Help wanted: STAAR proofreaders

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This is one of the most dreaded weeks of the school year. It is the final administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests.
Teachers across the state have been preparing students for weeks to take math, reading, science and social studies tests. While promotion to the next grade level is not tied to most tests, it is to the fifth and eighth grade reading and math tests.
Over the past few years media reports, including some in the Snyder Daily News, have detailed problems with the STAAR test — from students being kicked offline mid-test by the system to the latest blunder by the test developers that many people may not have yet read about.
During the administration of the fifth grade STAAR reading exam last month, a Lumberton ISD student asked for a school administrator to look at something in the test booklet. Just so you know, school employees are not allowed to discuss test questions with students.
But this student noticed something in the embedded pictures, what appeared to be a word inappropriate for 10- and 11-year-olds. The word in question, perhaps the most expletive of all expletives, was in a photo of a graffiti park, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Not every student had the same test, school officials told the Houston Chronicle, so not every test taker saw the word. However, the exercise that contained the expletive was part of a field test question that was administered across the state. So, it is highly likely that other fifth grade students in the state also saw the word on their test, state officials said.
The TEA would not confirm to the newspaper if any other schools reported the picture in question, an estimate of the number of students who saw it or if other obscenities or inappropriate drawings appeared in any other test books. We have not heard any complaints in Scurry County.
I have long said and written that state lawmakers are putting too much pressure on today’s youth with state-mandated tests. One educator on Facebook posted a video of his “STAAR Test for the Legislature.” I wish all of our elected officials in Austin would take that test in the allotted time given. Like I have said before, let’s see how they do.
As for the avoiding situations of inappropriate language like this student saw on his field test, I hope test developers take some extra time to review their work. 
Our students are faced with vulgar language out in the real world, but they shouldn’t be exposed to that when taking state-mandated tests.

Ben Barkley is the managing editor of the Snyder Daily News. He has covered news and sports for more than 25 years in Louisiana and Texas. Comments about his column can be emailed to barkley@snyderdailynews.com.