Just a little rant by me
 

Ok, my son is/was in 5th grade this past school year. He worked his butt off and made honor roll the entire school year.

He had to take the CRCT test this year and missed the goal mark by a handful points - I think it was 15 (which is not a lot when you consider that there 850 to be made to be considered passing in the math section).

So I got his report card (his perfect honor roll report card) and down at the bottom in HUGE bold black underlined letters it says: STUDENT RETAINED PER CRCT RESULTS

So my HONOR ROLL student will have to repeat the 5th grade if he doesn't attend summer school and retake the math portion of the CRCT and make above an 850.

What I am most upset about is that my son is so disappointed. He feels like he worked hard and made honor roll for nothing. :(

And he is right. They aren't even taking his grades into consideration. Its about 15 points on this test.

Plus to make me even madder they won't give me another report card that doesn't have the stupid student retained msg on it. We really wanted to save it as my son is ADHD along with a mild form of autism and this is our first honor roll report card in a couple of years.

Forgot to mention its only the MATH portion he has to retake. He scored very high in the rest.

That DOES suck! Seems very unfair that that test score is the ONLY consideration for passing the grade! He must be so disappointed! Poor kid! I hate how achievements (like honor roll) can so easily be dismissed by something so stringent! It seems very unfair!

It's really not fair! My neice missed her high school graduation a few years ago because she failed the LEAP by ONE point!! Now that really sucked!:mad:

Is the CRCT similar to the TAKS tests that my kids have to pass in certain grades to move on?

I don't have a clue what those tests are (no kids and too old to have had them when I went to school), but it sounds crazy if he got perfect grades up to that test that he'd have to stay back. I'd be FURIOUS! And how sad for your son who worked so hard and now this. Poor kid. I don't get it, it doesn't seem fair at all.

Sounds like it. If he doesn't take this make up test and score above 850 he absolutely does NOT go on to the 6th grade. I think the have to take them in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. If they don't score high enough they don't move on.

I can't believe that they would hold him back just because of one subject, especially when he did so well in the others. I think that I would go to the school and talk to the counselor there. Especially with your son's Autism and ADHD, they have to give him special consideration. Call an ARD meeting and have them make up a new IEP. Is he going to go to summer school?

Then yes, sounds like the same thing. I was thinking the TAKS test was something everyone had but duh..... when I think about it, TAKS stands for "Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills" and if I remember right, you're not in Texas so your's would be called something else.

And yes, the TAKS issue is a huge thorn in the side of many people here. The biggest gripe is that teachers spend SO much time "teaching the TAKS" here instead of a "well-rounded" teaching. Teachers I know have said they hate it.... parents hate it being so focused on. Luckily my kids have always received "commended" on all of their scores but I do know that it's very frustrating to not pass it. There's no way around it though without changing legislation, unfortunately. So, does he actually have to attend summer school or is it just some sort of study class and then retake the test?

It wouldn't actually be that he "didn't do well in one subject"..... this is a standardized required test that is dictated by legislation (if it's the same kind that Texas has) for a student to pass certain grades.

I do wonder if exceptions can be made for his disabilities OR if since it sounds like he's in mainstream classes, he has to follow the same guidelines.

Its a study group type thing. They work with the students on the subject they had trouble with then let them retake that portion of the test on the 26th and 27th of this month.

He is in a group with 7 other students and a teacher going over this stuff from 8 - 12 every day this month.

Don't get me wrong I am grateful that he has the opportunity to get some extra studying in and retake the test - instead of them just holding him back.

What upsets me the most is how disappointed and discouraged DS is and him now thinking working hard and getting good grades doesn't mean anything.

That's not fair. :( I actually had a sorta similar situation when my son was in Middle School. That year he was diagnosised as having a severe learning disability in reading comprehension. His History teacher wanted to fail him in her class even after the diagnosis. I went above her to the Head of Learning Support and told him this was just not fair. The Head of Learning Support stuck up for my son and got the teacher to reverse her decision.

I would definitely go to the Principle or whoever you need to go to so that hopefully that will be changed for your son. It never hurts to ask. Keeping my fingers crossed that the school system does the right thing by your son. :)

I'm not sure that this would work the same way as it did for you. This is not a test that the Principal (or even higher-ups) could just get waived for a student. It's a required state mandated thing. Again, not sure if he's considered mainstream, but if so he probably has to follow the same guidelines.

I know it's frustrating to have to do all the study thing and retesting but somehow you have to make him understand that this has nothing really to do with his performance throughout the year. You know, some kids just don't "test well". They can do great on everything else but then flake out on an important test. You just have to find a way to make him understand that this is different in a way and that he just has to prove to them that not only can he make the honor roll but he can pass their darned ol' test too! ;)

It appears that the state of Georgia mandates the test but does not require children to be held back. It is the decision of the school board. Since he has ADHD and mild autism, you could give them a piece of your mind.:)

State doesn't track students who fail CRCT | ajc.com

That is AWFUL. I hate state testing for that very reason. A lot of kids are just not good test takers (I don't know if your son falls into that category, but I sure do) and its not fair that students are judged based on how they do on ONE test.

Best of luck with this..I hope it works out for you.

Good research! You know, I've never actually checked on the Texas issue. I assumed it was not a school's decision on how to handle it. I wonder if TX is the same as Georgia?

It does sound like Graleyne may have some grounds for this issue. Let us know how it goes.

Megan,

Does New Jersey have a standardized test like this? It's just that I've always been in Texas and really haven't paid attention to how other states school systems are run.

In NY they get these test as well and are graded on a 1-4 scale. 3,and 4 you automatically move on to the next grade but a score of 1 is considered failing and you have to attend summer school and retake the exam. Now if the child scored a 2 and is a A+ student then they talk to the teacher and she can vouch the the child not be held over and be exempt from summer school.
It sounds like he did not fail with a 1 (if it was only 15 points) so his teacher should be able to have a say in the decision, I would def find out. It could be different here though. I hope that you can resolve this issue it isnt fair, he worked so hard.

If there is one thing I have learned in my life it is that there is always someone higher up on the food chain. Take this issue up that chain until someone with some common sense agrees to changing a few things. The thing that gets to me is the report card issue. How cruel!

Your congressman could help out with this if you want to pursue it.

I can't stand when promotion is based solely on a standardized test! :mad: It just seems rediculous to me!

Same thing is happening to my Grandson, He is ADHD and did well in his classes considering his ADHD but he failed some test and the school says he has to attend summer school or not go on to junior high school, so he is attending summer school. Here at our school's there is a thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, but I think it only pretains to certain kid's. Even if those kid's fail every class they have they are promoted to the next grade. It's not fair, my grandson work's hard for his grades. I am so glad I don't have kid's in school anymore but I listen to my daughter and it is a fight every year for her.

Don't EVEN get me started on standardized testing!!! It is the one of the worst things this country has ever done and is a waste of money. How about we use that money to actually pay our teachers a decent amount of money. I don't know about in your state... but No Child Left Behind has made testing even worse here in CA . Studies have shown that these tests don't really mean anything... yet these tests determine if children get to move on in school and how much funding schools get. Not to mention the anxiety it places on these kids. I was raised in private school for pretty much my whole life and didn't want to put my kids (when I have them) in private school. But if our education system is as screwed up then as it is now, I will be searching for a good private school for them. Oh, and I could go one for days about math education specifically. I did a whole research project on it. As a mathematician, I get angry and saddened about the education that children are receiving in math. My kids will NOT be taught by mathematics by anyone besides me and my husband (who is also a mathematician). Schools have special teachers for music and PE, why not have a special math teacher who is adequately prepared to teach the subject. I think the biggest fault of this country (government) is that education is not valued enough. Funds are ALWAYS being cut and it's nearly impossible to even get a BA without going thousands of dollars into debt.

No Child Left Behind was a nationwide thing that states chose to participate in or not. If a state chose to participate, it does not only apply to certain students, it affects everyone. Schools don't get the extra funding unless there is a significant increase in these test scores. What is absolutely retarded about it is that the "good" schools with almost perfect scores are being placed on probation because they didn't have a "significant" increase. How do you have a significant increase on a score of 95%?!?!?!?!?! See what I mean... not even those people in charge of this outrageous program can do math!! It drives me crazy.

Oh that is just awful it really makes me sick. My mother is a 5th grade teacher and trust me I have heard all of the horrible stories from her. Now-a-days they DON'T care about the kids actually learning it is all about the TEST and getting high test grades. So many teachers solely teach to the test and students are lacking in other areas. So terrible.

Our education system is seriuously messed up and this is proof. Your poor boy!! Tell him that we are all proud of him!!! How sad for the school to discourage him this way!

If I am right in the state of KS you can not hold a child back without the parent's permission or it may just be our school. And yes we teach for the test. Teachers are very discouraged. To the OP, does your son have an IEP? In our school a teacher is not allowed to give a student with an IEP a failing grade. The issue came up with an a new teacher who had it out for IEP students. As for No Child Left Behind---it is a disaster!!! What do you do when you have a class with 33% of the students on IEPs and you're suppose to up your score every year and some of your students have maxed out on their learning capabilities? Unusual but that was the way it was this year in one of our elementary classes. (Have a small rural school---approx. 400 in elementary.) All the teachers were so scared of these students ruining their test scores. IEP students were pushed to the brink of tears, well, actually there were tears. My supervisor was beside herself trying to protect IEP students from feeling like failures. Geezz, I hate that program. Joanne

I hear you! I am a teacher and always thought that I would be teaching in the public school system. That is, until I saw the state that the public school system is in! I teach kindergarten at a private school and fortunately to not have to participate in standardized testing. I think it it ridiculous to have ONE test that assess children's learning. Especially taking into consideration ESL, learning disabilities, various learning styles, etc... etc... Ack! Now you got ME started.

To the OP, I am so sorry that your son has to deal with this. It is UNFAIR!

Yup, we do. They have different names for different age levels: NJASK, Terranova, etc. Depending on how you do on those, that is how they decide where to place you (either in AP classes or extra help classes, whatever) and I'm pretty sure it also has something to do with promoting.

I live in GA also. I believe it's 3rd 6th & 9th grade. My daughter had a class mate that was required to only stay back in the one subject he didn't pass and moved up in all of the other classes. I wonder if this is a possibility with your son?

Are there other children in your sons class that had the same results? Maybe their class was not taught to the level of the testing so he made great grades on what was taught but come test time, he wasn't prepared for the material on the exam? I've heard a lot of bad press regarding the testing this year.

Good luck!:hug:

I would be really upset too! I'm sorry but a child is on the honor role all year long and doing well but has some problems with the math portion on one test and they would consider hoding him back? You've got to be kidding me. Maybe he was just nervous. You'd think they would take that into consideration and maybe allow him to retake the math portion before making him take summer school or hold him back. I'm really sorry for both you and your son. He should be really proud of himself for doing so well all year long!