At the end of the long, grueling, pressure filled OAA testing session a student asked me a question that I thought was very, very revealing. She asked if studying and preparing for the OAA was the ONLY reason kids go to school. I wanted to tell her no, but that is not the actual truth. In honesty, the only thing we are judged on is the results of these standardized tests. I kind of bent the truth a little and said it was one of the main reasons kids go to school, but not the only reason. I found it amazing that a kid has picked up on the ridiculousness of spending an entire school year preparing for a one day, two hour test.
Make no mistake... I am not against testing. It is a good measure of student progress and growth and a way of keeping teachers accountable (another thing I am not against). But I do find there is way too much emphasis put on these tests and their results.
So, to answer the question from a very intuitive student... "Mr. Meyer, is studying for the OAA the only reason we go to school?". Yes. Yes it is, I'm sorry to say.
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