World Report: January 25, 2002 Vol.7 No. 14
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
Grades 4-6
Testing, Testing...
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Paige Donahoo is both scared and excited as she waits for April to come. That's when she and all third graders in Texas will take state reading and math tests. Her teacher has spent a lot of time getting Paige's class ready. "I don't want to skip any days of school because I might miss test practice," says Paige.
|  Taking tests can be stressful. Read carefully and don't sweat the small stuff! |
In a few years, every third grader in U.S. public schools will face the kind of tests Paige is preparing for. So will older students. Earlier this month, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. The law says that by 2005, schools must begin giving yearly reading and math tests to students in grades three through eight. Each state will set the standards for what students need to know.
The new tests will not only measure how kids are doing, they will also be used to evaluate schools and help them do a better job. The $26.5 billion bill will make money available to failing schools in poor areas and reward successful schools.
Many districts are eager for such help. "Chicago public schools could get an additional $30 million each year," says the head of that city's schools, Arne Duncan. But schools had better use the money to improve test scores or staff members could lose their jobs.
|  A protest this month in Ohio. |
The Testing Debate
President Bush became a fan of testing while serving as governor of Texas from 1994 to 2000. Texas is one of only nine states that already meets the new test requirements. Bush is proud of how test scores rose in his state. In 1994, 5 out of 10 kids passed the state tests. Last year, 8 out of 10 did.
Many Americans agree that testing is the best way to ensure that kids are getting an education that meets state standards. "There is no other way to judge what children have learned and what they need to learn," says Maureen Tyrrell, a mother of three kids in Darien, Connecticut.
But critics of the new law worry that teachers will become so focused on preparing kids for math and reading tests that school will become boring and other subjects will be neglected. "More schools will be turned into test-prep programs," warns Monty Neill, director of Fair Test, a school-reform organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
That has already begun to happen in some places. Last year, Tessa Wooden, 9, attended school in Venice, California. She had to prepare for tests during gym!
|  Ready, set, test! Student cheerleaders in Wisconsin rally fourth graders for state tests. |
Are You Ready?
Roy Romer, head of the giant Los Angeles school district, favors state standards-based tests, but he wants them to be used as a tool for improving education, not an instrument of fear. "Too often we use testing like an executioner: Pass or get your head cut off. We have to remove that pressure."
Like it or not, state tests are a fact of life. "But kids need to understand that the tests are only a snapshot of what they know," says Natalie Roca, a testing expert for Miami-Dade County Schools in Florida. "You prepare year-round. You do your homework." Remember, it's not just what happens on test day but what happens every day that counts.
Tackling the Tests
Are you a smart test taker? Take our quiz and find out!
1. When you wake up the morning of your big test, you should:
a) Have a bowl of whole-wheat cereal, a banana and a glass of orange juice.
b) Stuff your pockets with candy for quick energy during the test.
c) Forget food! You need to get to school as early as possible.
2. If you don't understand the directions for the test, you should:
a) Carefully reread them.
b) Ask your friends how they are doing it.
c) If allowed, raise your hand and ask your teacher to explain them.
d) Both a and c
3. A half hour into the test you start feeling overwhelmed. What should you do?
a) Switch pencils.
b) Put your head down on your desk and take a short nap.
c) Breathe deeply, focus and take one question at a time.
4. What should you do if you come across a question that you can't answer?
a) Skip it and go back later.
b) Spend all your time on that question.
c) Make an "educated" guess.
d) Both a and c
5. At the end of the test, you should:
a) Look around to see if you're the first one done.
b) Reread to make sure you marked the correct bubbles.
c) Do a little dance on top of your desk.
Answer Key: 1-a, 2-d, 3-c, 4-d, 5-b
4-5 Correct — Excellent. You're going to ace it!
2-3 Correct — Average. Study the answers.
0-1 Correct — Poor. Go for test-prep help!
