Texas Parent Says: Count Me Out of State Testing
This letter is posted on Facebook. The parent sent it to me:
Dear (school principal),
This letter is to respectfully inform you of the decision my husband and I have made to opt our children out of the 3rd grade STAAR tests on Apr. 24 and 25 and the make-up tests on Apr. 26 and 27. We understand it is Austin ISD’s position that “by law there is no opt out for students” and that even though the test will not count towards school ratings this year, our children’s “unexcused” absences may negatively impact the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress report. We have been active, involved members of the school community, and our family has always supported the school and its many wonderful teachers, but after long and careful thought about what is best for our children and a great deal of reading on the topic of high-stakes standardized testing, we feel we must act on our convictions and engage in civil disobedience rather than be coerced into participating in a testing system that is deeply flawed morally and pedagogically, the result of corporate greed and political
NCLB Waivers and Junk Science in New York
StudentsFirst Objects to Student Protest
Dear (school principal),
This letter is to respectfully inform you of the decision my husband and I have made to opt our children out of the 3rd grade STAAR tests on Apr. 24 and 25 and the make-up tests on Apr. 26 and 27. We understand it is Austin ISD’s position that “by law there is no opt out for students” and that even though the test will not count towards school ratings this year, our children’s “unexcused” absences may negatively impact the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress report. We have been active, involved members of the school community, and our family has always supported the school and its many wonderful teachers, but after long and careful thought about what is best for our children and a great deal of reading on the topic of high-stakes standardized testing, we feel we must act on our convictions and engage in civil disobedience rather than be coerced into participating in a testing system that is deeply flawed morally and pedagogically, the result of corporate greed and political
NCLB Waivers and Junk Science in New York
Bruce Baker has another brilliant analysis, this time gauging the validity of school ratings just released by the state of New York. A thumbnail sketch: New York is stiffing its neediest districts.
Here are the takeaways:
1. The waiver process is illegal. It is not the prerogative of any federal official–not even a cabinet member–to decide to disregard a federal law and to substitute his own policies for the ones in the law. If the law stinks, as NCLB does, revise it. That’s the way our legal system works. Once the precedent is set, any future cabinet
Here are the takeaways:
1. The waiver process is illegal. It is not the prerogative of any federal official–not even a cabinet member–to decide to disregard a federal law and to substitute his own policies for the ones in the law. If the law stinks, as NCLB does, revise it. That’s the way our legal system works. Once the precedent is set, any future cabinet
StudentsFirst Objects to Student Protest
Here is a video of students protesting against StudentsFirst because it supports:
1) charter schools (which in NYC do not accept a fair share of ELLs)
2) high-stakes testing
3) an anti-immigrant Georgia state legislator
The response of StudentsFirst: It claimed the students are just pawns of the teachers’ union, obviously not intelligent enough to be part of a discussion of education issues that matter.
But note that all three points that the students made are correct.
Why does StudentsFirst think that students are too dumb to have valid views about their own education?
1) charter schools (which in NYC do not accept a fair share of ELLs)
2) high-stakes testing
3) an anti-immigrant Georgia state legislator
The response of StudentsFirst: It claimed the students are just pawns of the teachers’ union, obviously not intelligent enough to be part of a discussion of education issues that matter.
But note that all three points that the students made are correct.
Why does StudentsFirst think that students are too dumb to have valid views about their own education?