Blog #6

This post is a response to Blog #5 from Kelya’s blog.
Well done. Your blog was very good. I wasn’t a fan of the standardized tests that I had to take both here in Texas, and in Oklahoma where I’m from. I thought that they (the tests) were, to be honest B.S. Now after reading your blog, I’m convinced that I was right! Not only should the TAKS tests be re-evaluated, they should be discontinued! For the TEA to tell your friend (who moved here from Russia, learned English in a year, and doing upper level math), that she is not “qualified” to graduate is just absolutely retarded! She is obviously smart enough to graduate, and excel in college.
The reason you go to school is to learn, not to be taught curriculum. Teachers should have the freedom to teach in their own way, and not be critisized for it. Teachers should not have to worry about their jobs being on the line if they don’t teach the standardized material. You are right; you can’t base a person’s intelligence off a stupid test. Yes those tests should show where a student is at academically, but that same test shouldn’t decide if that student should graduate or not.
I think the TEA should really re-evaluate their policies on which students should be able to graduate, on a more personal level. If someone who has excelled in school but doesn’t do well on the TAKS test should still be allowed to graduate. As opposed to someone who is slacking off in school and failing most of their classes they shouldn’t graduate. Maybe the schools should have the say in who graduates and who doesn’t. They would know the students on a more personal level. But that’s just an idea. Again, well done on your blog.

http://kelyagovt2306.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-5.html