year seems to devoted to prep for the test to the exclusion of all else, so opting out doesn't fix that even if it would be a symbolic boycott. If this wasn't such an obsession I'd think sitting for the test was just fine.

I have heard from the MCPS teacher that the new test is very very difficult.

How old is this child??? Does she have a physical disability related to bathroom support that has been accommodated for with a 504 plan? (I'm serious asking this... a friend's child has a kidney disease and a 504 plan for testing accommodations.) But I truly believe a child who is at least 8 years old should be able to manage bathroom time, unless an illness is involved. If the illness is a GI bug, then keep her home.

My child's school has not been over-emphasizing the test. The last 2-3 weeks they have had packets taken from prior year's test. But far from "much of the year". Unless you consider the grade-level items that are part of the curriculum (and on the test) as "much of the year." Then, yes, they have been prepping for the test all year.

[Anonymous]

My husband left to walk my third-grader to school yesterday, asking, "these tests are just for the school, right? They don't affect [third-grader]?"

I replied, "No, not her, just our property values."

[Anonymous]

I see in Annapolis a group of parents were organizing to boycott MSA until School Board listened to their concerns (unrelated to MSA). Not sure if it worked but it shows that the MSA is a valuable tool for parents who feel powerless. If a teacher scared my kid into prepping for MSA, I would go on "vacation" for sure and refuse a makeup test.

It is interesting to discuss whether it is required. I think we all assume the kids have to take it but they don't. If familiarity with standardized tests is the goal, seems like all the prep work would have already done that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what I would do, I'm conflicted. I see a young friend who is super uptight at MSA time. She has had accidents at school one in a great while and they tell her you can't use the bathroom, you can't sharpen your pencil. So she worried, what if I need to go? What if I have an accident? What if I feel sick? I'm gleaning that they are a little scare-mongering for the sensitive kids to try to get good performance from a few. I don't know if it even works on the targets and instead they have other kids who take them literally.

On the other hand, a little practice at standardized tests is great. What I don't like is so much of the year seems to devoted to prep for the test to the exclusion of all else, so opting out doesn't fix that even if it would be a symbolic boycott. If this wasn't such an obsession I'd think sitting for the test was just fine.

I have heard from the MCPS teacher that the new test is very very difficult.

Your friend's parents should explain to her that if she absolutely has to go to the bathroom during the test, the teacher can call a time-out, collect all test booklets and materials, and allow her to use the restroom. It will be a Very Big Deal, but she will not be made to have an accident during the test. That being said, teachers usually have all the kids take a bathroom break before the test, and there are also breaks in between sessions, which she could use to go and pee if it was an emergency. Someone should explain this to her. There is no reason why she should be so stressed, and her case is certainly not typical of students. Blaming the school and test because this girl is exceedingly stressed doesn't make sense.

[Anonymous]

What ever happened to Iowa tests? Did anyone but me take those in grade school? The standardized test is not a new thing.

My new teacher husband has been loving this week because he isn't teaching a full load. They have been doing MSA prep for two full weeks. There are structured accomodations for the kids that need them.

OP, is your child going to avoid the physical fitness tests in PE calls too, or just perhaps the spelling tests. Tests are a fact of education. The MSAs are just the beginning.

By the way, the primary issue with the MSAs this year is that they are geared to test what the this years third graders are studying in the 2.0 curriculum. Everyone seems to acknowledge that the MSAs for 3rd grade will not reflect learning this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What ever happened to Iowa tests? Did anyone but me take those in grade school? The standardized test is not a new thing.

My new teacher husband has been loving this week because he isn't teaching a full load. They have been doing MSA prep for two full weeks. There are structured accomodations for the kids that need them.

OP, is your child going to avoid the physical fitness tests in PE calls too, or just perhaps the spelling tests. Tests are a fact of education. The MSAs are just the beginning.

By the way, the primary issue with the MSAs this year is that they are geared to test what the this years third graders are studying in the 2.0 curriculum. Everyone seems to acknowledge that the MSAs for 3rd grade will not reflect learning this year.

Read the original post.
I don't think it mentioned opting out of other tests - just the MSA since it isn't required or necessarily a reflection of the curriculum.

Seems like a waste of a "full two weeks" of school if that is indeed the case that prep has taken that long. (I'm not sure that is even true - maybe your husband is new and spends more time on it. I hope all teachers aren't spending two full weeks on just test prep - that sounds like a bad use of time.)

I'm not sure teachers who love the standardized tests because they "don't have to teach a full load" is a valid justification for the testing. I'd probably keep that part to myself if I were the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Whoa, lady, your new teacher husband will be over the MSA very quickly. He must be a specialist or otherwise not administering the test.

[Anonymous]

10:38...she's in upper elementary now, but this has been an ongoing problem. She qualifies for a 504 anxiety, adhd for a long time but the parents weren't sure what to ask for and worried about singling her out. How on earth that compromises the test except for her, losing her own completion time, is ridiculous. 13:23 I certainly realize she's not a typical case. But school chooses to stress all of them MORE on purpose, and when the teacher says one thing and the parent another, she believes the teacher who is giving the test. Not every kid has the same worry, but I am sure she's not alone in finding it an extraordinarily stressful event. The parents have told her it's a test about the teachers and the school...nothing bad happens even if she gets it all wrong.

If you are in a struggling school I think a lot more time is spent on MSAs than a school doing well.

[Anonymous]

Do kids really need to practice taking standardized tests when they are 7? Seems like there are a lot of other things they could be learning.
I guess I would be OK with it if it were shorter and less time was spent on preparation.

[Anonymous]

My son had practice testing a few weeks ago and he came home telling me about how one girl cried so loud he couldn't hear anything the teacher said, and couldn't concentrate, and she cried for a really long time. Happened to talk with the teacher three days later and she confirmed -- child cried hysterically throughout, but they persevered and made all the kids stay until the hysterical child finally 'completed' the test and immediately was sent home from school, and hadn't yet returned. Lesson learned: To hell with the kids -- NOTHING is as important as that testing!

[Anonymous]

just saw on a howard county list a mom said her kid couldn't sleep...worried about letting down his teacher. And a local blogger http://lisabmrss.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-good-grief-msa-top-ten.html

[Anonymous]

FCPS and all of VA has been complaining about this with our SOLs for years. Welcome to the club, Maryland!

[Anonymous]

You cannot opt out. You can remove your child from school but it will have to be for the whole testing period -- which includes an extra week or so for makeups I believe.