Reply to Why do some parents dislike the SOLs so very much?

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Reply to "Why do some parents dislike the SOLs so very much?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
SOLs are all about memorization.  They are multiple choice tests.  In elementary school, that sort of testing is fine. [/quote]

No, it's not. At any age, kids can be learning critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation. They should be learning to ask good questions, not to answer rote ones.

They shouldn't be taking standardized tests in elementary school unless it's some sort of diagnostic test, in which case the results should go to the teacher and the parents, and no further unless the parties agree. [/quote]

I'm not sure about other school districts but FCPS goes overboard with critical thinking. The SOL's are one of the few tests where general knowledge is tested. Most elementary schools in FCPS don't teach grammar as an example. People need to be comfortable with analyzing and answering rote questions such as "what is the main idea of the story" or "a water molecule is composed of" or "Sally had $1000. At 2% interest for 5 years, how much money will she have?" without going to a computer every single time. Having knowledge also leads to higher order thinking. As you learn more about a subject, the more you start to ask questions. The SOL tests I've seen test remembering, understanding, applying, and analyzing, but don't really test evaluating or creating except for the writing test. The rest of the year though is heavily focused on creating and evaluating more so than remembering, understanding, and applying.[/quote]

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