Two years ago our NC legislators passed a law requiring all third graders to pass an EOG (End of Grade) test to move on to the fourth grade. Basically it is a status test. It is to help prevent students that come from disadvantaged back grounds from being held back because of that background. It also prevents students from a wealthy background from being promoted based on background and not skill. It is a great idea but it was not properly thought through and brought to fruition the way it was intended. Instead legislators are putting out fires as they flare up in the process.
Sadly the students that have to put up with this ridiculous comedy of errors are the ones truly effected. For starters at the end of the school year eight, yes I said EIGHT, year old kids have to sit in a two and a half to three hour exam. They can not have a break of any kind, bathroom, drink, nothing. They are required to read passages and answer questions that are supposed to be age level appropriate. I don't even remember any final at any age taking this long let alone taking this type of exam at eight years old.
I have read posts from parents about the anxiety, tears and lack of sleep days and weeks before the test. As a parent who has experienced this first hand, the insanity that in sues because of a status test is ludicrous.
So let me tell you our story. My daughter Kaitlynn took this test and was part of the original first group. So her score did not come back until October of the next school year so educators could analyze it. Based on her grades and the fact that the results would not be back before the end of the school year Kaitlynn was promoted to the fourth grade. In October of her fourth grade year, we were told she did not pass the reading EOG and that she was at the beginning of third grade reading level at the beginning of the fourth grade. So she was a whole year behind and had she not been in this starter group she would have failed the third grade. However, she made the AB Honor roll almost every grading period in the third grade.
Since they could not go back and put her in the third grade after they promoted her to the fourth grade (one of the fires I was talking about) they had to help her reach the status quo. She worked really hard. I made her read out loud to me every night and we discussed what she read. By the end of the fourth grade she was at an end of fourth grade reading level. Which was PHENOMENAL!!! She made the AB Honor Roll and she passed the fourth grade EOG's.
Then we have Jackson in the third grade taking these tests for the first time. He also making the AB honor roll several times. He was at an end of third grade reading level at the end of third grade. He was really nervous about the test. He failed it. He was allowed to take a different form of the test a few days later (another fire I was talking about) he failed it. Then he was allowed to take the first test over again (another fire). This was all over a TEN day period. He failed it again. I can not even tell you how many tears were shed by my eight year old son over a STATUS TEST!!
Side note here, there is also a Math EOG starting in the third grade. Jackson passed it on the first try with almost a perfect score. To which I was told was ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. The Math EOG is ALL story problems. You have to have a good handle on reading comprehension to even pass the Math let alone get almost a perfect score. The school counselor also admitted no reading comprehension problem was ever recognized so he was never in any type of preventative class. Also very unusual. The only way Jackson could move on to the fourth grade was to complete an intensive reading summer school program or I pay for 30 hours of tutoring.
So Jackson gets up at 6 am on his summer vacation to ride the bus for over an hour to go to class for three hours. First day of class Jackson comes home his third grade teacher is also his summer school teacher. I called and raised cane demanding they move him out of her class. She was a nice teacher and always had great thing to say about Jackson being in her class but if she can't teach him in nine months how can she help him in 6 weeks of summer school. He was moved the next day to another class. A fresh perspective maybe she could find something to help him.
A week after this summer program started I received a letter that right before their summer recess our brilliant legislators passed another law saying the summer school was no longer mandatory(and yet another fire). He still had to take the test again at the end of the summer but he didn't have to go to the class he could just show up for the test. I am not making this up.
Throughout this whole process I have been very honest with Jackson. I discussed with him all of his options at the time (beginning of June). He chose to go to summer school. When the law changed, I didn't want him to think I lied to him, I told him the truth about the summer school no longer being mandatory did he still want to attend (another fire to be put out). He said, "Yes". So for six weeks over the summer he got up at 6 am four days a week and went to class. August 7th he took the test again and again failed it.
We were told if he completed summer school even if he failed the summer test, he would move on to fourth grade. With this fourth grade placement came promised intensive study help. I contacted the school two weeks before school started to find out the plan. I contacted the school every single week for nine weeks trying to get someone to help my son. All I was ever told was we are working on it. Finally I demanded a conference with the principal and finally received my answer. They would finally implement a program to help him the second week of October.
I received a call ten days later that Jackson would be retaking the test again October 29th. So they drug their feet to implement a program to help him and two weeks later he has to take the test again. I was so angry. I apologized to Jackson that he had to take the test again so soon. I told him I loved him, to do his best, it did not matter whether he passed or failed (He was so stressed about taking it again and failing again). Friday October 31st I received a voicemail from the principal that he passed. YES!! HE DID IT!!
But not because of any help from the North Carolina Education system.
Jackson is the youngest fourth grader in the school and will have to fight for everything. He is very smart and I was told to start him in school early. When the school system accepted him as a student they knew how young her was and agreed to the task. He did not miss an excessive amount of school days, he made all A's and B's almost every grading period, he was never a disruption in the class he fulfilled his end of the bargain as the student. I had him independently tested he does not have a reading problem.
Jackson passed that EOG because he did the required work asked of him, I worked with him daily to make sure he understood the requirements. So the only people that get to take credit for Jackson's passing of this test if HE and I. I am so very proud of him for never giving up. Even though there were many days he tried and I would not let him.
Jackson and Kaitlynn were still in preschool when Madelynn had her open heart surgery. I did not understand the empowerment a parent needed to fight for their child. I was barely getting by raising three kids under five and working a full time job. But when our whole world fell apart, I learned to fight back and fight back with a vengeance. What I learned from Madelynn's journey taught me to fight for all of my children no matter what it takes. I am very thankful for what I learned.
Most importantly I am so proud of Jackson for never giving up.
Jackson's war still isn't over to keep up with the kids in the class. He just leveled the playing field a little by winning this fight. For now we will follow our motto and, "KEEP MOVING FORWARD".
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