Revise the STAAR Test and new math TEKS to make them age appropriate for 3-8!
- by: COPTTR - Coalition of Parents & Teachers for Test/ TEKS Reform
- recipient: Texas State Senate; Texas State House; Texas Governor
We are petitioning for our Texas Legislatures to address these 3 issues in the upcoming session.
1) Revise the STAAR Assessment to make it an appropriate length for our 3-8 students.
2) Reduce the number of math concepts taught in each grade to allow for teaching more depth.
3) Refocus the Math TEKS on standard math principles and models.
The STAAR test length must be revised to a more appropriate length for our students. Research shows that students can pay attention an average of 3 to 5 minutes for every year of their age. An average 3rd grader without any attention issues would be able to focus an average of 24 to 45 minutes. However, the STAAR test is designed as a 4 hour test. It has 54 math questions, the same number of math questions as the SAT. The following day, students will be again testing, this time with a 5 story reading test , each story having 8-10 critical thinking questions. It is in no way appropriate for our young students to be taking a test as long as high school graduate would take on an SAT. Something must change!
In addition to the test itself, the state has approved new math standards that are not good for our students. Many skills have moved down several grade levels, and skills that students struggled with in previous grades are now being introduced even younger. There are exceptionally more skills to cover, and all before the STAAR test. This makes depth impossible, as teaching skills requires introducing and mastering the basic skill before higher level problem solving can be introduced. With the number and pacing of these new skills, our children are being left in the dust.
There is also a new "Common Core" direction the new skills are trying to take students and teachers, that seems to be only confusing and harmful to our students. Rather than focusing on finding the correct answer, these new skills now focus on the many different processes our children could use to find the answer. Many questions are asking how students would find an answer using different methods, rather than what the answer is. This means that rather than focusing on teaching the standard method for our basic math, teachers are required to teach our students at least 5 different ways to subtract. Many of the skills in our new math TEKS were literally cut and pasted verbatim from Common Core curriculum, which has been outlawed in our state under House Bill 462. This method is not good for our kids and leaves parents in the dark trying to help their children. This is actually causing confusing and hindering students from developing good math skills.
We are petitioning for our Texas Legislatures to address these 3 issues in the upcoming session.
1) Revise the STAAR Assessment to make it an appropriate length for our 3-8 students.
2) Reduce the number of math concepts taught in each grade to allow for teaching more depth.
3) Refocus the Math TEKS on standard math principles and models. The STAAR test length must be revised to a more appropriate length for our students.
Research shows that students can pay attention an average of 3 to 5 minutes for every year of their age. An average 3rd grader without any attention issues would be able to focus an average of 24 to 45 minutes. However, the STAAR test is designed as a 4 hour test. It has 54 math questions, the same number of math questions as the SAT. The following day, students will be again testing, this time with a 5 story reading test , each story having 8-10 critical thinking questions. It is in no way appropriate for our young students to be taking a test as long as high school graduate would take on an SAT. Something must change!
In addition to the test itself, the state has approved new math standards that are not good for our students. Many skills have moved down several grade levels, and skills that students struggled with in previous grades are now being introduced even younger. There are exceptionally more skills to cover, and all before the STAAR test. This makes depth impossible, as teaching skills requires introducing and mastering the basic skill before higher level problem solving can be introduced. With the number and pacing of these new skills, our children are being left in the dust.
There is also a new "Common Core" direction the new skills are trying to take students and teachers, that seems to be only confusing and harmful to our students. Rather than focusing on finding the correct answer, these new skills now focus on the many different processes our children could use to find the answer. Many questions are asking how students would find an answer using different methods, rather than what the answer is. This means that rather than focusing on teaching the standard method for our basic math, teachers are required to teach our students at least 5 different ways to subtract. Many of the skills in our new math TEKS were literally cut and pasted verbatim from Common Core curriculum, which has been outlawed in our state under House Bill 462. This method is not good for our kids and leaves parents in the dark trying to help their children. This is actually causing confusing and hindering students from developing good math skills.
Thanks to your efforts, Texas HB 743 reducing the length of grades 3-8 STAAR tests was signed into law in June 2015. Currently the Texas Education Agency is refusing to comply with this law for this school year. Please sign & share our new petition demanding that TEA follow the law and present shorter tests to our students THIS YEAR. Four hours is TOO LONG for assessments! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/255/376/264/
Thank you,
COPTTR
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