Over 100 teachers in Toledo demonstrated in front of school district headquarters, asking the district to opt out of the PARCC tests.

Teachers said there was too much testing and it is used punitively, not to inform instruction.

Categories Ohio, Opt Out, Resistance, Standardized Testing

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flos56 says:

March 25, 2015 at 8:45 pm

In the Ken-Ton School District (a suburb of Buffalo) the School Board voted to consider opting the entire district out of the assessments and/or using the results of these exams to evaluate teachers.
Ellen #AtLast-DecisionBasedOnReality

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- Mamajj says:
  
  March 25, 2015 at 8:48 pm
  
  That’s great news out of Buffalo! I hope they do more than “consider” it but at least it’s a start.
  
  Reply
  - flos56 says:
    
    March 25, 2015 at 10:17 pm
    
    Don’t celebrate just yet. We have Carl Paladino from the Buffalo Board of Ed who wants to fire the interim superintendent for having the kahunas to nix the charter school option to improve failing schools. The fact that these charter schools simply wanted to take over the buildings and not deal with any of the current student population was an issue that was recognizable to everyone but the majority board members (who just didn’t care).
    
    We don’t need to watch soap operas – we attend the Buffalo Board of Education meetings for entertainment. Go to uTube for some interesting viewing.
    Ellen #FamiliarWithDisfunctionalSchoolBoards
  - booklady says:
    
    March 25, 2015 at 11:05 pm
    
    Ellen, Your comment re Buffalo Board meetings resembling soap operas is so apt. In NJ, we find the latest–and sometimes unbelievable installments–when we read Bob Braun’s Ledger and Jersey Jazzman. NJ Spotlight, Daniel S Katz, Ani McHugh, Marie Corfield also keep us apprised of the good/bad guys.
  - flos56 says:
    
    March 25, 2015 at 11:15 pm
    
    Book lady – in the 1800s, Buffalonians used to go down to the waterfront to witness hangings. Now we go to the waterfront to watch Board Members toss out speakers who disagree with their proclaimed “status quo”.
    
    At this moment they are in closed session to determine if the superintendent (who has already said he’s leaving at the end of the year because they don’t pay him enough to deal with this nonsense) should be immediately replaced.
    Ellen #DramaChaosAndDystopiaAllRolledIntoOne
  - Donna says:
    
    March 25, 2015 at 11:31 pm
    
    @Flo – isn’t it amazing that the charters want to come in, start fresh and clean with their “lottery” of 1st and 2nd grader? Then, they want to add a grade at a time. Isn’t that just wonderful? They do not serve all the kids, they have to serve all the kids at the same time, they don’t have to hire certified teachers and the administrators of the schools get these sweetheart deals. It blows my mind how they are not only allowed but encouraged to get away with this nonsense, all on our dime.
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    March 25, 2015 at 11:33 pm
    
    When you think of charters, think of a dual school system: One that gets to choose its students and remove those it doesn’t want, and the other, which must take all students, including the ones kicked out by the charters.
  - Robert Rendo says:
    
    March 26, 2015 at 12:13 am
    
    Yes, Diane.
    
    And when students get kicked or “counseled” out of the charters and return to public school, GUESS who gets to, by law, keep their funding?
    
    H-m-m-m-m-m . . . . . .
Sad Teacher says:

March 25, 2015 at 8:48 pm

Someone has to stand up for our kids. I’ve never seen anything like the misery this has caused on students, teachers, and parents. The tests are poorly constructed, worthless in helping our students, and are created solely for the purpose of corporate greed.

I am so sad that my school year was filled with this worthless nonsense. My students learned so much less this school year. Learning has completely gone down the drain to make room for the PARCC monster.

Watch out! The PARCC monster will devour all of your instructional time and completely drain your classroom of the joy of learning. It is a very sad scene to observe.

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Chiara says:

March 25, 2015 at 9:03 pm

Wonder what the superintendent thinks. He’s a local public school grad and he was a teacher:

“Mr. Durant, 37, an East Toledo native and graduate of Waite High School and the University of Toledo, has been with TPS since 1999, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal before moving to district administration.”

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2013/04/09/TPS-board-chooses-Durant-as-interim-superintendent.html#4po70mZhoAPccaGV.99

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Yvonne Siu-Runyan says:

March 25, 2015 at 9:31 pm

Good for these 100 teachers. Too bad there weren’t more.

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Chiara says:

March 25, 2015 at 10:03 pm

The new Ohio testing committee has a website.

Public schools are adequately represented and there are no national ed reform lobbying group members on the committee, which is a welcome change.

http://sact.ohiosenate.gov/about/committee-members

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