Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, DC, warned students that anyone who did not take the DC tests would not be allowed to play in any athletic activities next year.
In addition, the school posted a table of prizes and raffle tickets that students could win every day they took the tests.
Says the school: “DCCAS Testing Schedule – We will be administering the DCCAS April 23-25, 2013 to all scholars that have been identified to take one or more of the assessments. Scholars who do not show for a required assessment will be pulled from their classes on April 26 and April 29-May 2, 2013. Any scholar who is required to take one or more of the DCCAS assessments and does not complete the assessment will NOT be eligible to participate on any athletic team next year.”
Please don’t miss the list of prizes that every student may win by taking the tests.
Do you think the school is worried about a massive boycott? Why else would they bring out the carrots and sticks? And who pays for all those mini iPads and gift cards?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And this one really tops it off.
“The scholar’s test scores will be reported on their report card and progress reports, so others will see the score. Colleges, employers, and other service providers will see this information and scholars will want to make sure they see a score that best reflects their abilities. There will be daily attendance incentives as well as incentives for students who earn proficient and advanced.”
Not sure Pete can do this, but hey. As we say in DCPS. “it’s for the children.”
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Here at my high school in Los Angeles, we set up a red carpet, and pretend to be papparazzi, taking pictures of the students as they enter the school on testing days. Every day of testing, teachers distribute raffle tickets to students, for the chance to win ipods, fast food gift certificates, movie tickets, cash, you name it. It’s disgusting, and I participate, because my principal expects me to.
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And my response as a kid would have been, “oh gag me”. The “paparazzi” alone would have been enough not to show up – and I actually used to like standardized tests (the once annual, no stakes tests we took, that is).
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I’d hole up in my room and not come out. I’ve seen that kind of crap before and refused to participate. But then I’m not a good team player you know, one who goes along to get along.
Now when I student comes in late to my class after being held over for the EOCs I yell out while bowing “All Hail the Testing Gods” a couple of times.
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@teacher.in.la- Unreal, simply unreal. People that dream up this type of coercion need to go back and take a few behavioral pysch classes.
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@tuppercooks – as well as exiting the profession.
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Prizes for taking tests? How kindergarten. How insulting. Actually, that would be insulting to kindergarteners. I think I’ll mail the administrators of Woodward High a few copies of some Alfie Kohn work.
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Bribe, threaten, and coerce. That is how they jump the shark when their policies are complete failures.
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I’ll say one positive thing for DC: They are showing the rest of the country how ridiculous and counterproductive these “reforms” are.
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I don’t understand why doctors can’t write a prescription for opting out. For one thing it would be better then writing a prescription for anti anxiety drugs to children, and for another thing it seems to me a district would have to abide by it because it came from a doctor. I would think most doctors would rather children not take a test that stresses them out then pump them full of drugs.
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Bribery works…especially effective when there’s not intrinsic desire or motivation. Just waiting for school funding to earmark bribery $$$ tactics in the future for compliance in taking tests. Or is that what happened in this case? Geesh!
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RALLY in NYC to “clean up” High Stakes testing mess. THIS Friday at City hall
CLEANING UP the MESS of HIGH STAKES TESTING and
Putting Back the ‘PUBLIC’ in Public Education
Our children are NOT a test score!
WHEN: Friday, April 26 at 4 pm*
WHERE: TWEED NYC Department of Education
52 Chambers Street
(4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge. N, R to City Hall. J to Chambers Street)
WHO: Families, Teachers, Children and Supporters of Educational Justice
WHY: Because private schools already said “NO!” to high stakes testing!
Because WE demand 180 days of learning!
Because schools should foster a love for life long learning.
Because positive relationships between schools and families are at the core of learning.
BRING SIGNS with YOUR VISION and DEMANDS for the SCHOOLS
we want OUR CHILDREN to be in.
Bring Mops, Brooms, Scrub brushes,
Buckets and cleaning supplies to Mop UP the MESS!
Bring #2 Pencils for us to transform them into a new vision of Public Education
JOIN Change The Stakes (www.changethestakes.org)
and Time Out From Testing (www.timeoutfromtesting.org)
*Rain Date: Tuesday, April 30 @ 4 pm
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I guess my first question is how the schools think they will be able to prevent students from effectively refusing to participate by simply answering “A” for every question or some such.
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Ah, I see above — by connecting the test results to their permanent records.
Well, it will be entertaining to watch the results of the corporate reformers throwing rocks at that hornet’s nest, I guess.
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Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
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I told my students that their rewards were the day we could say, “NO MORE TESTS!”
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Was this stunt pre or post the district being taken over by the lawyers?
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Wow. Hope I don’t get outed at my school. Yes, it is that bad. As a school, we are desperately trying to protect ourselves from our own district and state. We are frantically teaching to the best of our abilities, constantly looking over our shoulders, and begging the students to try harder on the tests. The fear? That we will be charterized. Now, the superintendent is going after all teachers who have been absent more than 6 1/2 days (the district average). The students have also figured out that they can take any teacher down that they choose, because lausd is terrified of child abuse, since the recent scandals. All a student has to do is to claim a teacher ogled him/her. Due process is dead. As for the red carpet? This will be our third year. Sheesh.
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So pathetic. When are the teachers finally going to rally together and just walk out? It’s all out of control. This is why every time I see Obama on tv now I cringe.
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I think teachers don’t walk out because they DO care about the kids. They don’t want them to be taught by endless substitutes. They want the kids to know they CARE. It is a dilemma for all concerned.
It is one thing for people to walk out or strike when they are making products, not dealing with people that they care about. In my district, teachers were often upset, true, but they usually put themselves as secondary to the needs of the kids.
People criticize teachers for striking or for not striking. We have been “in the middle” for most of our history!
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And what if all the best athletes decided to boycott? Are they really going to keep them off the teams? I doubt it, sports usually trumps all.
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No way. They’ll make every excuse.
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This testing madness is an ugly, ugly business.
Parents, opt you children out.
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Opt YOUR children out.
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http://news.yahoo.com/boycott-happening-chicago-time-isn-t-teachers-212009314.html
Kids are fed up!
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So why do these locals demand such idiotic policies?
Where does this type of thinking come from?
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Most astonishing, high school students not being tested are sent home to “do community service” or look for colleges. They essential put 100s of kids on the street, missing THREE FULL DAYS OF INSTRUCTION while their teachers monitor test activities!!!!
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That and the lunch seem to run counter to the DC Code of Municipal Regulations. I guess Wilson’s principal is a law unto himself. Some parents on a local listserv aren’t pleased. If this gets enough attention, then maybe things will change.
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I am in a K-5 school. My principal wanted to do the same thing. She wanted to give tv’s and video systems. My colleague said, “Don’t they already have enough of those?”
She also had a special lunch with the students who were close to passing. Figured she could get them to pass with lunch as a bribe. Guess what my other kids asked?
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