Parents across the nation are taking a stand against the use of tests to measure, rate, and rank their children.
Local school boards are passing resolutions against high-stakes testing.
People are increasingly angry that tests are being used inappropriately in ways for which they were not designed.
They are forming groups to protest.
One of the best organized groups functions in New York state.
It is called Change the Stakes.
It adopted a statement in opposition to high-stakes testing drafted by testing expert Fred Smith.
In addition to their concerns about narrowing the curriculum and demoralizing students, parents and educators want to know more about the testing. They want to know, for example:
“How many professionally designed and developed tests are being given in New York schools? What is
the purpose of each? When are they scheduled to be given? How much time is spent administering
each test? How many students and schools are involved? And how much money does each test cost
(the material, the scoring and the reports)?
Which publisher constructed or supplied each exam? Who owns the exams we are paying for? Which
ones are field tests—tests and questions that do not count but enable commercial publishers to develop
and sell exams for future use? Which exams are used to screen children for entry into special programs
or selective schools? Which must be passed as a basis for promotion or to fulfill graduation
requirements? Surely, the city and state know and can give us these details for the current year.”
The state and city education officials act as though they own the children and can do whatever they want without supplying even the most basic information to parents.
This is wrong. This is contrary to democratic control of public education. The people in charge don’t know more. They just have more power. And they are using it in ways that disrespects parents and educators.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Let’s streamline tests and utilize them to inform our work w/the specific skills they test. Then let’s use the rest of the money to create “conditions for excellence” in all schools. We can do this.
My only question to Change The Stakes is, “why would I have to ask permission to Opt out of testing?”
I don’t have to ask NYS’s permission.
If there is no good research to support its benefit to students only its demise in teacher’s ratings why should I even allow it?
It’s abusive at this point and it’s using my child to line the pockets of Pearson.
Can’t my “religious” Opt Out be to increase the spiritual well being of my child by not increasing their anxiety?
Students should be provided an enriching alternative at school on those days. How about some experiential learning? Offer both. See how many parents choose the tests.
Exactly. we don’t have to ask anyone’s permission to exercise our parental right to have our children abstain from activities in school we deem contrary to their educational needs. My wife and I opted out of the third grade test last year, the principal and his teachers put together an alternative portfolio of his work, and he was promoted to the fourth grade with no problem. NYS educational officials do not want parents to realize they already have the right to opt out. Our reasons were the same as the ones you give, and we hope more and more parents will realize and exercise their rights.
Sorry didn’t finish..
An otherwise wonderful post! Thanks for the list Fred Smith, parents should have this information, prior to 2013 testing.
There is a wonderful group in Texas – nicknamed Mothers Against Drunk Testing – Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment that has a grassroots movement that is gaining steam and attention statewide. http://www.tamsa.org.
Tests may be awful, but whatever the metric was for a successful school before the test were worse and no credible improvement has been suggested. More money clearly isn’t the solution when you look at the DCPS and its expenditures per student versus the performance of the DCPS.
“More money” has been the education mantra since the 1960’s and education has not improved and teachers now retire with $80/yr pensions (NY) and full health care.
What is better than tests?
Correction…no NYS teacher retires with full health care. They pay full price for health care when they retire. That is why most retired teachers have to work as subs or get other part time jobs to cover the $15,000 a year they pay for medical care.and they only make about 80% of their final avrrage salary from the state TRS which is why they have to have additional private retirement planning accounts. Please, check your facts before you make such ridiculous statements.
80% of final average salary plus Social Security sounds good to me. Do NYS teachers no pay into SS? Medicare also is available at age 65. At what age is 80% salary available? What is the youngest you can be to retire with 80% salary and no health insurance?
How can you possibly claim that however a successful school was measured before high stakes testing was worse when you don’t even know what metrics were use? You need to do some serious research instead of just spouting flotsam. You will learn an incredible amount by reading through this blog: books and journal articles, interviews with recognized authorities, news articles, graphs,…You don’t even have to read any of the more heated and frustrated rhetoric.
It was worse because we spent so many federal dollars on education and the education quality has decreased in America in the past 35 years as measured by test scores. (SAT, ACT). The point is if tests aren’t working now, whatever preceded new tests wasn’t working either as witnessed by governments willingness to try something different and the comparative results of our schools versus other country’s schools.
In a sense, there was a global metric (SAT and ACT). People are now asking why individual schools are not delivering like they did in previous years. In those previous years, there were no school or teacher metrics that were public. Now there are.
You probably need to disaggregate the SAT and ACT data. We have a much more diverse and larger body of students taking these tests than in the past. In my state, taking the ACT is part of graduation requirements so everyone has to take it. SAT and ACT are predictive of nothing and are being used by fewer higher education institutions as part of the admissions decision.
Graduation rates or SAT scores
(http://www.erikthered.com/tutor/historical-average-SAT-scores.pdf)
either. American education is worse than it was 35 years ago. How to
fix is the question. If not SAT and/or ACT, then maybe we should just continue
throwing money at the problem hoping things will improve (we have been
doing that since the 1960’s and the results are unpleasant).
Once again, egbegb, you are incorrect. To echo what Kelly said, no teacher in Illinois gets full health care, either. We are now fighting for our pensions in Illinois, and I can tell you that I pay for health care with 35% of my monthly pension (& premiums have twice risen in the 2 years I’ve been retired but–guess what?–my monthly pension payment has not, & will not for 5-7 years {& will not keep up w/inflation/cost of living increases}).
Aside from that, egbegb, w/regard to the topic of this post, you are WAY off point.
It is time to STOP. the.TESTING. The kids are suffering in more ways than one. Pearson is stealing billions of dollars from our public school coffers, while our students are being tortured–not taught–with mindless test preps for stupid “Pineapple” questions, graded by inept scorers & computers that can’t distinguish an idiom from an idiot. And–last but certainly not least–excellent teachers (by those students who need them most) are being
jettisoned from closing schools, while children are either kept in cash-starved, bursting-at-the-seams classrooms, or sent to unregulated, inadequate, bare bones charter schools (because,
doncha’ know, all the $$ goes to the CEOs).
Parents, join with your local groups (fear not–there is strength in numbers), and OPT YOUR KIDS OUT!
I don’t know about IL, but I do know pensions in IL are causing your state a bit of a problem. Most pensions don’t have COI increases. Do you have Social Security? What percent of your final pay does your pension cover? What age did you retire at?
Education in America is worse than when I was in school. What is the plan to fix it other than just complaining about someone else’s plan? Complaining without suggesting an alternative is suggestive of an alternate agenda.
No one likes tests, but how do you know someone who graduates the 6th grade can read and do elementary school math?
Does anyone support social promotions?
No social security.
Define your terms. What does worse mean? If you stick to test scores our disaggregated scores on NAEP and international tests are better than ever. Where we fall down is in high poverty communities. We can’t keep ignoring the elephant in the room.
not testing. yes, that simple.
Thanks for posting Diane. Change the Stakes Web site links to the latest Carol Burris petition to Cuomo. So far there are only 5,000 signatures.
Question about this, Michele: since it’s going to Cuomo & it’s NY State-centered, how valid does it make the petition to have out-of-state people sign it? What I did was forward it to people I know who live in NY, & I asked them to sign and send it on as well.
Carol, would out-of-state signatures be okay?
Do you believe: “School and teacher accountability efforts based on a deluge of high-stakes tests that were never designed or tested for this purpose have narrowed the curriculum, devoured huge quantities of instructional time, and drained billions of dollars from school resources. Based on faulty information provided by these flawed tests, disproven reforms such as school closures, firing experienced teachers, opening charter schools, and providing vouchers have been forced on local schools. It is time for this rape of public education to stop. It is time to end high-stakes testing and return control of the public schools to the public at the local level.”
Help us stop the outrage. Take a moment now to read and sign the NEW Letter to President Obama. Then share this message with friends and colleagues.
http://dumpduncan.org/
2old2tch
IL retired teachers did not contribute to Social Security.
Is that what you are saying?
What percent of their salary do/did they contribute to their retirement
pension? (I’m becoming envious!).
I am very far from anti-teacher. I volunteer in 8th grade classrooms with math students.
I have never met a bad teacher. Heard of them but never seen one.
Rephrase that. We are not allowed to participate in Social Security. (Moreover, if our spouse participated in Social Security we cannot receive the full death benefit if they predecease us.) Teachers currently pay 9.4% of their salary into the pension fund. The current pension reform discussion includes raising our contribution to 11%, among other things.
I read this
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-8369-setting-the-facts-straight-about-pensions.html
SS participants pay in 12.4% and get about a 1% ROI on their lifetime “investments”.
It results in approximately 25% of final salary. ($2400/month today is maximum SS that can be collected.)
At 80% of salary for 9.2%, it looks like your benefits far exceed SS. Of course SS includes “survivors benefits” and disability benefits. Do IL teacher’s benefits include survivor’s benefits? Did you purchase disability insurance when you were working?
Galveston Texas also does not participate in SS and their returns are far greater than SS also.
We pay significantly more for our benefits than is paid into social security. Currently, 9.4% comes out of each check. We are on the high end of contributions and the low end of payout for what we put in. (You only pay 12.4% SS if you are self-employed. Otherwise your employer pays half.) Payout is determined by length of service as well as salary. There are survivor benefits and disability insurance. I don’t know how long you have to work for 80% of your salary. I just know that I won’t get it. I worked for a private school for five years back in the dark ages when I started teaching with no benefits. I took a break to raise my family and subbed as they all got into school before becoming a parapro and then teacher in public school. I was over 50 by the time I went full-time only to discover the subtle forms of discrimination that come with age, no tenure, and corporate ethics.
2old2tch
I was an employee my entire life.
I paid 6.2%. My employer paid 6.2%. The cost to my employer was my salary + 6.2%.
He could just as well have paid me the 6.2% he pays the government and the government would charge me 12.4%.
However you look at it, 12.4% of my lifetime earnings are in Social Security and for that I get about 25% of my last salary. You worked how many years to get what percent of your salary as a pension? My employer also had a pension for me and that takes me up about 36% of my salary.
You changed jobs. Before you were on IL pension, you paid into SS. SS can screw you if you don’t pay in long enough. Do you fall into that category?
It would be really great for people around America to come clean on their contributions to retirement and benefits (survivors, disability and retirement). I’m thinking our government wants people to think that whatever they are getting is better than the other guy or gal.
OASDI is a real engineering problem that has excellent solutions that are not represented by any Social Security law in existence. IL and Galveston have improved on SS law and no one talks about them. Why?
[OSASI is the Social Security acronym for “Old Age, Survivors and Disability” insurance as represented by your FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act = payroll) tax.]
I didn’t include the school district’s contribution and what the state is supposed to have contributed. I did work under social security to get some benefit, but the state reduces that if you take your pension. It doesn’t matter that the two are totally separate. In any event, I started teaching at $100/week, so I wasn’t making big bucks by any standard.
Right now, I will get about 20% of my last full-time salary. I have about 15 years in the public system. Pension changes are coming since the state hasn’t paid its obligation in full for 40 years or so. They didn’t manage to get changes passed in the lame duck session, but it’s coming. Union leadership has offered 2% more out of members pockets but only if the state fixes the tax code. Right now a hotel housekeeper pays the same % of income in taxes as the owner of the hotel. We all know how tax loopholes are used to reduce the taxes of corporations and our wealthy citizens. Most of us cannot afford to hide our earnings. In any case, the state used our money for years to meet other state obligations. Now they want to make us pay for their poor management. The money they took was used to benefit all of Illinois, but pension holders are the only ones who are expected to pay for it.
Reply #1
We should talk and understand each other on another thread.
I am
Ed Bradford
Pflugerville, TX
egbegb2@gmail.com
I will respond again tomorrow (Thu) to your response.
Thank you for being forthright!
Ed
Finally, a word about the reality of testing! I hope to hear more from this group and others like them. (Where does this stuff come ?)
Ms. Caesar,
Please visit us at http://www.changethestakes.com