Do you care how your kid does on SOL’s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we skipped all of them except a few in high school needed for graduation. Not worth it.

Its only once a year for 2 hours.

It’s way more than 2 hours, it’s several days per year. We also always skip and take the day off. Spend it at the movies or a museum. Have lunch out and go for ice cream or get candy at the movies. The kids love it. Stress free for everyone!

Can’t wait to deal with your kids in the workplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we skipped all of them except a few in high school needed for graduation. Not worth it.

Its only once a year for 2 hours.

It’s way more than 2 hours, it’s several days per year. We also always skip and take the day off. Spend it at the movies or a museum. Have lunch out and go for ice cream or get candy at the movies. The kids love it. Stress free for everyone!

Can’t wait to deal with your kids in the workplace.

I guarantee they’ll be more well-rounded and less stressed out than yours.

[Anonymous]

To OP, shame on your kids teacher for asking that they get a good nights sleep and have a good breakfast. Who do they think they are!?!?!?

[Anonymous]

I teach elementary school and it is sad to see how many kids come to school after having been awake staring at a screen all night and are hungry for breakfast. Kudos to the teacher who reminds parents to take care of their kids.

Whether you think the test matters or not, the kids still have to sit there for 2-3 hours and test. So yeah, maybe go to bed a little earlier and have an extra strip of bacon.

[Anonymous]

To OP, if you really don’t care than why don’t you opt your kid out of the SOL’s?

[Anonymous]

So, maybe parents don’t understand. When a kid takes an SOL, they don’t have a normal day. They don’t have recess, they don’t get a snack, their bathroom routine is not the same and they may also have a different lunch time.

A teacher recommending that a student goes to bed alone time and is well fed means the teacher is proactively trying invent kids from melting down and from having parents complain that Tommy didn’t get his snack today.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I want DCs to do well on the tests. I would love for them to pass all of them on the first try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, maybe parents don’t understand. When a kid takes an SOL, they don’t have a normal day. They don’t have recess, they don’t get a snack, their bathroom routine is not the same and they may also have a different lunch time.

A teacher recommending that a student goes to bed alone time and is well fed means the teacher is proactively trying invent kids from melting down and from having parents complain that Tommy didn’t get his snack today.

Every school that I’ve worked at, encourages teachers to take students out for an extended recess after the SOL, but it’s true they may miss snack time.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here, non-SOL subject. Look, I agree that SOLs are annoying and take way too much time. And I hate that they stress out everyone.

However…

Please don’t tell your students that the tests don’t matter. They do. The scores affect our accreditation and funding, even if they are more of a reflection of socioeconomic factors than quality of teaching.

They are changing the scoring system this year, so it’s not just about passing. Each student needs to show personal improvement, and the school gets more points for pass advance. So each kid needs to take the tests seriously.

And as someone else pointed out, failing can have consequences. At our school kids who fail are placed in reading and/or math support classes instead of electives. Yeah, you could probably fight that, but you will face push back from the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I want DCs to do well on the tests. I would love for them to pass all of them on the first try.

What do you mean, first try? You have to approve any second tries LOL. Just say no *unless its a HS credit and they need it to graduate*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, non-SOL subject. Look, I agree that SOLs are annoying and take way too much time. And I hate that they stress out everyone.

However…

Please don’t tell your students that the tests don’t matter. They do. The scores affect our accreditation and funding, even if they are more of a reflection of socioeconomic factors than quality of teaching.

They are changing the scoring system this year, so it’s not just about passing. Each student needs to show personal improvement, and the school gets more points for pass advance. So each kid needs to take the tests seriously.

And as someone else pointed out, failing can have consequences. At our school kids who fail are placed in reading and/or math support classes instead of electives. Yeah, you could probably fight that, but you will face push back from the school.

Nice try, teach. A parent can and should absolutely refuse SOL test prep support classes in lieu of electives. Not "probably could fight".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, non-SOL subject. Look, I agree that SOLs are annoying and take way too much time. And I hate that they stress out everyone.

However…

Please don’t tell your students that the tests don’t matter. They do. The scores affect our accreditation and funding, even if they are more of a reflection of socioeconomic factors than quality of teaching.

They are changing the scoring system this year, so it’s not just about passing. Each student needs to show personal improvement, and the school gets more points for pass advance. So each kid needs to take the tests seriously.

And as someone else pointed out, failing can have consequences. At our school kids who fail are placed in reading and/or math support classes instead of electives. Yeah, you could probably fight that, but you will face push back from the school.

Does personal improvement include kids who failed but still did better than they did last year? If so, that is a positive change because it actual accounts for kids learning even if they are not at the state standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, non-SOL subject. Look, I agree that SOLs are annoying and take way too much time. And I hate that they stress out everyone.

However…

Please don’t tell your students that the tests don’t matter. They do. The scores affect our accreditation and funding, even if they are more of a reflection of socioeconomic factors than quality of teaching.

They are changing the scoring system this year, so it’s not just about passing. Each student needs to show personal improvement, and the school gets more points for pass advance. So each kid needs to take the tests seriously.

And as someone else pointed out, failing can have consequences. At our school kids who fail are placed in reading and/or math support classes instead of electives. Yeah, you could probably fight that, but you will face push back from the school.

Nice try, teach. A parent can and should absolutely refuse SOL test prep support classes in lieu of electives. Not "probably could fight".

Why would a parent refuse support classes if their kid is not meeting the state standard for learning? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we skipped all of them except a few in high school needed for graduation. Not worth it.

Its only once a year for 2 hours.

It’s way more than 2 hours, it’s several days per year. We also always skip and take the day off. Spend it at the movies or a museum. Have lunch out and go for ice cream or get candy at the movies. The kids love it. Stress free for everyone!

Its 2 hours per test. So, 2 hours for Reading and 2 hours for Math. The rest is review. It is good to review at the end of a year though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, non-SOL subject. Look, I agree that SOLs are annoying and take way too much time. And I hate that they stress out everyone.

However…

Please don’t tell your students that the tests don’t matter. They do. The scores affect our accreditation and funding, even if they are more of a reflection of socioeconomic factors than quality of teaching.

They are changing the scoring system this year, so it’s not just about passing. Each student needs to show personal improvement, and the school gets more points for pass advance. So each kid needs to take the tests seriously.

And as someone else pointed out, failing can have consequences. At our school kids who fail are placed in reading and/or math support classes instead of electives. Yeah, you could probably fight that, but you will face push back from the school.

Does personal improvement include kids who failed but still did better than they did last year? If so, that is a positive change because it actual accounts for kids learning even if they are not at the state standard.

I think so, provided they meet their growth target.