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Time Out...
High Stakes And Excessive Testing Harms Our Children
Do You Know About NYC's New Testing Plan?
- Every child -- K-12 -- will be tested every 6-8 weeks
- $25 million has been set aside to develop these tests.
- Tests in which a single score determines promotion or graduation.
- Our children must pass 5 Regents exams to receive a HS diploma.
- 3rd, 5th and 7th graders MUST pass citywide tests to be promoted to the next grade.
- A child who fails a single test by a single point will not be promoted or graduate.
High stakes tests don't measure higher level thinking skills. They don’t measure our children’s ability to:
- Think critically;
- Be creative;
- Solve problems.
More and more time is spent on preparing for and taking tests. High Stakes tests have turned our schools into test prep factories that:
- Leave little (or no) time for art, music and drama programs.
- Drastically reduce badly needed periods of physical education.
- Severely limit (or eliminate) class trips to NYC’s world-class cultural and scientific institutions.
- Test prep narrows what gets taught and takes the joy out of learning.
They know that these tests cheat kids out of a first class education because:
- A curriculum of "drill and kill" test prep makes learning dull and simplistic.
- A good education requires more than just reading and math skills.
- High Stakes tests do not prepare children for college.
Testing companies like McGraw Hill and Princeton Review make huge profits. These profits are made at the expense of our children’s education.
Do You Know Who Is Hurt Most By High Stakes Tests?
- ALL students are hurt, but especially low income students and children of color.
- Children with learning disabilities are penalized.
- English Language Learners are discriminated against.
- Children who are poor test-takers.
Download this FACT sheet in English (PDF)
Download this FACT sheet in Spanish (PDF)
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