Claire finished her first major standardized test today, the dreaded STAAR test.  It is a two-day test, fours hours each day, mandated by the state of Texas.  Claire and her fellow third graders have spent most of third grade preparing for this test.  Parents brought snacks and drinks to keep the kids sharp and refreshed.  But once the doors close, it is fully locked down, with no visitors of any kind.  It is pretty serious.  A sign in Claire’s classroom says:

STAAR Wars — May the Scores Be With You!

We don’t know Claire’s test results yet, but to celebrate just finishing this monster test, we took her out to dinner and let her pick a dessert, a rare and substantial treat for our sugar-starved Claire.