Why I Despise the TAKS Test

...and what teacher doesn't at least secretly despise TAKS?

This won't be a critique of the actual TAKS itself, or of standardized tests in general. I mean, standardized testing...it's an accepted and, frankly, necessary aspect of education, just like a prostate exam or a PAP smear in medicine.
No, I just want to vent about what TAKS does to my classroom and my students, because coming off TAKS week can be like trying to sleep after too much coffee - you can recover, but it takes time and can be painful.

Some disclosure here: I'm one of the teachers on my campus who assists with the planning, administration, and security of the test materials, so I have a unique perspective.

1. TAKS means hours of preparation. We had to provide testing accommodations for students who test in small groups, students who get the test read to them, students who gets "words & phrases" reading assistance, students who take the Accommodated Form of the TAKS, students who take TAKS-M, students who take TAKS-Alt, and speakers of other languages who take the "LAT" test. Every single student needed to be assigned to a room WITH A CERTIFIED TEACHER, with appropriate books and answer sheets provided. If you do the work early, it makes it easier during TAKS week, and vice versa. "Be Lazy Now or Be Lazy Later."
2. TAKS means mountains of paperwork. There are the books, the answer sheets, the "control forms" indicating what books go where, the packing lists for the materials, the rosters for each room, the administrator booklets, the administrator room assignments/instructions, the advisory lists for students not testing on a given day, the materials return forms, and on and on and on...
3. TAKS Week disrupts the normal rhythm of classes. We did the best we could with the schedule, meeting 2 classes per day of TAKS testing, which over 4 days meant students got to attend every class at least once. But come on - does anyone really believe things got done? Either you're a Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior, taking a TAKS test at least one day, so you're not mentally prepared to learn in class, or you're a Senior who's passed TAKS and got to sleep in, which totally throws your day off-kilter, so you're not mentally prepared to learn. I still taught, but I had LOW expectations as to how much learning was taking place.
4. TAKS Week disrupts the teacher's workflow. This applies more to me than to some, because I had to focus on TAKS all week and could not catch up on grading or lessons. Some teachers had that luxury, but I am now scrambling to grade papers, get lessons planned, and get materials ready as we finish out the semester. It's even more critical for my AP classes.

Yes, all of THIS for a standardized test of questionable validity, so that the great state of Texas can trumpet their good scores and/or hide their bad ones. Ya gotta love politics, except that politics has a direct impact on your children.