To Hurt or To Be Hurt? That is the Question,
FOR THE RECORD -
I have been excoriated for encouraging parents in my school district (and Louisiana) to opt their children out of the PARCC field test and to consider opting them out of our iLEAP standardized tests.
I want to explain my position publicly because I don't want any parent to feel the intimidation I felt when it was suggested to me that I would be to blame if a school performance score was negatively affected and the school district was "hurt."
None of these tests are HIGH STAKES. No child would be "hurt" by opting out. Rather than explaining my thinking over and over, I copied my last Facebook response and paste it below. If anyone still has questions about the school performance score and testing system that is the basis for my position, I will be glad to answer.
People talk about their Constitutional rights but too often don't follow through by taking their personal corresponding ethical or moral responsibility when they perceive that a law, a principle or a trust has been broken. Quite often that isn't a comfortable thing to do. It's easy to rationalize, especially when intimidated, that one's thinking is wrong or that any action you take will fail and you will look bad. I don't "blame" a person for not agreeing with me and I also won't won't accept blame from that person.
Lee P. Barrios PA Riggs - I simply suggested to parents that although control of their children's public education has been hijacked by private interests and unqualified schuysters, they have the ultimate power by virtue of their ability to opt out of some of the standardized tests they object to.
These policymakers and most of our legislators evidently won't respond to reason and parents don't have millions from non-profit organizations as powerful lobbyists so they need to exercise virtually the only power they have. If children don't take the tests
I have been excoriated for encouraging parents in my school district (and Louisiana) to opt their children out of the PARCC field test and to consider opting them out of our iLEAP standardized tests.
I want to explain my position publicly because I don't want any parent to feel the intimidation I felt when it was suggested to me that I would be to blame if a school performance score was negatively affected and the school district was "hurt."
None of these tests are HIGH STAKES. No child would be "hurt" by opting out. Rather than explaining my thinking over and over, I copied my last Facebook response and paste it below. If anyone still has questions about the school performance score and testing system that is the basis for my position, I will be glad to answer.
People talk about their Constitutional rights but too often don't follow through by taking their personal corresponding ethical or moral responsibility when they perceive that a law, a principle or a trust has been broken. Quite often that isn't a comfortable thing to do. It's easy to rationalize, especially when intimidated, that one's thinking is wrong or that any action you take will fail and you will look bad. I don't "blame" a person for not agreeing with me and I also won't won't accept blame from that person.
Lee P. Barrios PA Riggs - I simply suggested to parents that although control of their children's public education has been hijacked by private interests and unqualified schuysters, they have the ultimate power by virtue of their ability to opt out of some of the standardized tests they object to.
These policymakers and most of our legislators evidently won't respond to reason and parents don't have millions from non-profit organizations as powerful lobbyists so they need to exercise virtually the only power they have. If children don't take the tests