The STAAR test is, of course, a test most kids dread. STAAR tests are designed to measure what students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade. The goal is to ensure that all students receive what they need to be academically successful. According to the Texas Assessment Management System. However, this is one big standardized test that causes kids stress and anxiety, which if you can’t tell, is not good for testing. Plus there are kids who just aren’t good at testing in general. Why should all of their work be up to one big test? Some kids make good grades and when this testing time comes around, they just can’t do it and in some cases can cause them to be held back.

During these tests, everything that we’ve learned for the entire year is going in here. Some kids can’t take tests because it gives them anxiety or some because tests make them freak out. So putting all this importance on this big test, it causes way too much stress on this. I have a friend that never did well on tests, every time it came to testing he would not understand any of the content and just start freaking out. He does very well in school though and has A’s and B’s but he almost got held back because all this pressure on this thing made him uncomfortable and he couldn’t think straight. He did so well in school that they put him in some extra STAAR studies class or something to like that to help him with his test anxiety.

According to neuropsychologist Ken Schuster, “When kids are having test anxiety they can’t think clearly, they can’t judge things the way they could if they weren’t anxious. All of your other abilities get clouded up by anxiety.” He claims in Mary Migliaro’s: Dealing with test anxiety in children.

Even with people who don’t have issues with taking tests, it still doesn’t sit well with them. I think that people should be based off how well they do in school instead of a test. Some people who do bad in school but do well during tests get to pass to the next grade but won’t ever really know much. I knew someone who always had failing grades but as soon as the STAAR came around they passed onto the next grade with flying colors. However in that grade they definitely weren’t prepared and were generally confused. They did get help however and started to do well but as soon as the new year started they were freaking out the whole time and couldn’t keep up at all.

The STAAR test seems like a bad idea. It doesn’t ever work for the students, they get stressed over it quickly and there are so many complications with it, it’s to the point where nobody deems it necessary to have.

Now it may seem like “Oh of course you kids don’t like the STAAR, it’s a test!” but no that not how it goes. Lots of people have issues with it and can’t even get what they’re supposed from the test. Some people say it’s like one giant beast following you everywhere until the day comes and it pops right out in your face and eats you. The STAAR is a giant monster and nobody wants it around.