A survey done by the Rewind shows how the STAAR Test effects student's Mental health and overall self-esteem. The majority of students reported that STAAR Testing makes their mental health worse.
At the end of every year, students starting in third grade have to take a STAAR Test (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness), to gauge how well they learned everything from the year. While it is argued that it is a good way to see how people have done in the year, many students don’t see it that way.
Many eighth graders do not like that some of the tests, especially the algebra EOC, or End of Course, can affect the classes they can take next year.
“I don’t like standardized testing and I don’t like STAAR testing, because I don’t think it’s a full wire of how you learn,” 8th grader Kinsley Pavelka said.
Pavelks is not the only student who feels this way about it.
“I just don’t like it,” 8th grader Justin A. Hall said.
And it’s not just the testing part that students don’t like. Many dislike how much support they get from their teachers.
“I feel like the teacher’s preparation for the testing is just reviewing, and I don’t really get it, so I don’t think it’s great,” Pavelka said.
Many teachers feel the opposite, and believe that they are giving more support than their students might think.
“I feel like my students are as prepared as they can be,” 6th grade RLA teacher, Mrs. Bauer said.
While most teachers think it’s good, many of them do not believe it is as important as people think.
“I think it has its purpose and it has its place, but I also think there might be a bit too much placement on it,” ]7th grade math teacher, Mr. Rice said.
While many students dislike it, some students are on the other side of the argument.
“It’s ok. I like it, but it’s kind of annoying because of the time it takes, and what’s also annoying about it is whenever you’re done it takes a while,” 6th grader Christian Ross said.
Ross isn’t the only student who thinks the test is good.
“I think it’s good because then you would have a known percentage of what people know and what they need help on,” 6th grader Mason Whitehead said.
Many people, however, believe that that percentage is not as accurate as people think.
“I think that the STAAR test does not accurately test you on every topic, only key points,” 8th grader Carly Brown said.
Many students feel the same way as Brown, along with some teachers. 8th grade teacher Mr. Lopez says that the people who grade the STAAR tests, specifically the writing portions, don’t know the students, and don’t know how they have improved throughout the year.
The pressure placed on students and the boredom caused by the STAAR test isn’t the only negative part of the testing. A survey done by the Rewind showed that out of 50 students in the eighth grade, 64 percent of them think their mental health gets worse during the testing, while only 10% say it got better.
“It makes my mental health worse because I have personal standards, and I put too much pressure on myself to meet them,” 8th grader Seth Green said.
While many students agree with Green, a few, like 8th grade student Mason Camp have another stance on it.
“It makes me feel better about myself because I accomplished something,” Camp said.