Anytime you are tempted to think that informed citizens can’t stop the corporate reform machine, think of TAMSA.
Their organization, persistence, and intelligence has brought down the testing movement in Texas.
They are the Angry Moms of Texas.
TAMSA stands for Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment. But many in the media think of them as Moms Against Drunk Testing.
They did it. They brought down the machine.
Both Republicans and Democrats are listening to the Angry Moms of Texas.
So can you. Learn from them.
Imagine it: The Angry Moms of Indiana, of Michigan, of Florida, of Tennessee, of North Carolina, of Idaho, of Washington, of California, of Ohio, of Virginia, of Nevada, of every state.
Yes, you can.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Are the tests still being used to evaluate teachers?
Because this is great news for kids, but a situation where teachers are evaluated based on the outcomes of tests that students have NO reason to take seriously is not a “win” for teachers.
I know the media holds us to a standard where we’re ONLY supposed to care about the children, but…
Post Script:
There is a rising movement against using tests as a barrier to graduation here in Rhode Island, and I think it is ultimately going to win (there’s already a bill floating around in the senate somewhere that bans their use for this).
However, as a Rhode Island teacher who will be evaluated based on student test scores, it’s hard for me to see the ultimate removal of the test score graduation requirement as a “win”. It looks more like a pawn sacrificed by the corporate reformers in order to shut down parental ire, which I think they had hoped to see directed at teachers but has become directed at their system instead.
Ron, I couldn’t agree with you more. Removing the graduation requirements is a miniscule step in the right direction, and it does precious little to remove the atmosphere high-stakes testing has created in our public schools. I’m a Texas mom of a third-grader and a sixth-grader, and I am NOT satisfied that we have “stopped the testing beast.” I won’t be happy until lawmakers ditch Pearson altogether (and put the billions we spend on Pearson back into our schools), institute a MEANINGFUL way of assessing teacher performance and reinstitute an environment of discovery and true learning. It was the graduation requirement that drove the parents over the edge, but we’re organized now. We’ll keep fighting. This is only a small battle won in a much larger war.
The testing profiteers are watching TAMSA. It’s important for Texans to stop the testing nonsense since Texas is where it started. Parents are standing up to Pearson and the lobbyists with data related to the harmful effects of standardized testing.
Make the videos go viral –
Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA) in HPISD.
Important articles and the presentation are found at the website.
http://www.tamsatx.org/
In Valerie’s article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/30/who-allowed-these-big-boys-to-go-and-play-in-education-now-the-moms-have-to-clean-it-up/
she has this:
“Theresa Treviño, a child psychiatrist and Austin mother who helped launch the parent group, was quoted by the newspaper as saying:
Who allowed these big boys to go and play in education? Now the moms
have to clean it up, as usual.”
You’re grounded, big boys!
Theresa. . . the moms have to clean it up as usual.”
Sounds a tad sexist to me-ha ha. The problem is that it hasn’t all been the “big boys”.
In Texas, it’s the “big boys” – Perry, Sandy Kress, Bill Hammond and a few legislators. The boys on the inside have met their match with TAMSA moms.
Only a few on the http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2011/08/09/dallas-area-superintenden-loses-job/ would listen to Rhee’s nonsense- even in Texas. Read about happened to Hall’s assistant.
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2011/08/09/dallas-area-superintenden-loses-job/