The revolt against the inappropriate use of standardized testing is spreading in Seattle.
Teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle voted not to administer the MAP test and to support their colleagues at Garfield High School.
“Whereas
The MAP test is a resource expensive and cash expensive program in a district with very finite financial resources,
The MAP test is not used in practice to inform student instruction,
The MAP test is not connected to our curricula,
The MAP test has been re-purposed by district administration to form part of a teacher’s evaluation, which is contrary to the purposes it was designed for, as stated by its purveyor, making it part of junk science,
The MAP test has also been re-purposed for student placement in courses and programs, for which it was not designed,
The MAP test was purchased under corrupt crony-ist circumstances (Our former superintendent, while employed by Seattle Public Schools (SPS) sat on the corporation board of NWEA, the purveyor of the MAP test. This was undisclosed to her employer. The initial MAP test was purchased in a no-bid, non-competitive process.)
The MAP test was and remains unwanted and unneeded and unsolicited by SPS professional classroom educators, those who work directly with students,
The MAP test is not taken seriously by students, (They don’t need the results for graduation, for applications, for course credit, or any other purpose, so they routinely blow it off.)
The MAP test’s reported testing errors are greater than students’ expected growth,
The technology administration of the MAP test has serious flaws district wide which waste students’ time,
Therefore
We, the undersigned educators from Ballard High School do hereby support statements and actions of our colleagues at Garfield High School surrounding the MAP test. Specifically, the MAP test program throughout Seattle Public Schools ought to be shut down immediately. It has been and continues to be an embarrassing mistake. Continuing it even another day, let alone another month or year or decade, will not turn this sow’s ear into a silk purse.
Ballard High School teachers
Diane Ravitch's blog 
More encouraging news out of Seattle! I hope this spreads like wildfire, from Seattle to other cities and towns in Washington, and then throughout the nation.
Yes, Seattle blazes the trail to stand up against overuse of testing which has exploited teachers, students and taxpayers.
Teachers like these make me proud to be in their company and feel like maybe their is hope for the children of our nation.
I was pleased to learn, thanks to Diane Ravitch, that the head of the principals’ association here in NC came out against testing last week. Ironically, my state superintendent just announced that NC will be paying (millions, I assume) Pearson, a British company, to create tests that I and other NC teachers will have to give. NC is a nightmare to teach in right now. There have never been unions, so teachers have always been asked to do things administration could never get away with in a union state, but every work day this year is devoted to Race to the Top. My next semester begins on January 23 and the work day on the 22nd is occupied with RttT instead of finalizing my grades or planning for new students and courses. One of our RttT workshops involved using string, tape, spaghetti, and marshmellows to construct something. We also watched 30 second Disney/Pixar clips which were referred to constantly as “authentic texts.” I have been teaching English since the 1970s, and I have never seen anything like the direction public schools are going in now. I know Ms. Ravitch is strongly against charters, but I am for anything that is exempt from this madness that has over-taken public education. Public education is apparently for sale, and teachers and students are the victims. Like the Titanic, I am not sure it can be saved.
I’m still chuckling. We had to do the marshmellow, spaghetti, tape exercise several years ago. So innovative! Did you win? I think we were competing (in teams, of course) for the tallest building. Since they terminated me, I have to say I missed the Disney/Pixar clips on authentic text. We should start a discussion on stupid activities we have been subjected to in professional development (although I rather like Disney/Pixar videos).
But think of the excitement when the participants role-play pineapples and hares attempting to use marshmallows, spaghetti and tape! Part of the fun will be pitting the teams of fruit and animals against each other, all in an effort to Race to the Finish Line First! Trash talk is essential because ROI [return on investment] requires winners and losers, so making the other side lose its psychological bearings is good preparation for being not just a manager, but a world-class Educator Beater, er, Education Leader.
A very large part of your rating will be based on how effectively you demoralize your opponents. [See John Deasy of LAUSD for Trash Talk, grad courses.] For example, how strong an insult would it be for a hare to sneeringly ask a pineapple, “How many tricks do you have up your sleeve? Sleeve! Get it? Harharhar.” Or the response: “See you in the next fur coat! Get it? Harharhar!”
Of course, the only losers will be students, parents, and our country—and most unfortunately as collateral damage, our sense of humor. But hey, they had no other choice than to destroy our country in order to save it.
🙂
Does anyone know how much these MAP tests cost? They seem to be everywhere and I am curious what a typical district pays each year, and is this an annual or one-time cost? Fortunately I retired and never had to deal with this nonsense, but sure am proud of Seattle!
Dear Ballard and Garfield High School Teachers in Seattle,
Your proclamations ring true as patriots of public education!
Your proclamations proclaim our right as educational experts to independently stand up, and let our voices ring loud and clear for integrity, authenticity and educational expertise in our teaching practice.
Your proclamations are just what our country needs to build the precursor to a new Declaration of Independence for Public Education!
Most importantly, your proclamations show our students that we will stand up for them and be strong role models in fighting for what we know is best in creating quality educational experiences and lessons for our kids.
Quite simply, when something is wrong, we do everything in our power to “make it right.”
That’s what we teach our students, that’s how we practice our profession and that is how we live our lives.
Thank you for standing up for our children, thank you for standing up for our profession, thank you for standing up for public education.
Thank you all for your courage and conviction.
Teachers across America stand with all of you!
Maureen Reedy
Parent & 29-year public school teacher
Columbus, Ohio
THANK YOU for highlighting this story. An enlightened few in my district have not been drinking the MAP Kool-aid and we are reprimanded for questioning it. Diane, the points you highlighted from the article are spot on.
If you like the MAP test, sit down with your state standards and take the test. You will need a garbage can to vomit in. Many districts use it inappropriately to measure student learning and growth, as well as teacher effectiveness. Shameful.
If you read this, please ask questions about this test’s purpose and alignment. State testing is bad enough, but this test is worse in that it is so disconnected from what happens in the classroom. It’s a joke.
Over the years I have examined this test, and can’t believe how easily its results are accepted as gospel truth. KEEP LOOKING INTO IT. You will be amazed at what you find.
MAP test background in Seattle.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/part-4-high-stakes-testing-the-consequences/
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/15-reasons-why-the-seattle-school-district-should-shelve-the-map%C2%AE-test%E2%80%94asap/
Teachers like you make me feel proud, and that is not a feeling I have often anymore. If administration and government would just get out of our way and let us teach as we (the experts) know how to, the world would be amazed. We all stand behind you, Seattle! We have been suffering with MAP for several years and have added a third test each year. Keep up the good fight!
Even I applaud this action. A good precedent for everyone, especially in light of the conflict of interest of the former super.
Some may have breezed by the line, “The MAP test’s reported testing errors are greater than students’ expected growth” but that is one of the best arguments against the slavish attachment that administers have for the MAP tests… So many admins do not have a background in mathematics so they do not understand the concept of statistical “margin of error.”
In the years I gave the MAP tests to my science students the margin of error was + or – 4. My admins didn’t seem to understand that meant that the ACTUAL score could be 4 points higher or 4 points lower than the numerical score that the student received… Student growth was expected by MAP charts to be 1 or 2 points… If the error is larger than the expected growth, the numbers are basically too uncertain to be used for anything specific.