For the record, from the teacher’s union in Seattle, the Seattle Education Association.
The Seattle Education Association (SEA) supports all of our teachers in wanting to provide the best learning environment for Seattle’s students. Garfield teachers want to do just that. The concerns of using the MAP test are not new ones for our teachers and they are not new for the district. Over the last couple of years, SEA has communicated to the School District administration the concerns that teachers have:
- The test does not line up with state standards.
- The test does not line up with district curriculum.
- The test takes valuable time away from student learning.
- Many students do not take the test seriously.
- The testing timeframe takes valuable time away from students in the school being able to access computer labs and libraries for other projects.
- The data obtained is of minimal use to teachers in planning lessons and meeting individual student needs.
We have been trying to get the district to look at alternatives that are more
