Re: [Phys-l] STUDY SUGGESTS NO CHILD LAW MAY BE DUMBING DOWNSTUDENTS

["Rick Tarara" <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

I don't see the value of shielding students from high stakes testing--they 
will encounter it sooner or later driving test, SAT, GRE, college exams, 
job interviews, performance evaluations, etc.  There can always be a 
mechanism for students who have performed very well in classes but tested 
very poorly to be retested, but testing is part of life.  Get over it!

Rick

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mariam Dittmann" <mariam.dittmann@bainbridge.edu>
> He had extreme test anxiety.  We had high stakes testing starting at
> late elementary.  He was always convinced that he wouldn't be allowed to
> move on.  We once spent a week getting him over a skills testing session
> (ITBS) that he was sure was going to keep him out of the next grade.
> This was simply because he had heard that a high stakes test was being
> developed and so he decided that this must have been it.  He also
> worried himself sick about the graduation test.  I am not a fan of high
> stakes testing for this reason.  When we expressed concern about this to
> the county during the development of high stakes testing for our
> county/state, we were told that students like my son were in the
> minority and so weren't considered a problem.  Generally, I have found
> that the students who need to worry about whether they will pass don't
> worry enough for the most part while the ones who do worry shouldn't.