Why do US Schools Test So much?

[PauseTheCat]

My thoughts:

A. Someone has to make the question, someone has to proofread, someone has to edit, and the process repeats for however many trials. Everyone gets payed for their part.

B. part of the No Child Left Behind thingy. (I don't think more testing helps much)

C. Data production

 

I think it's ridiculous personally. Your thoughts? 

[Slash003]

Its as my teachers said. Its because someone somewhere gets payed because us students do the bullshit. They get payed quite a bit so they like to milk it and make us do it alot for alot of paydays. The people who make the tests never taught a day in their lives.

[VirtualR3ality]

Yea, I have always been a firm believer that the best way to test kids and prepare them for the real world is to allow them to work on a hands on project and collaborate with other students as no business is a one man business.

[Arty]

D money

[Nineshadow]

They test a lot?

 

Whaat?

[-TesseracT-]

Its as my teachers said. Its because someone somewhere gets payed because us students do the bullshit. They get payed quite a bit so they like to milk it and make us do it alot for alot of paydays. The people who make the tests never taught a day in their lives.

I literally have no idea what you're talking about.

[Jodomcfrodo]

Well I've only gone to private schools so I might not be the best person to answer this the best, but isn't it to keep the dumber kids up to speed? More frequent tests mean less material on the test which means it is easier for dumber people to pass. Just my two cents but I've had 3 tests all year in history so do they test that much?

[Misanthrope]

Because we have not found a more effective way to gauge and compare an individual's retention levels on a subject. Seriously though everybody does this it's hard to judge how much a person learns. Tests are the best that we've come up with and it completely ignores people's ability to memorize facts they care little about and certainly do not understand fully.

 

That's why I did so well in school and everybody was surprised at me "How do you learn all this stuff! you never study, yet you get perfect marks!" That's because I actually understood the subjects or was interested on the events and didn't need to memorize. Most other people got through school by committing all subjects to short term memory and now everybody says "Wow you're so intelligent" then I think "No I'm not, you had the exact same information thought to you in highschool, only you didn't care and just retained that knowledge 24 hours before the final test"

 

It's also why people hating math it's so common: you can't study math, you need to understand how things are done since you won't get the exact same problems later on.

[Aircooled Brain]

My Crazy high school made autism,dyslexia and IQ tests compulsory in junior high so.

[Hans Christian | Teri]

Because these days there's a ridiculous fetish with documenting EVERYTHING. People will realize it's a waste of time, maybe even counter productive at some point, but for now we'll have to suffer through it.

[GrimNeo]

I just dialed down the center on those tests because when I was in school they meant nothing. I feel bad for the kids now that are required to pass them. Guess my class was just for testing purposes.

[lukky211111]

to fuck us.

[asim1999]

Money. In the UK, the exam boards will pay the markers like £100 for each paper they mark 

[Trik'Stari]

Not sure. Tests have always been easy for me, its the dumbass busy work schools come up with that are difficult.

[pinksnowmanshandle]

Because silly, Test are fun...

Hell no, they are more so busy work. In most cases.

 

I'm sure it's because there is quite a bit of money to be had in tests. 

 

My district isn't too bad about testing. I mean sometimes it can be frequent. Though most of the time (specifically in Minnesota) in certain grades we do take a Statewide test called the MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) and then MAP test (Measure of Academic Progress) [which might just be my district  or a select few districts or even the whole state.] though as a Freshman in High School I personally have not taken a MAP test this year, I did last year though MAP testing is used for the district and can be used for class placement not grading. Also, testing can depend on the specific teacher and sometimes there is a benchmark for certain classes (occasionally) that is directed by the responsible department (at the district level). Rarely school level. 

Though in some instances I think frequent testing is okay. I think I can justify it for things such as Language (not English), Driver's Ed, etc.

[IMPERIUS]

Money. In the UK, the exam boards will pay the markers like £100 for each paper they mark

In Slovenia, you gotta mark every paper you get from your class and don't get payed any more from it.

[Guest Kloaked]

"B. part of the No Child Left Behind thingy. (I don't think more testing helps much)"

 

100% correct. Anyone like me has to repeat things that aren't in the norm to get used to doing them, and if something doesn't interest me a whole lot I'll end up forgetting it. For that reason, math is my bane, especially with algebra. Some people find it easy, but it's fucking annoying for me and every time I got into a test session, I forgot everything I learned on the spot. I did all of the homework with 100% yet I still needed to take a test "to see what I learned". I learned it, I just forgot it too quickly - before test day. I can't do anything about that.

 

Meanwhile, everyone else in the algebra class was passing it.

 

I can rant about this shit for days.

[zlolslavez]

In the state of PA, there is State testing from Grade 2 to 11.

 

Grade 2 - Some Pre-PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) test. (I think its called the super-nova or something like that idk I'm currently in Grade 9)

Grade 3 - 8 - PSSA, a test consisting of Math and Reading at all levels, Science at grade 4 and 8, and English at grade 5 and 8.

Grade 9 - 11 - A series of tests known as the Keystone Exams, 3 different tests taken throughout high school, 1 in Algebra I, 1 in Biology, and 1 in English.

[Tsuki]

assuming you're talking about state standerdized testing and crap like that, and not knowedge check tests, its cuz the higher the school average test scores are, the more funding the school gets.(which in my schools case all went to a new football field and bleachers, and a new gym while the tech classes were all disappearing)

[Jaybird]

Because testing is a way for the system to evaluate your ability to focus and learn. It also evaluates the teacher on their ability to communicate and educate.

[MountainDrew]

"B. part of the No Child Left Behind thingy. (I don't think more testing helps much)"

 

100% correct. Anyone like me has to repeat things that aren't in the norm to get used to doing them, and if something doesn't interest me a whole lot I'll end up forgetting it. For that reason, math is my bane, especially with algebra. Some people find it easy, but it's fucking annoying for me and every time I got into a test session, I forgot everything I learned on the spot. I did all of the homework with 100% yet I still needed to take a test "to see what I learned". I learned it, I just forgot it too quickly - before test day. I can't do anything about that.

 

Meanwhile, everyone else in the algebra class was passing it.

 

I can rant about this shit for days.

I have the exact same problems that you have except for me it's with college calculus.

 

He teaches the subject so fucking fast (sometimes three different chapters in one day) to the point where sometimes I can't remember the specific steps required to complete certain problems on the tests.  It seriously feels as if I've hit a wall with how much math I can retain and I'm seriously worried that I won't be able to pass the class.

 

So I say rant all you want about this shit @Kloaked, because I agree with you 100%.

[Darkman]

Literally only to make money off of us, yeah... We do the work, they get paid.