Stakes Are High On Reading Test
High-stakes reading test a challenge for Oklahoma third-graders
By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Oklahoma third-graders are preparing for the first standardized test of their school career — and for the first time, their score on the reading test will determine whether they move on to fourth grade.
This year’s third-graders are the first who are subject to a 2011 law that mandates third-graders who fail the state reading test this month be held back.
The ramifications have not been lost on students.
“My 9-year-old literally looked at me the other day and said, ‘Mom, I’ve got nine days until the test. I am so stressed,’ ” said Kendra Roulet, a history teacher at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs.
Her daughter, Caity, has “borderline dyslexia” and attention deficit disorder, which makes reading a little harder. And although she is reading at grade level, Roulet said, her daughter is not a good test-taker.