A parent in New York City explained her family decision to opt out of state testing.
“This morning, our fourth grader refused the standardized tests.
“After months of research, debate, personal grappling and weighty discussions with our 9-year old child, we have decided that for our family, this mindful act of civil disobedience is the right choice — right for our kid, right for our parental conscience, the right stand to take, the right message to send.
“We are deeply concerned about the direction of education in New York City. Disproportionate emphasis on standardized testing, the influence of corporate interest, rampant data mining, and compromised student privacy are all issues undercutting the health and efficacy of our school system. But we believe the most urgent education issue we currently face is High-Stakes Testing; it’s ramifications are both broad and deep.
“We are in favor of rigor and high standards, we’re not strictly anti-standardized testing or anti-Common Core, we affirm the need for some baseline accountability metric in our educational system. However, we strongly oppose the unique double whammy situation we face in New York City, namely: Pearson’s problematic new Core-aligned curriculum/tests, combined with the overblown significance attached to these tests because we live in a school jurisdiction where standardized test scores have been used to determine grade promotion and student placement/admissions, as well as to evaluate teachers, and also have dire implications for schools.
“I have high hopes that Mayor de Blasio’s administration will rapidly bring much-needed change to education in NYC. I’m thrilled that he has spoken out against “teaching to the test.” Carmen Fariña was an excellent choice for Chancellor, and I’m very excited about her commitment to progressive principles, collaboration, and reworking Common Core in NYC. I recognize that they did not create the high-stakes climate, and to the extent that this situation reflects state and even federal mandates through Race To The Top, that it is not entirely in their control. We need more help from Albany.
“NYC schools have been even harder hit by high-stakes testing than their statewide peers. Nowhere is “the tale of two cities” more evident than in our educational system, where the ever-widening achievement gap is only exacerbated by the deeply flawed Common Core roll-out and the weight attached to the corresponding tests. The most vulnerable student populations are hit hardest; children living in poverty, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities are inordinately burdened. But even in high-performing schools, the culture of data-driven and test-focused education is pervasive and damaging.
“It is well established that the implementation of Common Core standards and curriculum in New York was hasty and reckless, and the resulting test materials convoluted, developmentally inappropriate, and inaccessible for most students. Teachers were ill prepared to implement the new standards, and the students given inadequate time to assimilate unfamiliar teaching methods, content, test format and language prior to testing. Due to insufficient and inferior field test methods, it is unlikely that this year’s exams will be much better.
“Our family is fortunate to attend a wonderful, nurturing school, with abundant arts and enrichment programs. We love and support our wonderful teachers and superb administrators, who are under unconscionable pressure from the city and the state. We stand in solidarity with our educators, and know they do not want our kids to endure an excruciating learning environment in the weeks leading up to testing. But even in our thriving community, the quantity and intensity of test preparation is overwhelming.
“Chancellor Fariña’s letter to principals last week, which stated, “Preparing for life is living it,” and advised schools to keep test prep in moderation, as well as yesterday’s legislation aimed at limiting test prep and decreasing the power of standardized tests, are encouraging signals that our leaders understand that change is necessary. But with all due respect, with testing beginning today, this comes too late to provide relief to our overwhelmed children, and the rather nebulous new guidelines fall short of eliminating the circumstances that have created the bubble of intensity which surrounds standardized testing. In fact, it seems that a most crucial point has been missed.
“Multiple high-stakes factors compel schools to spend weeks in test prep, taking the focus off authentic learning, to instruct and drill students in strategies for a test that nobody believes in, just so students stand a chance of passing, and their teachers and administrators do not suffer disastrous consequences. Student promotion and placement policies, school rank, and funding issues have been and are problematically attached to testing, but the most insidious aspect of the high-stakes system is a too-crude link between teacher evaluation/job security and student test scores.
”
Realistically, the high-pressure classroom climate that surrounds standardized testing will never be relieved, schools will not ease up on test prep, nor will the agonizing anxiety of our kids be diffused, as long as our educators fear for their jobs in relation to a set of dubious tests. And no matter what we adults say, or how we “spin” it, if schools abandon broader, deeper learning to spend a month or more preparing for the tests, it sends the message loud and clear that the tests are what we care about. This dissonance leaves our smart, intuitive children conflicted and afraid, and brings distrust into the classroom.
“The test preparation process is grueling and high-anxiety for all involved, and outrageous strain is being put on even our youngest, most vulnerable students. Many of them are suffering demonstrable stress — crying, illness, nervous behaviors, sleeplessness, irritability, shame and crippling self-doubt. It has diminished my son’s love of school and learning, and has eroded his relationship with his teachers. Furthermore, it’s teaching him that the keys to success are not curiosity, exploration, innovation, collaboration and passion for knowledge, but rather, the ability to use tricks to beat the system. This is of little educational value, and questionable ethics. Worst of all, because Pearson’s current Core-aligned standardized testing model rewards only one (very narrow) type of learner, it has caused our son to doubt his own abilities and intelligence, and not in any constructive way.
“The test scores, then, are invalid not only because the tests themselves are so unsound, but because they in no way reflect what our children are actually learning in school, or how well the schools are really doing – only how effectively students have been taught to “game the test.”
“In a multidimensional sense, our children’s educational futures are dependent on worthless data. That this coercive and punitive system is unethical seems self-evident.
“Until the situation is remedied, and in the absence of an official “opt-out” clause, many families, like our own, feel they are left with no choice but to refuse the tests. And yet, they face pressure to comply, and fears about what test refusal could mean for their schools. The right to protect one’s child from an abusive system is inviolable; no parent should have to refrain from doing what best serves their child due to the threat of repercussions for their schools and educators. This poisons school culture by creating competing interests for concerned parents and their conscientious-but-frightened teachers and administrators.
“Test refusal is a nerve-wracking decision; a lot hangs in the balance and there are many unknowns. But all acts of civil disobedience are risky; it is risk that makes them powerful — willingness to take a stand against something that is wrong, even if it means venturing into uncharted territory. I would not have chosen to be in this position, but since we find ourselves here, it’s a worthwhile lesson for our children that living in a democracy sometimes demands this type of engagement.
“We’re all in the position of having to make crucial decisions quickly, and tensions are running high. But whatever our collective adult stress surrounding standardized testing issues, our first priority must be to ensure that kids are not the victims of the debate. We need substantive legislative action and policy change to lift the burden of the High-Stakes Testing climate that reduces our teachers and our children to defective data, so that schools may return to the vital task of educating our children in a healthy, expansive learning environment.
Jenny Sheffer-Stevens”
Diane, my name is Michael Merrifield. I am former chair of the House Education committee of Colorado. We spoke in 2009 or 10 when I was fighting SB-191 which tied test scores to teacher evaluation. I invited you to come testify, but your schedule didn’t allow it, but you sent a letter opposing the bill. Long story short…I am running for the Colo state senate. I am strongly opposing charters, corporatization of schools, Common Core and the obsession with testing. Is there any chance you could come to Colorado Springs in the next few months for an event I could put together on education? Your support for my campaign would be a tremendous boost!! Michael Merrifield, former state representative, Colorado Springs. 719-460-0580. vgmike@msn.com PS you might have heard about the Senate seat I am running for. It is the one where our Democratic senator, John Morse, was recalled for supporting reasonable gun regulations.
WordPress.com
dianeravitch posted: “A parent in New York City explained her family decision to opt out of state testing.
“This morning, our fourth grader refused the standardized tests.
“After months of research, debate, personal grappling and weighty discussions with our 9-year old”
Dear Michael Merrifield,
Congratulations on making the decision to run for State Senate. I will put you in contact with the screening committee of the Network for Public Education, which will survey all candidates in the race and endorse the strongest supporter of public education.
Awesome. Good luck with your campaign, Michael!
“We are in favor of rigor and high standards, we’re not strictly anti-standardized testing or anti-Common Core, we affirm the need for some baseline accountability metric in our educational system.”
Well, that’s where you go off the rails right there. All you’re saying is that teachers should be evaluated by student test scores based on Common Core, but it’s just not being done right.
Dienne,
Picked out the line I was going to highlight “we’re not strictly anti-standardized testing or anti-Common Core”. My comment: Well you should be for all the myriad errors that Wilson has identified that render those two educational malpractices completely invalid.
Well then, how does “robust” grab you?fjstats
Rigor for some children may not mean rigor for others. Rigor is like reform. It’s in the eye of the beholder. The term is overused and commonplace by being imbedded in the reformers talking points.
“Rigor” actually means “strictness, severity or harshness”. None of those are things I particularly want for my children. Challenge, yes. Rigor, no. They are not the same thing.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rigor?s=t
The term is misused in education. I’m sharing the definition of rigor with my peers and supervisor.
A nice snippet of Matthew Arnold in the sidebar of that dictionary page:
For rigorous teachers seized my youth,
And purged its faith, and trimm’d its fire,
Show’d me the high, white star of Truth,
There bade me gaze, and there aspire.
The term is used in the context of PUBLIC education. Go on the websites of some of the elite private schools in your area. The ones that cost $25,000-$35,000 annually. You will not see the word rigor.
“The Dalton High School, an academically rigorous, caring, dynamic, diverse, college preparatory school, seeks to support the development of a community that values curiosity, the acquisition of knowledge, and the confidence to act to resolve social problems.”
http://www.dalton.org/podium/default.aspx?t=153824
The term that the edudeformers can’t seem to get right in using: rigorous.
I disagree. This letter was well thought out and what she is saying can not be reduced to the simple premis that you present.
“The test scores, then, are invalid not only because the tests themselves are so unsound, but because they in no way reflect what our children are actually learning in school, or how well the schools are really doing – only how effectively students have been taught to “game the test.”
“In a multidimensional sense, our children’s educational futures are dependent on worthless data. That this coercive and punitive system is unethical seems self-evident.”
New York parents have no option but to opt out as a result of Common Core high-stakes testing with inBloom’s 400 data collection points for each child foisted on NY by John King Inc. King is not qualified for his position and should resign. As we all know, King opts his children out by sending them to private school.
Long Island Opt Out Info thus far
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqnU9z73ga5IdEVXS2E2RDR4YWZPSmdJazNQR3pHSUE&usp=sharing#gid=2
I wish I could be more confident that Chancellor Farina will oppose Common Core. All I’ve seen is her explicit desire to continue “selling” it. That’s her word, not mine.
Well said. I don’t agree with you about any benefits of Common Core (I think it should be dumped, not tweaked), but I think you have expressed really well how the testing is damaging our kids’ education and how the Governor and legislature’s half-measures to do NOT remedy the problem.
Thanks for taking the time to write this detailed argument.
My 12 year old decided herself. We had discussed alternate settings and plans, which we have executed in the past to deal with her anxiety. But she is, always has been super smart. She was reading before coming to kindergarten, had to have access to other rooms and readings while her peers were just grasping letters and sounds. But since she has been a littler girl, she has battled both nameless and specific obsessive fears that in recent years have been mostly addressed through counseling and medication. She is still a star. Singer, athlete, drama queen, great sister and daughter, a top student in her grade…but the thought of a room she is forced to sit in, that her friends are forced to sit in, that her teachers and classmates are held captive and silent in… We were making arrangements (my jobs teaching and as union president are ones I need to be cautious with). And honestly, she is likely to only make us proud, her teachers proud and make us all look good. And isn’t just nice to see a kid do well? We made sure she knew we were looking out for her and setting up the best possible situation.
Then last week she says: “I’m just going to refuse”
Oh boy. I know this deal. My twelve year old has been going on 30 since she was 10. I sent her to her room one time when she was 4. It went like:
“Your choice is do ***** (can’t remember) or go to your room now”. Well, she didn’t, so up she went.
5 minutes later, she’s up there yappin, so I listen at the bottom of the stairs:
“Daddysaysthosearemychoicesbut thosearen’tmychoicesthosearehischoicesandthat’snotfairthat’snotreallyachoice….”
Wow.
She says these tests aren’t fair. “These kids think they HAVE to take these tests but they don’t have to and it’s not fair to them or the teachers…”
She is no dummy, and the internet has been the bane of our existence-because she uses it.
So when she says she refuses…it’s her. I’m not refusing for her, but I am behind her 200 percent. This girl will rule the world someday.
Go, girl, go!
wow
You must be very, very proud!!!
Someone or some people need to quietly make copies of each one of the tests, in order to make them publicly available, not for “test prep,” but so parents and the public can see for themselves what is being demended of students at each grade level. This might be illegal, but it would qualify as civil disobedience.
Well, anyone can get into the SBAC practice tests (I’ve taken two), as well as all sorts of documents about the field tests. I might agree with you except that the SBAC tests are not something you can “make a copy of.”
I don’t think the issue is so much what is being demanded, but rather that the entire educational process is disrupted for days or even weeks because of the testing. I’d also like to see it customized to reflect actual course content.
What is released may be a more “acceptable” version for public consumption. As for not being able to make a copy…..unless the test is on line, where there’s a will, there’s a way. People have access to it.
Let’s face it, these tests are not being designed for a legitimate purpose, but to “document” failure and hasten the privatization process.
The ones in NH are completely on line.
“The test scores, then, are invalid not only because the tests themselves are so unsound, but because they in no way reflect what our children are actually learning in school, or how well the schools are really doing.” EXACTLY. there is no reason that, given the technology available to us in 2014, these tests cannot be individualized to assess the content of the actual courses students are taking, the books they read, etc.
http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2014/03/california-mom-suspended-sons-school-passing-test-opt-form/
It is starting to happen in California!
Our future depends on young people like this fellow. Inspiring!
It’s FASCINATING to read the comments being posted on TestingTalk.org and to compare these to the PARCC Twitter feed. In the PARCC (spell that backward) feed, everything is going GREAT with the practice tests. On TestingTalk, where people can say what they think about PARCC and SBAC, for good or ill, then general tenor of reactions runs to
ANGER
DISGUST
SADNESS
HORROR
SHOCK
DISMAY
Perhaps the practice tests will be enough to rouse people to put an end to this madness.
300 million dollars of taxpayer money wasted on this crap, and millions and millions of hours of class time, not to mention to cost in emotional duress for the students.
ENOUGH!!!!
Will someone pull the plug already?
“300 million dollars of taxpayer money wasted on this crap, and millions and millions of hours of class time, not to mention to cost in emotional duress for the students.”
The costs to mental health for these children as they age will be astronomical…..Harvard Health already predicts by 2020 the health care system will be overwhelmed with Depression……We know where they is coming from!
This comment is TYPICAL of the ones appearing on TestingTalk:
These tests are too much. I am a fifth grade teacher and have a son who is in fifth grade. He has always done very well on tests and has always pulled 3’s and 4’s on state tests. Never has he shown any anxiety when it comes to test-taking. He went into school yesterday, took one look at the test, and right there had a panic attack. He tried Day 2 today and had to be sent to the nurse even before the test was handed out. He says he will not go back for Day 3. I am at a loss. The idea of state testing has beaten my child down.
another:
I could just cry. My kids are smart. They have worked hard. Today was too much. It was difficult and way too long. Some kids gave up and finished early. Some were still writing when I had to call time. As I glanced through their work I was pleased to that they used the strategies we worked on all year, but the work was HARD, not rigorous – just too hard and developmentally inappropriate in some cases. The first multiple choice question was really tricky. I feel so defeated as a teacher. I
another:
These test were created to do nothing more than trick our children! For the first time in 15 years of administering these exams I had students breaking down in their seats. I would say that the education system has truely reached its low point and all the joys of educating our children have been drained from us at this point.
Hundreds of posts, all like that.
Wow
A WONDERFUL post from a writing teacher. I could KISS this person!!! Here:
While teaching writing, we advise students to complete the entire writing process (prewriting/generating ideas, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) with a timetable of one to three or more WEEKS. One person cannot possibly write and turn in their best work in a 55-minute timed writing.
The reading and writing done when taking these tests bears almost no resemblance to real reading and writing.
THAT ALONE SHOULD TELL US THAT WE SHOULDN’T BE GIVING THEM!
“These test were created to do nothing more than trick our children! ”
I think the psychological term for this is “crazy making”…..which is exactly what these tests are doing to children. The tests are designed to “intentionally” confuse, frustrate, and intimidate them. There is something very sinister about people who intentionally want to hurt children.
Isn’t this the psychological equivalent of the school feeding them food with arsenic for lunch every day? Only in this case, the chronic stress from the “test obsessed environment” is like poison that is feeding their brain in the way of anxiety and depression.
I’m not sure what you might call what it is that kids are asked to do for these exams, but it’s not reading and writing in any normal, sane sense.
The people who are putting these exams together are so close to their own process, so deeply embedded in the medieval Scholasticism of their standards, question formats, endless guidelines, rubrics, and so on, that they can’t step back from what they are doing and see THE OBVIOUS,
that these exams are ridiculous.
And even in the face of 70 percent failure rates on their exams and an outpouring on TestingTalk.org of thousands of horrified responses to the exams from experienced teachers and concerned parents,
they have such hubris that they plan to continue on their present course.
300 million dollars of your money, of taxpayer money, has been spent to create these instruments for abusing kids.
Stop the abuse.
Opt out.
Tell others to opt out.
Adults are all required to report child abuse when they are aware of it. Well, these tests are child abuse, and I am hereby reporting that.
What would happen if, say, a third of the kids nationwide sat down at their computers on test day and typed the following into every answer blank?
V The tree of liberty needs watering from time to time. V