Gum-chewing allowed at school while taking the CSAP's... ?!
 

First, for those of you who don't know what the CSAP is...

Colorado Student Assessment Program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My 9-year-old daughter, along with the rest of her school, will be taking the CSAP tests, tomorrow. Apparently, the results of the CSAP tests are very important, and a lot is dependent upon them. (School jobs and funding being first and foremost, evidently.) "And the school districts are highly competitive with each other regarding these CSAP test results," my wife informed me.)

This morning, I noticed an unopened pack of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum on the kitchen counter. "What's this?" I said aloud, remarking on how rare it was to find a pack of Doublemint in our house. (Only my daughter chews gum, and not very often; and when she does, it's candy-flavored bubblegum, and certainly not Doublemint.)

"Don't open that!" my daughter said. "That's for me to chew in school, tomorrow."

"Oh? For school? Since when did they start allowing gum chewing in school?"

Overhearing all this, my wife answered, "Since they found out that it helps children think and perform better on tests."

Huh? :orly:

Well, I had to go look this up on the 'Net. Here's one article I found supporting this...

Forget What You Heard in School, Chewing Gum Activates Your Brain

Okay, so maybe chewing gum might give you a little edge while taking a test. But should public schools allow an exception for students to chew gum while taking important tests such as those for the CSAP? (Note, these students are allowed to chew the gum only while taking the tests, and must spit it out and discard it afterward. Any other time, gum chewing is disallowed in school, as it has been for generations.)

I mean, what kind of ethical precedent is this setting for the children?

:shakehead:

Whoa... is this why I chew gum all the time? Huh!

I mean, I'm a chewing fiend. Just ask anybody.

...

I'm okay with gum in schools as long as it used properly.

No popping, no sticking it in Cuthbert VonNerdyface's hair, etc.

I didn't get gum when I took the CSAP's


Cause that was many many years ago...

I enjoy chewing gum. I didn't appreciate it until recently when I realized the consistent movement relieved stress. I don't know if it should be allowed at elementary schools or not. The only thing worse than getting gum stuck on your shoe is stepping in doo. When I was a child, I often got bubble gum stuck in my hair or extra-large bubbles popped on my glasses. Gum was a nuisance before I gained complete control over the gum, and I can't blame teachers or schools for asking it not be present on campus.

I would think in my case, relief of test anxiety would be achieved from chewing gum during a test, rather than increased mental focus. Interesting article. Thanks for bringing up the discussion.

I chewed gum, had candy in my purse and snacked all day and I was a solid C student....

i never enjoyed being surrounded by cows in school...

Note, I'm not questioning whether gum chewing, itself, should or should not be allowed in school. I'm not even questioning the merits or the consequences of having chewing gum in school. No, what I'm questioning is schools making a one and only exception of having students chew gum while taking the CSAP tests, and the ethical precedent that might present to the impressionable children-students.

No, chewing gum is not illegal, and using it doesn't have any harmful or lasting effects. (Well, its frequent use can cause cavities.) So, students chewing gum to enhance their test score results isn't anything like athletes taking steroids to enhance their sports performance. Or is it? Because, everyone knows that gum chewing is not allowed at any time, at anywhere, in public schools, and hasn't been for generations. So, why should schools now allow an exception to this, for the CSAP tests – and only for those tests? Well, obviously it's because the results of the CSAP tests are so important to them, i.e. because of school jobs and funding.

I see your point. I don't think I could make the jump to connect gum chewing to steroid use, but I see what you mean.

Is it only for this one exam, or are they permitted to chew gum for any standardized all-day test?

Put yourself in the mind of a child...

Child: How come we can chew gum while taking this test, but not any at other time, in school?

Adult: Because gum chewing enhances your ability to think, and thus can improve your test scores.

Child: I have to think a lot, in school. Shouldn't I chew gum all the time, while in class?

Adult: No, gum chewing in school is against the rules. It always has been. Not even on the playground or during snack time, is gum chewing allowed.

Child: But... if it helps me think, why can't I chew gum with all my tests? Why just with this one test?

Adult: Because this test is very important.

Child: Aren't all my tests important? If I make a bad grade on any of them, I get in trouble. But you said this test doesn't affect my grades, right?

Adult: Correct.

Child: That seems unfair. Why let me chew gum while taking this test, which doesn't affect my grades, but not let me chew gum while taking tests that do affect my grades?

Adult: Well...

Days later, in another conversation...

Child: What are steroids? And why do athletes take them?

Adult: Some athletes take steroids because it enhances their performance in sports.

Child: Oh! Like chewing gum helps me take tests.

Adult: Well, not really. Steroids are illegal, and they can be harmful.

Child: But chewing gum is against the rules, in school. Well, except for that one, special test. And didn't you say chewing gum can cause cavities? That's harmful.

Adult: Yes, well...

Just imagine what your GPA would have been if you weren't allowed to chew gum ...

we used to argue this point during the FCAT testing when i went to school as a kid in Florida.

we always got denied.

lucky little shits.

Schools grasp at any straws they can when it comes to standardized tests.

The reality is that if the students weren't prepared before the test, chewing some Doublemint will not suddenly make a failing student pass, nor will it raise test scores across the board by giving the entire student body a stick of gum on test day.

What might help test performance is if we stop putting so much pressure on these students to perform for our benefit.

There sure is a lot of egg on my face now. To think, all those jokes about doing things while walking, completely down the shitter.

I don't see why it should be allowed for tests if it isn't allowed any other time.

Seems to send the message that it's OK to cheat, but only if the test is really important. If rules are set by an institution, it seems hypocritical to suddenly allow them to be broken solely as a means for bettering the said institution, but not any other time.

why only one stick or two some people like 4 pieces to make a big wad

it's a very bad precedent that their setting as your steroid example aptly points out it should either be wrong all the time or OK all the time

speaking as someone who used to have to clean the bottoms of the desks for detention there is much like drugs, gum in our schools
with positive proof that gum helps I say change the rule across the board
not sure about the hard to get off shoes comment as whenever I've had any on mine it's been fairly easy to clean and much less stinky (hint warm water, paint scrapper)

You have been reported to the Committee on Unamerican Activities.

maybe they should bring their teddy bears and their snuggle blankets... or even little voodoo dolls.

There should be a break between sections of the test where students are given voodoo dolls of the people who came up with NCLB and have to practice the social skill of sharing because there's only one flamethrower and one crossbow.

And for what benefit? The only thing a standardized test measures is a student's ability to take a test at that precise point in time. It doesn't really measure anything worth measuring. What good is a miniscule snapshot of a student's learning to me, when their body of knowledge and their ability to use it is constantly changing? As an assessment method, it's terrible.

And no, gum chewing shouldn't be allowed during a test. But as JJ suggested, there is so much pressure for schools to perform that they'll try anything to improve their scores. This pressure gets passed on to the kids. But I find it hypocritical and inconsistent for them to allow gum chewing on test day but at no other time. Consistency in modeling good behavior is key to teaching children good behavior; making exceptions to long-standing rules goes against that.

I like that idea.

Why not?

Because it's inconsistent with the rule set that applies the rest of the time. Consistency is key in teaching kids good behavior. It's just not a good example to set, period.

I always chewed gum in school. It was just a matter of hiding it from the teacher.

They should also encourage kids to shake their legs as I did that a lot in school and always scored pretty high on tests. I also tapped my fingers and chewed on my pencils... but I think that would be pretty unsanitary for them to encourage that, now, huh?