Dawson's Creek - OT Thread: Standardized tests may be lame, but we'll still talk about them. We'll talk about anything!

starzscarme · 09-28-2009, 03:18 PM

We left off with...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ali Marie (View Post)

I hate standardized tests. My cousin is very bright but he has learning disabilities so he doesn't test well. He had to start going to a private school to get the proper attention. I know here in Florida (one of the worst school systems in the US) they give schools more money if the students test well on the FCAT. Shouldn't all schools get the money they need, not just the ones with high test scores?

What kind of learning disabilities does he have, if you don't mind my asking? I don't want to pry so if you don't want to say, that's cool.

**Ali Marie** · 09-28-2009, 05:57 PM

TFTNT!

I don't mind, he has Asperger's. Here's info on it.

**milestogo** · 09-28-2009, 07:03 PM

That's the problem I have with those tests, some people may be really smart but don't test well. I'm glad we don't have those, but we have the baccalaureat at the end of high school and that's torture itself

**Ali Marie** · 09-29-2009, 09:48 AM

Exactly. You don't have to be unintelligent to perform poorly on those standardized tests. I never had problems with them but I know people who do.

Myfirstlove · 09-29-2009, 09:08 PM

I think it's stupid that schools with high test scores get money because those schools that are in low income cities aren't going to have high test scores cause the schools don't have the money to get the proper books and computers and what not, to teach the students and the students wont do well on the tests, its an endless cycle.

starzscarme · 09-30-2009, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ali Marie (View Post)

I don't mind, he has Asperger's. Here's info on it.

Thanks for the link. I know a little bit about Asperger's but just the general points. Enough to explain it to my father when he asked me a few months ago but not any of the specific implications as they pertain to learning and education.

I was pretty terrible at this tests too, mostly because I could never concentrate on them for very long. I never had much of an attention span. Though, I managed to get a 24 on my ACT both times I took it (which is impressive, to me, considering I ended up just guessing on half of them) and I ended up getting a $2500 scholarship for passing my MEAP (that's a Michigan standardized test that we have to take in 4th, 8th, and 11th grade) test.

I'm glad I didn't have to take the GRE to get into grad school. That would have been a holy nightmare.

ITA. It's a vicious cycle, really. The less resources that a school has, the worse the kids tend to do on these tests. The worse they do, the less funding they get. The less funding the get, the fewer resources they have available to them. The system ultimately punishes the kids based on a test score. That, to me, is ridiculous. And I always find it laughable when people say they came to this country to give their children a better chance at a good education.

**Ali Marie** · 09-30-2009, 06:15 PM

Yeah it's sad.

**milestogo** · 10-01-2009, 03:14 AM

Our system is very different but we complain too

starzscarme · 10-05-2009, 05:49 AM

So...here's a question for the mods...

How do you deal with bashing that's not necessarily outright bashing?

For example

Someone says, "So and so is ugly....

....JK.

"

It's technically bashing, right, but the "JK

," somehow negates it, I guess. What do you say to that poster?

I know, I'm so nosy and always putting you guys on the spot.

**milestogo** · 10-05-2009, 05:55 AM

Honestly, it'll depends on the poster actually

And it'll also depends on the context of the conversation

**Ali Marie** · 10-05-2009, 06:13 PM

But it does sort of sound like the poster is trying to get away with bashing.

starzscarme · 10-05-2009, 06:19 PM

Lets just say, hypothetically, it happened somewhere else and, hypothetically, it made me so made because it wasn't about characters, but the actors who play them and, hypothetically, I PM'd the mod who said his/her hands were tied.

I wanted to tell the hypothetical poster off but, being a better poster than that, I didn't. Still, I was really tempted. What really burns my ass is that, hypothetically, I probably would have caught more hell for retaliating than the original person.

**Ali Marie** · 10-05-2009, 06:34 PM

Well it's hard to say if the person was bashing when he/she words it like that. To me it indeed sounds like a sneaky way to bash, but I don't know that much can be done. They could say they were joking but there's nothing funny about that.

starzscarme · 10-05-2009, 07:17 PM

Knowing the poster, s/he was doing exactly what you're describing...bashing but being sneaky about it. S/he seems to be one of the ppl who thinks s/he can get away with it.

Pfft. Whatev.

Myfirstlove · 10-05-2009, 10:11 PM

Well it seems that s/he obviously can get away with it since that mod said s/he hands were tied. They've probably done it a million times and no one has ever said anything to them, which is sad because it's not fair to the other posters or the actors. I know we have a heat of the moment kind of things and sometimes we get going, but we should at least still be reminded that that kind of stuff can not be said.