What if they gave the MSA and no one showed?

[Anonymous]

Not only does the MSA not count toward your child's grade, it is a multi-day test that not only causes a good deal of stress on the students but also makes them miss a week of classroom instruction. So my wife and I were talking and she asked this question, why should any parent sent their DC to school the week of MSA testing? The student does not gain much, if anything, by taking the test. In fact, a student would probably gain more if he/she went to museums that week.

Has anyone considered doing this? Just wondering.

If the students are not there to take the test, perhaps the state will reconsider the need for a multi-day test. Surely there have to be ways to test reading and math skills without the need for five days of tests.

Also, if the purpose of the MSA is to test what the students have learned during normal class room instruction, why does the state permit schools to spent months training the students to take the exam? Should it be just the opposite; that schools and teachers be told that they are not to try and teach to the test or otherwise specifically prepare the students for the test.

[Anonymous]

I recall a recent thread where someone posed essentially the same question. Respondents pointed out that nothing stops the school administration from testing students at a later date. So you may as well show up for the test or you'll miss even more classroom instruction later. I wish they would do away with all this testing also. Not even b/c my kid seems to find it stressful, but b/c I feel like they've gone so far overboard with the number of hours it takes up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recall a recent thread where someone posed essentially the same question. Respondents pointed out that nothing stops the school administration from testing students at a later date. So you may as well show up for the test or you'll miss even more classroom instruction later. I wish they would do away with all this testing also. Not even b/c my kid seems to find it stressful, but b/c I feel like they've gone so far overboard with the number of hours it takes up.

You are correct that they will try to test a student who comes to school the following week. Though I wonder what would happen if you told the principal that you did not want your child to miss any classroom instruction to take the make-up test. After that two week period they would not try to test the student, they need to calculate the scores etc.

[Anonymous]

OK, PP has a point, they will want a student to take a make-up exam. So I guess for that, you tell the principal that the student will take the test if he wants, but you have instructed your child to answer A to all the questions so that your child can finish the test and return to class within 5 minutes.

Seems a bit crazy, but this focus on testing has made me crazy.

[Anonymous]

My fifth grader has spent countless classroom hours prepping for the tests this year. Last Friday they had their regular seat time in the morning (test prep for this weeks math MSAs), and then right after lunch they watched two hours of Disney movies. No outdoor recess b/c of the weather. How is she expected to get a decent public education when the school doesn't even pretend to care about music, art, social studies, science, etc. Those little afterschool science-is-fun! activities don't exactly replace a deeper science curriculum. I'm disgusted.

[Anonymous]

When my son was in 5th grade (six years ago), he was sick for several days and missed the MSAs. After returning to school, he was told that he would be making up the tests during classtime and at recess. I called the principal and asked that he be excused from testing because I didn't want him to miss any more instructional time and didn't think it was fair for him to have to miss recess. To my great surprised, she agreed. Keep in mind, though, that this didn't change the fact that he had spent hours of time in class preparing for the tests before he got sick, or, that the school system didn't devote substantial resources to test prep, grading and review by teachers and administrators.

I think we're starting to see a u-turn on testing; the Obama administration is starting to come around on NCLB, as are education policymakers and theorists who supported testing -- one prominent example is Diane Ravitch, a Columbia professor who has just published a book recanting her previous support for NCLB. In the meantime, though, so many kids have missed the opportunity to have a richer, more creative and less stressful educational experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My fifth grader has spent countless classroom hours prepping for the tests this year. Last Friday they had their regular seat time in the morning (test prep for this weeks math MSAs), and then right after lunch they watched two hours of Disney movies. No outdoor recess b/c of the weather. How is she expected to get a decent public education when the school doesn't even pretend to care about music, art, social studies, science, etc. Those little afterschool science-is-fun! activities don't exactly replace a deeper science curriculum. I'm disgusted.

thin

Have you discussed with your principal? Just wondering what s/he thinks about this. Furthermore, I don't understand why any TV/movie watching is going on at MCPS. If the kids need downtime, fine, but let them talk to each other, do crafts at least, not the tv-especially not Disney, not much redeeming educational value there in my opinion. Fine for home but not fine for school.

[Anonymous]

You can't get around it. Once students hit public high, they MUST take and PASS the HSAs to graduate. And if they don't make the cut off score on one or more tests (algebra, English, biology, and government) they are assigned bridge projects.

So consider MSAs to be practice tests.

[Anonymous]

I was tempted to have museum week with my DD as we already know she is going private next year. But I didn't want her being tested at a later date. She doesn't seem to have spent too much time on prep, etc., but maybe b/c she's in GT classes mostly. I don't know. What burns me up is that the health teacher and the music teacher routinely show movies when they need to catch up on their grading! If they ask me why we are leaving, I plan to mention that.

[Anonymous]

Sadly they won't ask why you are leaving. They don't care. You are not the customer. Our ES is so overcrowded I'm sure the admin is just as happy when kids bail for private. If we could afford to, we totally would. And I actually like our school leadership, but I don't for one minute think they give a whit whether our kids stay or leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was tempted to have museum week with my DD as we already know she is going private next year. But I didn't want her being tested at a later date. She doesn't seem to have spent too much time on prep, etc., but maybe b/c she's in GT classes mostly. I don't know. What burns me up is that the health teacher and the music teacher routinely show movies when they need to catch up on their grading! If they ask me why we are leaving, I plan to mention that.

Why wait until you're ready to leave before raising this issue? Since when are movies approved for health and music class, or any class? If I were you, I'd discuss it with the PTA President and ask her to raise the issue with the principal. Isn't your PTA Executive Committee supposed to be some liaison with school administration? Ours works in that way, but I suppose every school culture is different.

[Anonymous]

I hate the MSA and almost everything it stands for. HATE IT.

However, my son's school, which is amazing but doesn't test like it for a host of reasons (74% FARMS, high percentage of ESOL students, etc. etc.), REALLY needs to perform well on it in order to not lose funding, students, teachers, etc. etc. in the horrid domino effect that will be triggered if they miss AYP in one particular area a second time in a row. Thanks, NCLB. :/

So I'm making my brilliant kid who I may or may not be pulling out next year take the stupid test.

[Anonymous]

There's NO Excuse for teachers showing movies when the need to catch up on paperwork.

[Anonymous]

Call them up and tell them why you are leaving - they need to know. That's what we did when we left.

[Anonymous]

What is the big deal? I get it, it is stressful for your kid. lost instruction etc... But it is a STATE requirement. It is only 4 AM's that your kid is testing. In the grand scheme of life, that is nothing.
I am a teacher and just gave the MSA to various grade levels- boring as all - but hey, that is life. Are you just going to skip two weeks of school every year" They have make up days built in in case kids are absent.
Just remember that most people look at schools test scores before they buy a house in a certain area- some schools would suffer greatly if even 2 or 3 students "skipped " the test. It counts against the school.