Dear High Performing School District
I want to first congratulate you on your ability to succeed in this era of high-stakes testing where many around you have failed according to national and state report cards. Your unparalleled success is one of the reasons parents often cite for moving to the area. Who wouldn’t want their children to attend a highly successful school district? That’s what I thought initially but I have completed changed my stance and I wanted to let you know why.
My kids entered your schools full of life and curiosity. Everything in their world began with a question and a relentless pursuit to figure out what made things work. This began to change as they progressed through school. They began to worry about grades and tests. They took practice test after practice test to get ready for the real test. Consequently, they began asking fewer questions and developed their skills around only answering questions with answer choices. They quickly lost the curiosity that led them to study topics, ask questions and find solutions.
It is for these reasons and more that I decided to move my kids to another district. It may not be as successful on state and national measures but I am okay with that. I needed them to pursue more than content knowledge applied to multiple choice assessments. It has only been four weeks since