Romano: A stand against school testing is long overdue
The voice of the revolution is calm. It is kind. It is the voice of a 59-year-old kindergarten teacher who cares more about her students than her paycheck.
his is why Susan Bowles is refusing to give a standardized computer test to a class of 5-year-olds at a Gainesville school this month, a stance that violates her contract and puts her three-decade teaching career in serious jeopardy.
Meanwhile, a few hundred miles south, the Lee County School Board voted to stop giving state-mandated tests before it reversed a week later. School boards in Brevard and Palm Beach counties had similar discussions.
In the Miami-Dade School District, the largest in Florida, the board has asked the state for a delay in implementing a new high-stakes test.
And Opt Out Orlando, a grass roots group that helps parents navigate loopholes in the state's rigid standardized testing program, is expanding into other districts.
Miami-Dade superintendent Alberto Carvalho described these developments as a "tsunami of growing consciousness'' across the state.
"Tsunami" might be a little overstated. But it is safe to say that after years of grumbling about the state's fanatical devotion to testing, we are seeing tangible signs of protest. Of, dare we say, revolt.
The question now is this:
Will Tallahassee ever listen?
"How much more preposterous does this have to get,'' Bowles asked, "before the legislators stop and say, 'What have we done?' "
Bowles did not arrive late to this party. She's had concerns about the quantity and quality of state tests for years. This was just the tipping point.
The state Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading, which is given to kindergarten students three times a year to help determine placement and progress, has to be administered one-on-one with a teacher Romano: A stand against school testing is long overdue | Tampa Bay Times:
Lead, Follow or Get the Hell Outta Our Way. FL: A stand against school testing is long overdue
Folks making choices that they never expected these days. Stand together … Or get the hell out of our way. Quote : ” The voice of the revolution is calm. It is kind. It is the voice of a 59-year-old kindergarten teacher who cares more about her students than her paycheck.” http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/romano-a-stand-against-school-testing-is-long-overdue/2197607