The mood was mostly upbeat, but some comments at Brookside Middle School were bitter Wednesday.

Thursday, July 29, 1999

The mood was mostly upbeat, but some comments at Brookside Middle School were bitter Wednesday. As ninth-graders lounged around the school after taking a state-mandated basic skills test in math Wednesday, they talked about how well they think they scored, and about a feeling of unfairness.

Each failed the same test in the eighth-grade, but must pass it before they’re eligible to graduate from high school in four years. They must also pass state mandated tests in reading and writing; the reading test was offered again Tuesday and the writing test was today.

All students spoke on the condition of anonymity.

One said he wasn’t certain if he passed the test this time around.

&uot;It’s hard telling,&uot; he said. &uot;It seems like they’re picking on the average and below average kids. I don’t think that it’s fair. Our parents didn’t have to pass these tests and they went to college.&uot;

He said he scored just below the 75 percentile required to pass the test in the eighth-grade, and also feels students shouldn’t have to retake parts they previously passed.

&uot;I have to answer the same questions again,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve heard from teachers at Southwest (Junior High) and they don’t think’s it’s fair either.&uot;

Knowing what to expect, the students said the math test was easier this time. One student even called it &uot;stupid&uot; and joked about falling asleep during the testing.

&uot;It’s kind of stupid because I don’t think we will need that math stuff,&uot; she said.

Another said it was &uot;boring.&uot;

But the mood wasn’t completely negative, and no student criticized the local school district and its teachers.

Students who participated in district summer sessions to prepare for the basic skills tests said they felt ready to retest.

&uot;It was a lot easier the second time around,&uot; said one student. &uot;The school program helped a lot, too. I think I did a lot better this time around.&uot;

She said she almost passed the math test in the eighth-grade and feels she passed it Wednesday. If that’s true, she can now concentrate just on her classes; math was the only basic test she failed.

Still believing the tests are &uot;unfair,&uot; another girl credited the summer session teachers with &uot;keeping things interesting.&uot;

&uot;I didn’t mind it,&uot; she said of summer school. &uot;They helped me and I’m thankful.&uot;

District Curriculum Director Judy Knudtson agreed.

&uot;The teachers who taught the prep sessions as well as other staff members worked very hard,&uot; Knudtson said. &uot;They made it easy for the kids who wanted to come.&uot;

While she said teachers work hard all year, the summer sessions allowed the teachers to use different teaching methods and solely concentrate on math, reading and writing areas.

Knudtson said she isn’t surprised the summer session students felt more prepared.

&uot;I’m hopeful that the kids who came in felt more prepared,&uot; she said, but added, &uot;I hope every student who took the time in the summer to come in and take the test felt prepared. I hope they did as well as they could.&uot;

She didn’t have last year’s summer results handy, but Knudtson said Albert Lea’s summer students tested higher than the sate average.

&uot;I hope we can beat that this summer,&uot; she said. &uot;I would love to have a 100 percent passing rate. The basic standards tests are exactly what they say they are. On any given day, they should be able to apply these skills.&uot;