I accidentally posted this when I meant to edit it and add the links. The links are now inserted.
Press release *** For immediate release
Parents and educators stand together against growing test stress in children
March 8, 2016
Contacts: Julie Woestehoff, Interim Executive Director, Parents Across America, 773-175-3989
Laura Bowman, leader of PAA-Roanoke Valley (VA), 540-819-6385
Danielle Arnold-Schwartz, leader of PAA- Suburban Philadelphia (PA), 215-498-2549
Today, Parents Across America announces the endorsement of its position paper, “Parents Stand up Against Test Stress,” by such prominent educators as Alfie Kohn, Jonathan Kozol, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige (list follows).
PAA has also contacted the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics asking that they investigate our concerns that high-stakes standardized testing has become a health hazard for our nation’s public school children.
According to Dr. Isabel Nuñez, Associate Professor in the Center for Policy and Social Justice, Concordia University Chicago:
“High-stakes testing is doing children grievous mental and emotional harm. Parents Across America has gathered overwhelming evidence of the destructive psychological impact of test anxiety. For your children’s sake, read and be outraged!”
Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor in the department of Psychology, Boston College, added:
“The evidence is overwhelming that our national mania for testing–and for so much time in school and at schoolwork–is damaging the physical and psychological health of our children. I appreciate the work of Parents Across America and sincerely hope that the educational powers that be start to listen. What we have today is, essentially, state-mandated child abuse.”
Testing in the early years, which is strongly opposed by early childhood professionals, is taking a toll. According to Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige,
“As we see testing increasingly edge out play and active learning in classrooms for young kids, we also see more and more children who don’t like school, who feel way too much pressure, who don’t want to go to this place that feels so uncomfortable and out of synch with who they are and what they need.”
A research paper recently published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests a correlation between the increased academic pressure on young children and the significant increase in ADHD diagnoses (Brosco).
Coping skills, “stealth” assessments not the answer
Much of the literature on test anxiety focuses on how to help children cope with the stress. In contrast, PAA believes the cause of the stress itself must be addressed. No child should be exposed to prolonged, intense stress, which can inhibit brain function and take a toll on mental health.
PAA is not simply asking for an end to high-stakes, one-shot testing. Parents are demanding that no child be harmed in the assessment process. We know that test publishers and education entrepreneurs are already developing new ways to label, sort and profile students through high-tech devices now taking over classrooms. This may not create as much stress but carries other dangers such as:
Constant collection of student data via online websites, apps, and programs without parental notification.
Embedded or “stealth” assessments – students will not even be aware if their work is being used for high-stakes purposes.
A significant increase in the amount of screen time children are exposed to – the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a two hour per day screen time limit for children.
PAA has many other concerns about the misuse and overuse of standardized tests which we have detailed in previous position papers and fact sheets (see, for example, “Testing and ESEA,” and “Why More Standardized Tests Won’t Improve Education”).
Our full position paper with recommendations and endorsements can be found here.
Our one-page fact sheet on test stress is here and a downloadable pdf version of our position paper is here.
To learn more about testing or PAA, please visit http://www.parentsacrossamerica.org
or email us at info@parentsacrossamerica.org.
—
Interim Executive Director
Parents Across America
JulieW@parentsacrossamerica.org
http://www.parentsacrossamerica.org
Our children, our schools, our voices
Diane Ravitch's blog 
A bit off topic, but important, I think:
This morning I heard on NPR that testing is now beginning for students in public schools that measure emotional and social development, as a component of the standardized testing regime. The current pushback is apparently on the grounds that we don’t yet know how to do such testing effectively, and that punishing schools for scoring poorly on such tests is wrong.
This entire situation strikes me as being drastically wrong on so many levels, I don’t even know where to begin, although the very first thing that occurred to me was that such objections are implicitly accepting the idea that we should be testing these areas at all, what with testing data being attached to student’s records in perpetuity.
Do you have any information on this topic?
LikeLike
Perhaps the most important aspect in this questioning comes with the part where you mention that testing data is being attached to student records “in perpetuity.” It is beyond comprehension to figure out how we have allowed educational “leaders” to take us to a place where we now start labeling kids as failures as early as preschool — and then add this weight to their permanent (up in the cloud?) records. Why/how does ANYONE buy into the theory that if we viciously label and endlessly humiliate students or teachers, they will “improve?”
LikeLike
Jim, Here is a suggestion. Type in the term CASEL in your website.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). promotes stand-alone standards for SEL, ideally complemented by a school-wide integration of key themes and concepts.
Consultants from CASEL helped Illinois draft the first statewide standards for SEL–PreK to grade 12 in 2003. CASEL tracks the progress of standard-setting in other states, and evaluates various measures of SEL, and reports on outcomes from programs.
CASEL receives some federal funds but foundations support much of its work. Linda Darling-Hammond is on the Board of Directors and serves on the Research Advisory Group. Angela Duckworth is also a member of the Research Advisory Group.
Some current projects are here http://www.casel.org/research#current.
Initiatives from the Gates, Walton and 21 other foundations are aimed at including results from surveys of parents, students, and staff as part of a rating system to measure “school quality.” The surveys are intended to measure the social-emotional “climate” within a school as perceived by these groups, with additional measures of chronic absentees, expulsions, suspensions…all with disaggregated results by sub-groups.
The first high-profile surveys of this kind were used in a Gates-funded study called “Measures of Effective Teaching” (MET).The surveys were designed by an economist, Ron Ferguson. The current versions are marketed by Tripod. California CORE districts are scheduled to use surveys from Panorama.
The surveys for SEL are a growth industry, along with many teaching resources. For examples of these go the “brainology” website and meet the author at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0mgOOSpLU
For more, go to this example https://characterlab.org/character-growth-card#
The current initiatives for teaching are a combination of ideas from: (a) mental health professionals concerned about preventing drug abuse, bullying, and so on, (b) self-help gurus who think children not-yet-of-age can and should learn to “manage” their emotions and social relationships (be less dependent on adults), and (c) critics of public schools who want to add this “data” to rating schemes and steer families to “customer-friendly” schools.
If it is no obvious, I have serious reservations about the proliferation of “standards” for learning social emotional “skills.” Some overlap topics in health, civics, and social studies. Some were once the province of school social workers and school counselors.
The opportunities for data-gathering, with little or no security, are not trivial matters.
LikeLike
“. . .that testing is now beginning for students in public schools that measure emotional and social development. . . ”
Otra vez, ay ay ay ay frickin ay.
NO STANDARDIZED TEST MEASURES ANYTHING!!!
They may estimate, assess, evaluate, albeit usually quite poorly, some aspect of the teaching and learning process but that is not the same as to “measure” something. In order to measure anything one must first have an agreed upon standard that defines the item being measured and the measurement unit. There then must be a measuring device that has to be calibrated against that standard and a error of measurement determined as no measuring device nor the measurement itself is without error-that is a physical impossibility. It doesn’t matter whether it is a metrological standard or a documentary standard.
By claiming to measure those “traits” the proponents are pulling a fast one, trying to put lipstick on a pig and claiming it’s Marilyn Monroe. The proponents want all to believe that there is a science of assessment and that their work is “scientific” as scientific thought is definitely privileged in education discourse and society. For if there is an accurate Measure then the practices used in conjunction with the measure must by definition be just, right and good.
And that claim is WRONG!
And the practices are harmful, unjust, wrong and detrimental to many students except the very few who resist the subjugation to tyrannical thought*.
*tyrannical thought is any thought that is based on error and falsehood and that purports to be “the way things are” used in demanding certain behaviors of others.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
“High-stakes testing is doing children grievous mental and emotional harm. Parents Across America has gathered overwhelming evidence of the destructive psychological impact of test anxiety. For your children’s sake, read and be outraged!”
LikeLike
Unfortunately, a child’s well being has never been a consideration of the rheformists.
As parents and grandparents it is our job to educate the public and lobby for a kindler, gentler education system where our children can learn an age appropriate curriculum.
There is time enough later for them to deal with the stresses they will encounter as adults. In the meantime, let them enjoy their childhood. Let kids be kids.
Kudos!
LikeLike
Diane Ravitch,
I got the folloing from Pearson regarding a product they are pushing – non-verbal testing item. The enclosed is from the email
I wonder if anyone can help me determine if it is a solid, valid, reliable product. Has anyone in your blogosphere had experience with it?
jscheidell@comcast.net
No one wants advice — only corroboration.”
LikeLike
jscheidell
Please provide a name for the product and link to the Pearson product you want to know more about. Non-verbal tests have been around for a long time.
LikeLike
On the other end of the stress spectrum we see this: kids are over it. Homey don’t care. Ain’t nobody gonna do anything with this test anyway.
Teachers are pretty close to that same sentiment – except we know who gets hurt in the end: the only people who bother to trudge through this profession in the first place.
Please tell me there’s an end in sight.
LikeLike