Two Massachusetts Schools Approve PARCC Opt-Out | Truth in American Education

Two Massachusetts Schools Approve PARCC Opt-Out | Truth in American Education:

Two Massachusetts Schools Approve PARCC Opt-Out

Filed in Common Core Assessments by Shane Vander Hart on March 19, 2014 • 0 Comments

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Educational officials in Massachusetts have been telling parents who desire to opt-out that it is mandatory that their students participate in the PARCC field testing that is occurring, despite not really having legal authority to do so.

Two school committees have bucked that trend.  The Worchester School Committee gave parents permission to opt-out, and now the Tantasqua Regional School Committee has done the same.

From the Telegram & Gazzette:

Tantasqua Regional School Committee member William J. Gillmeister of Brookfield made the motion asking for the school’s administration to develop protocol to allow parents of students scheduled to take the PARCC field test to opt out of the testing.

The motion passed with an 8-7 vote.

“I’m opposed to the Common Core and I’m certainly opposed to the PARCC test,” Mr. Gillmeister said. “Students have to take the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive 

 

solidaridad: Students. Tired of corporate reformers making choices about YOUR education? Fight back!

solidaridad: Students. Tired of corporate reformers making choices about YOUR education? Fight back!:

Students. Tired of corporate reformers making choices about YOUR education? Fight back!

REGISTER HERE: http://empowerED2014.com"If you had the power to change the education system, what would you do?"

Here's your chance.

On March 29, at the University of Southern California, through the EmpowerED: Los Angeles Student Power 2014 conference, YOU will be given the opportunity to answer that question AND learn how you can make that answer a reality.

Students all over the country are tired of feeling powerless when it comes to decisions that affect their education. That's why they're standing up and fighting back against things like high stakes testing, school closings, and budget cuts. At EmpowerED 2014, you will:

• Have a chance to hear the powerful stories of high school student activists from all over the US who've made history in their communities.
• Engage in a unique opportunity where your vision for education will be featured in "Collective Voice: The Wisdom of Young People on Education," a national exhibition in Washington DC in 2015.
• Participate in interactive workshops where you'll have the chance to share your ideas on education and learn how YOU can make that vision come true through the Student Power Movement.
• Be a part of the first ever youth-led event that engages students in a local community in a conversation about their education.

EmpowerED's Featured Speakers:

• Israel Munoz, Chicago Students Union
• Tre Murphy, Alliance for Educational Justice
• Sekai Edwards, Portland Student Union
• Cauldierre McKay, Providence Student Union
• Kristin Towkaniuk, Newark Students Union
• Kate Barnes, Portland Student Union
• Zoe Marie Foster-La Du, Portland Student Union
• Mariam Khan, San Jose Youth Commission

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This event is now open to USC students and other college students in the LA area. There are only a few spots left, so please register today to reserve your spot!

For those who cannot make the event, it will be livestreamed by Vincent Precht and Jamelle Anthony Nelson on schoolhouselive.org. Stay tuned for more info!

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EmpowerED is hosted by USC Program Board, Academic Culture Assembly, EdMonth, and Students United for Public Education.

Videos: Voucher groups admitting to squeezing Democrats and using low-income children as the “face” of program for political purposes | The Florida Squeeze

Videos: Voucher groups admitting to squeezing Democrats and using low-income children as the “face” of program for political purposes | The Florida Squeeze:



Videos: Voucher groups admitting to squeezing Democrats and using low-income children as the “face” of program for political purposes

KARTIK KRISHNAIYER ♦ MARCH 18, 2014 ♦ 4 COMMENTS

HB 7099, the largest potential expansion to date of school vouchers in Florida will pass the House Choice and Innovation Committee today (aka the voucher committee).

The Florida Squeeze obtained two videos where Florida pro-voucher leader Doug Tuthill, himself a one-time liberal Democrat talking about how political contributions and playing in Democratic primaries has moved support for vouchers from a lone Democrat in 2001 to half the caucus by 2011.

Watch the first video in his own words on using political contributions to move Democrats on the issue.

In the following clip Tuthill  in a Q and A talks about using lower income children and families as the face of the program thus building corporate support and boxing in some Democrats politically .

Videos: Voucher groups admitting to squeezing Democrats and using low-income children as the “face” of program for political purposes | The Florida Squeeze:

The Answer Sheet 3-19-14 School reformers love ‘choice,’ except when …

School reformers love ‘choice,’ except when …:

A different way to give college admissions tests

Now that the announcement about big SAT changes is behind us, it’s time to look at what it all means. Not so much, apparently. To explain why, and suggest a better way to give a college admissions test is John Kaztman, founder of Princeton Review, a test prep and college admissions services company; 2u, which […]    

4 by Valerie Strauss / 37min 

School reformers love ‘choice,’ except when …

School “reformers” love to promote “choice.” Charters. Vouchers. Tuition tax credits. It’s all about giving parents choices, right? Well, not always. Reformers don’t actually like choice quite so much when: * Parents decide they want to opt their children out of taking a high-stakes standardized test that has little or no value. – In many […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 3min   

The Answer Sheet 3-18-14

The Answer Sheet: 50 terrible ideas for improving schoolsA valuable new book called “50 Myths &  Lies That Threaten America’s Public Schools”  takes a stark look at some of the worst ideas being promoted by school reformers around the country as ways to improve the public education.   The book — from which I am going to run a series of excerpts — […]    31 by Valerie Strauss / 5hThe Answer She

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3-19-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Seattle Schools' Transportation Costs - If We Fund Charter Students, What Will That Mean?

I knew when the charter school initiative was being debated that charter schools were not supposed to get as much money for transportation as real public schools.  In fact, one of the main questions in the application was about transport. So now it turns out that in the recently passed Budget bill there was a section to cut down the transportation funding.  (This comes to us via the Washington Pol

by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

Seattle Schools Parent-Teacher Conferences - What Works?

 From the thread on The Source/Fusion:Also, maybe this is a thread request, and potentially not relevant, but I am thinking about parent teacher conferences and what the expectations should be. What do you learn in P/T conferences, and what would you like to learn? Any hints for making the conference time more effective? Both from the teacher POV and parent POV, what do you want from a parent/teac

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The Gap Between Rhetoric and Action

There are a lot of people in Education who say all of the right things, but then, somehow, go ahead and do all of the wrong things. This continues to astound me. We see it all the time from US Secretary of Education, the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Education Reformers, Board Directors, the Superintendent, and the senior staff. No one, however, shows me a bigger gap between

by Charlie Mas / 32min 

Wilson-Pacific Meeting

Thought I'd open a thread for anyone who attended that meeting to weigh in.As I posted elsewhere, I am baffled by the use of Wilson-Pacific fields for Lincoln High. Why not Woodland Park?  Or, near me, they are going to lid the reservoir near Roosevelt High.  Why not dedicate one of those fields to Lincoln? I said I think the district is doing the wrong thing on the Genesee Hill Elementary school

by Melissa Westbrook / 25min 

3-18-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadA six-year-old calls Hasbro out on its Guess Who game (with 19 men and only 5 women on the game board).  They write back with a silly answer and her mom weighs in. A bipartisan bill has been introduced into the House of Representatives to cut down on high-stakes testing.  In the on-going debate about discipline, zero-tolerance discipline and how

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3-19-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

More than just teachers affect learning, Vergara expert says

Ken Futernick An expert on the the role that teachers play in academic performance today became the latest defense witness in Vergara v California to testify that students in high-poverty area schools face higher challenges to learning. Ken Futernick, Director of the WestEd School Turnaround Center, a research organization, and a former professor of education at California State University, Sacram

by Mark Harris / 38min 

Education Chief Arne Duncan visits a ‘Promise’ land in LA

Education Secretary Arne Duncan U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan came to Los Angeles today to shine a light on a White House initiative that takes a holistic approach to helping kids learn. Duncan joined LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy and a group of teachers, students and leaders of the Youth Policy Institute at a community center in Hollywood. The center is part of the city’s two LA

1 by Vanessa Romo / 20min 

County to vote on fate of 2 high-performing Aspire schools

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12 LAUSD teams compete in 2014 California academic decathlon

Teams from a dozen LAUSD high schools will test their mettle in the 2014 California Academic Decathlon Contest as they compete against more than 50 teams from throughout state. The competition will take place tomorrow through Sunday in Sacramento, and the winner will represent California in this year’s United States Academic Decathlon competition, April 24-26 in Honolulu. Students will compete in

2 by Aaron Stella / 44min 

LA Unified, YMCA to break ground on new Westside facility

University High School A large empty dirt lot sits at the Southwest corner of University High School’s campus in West Los Angeles. It won’t be empty for long. The Westside Family YMCA and LA Unified are set to break ground this summer on a 60,000 square-foot YMCA facility that will serve the community as well as Uni High students through a joint-use agreement. The new two-level structure will mean

by Yana Gracile / 22min hide  //  save

LAUSD District 1 election still open to write in candidates

While the ballot order for the seven qualified candidates has been set for the June 3 special election to fill the LA Unified District 1 seat, there’s still a chance for other candidates to compete. The City Clerk’s office today explained the way a write-in candidate could join the campaign. Here’s how: Any write-in candidate must file a Declaration of Intention with the City Clerk-Election Divisi

22min 

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As deadlines near, LA schools debate how to help foster youth When Gov. Jerry Brown announced a new boost in school funding — reversing years of cuts — he tied some strings around the money: districts would be paid more for needy kids and they’d have to come up with plans on how the money would help English-learners and students from low income families or in foster care. KPCC Possible Head Start

22min 

3-18-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): LA Unified board talking lawsuits, budget, MelendezThelma Melendez The LA Unified Board meets this morning, with much of their business scheduled for a closed door session. In private, the six members will discuss various legal cases involving the district as well as updates on labor contracts and student

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The Daily Censored » Detroit Teachers Can Win if We Take Back Our Union Now!

The Daily Censored » Detroit Teachers Can Win if We Take Back Our Union Now!:

Detroit Teachers Can Win if We Take Back Our Union Now!

Detroit Teachers Can Win if We Take Back Our Union Now!  It’s Time for the       

DFT to Act Like a Union Again, and Not an Arm of the Administration!

Vote EON/BAMN Slate for the DFT Delegates to the   

 2014 AFT National and State Teachers’ Union Conventions

Ballots should arrive at your home, and are due by Mach 28

 

¨      Elect Leaders Who Will Fight Proudly and Aggressively for Pay Raises, Smaller Class Sizes, and an End to the Scapegoating and Mistreatment of Teachers!

¨      Elect Leaders Who Will Fight the Politicians’ Phony Education Reform Agenda and Emergency Manager Dictatorships Whose Real Goal is to Liquidate Public Schools and Public Services, and Implement a New Era of Jim Crow Inequality!

¨      Equal, Quality Education for the Young People of Detroit!  Build the New Civil Rights and Immigrant Rights Movement!  Fight for Dr. King’s Vision for America!

 

This election presents Detroit teachers with a huge new opportunity.

We can elect Steve Conn and the other rising new leaders of the EON/ BAMN slate, and begin the process of turning things around in the DFT and DPS.

Or we can let Keith Johnson and his UTR group continue to destroy our union, allowing our enemies to take back decades of Detroit teacher victories.

There is absolutely no going forward in pay or job security or teaching conditions 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-19-14

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CELES KING IV, Civil Rights Leader, Community Activist, Education Advocate dies at 70

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Letter to the Los Angeles Times | http://bit.ly/OksXFm Re “Common Core learning curve,” Editorial, March14 http://t.co/EHTNQkunD3 Not mentioned in the editorial is the astonishing amount of testing required by Common Core and the requirement that testing be done online. No Child Left Behind required tests “only” at the end of the year

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