Thread: Middle school suicides double as testing intensifies?

Interesting piece, suspect though its hard to make an exact correlation.

The suicide rate among 10- to 14-year-olds doubled between 2007 and 2014 – the same period in which states have increasingly adopted Common Core standards and new, more rigorous high stakes tests. For the first time, suicide surpassed car crashes as a leading cause of death for middle school children.

Efforts to increase test scores have changed U.S. schools to closer resemble those of Asia. Curriculum is being narrowed to only the tested subjects and instruction is being limited to testing scenarios, workbooks, computer simulations, practice and diagnostic tests. A classroom where students aren’t allowed to pursue their natural curiosities and are instead directed to boring and abstract drills is not a place of joy and discovery.

American students are increasingly being sorted and evaluated by reference to their test score rather than their classroom grade or other academic indicators. Students are no longer 6th, 7th or 8th graders. They’re Below Basics, Basics, Proficents and Advanced. The classes they’re placed in, the style of teaching, even personal rewards and punishments are determined by a single score.

The Alliance for Childhood, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advises on early education, compiled a report from parents, teachers, school nurses, psychologists, and child psychiatrists noting that the stress of high-stakes testing was literally making children sick. In fact, student anxiety is so common on test day that most federally mandated tests include official guidelines specifically outlining how to deal with kids vomiting on their test booklets. School counselors note increasing student anxiety levels, sleep problems, drug use, avoidance behaviors, attendance problems, acting out, etc. that increase around testing time and during test prep lessons.

This is why thousands of parents have refused to allow their children to take high stakes standardized testing. This is why there is a growing grass roots movement against these sorts of assessments and other corporate school reforms.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2...ng-intensifies

Kids today are coddled too much. Wait until real life smacks them in the face.

The suicide rate among 10- to 14-year-olds doubled between 2007 and 2014 – the same period in which states have increasingly adopted Common Core standards and new, more rigorous high stakes tests. For the first time, suicide surpassed car crashes as a leading cause of death for middle school children

Correlation <> causation. There are many other things that happened during that same time period that could explain the rising suicide rate. Consider, for example, that the article doesn't even mention the advent of social media, giving 10-14 year-olds the power to stalk, bully, and harass people anonymously, with virtually no chance of being caught.

I've not researched the subject, but this seems far more plausible than students killing themselves over how introductory algebra is taught.

Originally Posted by Djinn

Correlation <> causation. There are many other things that happened during that same time period that could explain the rising suicide rate. Consider, for example, that the article doesn't even mention the advent of social media, giving 10-14 year-olds the power to stalk, bully, and harass people anonymously, with virtually no chance of being caught.


I've not researched the subject, but this seems far more plausible than students killing themselves over how introductory algebra is taught.

But it fits so nicely into the narrative that goes: "Kids aren't as tough as when I was a kid. They get too many trophies, which is the cause of everything bad about kids today."

Originally Posted by Djinn

Correlation <> causation. There are many other things that happened during that same time period that could explain the rising suicide rate. Consider, for example, that the article doesn't even mention the advent of social media, giving 10-14 year-olds the power to stalk, bully, and harass people anonymously, with virtually no chance of being caught.

I've not researched the subject, but this seems far more plausible than students killing themselves over how introductory algebra is taught.

Agree but wouldn't those issues be seen in other countries they studied? It appears only the US has seen an increase in suicide. Asia has always had much higher rates but very aggressive testing. They associate their lives success with their testing. Now we are seeing it here. I did see a great deal of kids who got physically sick (vomit, pass out) on testing days. That cant be good.

Originally Posted by bajisima

Agree but wouldn't those issues be seen in other countries they studied? It appears only the US has seen an increase in suicide. Asia has always had much higher rates but very aggressive testing. They associate their lives success with their testing. Now we are seeing it here. I did see a great deal of kids who got physically sick (vomit, pass out) on testing days. That cant be good.

I have had many of my nursing students in college leave the room to get sick. The pressure there tho, they fail a class, they are out of the program for a year IF a spot is available for them. Some students do not test well...and experience text anxiety, in some cases to the extreme. Teachers need to identify test anxiety early and make accommodations before it reaches suicide levels or dropping out of school. I have some of my HS students who cannot test in the class room...every noise, such as a squeaky chair, affects their concentration. I usually, will test them separately and some will wear earplugs. Some, I read the test to them and they answer the questions. Those students have severe test anxiety to the point they either go blank or the page looks blurry. I am not responsible for their standardized State testing, that happens during the time they are at their home schools...I am not sure what they do with students like that in their regular classes.

Originally Posted by HCProf

I have had many of my nursing students in college leave the room to get sick. The pressure there tho, they fail a class, they are out of the program for a year IF a spot is available for them. Some students do not test well...and experience text anxiety, in some cases to the extreme. Teachers need to identify test anxiety early and make accommodations before it reaches suicide levels or dropping out of school. I have some of my HS students who cannot test in the class room...every noise, such as a squeaky chair, affects their concentration. I usually, will test them separately and some will wear earplugs. Some, I read the test to them and they answer the questions. Those students have severe test anxiety to the point they either go blank or the page looks blurry. I am not responsible for their standardized State testing, that happens during the time they are at their home schools...I am not sure what they do with students like that in their regular classes.

Yea so many kids got sick during testing weeks when my kids were there. The younger ones would cry and some even would run out of the room and wanted to go home. Parents of course freaked out and now don't like testing. When I was in school, that just didn't happen. I never saw anyone sick or cry. lol

Originally Posted by bajisima

Yea so many kids got sick during testing weeks when my kids were there. The younger ones would cry and some even would run out of the room and wanted to go home. Parents of course freaked out and now don't like testing. When I was in school, that just didn't happen. I never saw anyone sick or cry. lol

No...never saw that when I was in K-12 either. My Dad would have been pissed and accused me of not studying...no sympathy. LOL I had one break down in hysterics because I wrote on a failed test in red..."Next time study" She accused me of insulting her. It was quite the big drama of the day. I think younger kids today, raised by our generation, have not been allowed to fail and have been protected from failing their whole life. Everyone babies the kids these days, the parents and the teachers do it too. I call it delayed adolescence.

With the amount of bullying done now on line by these kids I'm sure being singled out as not meeting the standards is one more arrow in the bag of assault on line bullies use to target other kids. Now think, would the current President of the USA mock someone for poor test scores. Everybody all together say YES!!! Great example he is for bullies.

Originally Posted by Djinn

Correlation <> causation. There are many other things that happened during that same time period that could explain the rising suicide rate. Consider, for example, that the article doesn't even mention the advent of social media, giving 10-14 year-olds the power to stalk, bully, and harass people anonymously, with virtually no chance of being caught.

I've not researched the subject, but this seems far more plausible than students killing themselves over how introductory algebra is taught.

No doubt. Americans don't kill themselves because school is hard. They kill themselves because they think they're losers, don't measure up, can't compete, will never have real friends or get laid, or are depressed for any number of reasons.

Anybody have a 12-year-old? They don't have time for shit. Their parents are shoe-horning them into little mini versions of their own shitty lives, with every second slotted into one thing or another. Travel sports teams... Mind you, I know personally people who have no problems and really thrive and enjoy the whole thing, but the number of instances of extremely petty, shitty, cruel behavior coming from that cult is undeniable. And that's just the kids...never mind the deeply troubled parents who sit on the sidelines screaming at the kids and the coaches, endlessly, regularly, and I mean regularly to the point that they are asked to leave, sometimes banned permanently on penalty of their kid being kicked off the team, and some sort of notice is sent out admonishing people to try to remember to behave like they have some small amount of class.

I guess I'm talking myself into a different problem, aren't I? Psycho parents who think everything is desperately important because they're living through their children. Is there more of that now? Liberal education is dying hard. We all have to be fucking worker ants that specialize by 14 years old, is that how it is now?

Fuck all that.