It's the evil twin of "I don't DO math."
Having taught SATprep for many years, I can tell you that the English side of this test isn't very hard - and easier for adults than for teenagers who haven't had as much experience in literature nor the practice in writing. The math side does contain topics that are obscure if you aren't currently enrolled in Algebra II, so I can understand that part.
I call shenanigans.
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If it makes you feel any better, this is from British primary schools tests where there has been a lot of unhappiness about requiring too much from the equivalent of 5th graders. And with out consultation from teachers and with academics against the changes that were implemented too quickly. These results determine the targets set for them for the rest of their school career.
ReplyDeleteAnd this was the full text that supported it: For all the kids sitting their SATs this week �� (I used to be an English teacher & I visit schools every week now. I talk to the kids about resilience, determination and grit, not just in regards to exams but in regards to life, too - I'm dyslexic and I had 96 rejections from literary agents on my previous unpublished books so I know a fair bit about courage and perseverance. I'm very much on side with telling kids to work hard. But I am not on side with the English SATs test. It contains irrelevant and obscure information that does little to enrich a child's learning. Kids need to know the basic parts of speech - nouns, verbs, adjectives etc - to talk about a text analytically at GCSE. But time spent ramming modal verbs & subordinating conjunctives down their throats in Year 6 is time wasted. We run the risk of re-creating Dickens' Gradgrindian education system & a system that champions modal verbs over creativity and imaginative flair will never be a system that I can get behind).
ReplyDeleteHuh.
ReplyDeleteA fifth grade test ... and she's only able to get 25% on the math section.