PENCILS DOWN – End High Stakes Testing
Testing Season is at hand. We’re fighting back. Please join us!
Tuesday, May 8, Board of Education meeting, Government Center, 6 p.m
We will be asking the CMS School Board to endorse the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing. If you plan to come, we’ll be in the lobby of the Government Center starting at about 5:45 with signs and giant pencils to wave. We expect to present at about 6:15. We’d love to have you. If you can’t come, please e-mail your school board representatives to let them know that you support the resolution. You can find theire-mails here.
Friday, May 11, Westin Hotel, 601 S. College St., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
We will be demonstrating outside of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) national summit meeting. ALEC is a group of corporations and individuals that sponsors high dollar “educational” meetings for legislators that write model legislation to be introduced in state legislatures across the country. Pearson (the big test producer) is a major player. Pearson is responsible for absurd test questions about the “Hare and the Pineapple” now dubbed “Pineapplegate.” ALEC is pushing lots of education legislation in North Carolina and elsewhere, including (surprise) lots of high-stakes testing. Read the-hare-and-the-pineapple test questions.
The demonstration will involve our “High-Stakes Testing Drill,” featuring bubbles and giant pencils. (If you’re feeling creative, we would appreciate your help with choreography, etc – contact Carol.) We’ll be doing the drill at 11:45 a.m., and at 3:45, 4:45 and 5:45 p.m. It should be a lot of fun. We hope you will join us at the Westin some time during the day. Kids welcome!
The best way to get to the Westin is by light rail — the Stonewall Street station is right next to the hotel. There are also a number of decks and surface lots, and you should plan to spend about $10 for parking if you drive. We’ll be on a sidewalk somewhere near the Westin. Look for the yellow pencils. There will be several other groups demonstrating as well.
If you would like to participate in any of these events, please contact us (although you can come even if you don’t get around to e-mailing).
See you there!