This story is getting tired.
Do you need to read another story about how testing mania has negatively impacted classroom instruction?
Too bad. Because here is another one. This time from the Daily Herald and it’s about Elgin’s District U-46.
By all accounts, Larkin junior Max O’Neill excels at math. Consistently scoring A’s in the subject, O’Neill is enrolled in precalculus, while a majority of his peers are still taking algebra.
History’s tougher for O’Neill.
“I’m not that great at remembering stuff,” he said.
Yet, once a week, the 16-year-old is pulled out of his U.S. history class to practice KeyTrain, a computer program that hones applied mathematics and reading skills for test-taking.
These skills will be used on the WorkKeys job skills assessment portion of the upcoming Prairie State Achievement Exams.
“How can Larkin justify taking my son out of a class as valuable as U.S. history,” asked Max’s father, Bill. “Kids should be learning a subject to do well on a test, not learning how to take a test.”
