Standardized Testing

Do you have a child in elementary school in Tennessee? Well, if you do, have you heard about the new law that can make your third grader held back? Standardized testing in Tennessee had some changes recently. They have added a new law effective this year that would keep third-grade students from moving

Cartoon girl sitting at a desk 
throwing her pencil down

to the fourth grade if they do not score proficient in reading. This idea came from the idea that students may be behind due to covid, but this is an added stress to teachers, students, and families. Students in first and second grade are now taking practice standardized tests to help prepare them for the first year they count, in the third grade. In years past, teachers did not want to alarm their students or make them anxious about the test, so they just encouraged them to do their best and said that it did not count for anything. Now, teachers have to tell their eight and nine-year-olds if they do not reach proficiency, they will have to redo the third grade. 

Standardized tests, in my opinion, do not show how well students learned this year. They show how well students are at taking tests. Many students, including myself, developed test anxiety from standardized tests to the point where they could not take tests during the regular school day. Teachers learn throughout their school to become a teacher that every child is different and learns differently. How do standardize tests show that? They do not show students as individuals with different abilities and strengths. In the regular classroom, teachers prepare accommodations daily for children who may be developmentally behind, but the state's standardized tests do not do that. They may make time accommodations, but the test is the same for all. The TCAP, TNREADY, and the ACT should not be deciding factors in what schools a child gets into or if they should move onto the next grade level. Some universities have given grace for test scores, but the state should continue to use standardized tests in elementary schools as data.

Cyberbullying

Red circle with a slash through the middle with the writting "cyberbullying"

 Cyberbullying amongst middle and high schoolers has skyrocketed due to the amount of technology they have access to. Cyberbullying can be hard for parents and teachers to see because it is being hidden by a screen. Children feel as if they can say whatever they want online since they can hide behind their screens. It is almost as if these students only have confidence in being rude through online platforms. Cyberbullying occurs on social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok. However, it can happen through any form of communication, such as text messages, chat rooms, and emails. Cyberbullies are ruining even fun video games. Often young people think that their messages online can not be traced back to them or that the message will vanish (like the platform Snapchat). However, the effects of their words are longer lasting than a ten-second picture. There have been new laws in place to help victims of cyberbullying by punishing the bully.

Young boy looks at his phone 
and looks scared of what is on it.

Cyberbullying is difficult for some adults to recognize because this was not a thing they had to deal with growing up. Children often seem embarrassed to bring up this form of bullying because it might start innocently "teasing." Today in classrooms, many schools have technology for every student, or they bring in personal technology from home, which can make cyberbullying happen more often. Children today are never unplugged from technology, and this is one negative of technology. Some cyberbullies do get in trouble with schools, but there are still too many people getting away with it. It is time for parents and teachers to monitor the technology at home and in the classroom to help stop cyberbullying at the early stages. The laws in place might not be good enough. Educators need to protect their students and make sure no one is being harmed by the use of technology.