My sympathies, blackcat. DD8 was subjected to state testing this year, too (in addition to taking MAP testing 3x this year and many, many, other assessments, sigh). Before the test, everyone in the grade got the same math homework packets for a few weeks. DD thought they were ridiculously easy and didn't want to complete them...cue the dramatic whining and flopping on the floor (DD could win an academy award). DD's math was differentiated/harder all year and she found the state test "homework" painful, to put it mildly (me, too - I had to listen to all of the complaining).
Most annoying to me what the amount of "differentiated" class time lost - they cancelled those classes while preparing for and taking the tests - argh! That is DD's best chance for learning something at school!
I was honest with DD. I told her these tests probably wouldn't help her personally one bit, but that they could help her teachers/school (and she LOVES her teachers). So I shrugged and said "see if you can get them all right." Still, a huge exercise in futility for her.
