Radical Reform
There has been a lot of controversy over PARCC, some from parents.
"ELIZABETH — When Christina Moreira got a letter from the city's schools asking her to stop posting signs that read 'Elizabeth Public Schools, you can choose to refuse the PARCC,' she edited her posters with duct tape and left them up."
Parents gathered from many different communities in New Jersey to make a short film to voice their concerns and share their stories about the effects of CCSS and the PARCC tests on their children, teachers, schools and lives.
Former educator and present day parent/lawyer Sarah Blaine also spoke out against PARCC: "This. Means. War."
In addition to passionate parents, students around the country hit the streets in protest, including students from my state, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal and the Las Cruces Sun News, though according to ABC, New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera said the exams would provide useful results.
I am incredibly thankful that these students and parents are standing up for their beliefs. But here's where I digress to something I am not thankful for:
http://bobbraunsledger.com/science-park-teachers-parcc-is-30-days-of-destruction/
If you read the above post, you will probably admire the 35 teachers who spoke out against PARCC testing. And I do too. But here's what makes me worried about speaking out: A teacher is on paid administrative leave after she sent a letter home to parents, along with an opt-out form for the exam.
I am not thankful that I am threatened against speaking out. I feel that it is incredibly wrong.
I am a professional. When it comes to my profession and speaking with students, I am capable of putting my feelings aside and giving the facts. I believe that my students, that all students, should have the choice to take this test. And parents have always been given the right to opt out of testing. Because of the negative effects that opting out of PARCC has, such as a drop in a letter grade if more than 5% of the students opt-out, some school districts are telling parents that they cannot opt their children out. I am thankful that Senator Howie Morales tells the truth on this matter: "If you choose to have your child opt out of testing, you should not let your school district discourage you from exercising your parental right. Parents may write a refusal letter to opt their children out of testing, and most school districts will have an “opt out” form on their web page that you can download. If you cannot find the form online, you can ask any principal for the form or visit http://www.nmoptout.org/ for more information…
"ELIZABETH — When Christina Moreira got a letter from the city's schools asking her to stop posting signs that read 'Elizabeth Public Schools, you can choose to refuse the PARCC,' she edited her posters with duct tape and left them up."
Parents gathered from many different communities in New Jersey to make a short film to voice their concerns and share their stories about the effects of CCSS and the PARCC tests on their children, teachers, schools and lives.
Former educator and present day parent/lawyer Sarah Blaine also spoke out against PARCC: "This. Means. War."
In addition to passionate parents, students around the country hit the streets in protest, including students from my state, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal and the Las Cruces Sun News, though according to ABC, New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera said the exams would provide useful results.
I am incredibly thankful that these students and parents are standing up for their beliefs. But here's where I digress to something I am not thankful for:
http://bobbraunsledger.com/science-park-teachers-parcc-is-30-days-of-destruction/
If you read the above post, you will probably admire the 35 teachers who spoke out against PARCC testing. And I do too. But here's what makes me worried about speaking out: A teacher is on paid administrative leave after she sent a letter home to parents, along with an opt-out form for the exam.
I am not thankful that I am threatened against speaking out. I feel that it is incredibly wrong.
I am a professional. When it comes to my profession and speaking with students, I am capable of putting my feelings aside and giving the facts. I believe that my students, that all students, should have the choice to take this test. And parents have always been given the right to opt out of testing. Because of the negative effects that opting out of PARCC has, such as a drop in a letter grade if more than 5% of the students opt-out, some school districts are telling parents that they cannot opt their children out. I am thankful that Senator Howie Morales tells the truth on this matter: "If you choose to have your child opt out of testing, you should not let your school district discourage you from exercising your parental right. Parents may write a refusal letter to opt their children out of testing, and most school districts will have an “opt out” form on their web page that you can download. If you cannot find the form online, you can ask any principal for the form or visit http://www.nmoptout.org/ for more information…
"High school students who opt out of PARCC, in some school districts, will not meet the assessment requirements to graduate with a diploma, but will instead receive a Certificate of Completion. This is an unfair and inequitable way of dealing with this issue. Fortunately, some school districts will allow an Alternative Demonstrations of Competency (ADC’s) for high school students to receive their diplomas. I encourage you to notify your school district about this option."
I know I've put a lot of articles in this one blog post. But here's what I personally have to say: I disagree with this test, on so many levels. I agree with the funding tied to the tests, I disagree with the content, I disagree with children taking 75 minutes to complete only one section of a test when I know I can't stay focused that long and every piece of research on the classroom states that children have limited attention spans. I disagree with canceling class, actual educational learning, so we can take a test that I know doesn't matter; it could be a true assessment of my students skills, or a very far-from-the-truth sample (tests that I give reflect what my students have learned, tests that would matter). I disagree with the use of tests as a way to assess teachers, when all they really are random samplings. I disagree with the fact that my students do not get accommodations, when their IEPs state which accommodations they need. Why do we have accommodations at all if they are just going to be ignored? And finally, this teacher puts my feelings of guilty into a tear jerker of a blog post.: https://crawlingoutoftheclassroom.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/an-open-letter-to-my-students-i-am-sorry-for-what-i-am-about-to-do-to-you/
My students, I am sorry that I haven't stuck my neck out more for you. I don't believe that these tests have any business making you feel like you have a lack of skill. They should not make you feel so panicked that you become short of breath and you lose your self esteem which is already so hard to come by. I feel extreme guilt for participating in these tests myself, from reading the directions to watching your eager feet leave my room, onto bigger and better things that hold meaning. As I watch you test, I recall the days when I took standardized tests, shorter, and easier, and I cried because I was scared to fail. I had the resources, the parents, the food in my tummy, the skills to pass, and an easier test, and I still cried, and felt a loss of self esteem and confidence. It breaks my heart to think that I am participating in something that could make you feel this way. I cry about it now. And this motivates me; whether I lose my job, whether I am misunderstood, or frowned upon the powers that mysteriously be, none of those things will mean as much as standing up for you.
J2
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