STAR Testing...

It is that time of year again... STAR Testing.  It's a love/hate situation.  I love that it can sort let me know where the kids are in math and language arts.  It keeps my focused in teaching, knowing that they will have testing at the end of the school year. The other side is the kids get ALL nervous and sometime don't perform well.  They also test on somethings that they might not have learned yet.  I know the state just wants to know if they are learning but this can throw kids off track, A LOT. I don't like having to take my kids 15 miles away for testing and feel really bad for a few of my friends who have to drive like 30 miles to get to the testing site this year. I just keep telling myself it is ONLY 3 days a year... what's the big deal. Now, I really like the Scranton testing they the kids do at the beginning of the school year.  This one give a more accurate telling of what the kids know and lets you know exactly what they need to work on.  This one is GREAT. Here is to hoping ALL the children do well this year.