A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015
Apparently, the Portland School Board has identified an epidemic of poor reading comprehension in the district. But it's not a problem among students, it's their parents.
These families, some board members worried, might not realize that a letter with "OREGON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION" written at the top was sent by the Oregon Department of Education. So, to make it clear, a four-member majority voted on Tuesday to require the district to staple an extra note to the Oregon Department of Education letter making it clear that the letter, printed on Oregon Department of Education stationery, doesn't necessarily represent the position of Portland Public Schools.
Why such handwringing? The letter concerns the state-mandated Smarter Balanced standardized exam given to third-through-eighth graders and high school juniors in Oregon public schools. Designed to be tougher than previous tests, the exam has drawn the ire of teachers, whose evaluations rely to a small degree on how well students perform, and conservatives, who see the exam and its associated Common Core State Standards as a federal assault on state sovereignty. Others, including Portland School Board member Steve Buel, object to a testing culture that they believe has overtaken classrooms – despite the fact that Portland students bear one of the lowest testing burdens in the country among big cities.
Still, after relentless lobbying by the teachers' union, legislators passed a new state law this year that allows families to opt their students out of taking the challenging exam for any reason they choose. Previously, the state allowed exemptions for religion or disability. The new law, HB2655, also requires the state to notify families about the test and provide a form for them to opt out.
Hence, the letter from the Oregon Department of Education that was up for discussion Tuesday. Buel, a co-founder of the anti-testing group Oregon Save Our Schools, complained that some of the language in the notice was "extremely biased and very misleading" and he didn't want families to be confused that Portland Public Schools was making the argument. He and other opponents have been particularly angered by a warning on the opt-out form that tells parents they could lose "valuable information" about their student's progress in English language arts and math and that opting out could impact a school and district's "efforts to equitably distribute resources and support student learning."
Board Vice Chair Amy Kohnstamm, however, backed by board members Pam Knowles and Julie Esparza Brown, pointed out a couple flaws in Buel's stance. The letter is clearly from the Oregon Department of Education and the statement on the opt-out form is true.
Consider that the federal government requires a 95 percent participation rate A testing tantrum sanctioned by the Portland School Board: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com:
