Many parents have voiced that the HCES fifth grade class is already stressed due to FSA’s starting in April! The pressures of additional studies and/or tutors in place - to prepare for the tests along with the children having the knowledge that the fsa scores will determine their eligibility for their middle school foundation- a science fair project to display for HCES Stem night is inappropriate. The experiment procedure makes up only 10% of the science fsa. We all wonder ...... well they still need time to prepare for the other 90% and two other fsa’s this time around! The students are being burdened, stressed and worried even more so due to this assignment. This assignment is being crammed into less then a months time, where it is usually given two months or more and NOT DURING TESTING AND PREPARATIONS!
We as parents have all sent emails and yet we have not been heard. So now we have a petition. Had this assignment been properly planned for during a reasonable time in the year, I don’t believe any of us would be so upset. However, that is not the case and we all agree fsa month is not a reasonable time to force this on the students. It gives the appearance that Stem night and having displays for that, is more important then our children’s mindsets, well being and readiness for fsa’s. So we ask you to sign. If we can not accomplish canceling such an inappropriate, poorly timed and planned assignment from our fifth grade class, let us be sure it does not happen to classes following.