Valerie Strauss describes what happened in Lee County last night when the school board voted 3-2 to opt out of state testing, and she reviews what the state might do in response.
She writes:
“The pushback from Lee County — the ninth-largest district in the state and the 37th largest in the country, with more than 85,000 students – is striking in a state that has been at the forefront of standardized test-based “accountability” systems that use student test scores to evaluate not only kids but their teachers, principals, schools and districts. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush was a pioneer in test-based accountability and he continues to support it around the country, even amid a growing revolt around the country by parents and educators against test-based school reform, which has led to narrowed curriculum, obsessive test preparation and other negative consequences. Reformers have insisted that test scores are a legitimate high-stakes evaluation tool, even though assessment experts have repeatedly said otherwise.
“The Lee County school board voted to opt public schools out of all state-mandated testing. That includes standardized tests that will assess the new Sunshine State Standards, which were “adopted” after Florida pulled out of the Common Core and set forth new standards that were very similar. According to Armstrong, the boycott also includes state-mandated end-of-course exams, which are supposed to be given starting this year in every course that does not have a standardized test attached to it. The end-of-course exams, however, can be locally designed, do not have to be standardized computer or paper-and-pencil tests and can include a range of options.
“Asked what the state Department of Education could do to the county for taking this position, he said Florida could withhold state funds from the country and take other action, including removing a member from the board. A summary of possible consequences for the county, issued by the county’s school district attorney, included a number of other potential consequences, including the possibility that high school students could not complete state requirements to graduate. You can see the entire list here.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
A school district in Florida opts out. Sixty thousand students/parents opted out of testing in New York last spring. The entire state of Washington opted out of Arne’s Folly. Shouldn’t individual teachers have the legal right to abstain from this educational malpractice?
Yes, considering how unethical and immoral the whole process is.
Time to make this happen.
A sincere congratulations to the school board. Thank you for taking a stand in the face of potential consequences. We need more school boards to take similar stands across the country. These tests do little for the students and can stifle the creative and vibrant cultures needed in school. Well done.
We were all there last night, at least in spirit, and it felt good, didn’t it. Nothing like kicking a brick out of the wall, from the inside – out. Lee County’s courage and vision will wiggle free now and reach out to district all over the USA. At least their vote will begin to tickle imaginations and incite conversations.
Hands Off
Don’t Mandate.
Who is Armstrong?
Armstrong is a member of the board.
The decision was not only reckless, illegal and against School Board policy, it jeopardizes every child in Lee County that were entrusted into the care of this School Board. The 3-2 vote, was without any direction or plan on how to move the District forward and creates a huge disruption in our school system that directly impacts all our children in a negative way. Contrary to the rumors, the vote did not stop Common Core. It didn’t even properly address the problem of excessive testing in our local schools. Due to a lack of information and the complexity of the problem, the public is confusing “excessive testing”, “high stakes testing”, and “Common Core”, and using them interchangeably. They are all related, and even intertwined, but are distinctly different. The excessive testing problem that parents, teachers and administrators are rightfully complaining about are, to a large part, a local problem, that could have been fixed locally, without jeopardizing our students. Since a majority of the tests currently being administered are a result of local directives, the School Board could have addressed a majority of the “excessive testing” problem in a much more efficient and less disruptive manner than the action performed last night.
The Common Core issue, which is truly the systemic issue across the state and nation, needs to be fought at the local, state and federal level and will take a concerted effort to be effective. By working through the SW Florida Consortium of School Boards, the LCSB could have wielded greater power with less risk to our students. The SWFL Consortium is comprised of all coastal districts from Charlotte to West Palm (that constitutes 70% of the student population in the state), and many of the Boards whom are expressing the same concerns as Lee County. This group, acting in unison, would have forced the state into action without putting our students in harm’s way by acting alone.
As for Common Core, a new law, put into effect this year, gave this School Board the authority to take complete control of the local curriculum. Even though this Board did nothing with this new law, this avenue should have been embraced and utilized to eradicate Common Core material from Lee County. Once that was accomplished, the alignment of an assessment that measures locally controlled curriculum could have been locally developed. Only then would an argument against the state testing standard be valid and appropriate. To simply stop using the state tests when we are still teaching the state standards (“Common Core”) with Common Core filled state curriculum is ill-advised and without any rational basis or foundation.
As a result of last night’s action, Lee County students now stand on the train track poised to be run over while the reckless “Band of 3” play politics at the behest of our children. Florida Statute states that “all actions of district school officials shall be consistent and in harmony with state laws and with rules and minimum standards of the state board”. This blatant violation of state law jeopardizes our children in ways that, by their own admission, the three Board Members have not even contemplated. Writing letters to legislators and the Governor, demanding action after the die has been cast is foolish and irresponsible with the impact falling directly on our students.
The unintended and unknown consequences created by a public policy board making decisions based on emotions may result in irreversible damage to graduating seniors, loss of coveted academic programs (Cambridge, International Baccalaureate, Microsoft, etc.), and disastrous financial consequences. One of the Board Members was quoted that “it takes courage” to make support a decision like this one. It is not courage when it is not you that suffers the consequences of your actions.
In sum, the three Board Members voted last night for political gain and chose to gamble with my daughter’s future and the future of everyone else’s children without any plans on the next step in the saga. I am frustrated with this reckless behavior and pray for our teachers and our children.
Now if two districts do it, two districts . . .
“. . . walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick and
they won’t take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and
. . . friends, they would think its a movement!
. . . the anti-student massacre movement
(and that’s pronounced massacre)
massacreee
Perfect!!!
While we’re on the 60s protest song theme . . . (Still looking for the the video)
FIXIN’ to TEST RAG
Gimme a T . . .”T” gimme an E . . . “E” gimme an S . . .”S” gimme another T . . .”T”
What’s that spell?
School!
What’s that spell?
School!
What’s that spell?
School!
Yeah come on all of you teachin’ folks
Billy Gates wants your hearts and souls
He got himself a brave new plan
Makin’ him the big money man
So put down your books and pick up a test!
We’re gonna rate ‘em worst to best
And it’s one, two, three,
What are we testing for?
Don’t tell me, I don’t give a damn!
Common Core’s just a testing scam!
And it’s five, six, seven, cashin’ in with Mister Gates!
Ah, they don’t know poems, they don’t know math!
Whoopee! They all better pass
Well come on Pearson you’d better move fast
Your big chance has come at last
Gotta go out and write that test
Only trick items – a white hot mess
You know that kids should never have fun
Let’s test ‘em all to Kingdom come
And it’s one, two, three,
What are we testing for?
Don’t tell me, I don’t give a damn!
Common Core’s just a testing scam!
And it’s five, six, seven, cashin in with Mister Gates!
Ah, they don’t know poems, they don’t know math!
Whoopee! They all better pass
Well come on Wall Street, don’t move slow,
Its school deform lets go, go
There’s plenty good money on the way
By supplying schools with tests today
Just hope and pray that when the students bomb,
They drag all their teachers along.
And it’s one, two, three,
What are we testing for?
Don’t tell me, I don’t give a damn!
Common Core’s just a testing scam!
And it’s five, six, seven, cashin in with Mister Gates!
Ah, they don’t know poems, they don’t know math!
Whoopee! They all better pass
Now Soccer moms throughout the land
Pack your kids off to test again
Come on fathers, don’t hesitate,
Send em off before it’s too late.
Be the first one on your block
To know your kid’s dumb as a rock
And it’s one, two, three,
What are we testing for?
Don’t tell me, I don’t give a damn!
Common Core’s just a testing scam!
And it’s five, six, seven, cashin in with Mister Gates!
Ah, they don’t know poems, they don’t know math!
Whoopee! They all better pass
“The decision to opt out is an act of civil disobedience”…………….not so!
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
Howard Zinn
If only Zinn’s history of the US was taught in high school.
I totally agree with this. Teachers tend to be a mild bunch but believe me, that is changing.
Those kids can do what my kid did….he dropped out in 11th grade, took the GED(he was way over qualified so he ended up with a state high school diploma), and started right away at the local community college. Florida has a 2 plus 2 rule so once he graduated from Miami Dade College with an AA he was accepted into FIU. He graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Asian Studies. Also, he graduated with honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
The Declaration of Independence sent to King George in 1776 was an act of civil disobedience. It was followed by the American Revolutionary War from 1775-1783.
Many people were willing to risk all and sacrifice to stand up against what they saw as tyranny and injustice.
Today, with this war being waged against democratic public education, we are facing Emperor Bill Gates, the power behind the White House.
Arne Duncan and President Obama are only two of his generals.
Around the world civil disobedience has been opted for when tyranny gets so bad that it has become intolerable. As someone noted above that was the belief that instigated our Revolutionary war. It seems that only with civil disobedience is progress made in important areas, voting rights for ALL citizens, the right to attend good schools by ALL citizens etc etc. Sad when we are taught to believe that our country believes in democratic principles.
Check this letter out from an Illinois Superintendent! What a hero: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-peru-illinois-common-core-letter-20140828-story.html
I’m so glad to see this news. I am so tired of hearing how our school district is “unpacking” the standards and rewriting curriculum to align with the Common Core. If anyone can make something positive come out of this exercise, they will, but it such a monumental waste of time and energy just so the federal government can track data that does nothing to help teachers or schools educate children.
Now is the time for the parents of Lee County to stand together against the state. I am confused though. Didn’t the Board members consult the county lawyer first to see if what they wanted to do was even legal?? If not that was a bit irresponsible. I believe a boycott of testing by the parents might have been a better route to take.