Jack Hassard, emeritus professor of science education ay Georgia State University, describes what happened when a family in Marietta decided to opt their child out of state testing. Their school used scare tactics, threatening to have them arrested. They stood their ground, and the school backed down.
Hassard contacted parents in Texas who told him of the bullying tactics in Austin schools, all intended to raise scores. The Austin superintendent has been hired by Atlanta. Hassard says the Opt Out movement is strong and growing stronger in Texas.
Georgia has just contracted with McGraw-Hill for $110 million to design new tests for Georgia. Hassard says all this testing is unnecessary. Georgia could learn all it needs to know sbout its students either from NAEP or by administering no-stakes, sampled tests like NAEP.
Hassard concludes:
“If high-stakes testing is revoked, we will make one of the most important decisions in the lives of students and their families, and the educators who practice in our public schools. Banning tests, throwing them out, eliminating them, what ever you wish to call it, will open the door to more innovative and creative teaching, and an infusion of collaborative and problem solving projects that will really prepare students for career and college.
“Making kids endure adult anger is not what public education is about. Why in the world are we so angry and willing to take it out on K-12 students? Why do we put the blame on children and youth, and if they don’t live up to a set of unsubstantiated and unscientific standards and statistics, we take it out on teachers?
“The best thing for students is throw the bums (tests) out. The next best thing will be for teachers because without standardized test scores, there will be no way to calculate VAM scores as a method to evaluate teachers.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Austin has one of the longest running pay for performance operations It is a version of the first biggie in Denver. The pressure to raise scores at the district level has a paradoxical result when teachers do comply with the must-do lists and raise scores. Then the district owes them money and the superintendent begins to look like a spendthrift. Over time, every one learns to conform, the variability in scores decreases, the “worst” teachers have been fired, and the marginal difference on which the whole system depends is gone. Time for more testing, more rigorous testing, test em till the you can restore the “spread” required for this process to be affordable. Georgia is becoming a pay-for-performance state.
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See also the Network For Public Education’s Call for Congressonal Hearings on the Overtesting and Misuse of Test Results: http://bit.ly/1nCAa2r
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“Hassard says all this testing is unnecessary. Georgia could learn all it needs to know sbout its students either from NAEP or by administering no-stakes, sampled tests like NAEP.”
Now let’s take a look at that statement. No doubt that all “this testing is unnecessary”, it is also COMPLETELY INVALID and UNETHICAL and causes much harm to the most innocent, the students.
“. . . all it needs to know. . . ”
And the $64 question is: What makes up the “all”? How does one know if whatever makes up the “all” is valid?
Help me out folks, What makes up the “all”?
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I absolutely love this comment!!!! It made my heart sing. I wish this attitude would spread.
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the push back from the public schools indicates that that the opt out movement is picking up adherents and steaming forward. the public schools are using desperate fear tactics to scare parents into compliance. one wonders if the scare tactics and threats by the public schools are legally actionable. after all, school are acting in the roles of agents of the state and the state may, in fact, be responsible for the actions of its agents. the public schools are akin to a pack of running dogs and should be so treated for their reprehensible detestable actions
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I can say from personal experience that the “scores” are ripping my department apart. Last year two-thirds of our group were shuffled between grades because of low test scores. Result, even worse scores this year. All I can say is that failure begins at the top. Ugly comments have been made, morale could not be lower.. The students are beginning to check out.
Is it worth it all?
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“Is it worth it”? Ask the simple question: who benefits from this policy? Those who would inflict damage on the public schools and its students and engender the growth of charter schools.
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exactly!
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Opting out has been a very useful tool to draw attention to the obsessive focus that Austin ISD places on test scores. Unfortunately, we have made little progress in improving the quality of instruction at our neighborhood schools. Worksheet packets are the primary instructional tool and listening to the teacher is the only mode of learning. Struggling learners who don’t measure up are shamed, ostracized and excluded from “incentive trips”. Our city continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, yet Austin ISD’s student population is shrinking by at least 1,000 students per year.
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Why do we need a new test? Just use the ACT for Juniors and seniors. Is this the purpose of the ACT? College readiness? Now all of the money we just saved can help teachers prepare great lessons! Too simple? Any NPE people going to Denver for the NEA RA? Maybe we could get together and discuss ideas for meaningful change that improves our students school experiences? Real learning? Critziii@yahoo.com
By the way, if you are a progressive Principal looking for a Great High School to lead into the future, please look into Troy High School in Fullerton Joint Union HSD in Fullerton California ASAP. I do not teach there but they need a New Principal and it us one of the highest performing high schools in the Nation! Please consider applying ASAP.
Thank you.
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I chose to opt my dd out of the NYS tests this year, and was told by her teacher, that in all her 27 years teaching, she had never encountered such. There is always a first! The administration literally had no clue how to handle the situation, nor were they pleased with this news. That was in January. As testing season approached, and I had not heard from them, I wrote a letter to the administrators. It was very respectful, but very straightforward in advocating for my right to opt out. I noticed an immediate change in the administrator’s dealings with me. I feel that they actually improved. I think the letter demonstrated that my decision was well-informed, well researched, and I was citing my constitutional rights to direct my child’s education. Her whole demeanor changed. I was very grateful for this change, as her initial attitude was “well, she’ll just have to be absent during testing and makeup testing.” I was very nervous that she would be subjected to sit and stare policies that many schools have employed to punish these children. I am happy to say that she was not. I was SO pleased to see on April 1st, the first day of the test, a New York Times article about opting out – due to so many of us choosing this path. Little ripples can become big waves.
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