Yeah I know about those, and I agree. They are so boring which is why I just speed through, along with many friends. Didn't say they were bad and the mints are not worth the hour or so it can take sometimes.
I don't mean to be blunt, but the Florida school system is pretty bad. Florida is 6th worst on the ACT, and 8th worst on the SAT, which are tests with nationwide standards that are generally used for college admissions. The problem is that the teachers are not teaching you well enough, not that the tests are too hard.
I have not heard a single person who likes the common core. Luckily I went to a private school where they kinda did their own thing. I do believe some standardized tests such as the ACT are necessary though as they are a base for getting into college. edit- I do believe the tests need to be suited to people as I took the ACT this year(as a freshman) and I received a score over 7, a bit more, the states average.
It's actually the governor of Arkansas or something that is getting rid of it! Move to a state that doesn't use the Common Core thingy
I took the psychology AP not too long ago, and everyone was calm taking it because it's known to be one of the easiest APs. We got to the essay portion, and one of the essays was focused on a subject matter no one was taught in any of the classes. Literally no one who took the test knew how to answer it, and we were all penalized for not being taught that material.
One thing you guys have made me wonder... are you guys EVER "allowed" to actually talk about the tests? I mean, it seems really weird not being able to talk about them... Our old ones are even online... EDIT: and the fact your bad ones can effectively put your overall score down. I mean, once we earn UCAS points, we keep them (they're pretty much impossible to lose), and you need a certain amount of UCAS points (and sometimes specific grades) to do courses at uni.
I live in a county in Maryland. I am only a freshman in high school yet I have seen my fair share of standardized tests. The problem with education all over the world is that people rely on two absolutely laughably unintelligent ranking systems for students and teachers: Grades and Tests. It is screwy on both ends. Grades: The idiotic thing about grades is how we students perceive them to be. To be successful, and to go to the college(s) we want to go to, we need to get at least halfway decent grades each semester/year. If I, say got a handful of not so great grades, and then got a D for my final semester grade, I then have a 1.0 going to my GPA. Because I only have seven other grades that year, even if I get all As, I get a 3.6 GPA for the year. So one sucky grade brings me down almost .4 points. Not fair in the first place. This causes students to stop caring about actually LEARNING, which I might add is WHAT GOING TO SCHOOL IS ACTUALLY FREAKING ABOUT, and they care more about how to cheat the system if you will to get the best grades possible. They stop caring about the material itself and begin learning how to cram so they can do better on tests. This is why that part of the system is screwy. And then, OH JOY. STANDARDIZED TESTS. THE LEAST BIASED THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. [/sarcasm]. In my opinion standardized tests are even worse than the grading system. At least where I live, teachers don't get paid that much. The only two ways to increase that is One: Going back to college and Two: having kids do well on standardized tests. So if you want a pay raise, hell, your students had better do well on that test. What better way to get a pay raise than to teach students how to take tests/correctly cheat extra points out?! Of course there isn't one! That means that teachers concerned with pay focus more on finding the best ways to have their students succeed. Good job teachers. Go home board of Ed. Admins you're drunk. Or not payed enough. Or both. /bigrant. All typed on my phone by the way Don't criticize me for grammar errors in here, I am often a grammar nazi, but I am exhausted from lots of algebra homework (and studying for standardized tests by the way) so there is no way I am going to manually spell check this tonight. Thanks for reading.
That is why I am not trusting just what my teachers have taught me for the ACT and SAT. I will be ordering a Barron's SAT book for this summer (dont know if I plan on taking the new SAT or the Old one). Florida school system IS bad, I took pre algebra in sixth grade, but they made me take it again in 7th to make sure I didnt get too far ahead... *facepalm*, Luckily I go to a charter school now which pushes you to learn more stuff and take more advanced classes. Hell, I have a B in ENG2 right now and it is really pissing me off because I have all A in every subject every 9 weeks so just because the last 9 weeks is shorter I suffer xD. The sad truth is that yes, a teacher's pay is dependent on these tests. But when the test makers dont follow the rules of common core... all the students fail. This is not the teacher's fault. I have many great teachers that teach us well, my school tends to be a bit laid back from public schools because we are a small school, that doesnt effect teaching in any way. --I fell asleep at 6PM and woke up 3 hours later so if any of this type is messed up blame napping.
Maybe I'm lucky, but I know that my standardized tests just matter in high school and you have to pass them to pass the class, but after that year no one sees or cares about your score. Also my old ones are online, as the tests with all the answers in the back or a site which is used to help "practice"
Ooooh, I've heard about that. Isn't that the next-to-impossible hard test that people are roaring about over America? I almost want to try it just to see how bad it is. I personally have never really minded standardized testing. To me, it's just a big chunk of time that gets you out of regular classes in exchange for a test, which for some reason seems much more bearable than a normal lesson. No clue why, that's just how it is for me (for the most part). I have yet to come across a standardized test that seemed "impossible" to pass, so I guess I can't really sympathize that much. :l From what I remember of them, ACT and SAT aren't bad at all, but it's great that you're getting a Barron's if you're concerned about what will be on the test. Those things are like studying gold.
It didn't seems that hard and was actually pretty easy for me. I don't know about everyone else though. I also find testing time more bearable than regular class but I would prefer if the testing actually accomplished something.
The ACT is a very learn-able test. I suggest that, for anyone who is going to take it, take it at least once as a practice test. There is nothing better for practice than the real deal. If you have an idea of where you would like to go to college, then you should also see what test they prefer. The university I go to only asks for ACT, so I never even took the SAT.
In arizona, I took the AZ Merit test. Everything part was really easy except the math part. My math teacher didn't teach over half the material we SHOULD have learned. So, I probably got a C or D on the test. I didn't know that this was happening in other states..
