Parents just recently received last year's TNReady scores back for their children, and in the next few weeks their children will be given the TNReady test again. If you think that's wonky, then you're correct.
Have you heard the latest lie from the TDOE that testing times are shorter?
If you believe it, we have some ocean-front property right here in TN that we want to sell you... Take a look at this chart below that doesn't lie. Testing times have increased every year, and will increase even more this year:
Have you heard the latest lie from the TDOE that testing times are shorter?
If you believe it, we have some ocean-front property right here in TN that we want to sell you... Take a look at this chart below that doesn't lie. Testing times have increased every year, and will increase even more this year:
Elementary students in grades 3-5 will sit nearly 9 hours answering test questions for TNReady. Middle school grades 6-8 will spend over 9 hours testing. Is this acceptable or abusive? By comparison, here are some testing times for tests that high-schoolers and professional adults might take:
GRE minutes: 225
ACT+Writing minutes: 215
SAT+essay minutes: 230
LSAT minutes: 175
Bar Exam minutes: 720
Parents, if you're fed up with the testing in Tennessee, there's something you can do about it. You can refuse to allow your child to take the test. We have a whole section of our Momma Bear website with the steps you can take to opt-out, as well as answers to questions you might have. Other parents in TN have refused/opted-out over the past few years with no consequences. It can be done. These are YOUR children, and you are their parents, right?
Is it your lucky day?
Because the TN Department of Education just can't get TNReady scores ya know, READY, in a timely manner, districts in TN are able to use a little loophole that keeps TNReady scores from counting against student report cards. That's good news! Congratulations if you are in one of those districts!
The bad news is that districts must still give that waste-of-time-and-money test to every student. Boo! And the TNReady scores must still count against teacher evaluations, even for teachers who don't teach that subject. Double Boo!
But which districts will count it on report cards?
Some school districts, knowing that scores will not be back in time, have already determined that they will not be counting TNReady on student report cards. Hooray for those districts! Jason Gonzalez, a reporter for the Tennesseean, wrote an article about it with a handy-dandy list of what some districts planned to do. We can't guarantee the accuracy of his research, so you should verify this with your district if you're concerned about TNReady counting on your child's report cards, especially at the high school level where GPAs are important. Here's what the Tennesseean published:
GRE minutes: 225
ACT+Writing minutes: 215
SAT+essay minutes: 230
LSAT minutes: 175
Bar Exam minutes: 720
Parents, if you're fed up with the testing in Tennessee, there's something you can do about it. You can refuse to allow your child to take the test. We have a whole section of our Momma Bear website with the steps you can take to opt-out, as well as answers to questions you might have. Other parents in TN have refused/opted-out over the past few years with no consequences. It can be done. These are YOUR children, and you are their parents, right?
Is it your lucky day?
Because the TN Department of Education just can't get TNReady scores ya know, READY, in a timely manner, districts in TN are able to use a little loophole that keeps TNReady scores from counting against student report cards. That's good news! Congratulations if you are in one of those districts!
The bad news is that districts must still give that waste-of-time-and-money test to every student. Boo! And the TNReady scores must still count against teacher evaluations, even for teachers who don't teach that subject. Double Boo!
But which districts will count it on report cards?
Some school districts, knowing that scores will not be back in time, have already determined that they will not be counting TNReady on student report cards. Hooray for those districts! Jason Gonzalez, a reporter for the Tennesseean, wrote an article about it with a handy-dandy list of what some districts planned to do. We can't guarantee the accuracy of his research, so you should verify this with your district if you're concerned about TNReady counting on your child's report cards, especially at the high school level where GPAs are important. Here's what the Tennesseean published:
Knoxville-area school districtsMemphis-area school districts
- Alcoa City: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Anderson County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Blount County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Knox County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Maryville City: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Oak Ridge: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Sevier County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
Middle Tennessee school districts
- Achievement School District: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Arlington City: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Bartlett City: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Collierville: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Millington Municipal: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Shelby County: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Cheatham County: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Clarksville-Montgomery: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Dickson County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school and grades 3-8 report cards.
- Franklin Special: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Lebanon City: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Metro Nashville: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on either high school or grades 3-8 report cards.
- Murfreesboro City: Does not plan to include TNReady scores on grades 3-8 report cards.
- Robertson County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Rutherford County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Sumner County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Williamson County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
- Wilson County: Plans to include TNReady scores on high school report cards. Doesn't plan to use grades 3-8 scores on report cards.
Is your district one of the nice ones that doesn't plan to use scores on report cards? If so, then send your locally elected school board members a heartfelt thank you card because they just made your life easier. Bless their hearts!
If your district still plans to use those wonky scores, then contact your locally elected school board members and ask them what the heck they're thinking. They need to get their acts together and vote for that waiver like the other smart districts have already done!
While you're at it, give your State Representative and Senator a call. Ask them to proctor TNReady for your child's school so they can see how crazy this testing has become. Attempts at making TNReady less high-stakes have failed in committees. Maybe if legislators saw firsthand that these tests are a farce, then they would take action and fix the problem they've created? And maybe TNReady will be ready in time this year, too. Haha!
If your district still plans to use those wonky scores, then contact your locally elected school board members and ask them what the heck they're thinking. They need to get their acts together and vote for that waiver like the other smart districts have already done!
While you're at it, give your State Representative and Senator a call. Ask them to proctor TNReady for your child's school so they can see how crazy this testing has become. Attempts at making TNReady less high-stakes have failed in committees. Maybe if legislators saw firsthand that these tests are a farce, then they would take action and fix the problem they've created? And maybe TNReady will be ready in time this year, too. Haha!
