SOL DAY
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Anonymous
| DD's first ever SOL today. What a load of horseshit. I really wish we could stage a mass walkout on these exams. |
Anonymous
| What's the matter? |
Anonymous
| There is state mandated testing everywhere in public schools, I'm sorry to say. |
Anonymous
| Actually we need standards of learning. Some of the bureaucracy that goes with it it is certainly over the top though. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
Some of the kids find the SOLs very easy. But they still get to waste instructional time readying for the SOLs when teachers know that the kids will score pass advance. Why force everyone to go through this testing? It is extraordinarily wasteful. Why not take the instructional time and devote it to the kids that are more on the borderline? |
Anonymous
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Well the FCPS superintendant and various other school district chiefs aroung VA sent the VA Dept. of Ed. a letter request about 6 mos. ago asking/begging them to let schools give the SOLs in Dec. Then if kids passed, they could move on to other things. If they failed, they would spend more time on the test subjects and re-take it in May. The idea was to release teachers/students from focussing on the SOLs if they could show proficiency.
Va. Dept. of Ed. rejected the request. This seems to be a solution to the problem stated in this thread. Maybe some of you who have connections or know how to rally the troops could push this issue again? |
Anonymous
I could not agree more. I've told all my kids to not even worry about them. At elem-school level their SOL scores don't affect their classroom grades. |
Anonymous
PP, might you have links to background materials on this? I'd surely like to work on this issue. |
Anonymous
no but in 6th grade the math score on the SOL will affect placement in 7th grade math classes. Otherwise I could care less about the SOLs. |
Anonymous
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SOL's are a waste of time, but they are mandated by the Commonwealth of VA as it's implementation of No Child Left Behind. NCLB is an intrusive law passed as the forefront of the education policy of the newly elected President in 2001. That would be George W. Bush.
By defining metrics to evaluate the the schools, you are defining what will be covered in school. It is, IMHO, a horrible system. If you protest by walking out the school will be punished by reduction of federal funds. |
Anonymous
Wouldn't you be concerned if you kid did poorly on it? |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| For your kids maybe it's easy, but not for all. I love the idea posted above about having the tests more as a measuring stick to gauge further instruction verses determining ranking by having the testing in December. Seems like a win win solution. Those that need extra help would hopefully get it in smaller group instruction and others could move on to learning new things. Seems like a similar thing is done with the DRA testing. The test is given in the fall and the spring to monitor progress and determine curriculum adjustments. I realize that many people against testing may not be for this additional test, however I think in the long run less emphasis would be placed on the test and would reduce anxiety among children since they would have already had the test once before. Do they even have two similar tests available to administer though in one year or could the same test be given twice just for those that didn't pass? |
Anonymous
I did find a Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/va-education-officials-quash-plans-for-earlier-sol-testing-retakes/2011/08/15/gIQAVXWyJJ_story.html |