A principal in New York told me the following story. He is
reliable. This is a true story.
He wrote to tell me that the state is requiring a student with Down syndrome to take the state’s new
Common Core test. It is an “alternative” test but just as “hard” as the regular test. She is almost certain to fail. Only 5% of students with disabilities passed the Common Core tests.
Then he told me an even more horrifying story. A child in his school has a rare
genetic disease that is fatal. His parents learned about it last
year, when he was in third grade. He has gone blind and deaf. He
has only months to live. The state demands documentation to excuse
him from state testing. The other children in the school are kind
to him. They hold his hand to help him maneuver the hallways.
The state is not kind. The state is cruel. The state loves testing, not
children. Is there even a touch of human kindness at he State
Education Department in Albany? Or are they blind, deaf, and
heartless as well? .
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Those removed from public school classroom reality have turned teachers and students into objects. Objectifying humans always produces atrocity.
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Definitely heartless–aren’t most bureaucrats?
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After 35 years of teaching at a state university my long held opinion is that the administrators are not only heartless but brainless, gutless and spineless. Try reading just the titles of their theses by which they obtained their PhDs.
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This nonsense must stop! To present I have been researching how CC will effect my kids–kids who don’t have disabilities. But, to read this heartbreaking story…CC seems to have no pathway for students with disabilities. Please tell me I am wrong. Have we gone backwards for these special kids?
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Because nothing makes for a good death like having failed a meaningless standardized test.
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Dienne: fourteen words. You used just fourteen words.
“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne]
Thank you for using those fourteen words for good.
🙂
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Collecting data is everything. Respect, dignity, and common sense are gone.
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“Collecting data is everything. Respect, dignity, and common sense are gone.”
The worst part is, this will damage PUBLIC schools. Most kids attend public schools. Most people believe that “reform” is being driven BY public schools.
The complaints I hear from parents about the ridiculous amount of testing are directed not at national reform celebrities and and the giant hordes of paid employees of reform orgs and astroturf organizations and reform-purchased political leaders.
You know where the anger and disgust is directed? At the same local leaders, teachers and principals who have been ignored and rolled over by the national reform movement. They’re held responsible for policy they don’t back and had no part in developing.
By allowing this to continue, public schools are being further weakened and damaged by the same reform movement that seeks to replace public schools with privatized entities. They’re shooting themselves in the foot.
If they want to save their schools, local leaders are going to have to refuse to adopt reform-mandated policies that damage the credibility of and trust in public schools. Arne Duncan, at one of his many, many, many appearances at charter school gatherings said “all charters have the same last name” so they have to protect their reputation.
Duncan never seems to give a thought to public schools, but I do. All public schools have the same last name. If they’re adopting these failing reform policies, parents’ assumption will be that they back them.
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Data is marketable …
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Yes, the kids are data, and data is for sale.
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This is not new. Here in good ole Ohio, when testing first began, I had a special needs student (she has learning disabilities) who lost her father the week before the state tests. the loss of this man was tragic and unexpected. The girl was in the 4th grade and she was devastated. We called the state dept. and asked for her to be exempt from the tests or at least have an extension so that she could have some time to heal. Nope. They had absolutely no sympathy. This incident happened about a decade ago, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how this nonsense is continuing.
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Aren’t instances of child abuse required to be reported?
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I have been dealing with these ridiculous tests and my child with Autism for years. She has never done well on them and they do not reflect how far she has come or what she has learned. This one size fits all mentality is not fair and they need to find another way.
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In California and N.Y. child abuse is physical, psychological and sexual. Looks like psychological to me. Just two weeks ago I took 20 new child abuse cases to the president of the LAUSD Board, Richard Vladavic’s office. For once these were treated with total respect for the parent and the 20 children involved. No one would listen to any of the mothers with children as young as 5. Originally, they came to talk to me about Title 1 financial fraud and brought documents. Just as soon as we were going to leave the young mother asked if she could talk to me. Yes. Then, with the attitude of a totally beaten down person who no one would listen to said to me in a voice like you won’t listen either but I have to ask and started to tell me about her 5 year old son being grabbed by the throat by the principal and had the nurses report of the injury. I immediately called her board members office and no one was there and I then immediately called Vladavic’s office talked to the secretary for 20 seconds and handed the phone to the mother. What usually would be a 2-3 minute conversation was 15-20 minutes and when over the look on that mothers face was precious. She was soooooo happy. Immediately their problem is being taken care of and I just checked through two methods including talking with the mother and they are sooo happy. Because the district took care of this business the parents just might not sue them. What was that worth in the future of these children, the way the district deals with these issues in the future and the savings of lawsuits. Just look at Miramonte. Thank you staff in Mr. Vladavics office and I just took them another one with 180 children being exposed to being toxic chemicals from a fire extinguisher blasted by a student in the teachers and students faces. The principal refused to call the paramedics or haz mat cleanup. Now the teacher is dying from the results and the district has fought for 13 years against her workmans comp. claim and those 180 students who were in the classroom and later in the day exposed and taken home in their clothes and such are now having physical health problems and they do not know why. We want them to find those students and check on their health and fix the problem for the teacher so she does not die in poverty. What is wrong with that. Once again thank you Dr. Vladavic and your staff.
We want administrators who break the child abuse laws to be prosecuted. The D.A. here said she would, now we want that.
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George,
You are right. Your words: “We want administrators who break the child abuse laws to be prosecuted.” is what definitely needs to happen and what many of us want.
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How incredibly tragic and barbaric. Personally, and I’m not being flippant here, when I first heard that the State of New York KNOWINGLY required standardized tests be given to children who had not been taught the full curriculum being tested, I IMMEDIATELY thought it was child abuse. Our little people are programmed to please adults, to do right, and to do well. After the months and weeks of prepping and filling in bubbles on practice tests in the classroom and for homework (as if that weren’t enough stress and tedium), I cannot imagine the psychic pain (and, for some, physical illness and pain) these kids endured — all at the hands of the government — when they sat at their little desks during the two weeks of testing and couldn’t fathom what was in front of them. School is everything to a little kid. It’s their job. It’s what they’re supposed to be doing. And for the government to purposefully inflict failure on them… well… that’s just too much to endure.
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I don’t understand these corporate barbarians. What alternative universe do they live in? The first word in IEP is ‘individualized’ NOT ‘standardized’. Anyone with sense could see the potential IEP violations from 10 miles high. They must be in denial about the culture of cruelty they impose on kids. Every new testing & accountability dogma they endorse is antithetical to what we know about teaching and assessing kids with disabilities.
Notwithstanding, using test scores as sorting mechanisms has revived antediluvian exclusionary policies based on disability. There is increasing acceptance in conservative think-tanks to segregate SPED kids from the mainstream. (Yes, I’m talking about Michael Petrilli – Fordham Institute’s foremost segregationist.)
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Based on things like this, can we finally call out the so-called reformers imposing these policies as the vicious SOB’s they are?
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“vicious SOB’s”??
You’re being nice!!
Acronym time: MFSAPHSH’s.
You don’t want to know Joanna!!
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I think I have figured out the “MF…SH’s.” I have some suggestions for “… SAPH….” but they don’t have that ring of authenticity.
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2o2t,
Realize I can be a really crude SOB. So I prefer let others figure it out for themselves.
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I appreciate your restraint. Besides it gets the creative juices flowing.
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What is happening here in NY regarding special needs students and CCSS testing AND Regents testing requirements for high school graduation should be a NATIONAL SCANDAL. A class action, civil law suit on behalf of the cogintively disabled students MUST be filed ASAP. It is systemic, psychological child abuse. Would someone out there with legal connections please help prevent further abuse. Comissioner King should be forced to administer the 18 hour long battery (6 days of testing) of CCSS tests to special education students – many of whom can barely read.
Heartless. Brainless. Gutless. All of them.
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I’m an attorney and I’ve been screaming out for a class action civil lawsuit for months. I also happen to think that there are a myriad (is a myriad?) of constitutional issues relating to NCLB and standardized testing in general. My problem is that I am unfamiliar with civil rights actions (I’m a former criminal defense attorney/prosecutor) and so do not know how to best serve “the class” (and goodness knows I do not need to set myself up for a malpractice action!). I volunteer to assist a TOP NOTCH competent civil rights attorney who is willing to take on these guys head on.
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. . . there are myriad constitutional. . .
Solves problem of number.
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Whichever way, we’re on the same side! “The noun myriad has appeared in the works of such writers as Milton (plural myriads) and Thoreau (a myriad of), and it continues to occur frequently in reputable English.” http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Myriad.html
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Deborah,
If you ever find that lawsuit, I volunteer to be an “expert” witness. I believe I have some insights into how this can happen. For example, I see the rewards and sanctions that accompany standardardized testing as discrimination in the same fashion as skin color and gender in that not all are endowed with the same levels of intellectual/cognitive ability but it cannot be “controlled” or chosen by the individual much in the sense that skin color and gender are not controlled by the individual.
Duane
P.S. I use myriad more as an adjective to avoid the number problem (and it shortens the sentence-something so prized in American English).
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Don’t know if that makes sense or not. I’m at PT conferences, been here since 6:45 a.m. and my brain is sizzled. Only 1 1/2 hours to go.
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Please, please, please, GO FOR IT. It’s a slam dunk legal case. The harm being inflicted is inclaculable. If NY takes the lead in legal action we can prevent this from happening throughout the rest of the country. Ask any special ed teacher who has administered thes exams for their personal horror story. The data alone should suffice: 95% “failure” rate across NYS – grades 3 – 8. And this craziness is goung to be uleashed on high school students soon.
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I guess I need to clarify… I did not mean to insinuate that I am currently working with a civil rights attorney as a volunteer. I was trying to say that I am now raising my hand to volunteer to assist a top notch experienced civil rights attorney. This thing is too big for someone without experience.
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You must have connections? I realize its too big for a former criminal defense lawyer, but this has to start some where.
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Try contacting ARC. They are a national disability rights organization. Maybe someone there can point you in the right direction.
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Here in Florida we had a teacher/caretaker whose “student” is a fellow born with barely more than a brainstem sent a letter of warning from the state because her student had not shown adequate yearly progress on the FCAT.
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This was the case (w/the video) reported by Valerie Strauss in “The Answer Sheet,” right? Too sad. A special ed. attorney in FL should have filed a lawsuit…and still can. This could set a precedent.
Also–haven’t you all read that Arne has pronounced that alternative assessments should be abolished, and that ALL special ed. students should be taking the state (in many cases, Common Core) assessments. And, purportedly, this has been defended by no less than Easter Seals and the National Council for Learning Disabilities, organizations that are claiming that parents want the bar “raised” for their children–if their kids don’t take these tests, then they are being “discriminated” against!
I would like to see the National Council for Exceptional Children refute this, and denounce Arne’s intents to do away with alternative assessments, rather than have these yearly “dialogues” with Arne, which are clearly NOT in the interest of IEP’ed students.
I ask–WHERE are the special ed. advocacy groups?
Here in Illinois, we have been fighting–through phone calls, e-mails, letters and in-person hearings testimonials–against the repeal of class size restrictions (for both self-contained and inclusive classes). Thus far, the overwhelming majority of the public has voiced opposition, and the IL State Bd. of Ed.–which had been poised to repeal the restrictions–postponed any such action in the face of such great opposition. So far, we’ve won this round!
However, like Arne, IL State Supt. Chris Koch insists on pushing his agenda (i.e., to “save” money…he’d rather it go to Pear$on).
As such, we’ll continue to fight back–yes, WE can…& we WILL.
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The testing is corporate machinery. It has no “heart.”
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As a special education teacher for the past 34 years, I must remind the “reformers” (standardized testing fanatics) that Special Needs Students have IEP’s for a reason – an IEP is a legal document that guarantees rights – I would think that included in that would be the right to be exempt from testing that assumes that disabled students should score at least as well as their non-disabled peers
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I think this should also apply to teachers whose livelyhoods are being threatened because they have special needs students within their classrooms. 50% of regular education class had some kind of classification. Needless to say that 50% did not pass AYP even though the testing showed that most made a year and a half growth.
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YUP. Due process violations all around… enough to boggle the mind (IMHO).
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Even New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL–considered to be one of the best in the country–“failed” to make AYP (special ed. subgroup, & they scored within points of making it, higher %ages than most of the other sp.ed. subgroups), & had an editorial about it in the Chicago Tribune several years ago–“New Trier’s ‘F’.”
Several other high-caliber schools met the same fate. And, as a result, parents received those “school choice” letters. Do you think even ONE New Trier parent flinched, declaring, “My child is going to a “failing” school–we’ve GOT to transfer him to ABC High School TOMORROW!”
Nope. Never happened. Not one student was pulled out.
No one cared.
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Commissoner King,
“Have you no sense of decency, sir.”
Resign now.
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Keep the heat on him. I’ve heard through the grapevine that a moratorium on APPR is possible. Send lawyers, guns, and money, its about to hit the fan.
KOMMISHINER KING = HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE.
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Why has no one looked into a class action suit against NYS, NYSED and the Federal DOE? If I knew how to initiate a law suit, I would be the first one do to it. Does anyone on this thread know how?
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The harm to students, teachers, and parents has been extraordinary.
I believe it is a legal slam dunk. The fact would leave 12 jurors slack-jawed in disbelief. The forces we’re fighting and hopefully suing are powerful. But they’re not as strong as the truth. They can’t possibly compete with parents love for their children.
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facts
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This is not happening just in NY. I’m a special education teacher in Tennessee. Though we have not fully implemented common core yet, the vast majority of our students with disabilities ARE required to take all the same multiple benchmark tests, constructive response assessments (to get us ready for cc), and TCAP.
Yes, they have accommodations, but to many of these sweet children, no amount of accommodations in the world can make up for the fact that they simply don’t comprehend the material on the test!!!! Not only is it several levels above their ability, their poor teachers have had no choice but to rush through one standard after another, due to the pressure of having all standards taught before THE TEST! You don’t have to be an expert of any sort to know that cramming in loads of information isn’t the best way for ANY person to learn and retain, much less a student with disabilities.
I always feel like an instrument of torture at test-time. Some kids don’t seem to let it bother them, some are able to do enough to have a sense of accomplishment, but those situations are much less common than: the child who cries and rocks herself to alleviate anxiety all throughout the tests, despite the fact that her parents and teachers have all reassured her we aren’t concerned with her score. SHE is concerned with her score. How cruel that a hard-working child should be subjected to hours of questions and problems which prove to her, again and again, that she CAN’T do it. I speak of one child, yet have seen reactions like this time and again.
Several comments mention lawsuits – I’m curious about this because I’ve had parents in the past ask me what they can do to spare their children the anxiety of taking the tests. From what they and I have been told, it’s not an option… our state requires that these tests be taken. I don’t claim to be an expert on this and would love to learn more.
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When child abuse occurs educators are required by law to notify child protective services. NYSED should be held legally accountable for their actions.
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How is it possible that 7 million page views have escaped the eyes of legal advocates willing to fight this de-fact child abuse? (esp. the learning disabled).
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de-facto
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I just adore Dr. Joseph Rella. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doIdGNNFqrg
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NY teacher, that’s a great question!!
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I saw this posted on FB tonight and thought I’d share. I won’t write the person’s name, but her initials are LL. I don’t want her to get into any trouble for posting. But, this is an accurate portrayal of what it happening right now in almost every classroom across the U.S.
“What’s on my mind, Facebook asks me? FIP, F & P, OTES, SLO’s, Growth plans, IAT’s ETR’s, TBT’s, BLT’s, DLT’s, Diagnostics, RIMP’s, OAA’s and we are DROWNING in paperwork! When do we teach kids? When do we take time to hug the child whose Mom just went to jail. Again. Or the one whose Mom just went to rehab and he now has to live with an Aunt or Grandma. or both — but who can remember which day is where? Or how about the child whose Dad is going to Kuwait for who knows how long, but he still needs to show a year’s growth in a year’s time on the teacher’s chart? This train is barreling over a cliff and no one can stop it until it crashes. Why my rant this morning? I didn’t even remember it was trash day today until I saw the neighbor’s trash cans outside. (Good thing I get up early for my jog!) What used to be a rewarding profession is quickly becoming something very different. Why can’t we learn from the rest of the world and fix how we do school? For instance — did you know that NONE of the successful educational systems in other countries expect all students to graduate by age 18? Most average graduation ages around the globe are around age 20! I think we might be the ONLY country that groups children by age/grade instead of levels of mastery? How about the fact that we are expecting 5 year olds to read when science tells us that the muscles in the eyes (particularly in boys) that are needed for tracking text do not develop fully until age 8? And then punishing teachers when they don’t? The frustration is that we are doing our best, yet only what is measured matters? How do you measure the power of caring? Please hug a teacher today. End of rant.”
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Criminal. When a state commits a criminal act, civil disobedience is a moral imperative.
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