CNN: Excellent Reporting on Opt Out Movement Gone National

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1. SomeDAM Poet says:

   April 20, 2015 at 3:08 pm

   “For some reason, the defenders of high-stakes testing continue to say that the tests are helpful to our most vulnerable children,…After years of No Child Left Behind, in which no child was left untested, this is not a credible claim.”

   “Nonsense”

   If someone makes no sense
   Examine your surmise
   They might be simply dense
   But might be telling lies

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2. Ohio Algebra II Teacher says:

   April 20, 2015 at 3:09 pm

   Is The Reform Movement making an effort to make the tests diagnostic and timely? I know this wouldn’t address a myriad of other issues associated with the Common Core tests, but — other than their concern over keeping the test questions invisible — it wouldn’t seem like such a difficult thing to be “fixed.” [In no way do I mean for this to be an endorsement of the tests; rather, this is intended to understand future strategy of The Movement.]

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   • 2old2teach says:

     April 21, 2015 at 1:11 am

     There is no reason to believe that these tests are reliably or validly doing the rating and ranking they are intended to do. There is no “fix” that would turn them into valuable diagnostic tools. The product, CCSS, and the process by which they were developed have been criticized by top statistical organizations; the tests are supposed to be aligned with this questionable product. Even designing a companion, diagnostic instrument following proper protocols would be seriously flawed since CCSS was developed with a seriously flawed process.

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3. Laura H. Chapman says:

   April 20, 2015 at 4:25 pm

   I can’t speak for the reform movement. No one can these days because meanings of the term “reform” are thoroughly corrupted.

   There can be no doubt that these tests should just be scrapped, labelled a clear fiasco, and with apologies to students and educators and parents who have had the tests inflicted upon them. A return to taxpayers of the millions invested in them would be a good idea as well.

   Teachers can evaluate what and how well students have learned in many ways, including one-on-one conversations… and that is one of the best ways.

   There is absolutely no virtue in “stress tests” unless you want to prep students for enrollment in a military academy or think that kids are responsible for the global economy and better start fixing that now, starting in Kindergarten. The complete nonsense in rationales for testing must be disclosed.

   As Diane says repeatedly (and from an expert’s base of information), the National Assessments of Educational Progress serve the purpose of portraying how well students are doing in various subjects. Moreover the process of constructing those tests is a lot more transparent than that used for the PARCC and SBAC tests.

   CNN missed an opportunity to ask Melinda Gates why the Gates foundation was not investing in a full spectrum program of education like that provided to her own children…why their effort is to standardize American Education at the lowest level–paying homage to the 3Rs and these terrible tests as if these are some gold standard.

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   • Jared says:

     April 21, 2015 at 7:56 am

     I believe that the tests can have a diagnostic value, but not on an individual student level. Looking at the big picture of areas that students as a whole are weak on could offer some direction to a school to determine what areas of a curriculum could use more focus and on where they are doing well. The fact is, no one is perfect and no curriculum can ever be perfect because each group of students is different meaning every group will need some tweaks and changes in curriculum along the way. However, too much focus is given to these tests… diagnostic tests have always been around, and it was better before they were the end all be all of student and teacher evaluation.

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4. kate says:

   April 20, 2015 at 4:32 pm

   If I’m not mistaken, the video posted at top of CNN article is not right video for article. Oddly, it is about helicopter parenting and the dangers of “not letting your child fail.” Think that was mistake?

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5. Peter Smyth says:

   April 20, 2015 at 5:14 pm

   The word is apparently out to even local media that opt out is hot and it may not be wing nuts. Diane is getting info on a well-covered news conference we had this afternoon at the SC Department of Education.
   So it’s time to hit the media.

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6. Chris says:

   April 20, 2015 at 5:44 pm

   Outside of NY, since theearlier days of NCLB, there have been parents keeping children home during high stakes testing days. They may not have formally opted out with the child at school but not taking thetest, but resistance started long ago from parents. Additionally, a lot of the parents that either transfer to private schools or home school to avoid the year long pressure are opting out in a different way-they are just not in the statisics.

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7. lghiggins says:

   April 20, 2015 at 8:49 pm

   It doesn’t matter if the test taker is an English Language Learner, has disabilities, or is in a regular education classroom. These tests do not show what the student knows, but what the student does NOT know. How helpful is that?

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8. Mary DeFalco says:

   April 20, 2015 at 11:36 pm

   Through the years and in the different states I taught in, we always had an appropriate Standardized test administered if for no other reason than to see how the district as a whole was progressing and to note the weak areas that needed attention.

   Besides that annual standardized test teachers constantly assessed. Assessments inform teachers what needs to be retaught or reinforced. Assessments also inform the teachers of the instructional and frustration level of the students. Primary teachers assess the students instructional levels with various tests. The most informative is Marie Clay’s Diagnostic Reading test given to all kindergarteners at the end of the year or at the beginning of first. All primary teachers give reading tests at the beginning of the year to confirm the students’ instructional level. The adopted reading program has a testing/assessment program. Some schools use Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark System.

   As regards the teaching of higher order thinking skills we have always taught them and also developed the imagination – the most important critical thinking skill which the Common Core Standards does not address. It does not develop the application skill. Common Core does not teach all the critical thinking skills. It teaches the lower ranking skills of knowledge, comparing and contrasting.

   CC Standards are anchored in the Behaviorist approach: memorize and regurgitate in lieu of the three prong approach in the teaching of reading. The people who complied the CC Standards for the primary grades don’t even understand the meaning of some terminology and practices. CC totally misconstrues the meaning of scaffolding and even phonemic awareness. There was no literacy expert on the team so how would they know what the teaching of literacy entails. How can a test be constructed if the people who are constructing the tests have no idea what is involved with the teaching a subject or skill such as language arts.

   A major problem for all grades is the closed reading – negating the importance of background knowledge.

   People supporting CC and high stakes testing haven’t a clue what education is all about.

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9. Gordon Wilder says:

   April 21, 2015 at 1:48 pm

   Does one laugh, cry or vomit? What has this country become? Those who work the hardest for the general good are debased while those speculating with our money become richer and more powerful and push their agenda no matter what the outcome. One wonders how thoroughly debased some of these people have become. There are always differences of opinion but to so very obviously degrade that which is best in society is to kill that society.

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