Students asked to pray before standardized testing even after parent and student complaints

[Zephie]

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A parent’s complaint and action by Gwinnett County school officials has apparently not stopped volunteers at a church from asking students to pray before a test. A parent contacted Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh on Wednesday and said it happened to her son twice before he took an exam at a local church. Thursday a student told Kavanaugh it happened again, despite intervention by school officials.

Parkview High School is holding Advanced Placement Testing at the Mountain Park First Baptist because of space and crowding issues.

Kavanaugh was in the church parking lot Wednesday as Parkview High School students arrived for their AP tests and were approached by church members for a moment of prayer.

"You're violating these children's rights," said Parkview High School parent Traci Morris.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/27859621/detail.html

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I couldn't find the article about the first complaint and unfortunately the reporting is a bit convoluted. The summary of the whole situation for those who don't want to click the link:

Gwinnett County GA public school students are doing Advanced Placement testing on alternate sites because of overcrowding. Some of these students are sent to locations such as chuches to take their testing. In this particular case church members approached the children as they arrived and attempted to pray with them.

One of the students, a Buddhist, put in a complaint along with his mother about it and they were told the problem would be addressed, however the next day the same church members were there waiting for the students to arrive and again approached them in an attempt to pray with them despite a supposed request by the school system not to do it.

This is a massively underreported story, with the only news available on the issue being the local Gwinnett news paper and one news station in Atlanta.

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. Does that mean the Rastafarians can spark up a fattie?

What about followers of Santeria? Do they have to bring their own chickens to strangle or will those be provided? Prayer rugs? incense? OR is it just the Christian God that is allowed?

[Warren DeMontague]

2. Oh, what's the harm in exposing these kids to a little Jesus?

Those pesky, whiny Atheists and Heathens, ruining it for the rest of us. :cry:

:sarcasm:

[Goblinmonger]

3. Unfortunately, here on DU, you NEED that sarcasm thingy.

I know enough about you to know where you were headed, but there are many that would post that in sincerity.

[brendan120678]

4. Whose idea was it to have the AP exams...

at a church, anyways? Seems like that's the bigger issue.
I think that's just asking for trouble.

Were there no banquet facilities or hotels with conference rooms nearby?

[Kolesar]

8. What is an "advanced placement exam" ?

I don't have schoolchildren.

[Zephie]

9. Advanced Placement is the next step up from Honors classes

You have to show your capabilities by testing to be able to take part in the classes. They're quite rigorous.

[Kolesar]

10. Our school had "academic biology", which moved faster

And "chemistry 2" for students wanting to go into science, nursing, or medicine in college. We had no honors classes, though.

Honors classes at Purdue meant that the professors would just pay less attention to the other 200 students. They had their darlings that they were recruiting for grad school. Yes, I know that is an aside.

[Xithras]

17. No, you have that backward.

AP classes are simply high school classes that are taught at a college level, and often using college textbooks and methodologies. Some schools do test students to ensure that they have the aptitude to keep up, but it's not required. When a student finishes an AP course, they are simply assigned a letter grade, like any other class.

CollegeBoard administers AP tests annually for high school students. These tests are the equivalent of a college course final, but aren't actually connected to the grade the student receives in class. Passing the test merely confirms that the student has achieved a college level mastery of the topic and is awarded college credits, removing the need for them to retake that course in college. They're preemptively challenging the course to establish college credits.

AP courses are usually designed to teach the students the skills they need to pass a particular AP test, so the test doesn't come until AFTER they've completed the course.

BTW, students also aren't actually required to take the courses to take the tests. ANY student can register for AP tests, whether or not they have taken the AP courses. Even a D average remedial student can get the college credits if he/she can pass the tests. Again, it's just like challenging a course in college...if you want to front the money and try to get the credits without actually taking the class, more power to you!

[Zephie]

19. Thank you for clarifying. I was home schooled so I was going on

what I know from my mom tutoring public school students. I guess I didn't get it totally right. :hi:

[Xithras]

22. It IS kind of confusing.

AP, Honors, IB, AICE, GATE, Accelerated...there are so many different "advanced" course options for schoolkids nowadays that it's hard to keep them all straight.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. AP classes are supposed to be the equivalent of college level courses

Passing the exam gets you college credit for that class.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Welcome to America in the 21st century

Schools are falling apart, but our tax-exempt churches are doing GREAT!!!$$$$!!!!

[Zephie]

13. Corporate and religious funded schools are the way of the future if the GOP has their way

I'm not surprised (though thoroughly sickened) that things like this are happening in GA. It's just one more step down the path to complete domination of education by these organizations. I'm sure they could have found a secular venue for these tests, but someone in the school system chose not to.

[Drale]

5. The way I look at this is,

that we are really in a bad way, if the students have to pray to do good on standardized tests before they take them because it could effect the funding the school receives.

[sarcasmo]

6. Good for the Buddhist student to file a complaint.

[asjr]

7. If only they had gone to a Taco Bell.

[JoePhilly]

14. Dear Lord, help me score higher than my peers, so that I may get into a better college then those

losers.

And please, oh Lord, cause my peers to skip a question and mark their answers in the wrong bubbles so that I might enjoy a sholarship to a fine university that my sad family can not afford.

And if it be your will, oh God, cause the person who scores my test to see correct answers in any location in which I was wrong, thus catapulting me into a better life.

[Xithras]

15. Would church/state apply here? I doubt it.

I don't know how it works in Georgia, but my daughter took her AP tests here in California last Wednesday as well (AP tests are only used once and are administered across all timezones simultaneously to keep people from cheating).

AP testing is managed by CollegeBoard and the tests are normally administered off campus by CollegeBoard proctors. The kids are given the day off school to take the tests, and no school district employees or teachers are allowed in the facility while testing is underway (again, to prevent cheating).

CollegeBoard is a private company, and the tests cost nearly $90 each (there are more than thirty tests, but you take take as many, or as few, as you want). It's just like the SAT's...the school may encourage you to take them, but the school doesn't actually have anything to do with the process. It's entirely private. When your kid takes an AP test, they aren't participating in a school activity, they're being excused from school to participate in a pre-college activity run by someone else.

I'm not religious and am a firm believer in church/state separation, but unless things are very different in Georgia, I don't know how this could be illegal. It's not a government activity.

[JoeyTrib]

16. On the other hand, maybe the church thought they were increasing the kids' chances.

My guess is that ETS won't be very happy with their private tests being administered with a prayer. It will mess up the stats. :)

[WinkyDink]

18. I'm pretty sure those kids prayed on their own. ;-) (It's a joke!)

[Curmudgeoness]

20. This just escalates that common joke to a new level.

There will always be prayer in school as long as there are tests in school. Lord, I know that I didn't study, but help me pass this test anyways.

[RebelOne]

21. What would you expect? This is Georgia where I live

and there is a church on every block.