Anything is worth a try at this point in time. We cannot continue to have some teenagers entering high school and reading at a third grade level.

I like the do over concept. If the test is correctly designed and actually measures content mastery I'm for it.

Not every child test well, some you just say the word "Test" and they freeze before they even take it. Kids are being left behind in reading and etc, because all they do is teach for ISAT, Joliet School District doesnt even teach cursive writing anymore. How are the kids gonna sign there name on their driver license etc. just terrible go back to the basics and get the parents more involved and kids will learn. Teachers cant do it all parents need to be involved at all ages.

One answer is not the answer. The plan will not work! We need less standardized tests, we need to have a more creative approach to the matter at hand. Teachers can only do what management plans for their outline...the more stringent the less creative. Every child learns differently. So case in point, the 90/10 will fail because it treats all students the same. If you want a school system like LA move to LA. THERE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING!!
I think the 90/10 rule will set us back even further. Next VVSD will start to lose the few truly talented teachers we are lucky to have. The teachers will grow tired of the same old system of presenting their curriculum which in turn breeds boredom in the overall system, right down to the students.
Please understand their is a need to get our district up to a respectable level and no one plan will work.
It requires more commitment from the top down and the top needs to realize that they need to work harder, longer and be more creative and less heavy handed!
This problem did not start at the school system, it started by parents not being more involved with the system! Get involved, know the players. We pay a ton in taxes...we deserve better but we will only get it through prudent voting! Know the people who are running!

Do the people complaining about "standardized tests" know what they're talking about? The 90/10 program has nothing to do with standardized testing. I'm not trying to be a cheerleader for the new system, but please read about it before blowing up about something (standardized testing) that has nothing to do with it.

Two different points are being made in the above statement and they are related because, one has brought on the introduction of the other. They are not exclusive of one another. The lower the standardized test scores the lower the rank of our students and system. Which has brought about the 90/10 panic plan...to turn around the school district. So standardized tests do have something to do with it.

Bolingbrook students should soon be getting A's in math. They have to use the "$100, do all the work for you calculators". Looks like our math teachers are now teaching Key Punching

I think that the 90/10 policy was passed by some people that are knowledgeable about pedagogy and school policy, so I think we need to give it a chance before we start to criticize it. As far as standardized tests are concerned we need to be realistic. First of all, the test can be designed by the teachers to make sure they assess our students in all of the various ways they learn. Second of all, we live in a day and age where there is a big emphasis on testing to assess our students. I can foresee that having this added emphasis on testing in our district will help our students become more comfortable testing, and this will potentially help them in the long run on PSEA, ISAT, ACT, and SAT tests. I don't think we'll be able to judge this initiative in weeks, or even at the end of the first year. This is the type of thing that we have to just stick with for 5 or more years and see how the faculty adapt it, and then see how the changes help or hinder our students over the long term.

Why not concentrate on revamping the bilingual classes (i.e. teaching ESL students English sooner -such as in Kindergarten instead of end of 2nd grade) so they have a chance at passing the state exam in 3rd grade? That way, our schools can finally have a chance at passing instead of failing year after year.

I've never heard so much about test anxiety, until now. I understand kids with true anxiety disorders would have test anxiety but that is generally a small percentage of the population. It seems that an average child in 9th or 10th grade would have taken enough tests in his/her career to be over test anxiety. Is "test anxiety" being used as an excuse for failure? When "little Johnny" becomes an adult, will he be able to tell his boss that he has anxiety when given difficult tasks?
Is it only the school district's job to educate our kids? I don't think so... we, as parents, are also responsible. Yes, we pay taxes but when did society start expecting the schools to do the teaching and the parenting?

The policy only benefits the teachers and school district. I believe the sole reason the school district is doing this is to raise the test scores, and not to fully educate our children. We will no longer have well-rounded students.

Mrs. Crabapple ~ Oh you flunked your test little Suzy? Don't worry you can take it as many times as you like. Try real hard to get a higher score so I can get a raise.

No matter how many times they retake the test, the students are reviewing the material and learning from their mistakes. I see it as a win/win. Students are learning and higher test scores are the result. the proof will be in the ACT, SAT and PSAE test scores. Of course, real improvement won't truly show up for at least 3 years.

With two young children, I have little experience in school politics. However, I am at least willing to give this policy a try, as the past solution was not working ......at least fast enough to get us to meet requirements. I am wondering how fast we will be seeing results (first quarter, first year, ?) and is there an expected 'learning' curve for the teachers and students.

Is that right Rich? 3 years?

Teachers don't get raises from elevated scores. This statement demonstrates what little knowledge you have about education, which in turn diminishes your credibility in all your statements made above The 90/10 grading system is one used in post secondary education for decades, focusing on the mastery of content versus the work that leads up to that mastery. It creates a system where teachers can no longer grade on Johnny's "effort" "attitude", etc. It focuses on what school SHOULD be about...which is education. If anything the system is harder on educators, because it forces you to work with student's until they master content and not make the excuse of failing a student because they choose not to do homework, or choose to blow off a test. It requires essentially "stalking" a student in order to be persistent in creating a culture where failure is not an option. What parent can argue with a district of educators unwilling to allow students to fail? Education is such a funny profession because just because we've all sat in a classroom we believe we know how education works, but I'll go out on a limb and assume we've all sat in a doctor's office at one point and time as well too and we sure don't go around diagnosing sick people now do we? Let the professionals do what they've spent 10's of 100's of thousands of dollars to become professionals on...educate our kids!

Unfortunately what no one has mentioned is how the policy is basically setting up the college bound students of Valley View up for failure. Or at least the college bound students that will depend upon the retake policy to get them through their four years of high school. Name me one reputable institution of higher learning that allows their students to retake a final examination because they didn't show mastery the first time or allows a student to redo a final term paper because they failed to show the intitiative needed to complete it properly the first time. Sounds good in theory but it is not helping our students prepare for their educational futures. In this day and age it's now more important than ever for people to get college educations and we're going to be sending kids to college that will spend the first semester or possibly their first year dealing with culture shock. There's a reason for why local colleges began complaining about students from Bolingbrook a few years back after this same 90/10 policy was introduced in the high schools. The same high schools that failed their PSAE tests last year. Makes you wonder. Want to change education and see test scores go up...teach parents how to be parents. Children are heading off to first and second grades in this district without knowing the alphabet...THE ALPHABET! These kids are already two years behind in their education because they don't have parents that read to them. Teachers aren't miracle workers.

Just wondering...have any of those who have made comments been to Dr. Mitchem's "New View" presentations? I've been to a couple of them. I still have concerns about the 90/10 policy but I'm willing to see what happens in a year or so. It's easy to judge and/or comment but we really need to have our facts before we start assuming we understand what's going on.

I am concerned that we are over-emphasizing "college readiness" and looking past the fact that some students are simply not meant to go to college. And there is NOTHING wrong with that.

What would this country be like if we didn't have people like my dad, with no college degree, yet he came from serving in the Armed Forces and moved into blue-collar work? He raised a family and did okay for himself and for us. He instilled the value of hard work and service to others. Both his children are college-educated, but he would have been just as proud of us if we were in blue-collar jobs like him, as long as we were supporting our families and serving others.

I'm also concerned that we keep comparing ourselves to districts like New Trier. We are NOT New Trier and, frankly, I don't want to be. Are there things we need to change and improve in our district? Absolutely. BUT, there are great teachers and administrators who are trying to do what is best for our kids....that much I know and believe.

New Trier didn't make AYP (annual yearly progress) last year - either did 80% of Illinois Schools. When politicians create educational policy (like No Child Left Behind) this is what happens. Since NCLB measures student "success" solely in terms of national standardized tests, teachers and administrators have to do whatever they can to get those results. Schools that do not can lose funding and have their schools taken over by the state. This is why we are testing our kids to death - not because it's right, but because it is what the government is mandating. The flaws continue when you consider that schools are responsible for 100% of learning while the students and parents are responsible (in the government's eyes) for 0%.

Consider this: There is a significant group of juniors that simply do not care about the ACT or PSAE (the two tests that Illinois has selected to indicate student achievement). They don't take the test seriously, put forth little or no effort, and make designs on their bubble answer sheets. These crummy scores pull down the school's average and it looks like these children know nothing. The error is in dangling the ACT in front of them - the kids headed to college will care about their scores - the ones not attending couldn't care less. The ACT is designed for college bound kids, but not every kid is college bound - nor should they be. Auto mechanics, plumbers, environmental techs, artists, and those in the construction trades will make a reasonable living without attending a four-year college.

So now the federal government is creating a system of exemption vouchers for NCLB. A vast majority of school districts in the US will be applying for them and receiving them, because the system is so flawed. Brick layers don't tell nurses how to do their jobs; teachers don't tell mechanics how to do their jobs; politicians should not tell educators how to do their jobs. The system is flawed. Like the 90/10 policy or not, it is direct response to the unreasonable demands of state and federal education laws.