CNY LIFE & LEISURE

Community, Arts, and Living in Central New York

Jupiter ImagesShould a kindergartner take a math test that takes up to 90 minutes to complete? I think not.

This to me has to be one of the most ill-advised ideas I've heard lately. New York City is considering standardized math tests for kindergartners that could take as long as 90 minutes.

Yes, 90 minutes long for kindergartners.

The scores on the test wouldn't affect pupils' grade or teacher's evaluations. The idea is to give a sense of where kids are, according to a report by The Associated Press.

One option has kids filling out multiple-choice assesments for as long as 60 to 90 minutes. Another would require kids to do a 30-minute-long test on the computer and then face a 10-minute long assessment with a teacher face to face.

My first question is: Has the person who came up with this plan ever been around a kindergartner?

My daughter just finished kindergarten and my son is entering third grade, so, while I'm not an expert on early child development, I have spent a lot of time around this age children between my own kids and their friends.

My daughter can hardly stay focused enough on Webkinz online for 30 minutes without getting distracted and doing such things as mooning her brother. And she's a normal kid without learning disabilities.

I cannot imagine her doing math online for 30 minutes or taking a 60- to-90-minute written test. There's a reason why books for kindergartners take only about 5 minutes to read. Kids that age have a pretty short attention span, and they're supposed to -- they're little kids.

It takes a lot of maturity to sit and take a 90-minute test. Many adults would be challenged by doing math for 90 minutes straight. That's a long time for a kindergartner to stay seated, let alone focused on math.

I'm not saying make the test easy. But gear it to the right age developmentally. Kindergartners really shouldn't know enough math yet that it could take 90 minutes to show they know it.

I'm all for supporting early education, and I believe that begins in kindergarten. But kindergarten is the foundation for learning. Let's give kids a break. Let kids be kids!

I'm not a huge fan of standardized testing to begin with because I don't know that it measures what kids really know, and I think it forces teachers to spend too much time teaching to the test. But certainly, kindergarten is too young to start them. Give the kids a quick questionnaire face to face with a teacher to find out how much they know. That's way less scary for 5- and 6-year-olds.

What do you think? Post a comment.

Brendan Pitts

About a million people will go to the New York State Fair this year, viewing more than 375 acres of animals, displays and exhibits.

But for teenagers like me, it's all about the midway.

"I spend all of my time at the midway," said Nick Vecchio, 17, of Lysander. "If you're a teenager, that's where you should be. It's as simple as that."

When I went to the fair on opening day, I was overwhelmed with all the options.

After checking out the butter sculpture, eating some Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and visiting the various animals, I went to the midway.

Teenagers were everywhere, many of them screaming for joy on the rides. The air was electric.

I felt happy to be where I belonged, but I didn't know what I should do. Without a pass, rides cost about $4 or $5 each. I had to make some hard choices.

Which rides are good for those who want to enjoy a peaceful, lackadaisical setting? Which will make you feel like you are about to get thrown out of your seat? Which will make you scream until you lose your voice?

Teenagers have their views. Read them here.

David Lassman / The Post-StandardAllysa Hart (left) and Nicole Krisop both 14 years old from Perry , N.Y. ride the Himalaya on the midway at the New York State Fair.

Teenagers love the midway at the New York State Fair. They come to socialize and to see the bizarre shows. But the big draw is the rides.

There are 70 rides, and they're not cheap, according to George Weston, midway manager for Strates Shows. The least expensive one cost about $800,000, he said. The most expensive, Top Spin, cost $2.9 million. The most popular rides, he said, are KMG Fire Ball, Top Spin, Zyklon (a roller coaster) the Giant Ferris Wheeland Himalaya.

Which rides are best for thrill seekers? Which are best for screamers? We asked Central New York teenagers to weigh in.

Click the following rides for their reviews:
Enterprise
Himalaya
KMG Fire Ball (two reviews)
Top Spin (three reviews)
Wave Swing
Zipper

Here's more on teens and the state fair:
• Teens love the midway, by Brendan Pitts, a Baldwinsville senior
• Meet, or join the young writers contributing to The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com this year
• A video of the midway by staff videographer Peter Chen
• How much do the rides cost? Read on.

Meet, or join, the young writers
Dozens of high school students are writing this year for the Voices page and other sections of The Post-Standard. To get involved, contact Youth Editor Chris Iven at civen@syracuse.com or 470-2248. Or, meet him in person. Iven and a few young writers will be at The Post-Standard kiosk, near Chevrolet Court, from noon to 4 p.m. Friday. Bring your thoughts on the midway rides, the Jonas Brothers, the race for president, or any other topic and it could get posted, live, to the Voices blog: blog.syracuse.com/voices.

The hardest part about writing this blog is writing about my friends. You just never know how protective people are about their privacy, you know?

However, promoting the heck out of my friends is a whole other story, and I will do that shamelessly, and as often as I possibly can.

Especially when I discover that not one but two of my favorite gals are appearing in Simply New's upcoming production of Agnes of God.

Check it out...

David Lassman / The Post-StandardThe Wave Swing is one of the 70 rides on the midway at the New York State Fair

THE RIDE: WAVE SWING

Natalie Sportelli

THE STORY: Remember those pangs of sorrow that struck you, year after year, when you realized you were too short to ride the swings? Hopefully those years are behind you now and you will be able to try the Wave Swinger. With each rotation, you get a pretty good view of the fairgrounds. Of course, the aftermath is a pretty bad hair condition. My advice: Go for something a little more hard core.

MY RATING: 2 stars out of 5.

-- Natalie Sportelli, a sophomore at Christian Brothers Academy

Photo By Chris Snyder, a senior at Westhill High SchoolKMG Fire Ball

Joe Desiderio

THE STORY: Ever since I worked up the guts to go on this ride, I make sure that I ride it every year I'm at the fair. The feeling of being suspended high in the air is an adrenaline rush. The ride is a giant claw that spins while sliding back and forth like the Pirate Ship ride.

I went on it with my best friend and she was definitely hesitant at first. I had to convince her that we would not die. But when we were on the ride, with the wind whipping our faces and making our mouths dry, I forgot about her fears. What a great friend I am, right? The feeling of flying and feeling weightless was more enchanting than worrying about her concern for death. Our conversations were strained for a while after we got off the ride, but I don't regret one second of it. It lets you feel free and it's really exciting. And hey, it's an awesome way to cool down.

MY RATING: 5 stars out of 5.

-- Joe Desiderio, a senior at East Syracuse-Minoa High School

Read on for another review of KMG Fire Ball