Does the Battle in Seattle Foreshadow Trouble for the Common Core?
Tomorrow is National Solidarity day with the teachers at Garfield High and elsewhere in Seattle, who have stood together in refusing to administer the district-mandated MAP tests. This is hugely important, not only because of the courageous stand of these teachers, but for what it tells us about the highly touted "next generation" of assessments that will accompany the Common Core.
Here are four big reasons this battle is so significant.
First, this is the first time teachers have agreed as a group to refuse to administer a set of tests. Individuals have done this in the past, and faced individual consequences. However, their solidarity creates a problem for the system, because it not only gums up the machinery, it also challenges the authority of the school district. It asserts professional responsibility on the part of the teachers. Their stand is based on what they believe is best
Here are four big reasons this battle is so significant.
First, this is the first time teachers have agreed as a group to refuse to administer a set of tests. Individuals have done this in the past, and faced individual consequences. However, their solidarity creates a problem for the system, because it not only gums up the machinery, it also challenges the authority of the school district. It asserts professional responsibility on the part of the teachers. Their stand is based on what they believe is best