Mercedes Schneider noticed something strange about the statement signed by 12 civil rights groups in opposition to the opt out movement.
It was endorsed by only 12 groups. But last January, a statement supporting annual testing was signed by 28 civi rights groups.
What happened to the other 16?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The other 16 opted out.
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From Mercedes post (last line): “When it came to signing that May 5, 2015, anti-testing declaration, these unsigned 16 simply chose to opt out.”
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Apologies, I didn’t read her post
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By the way, IMHO, this whole thing has reached absurd proportions.
Parents make the decision to opt their child out based on what they think is best for their child, not based on what some organization says.
If these groups believe otherwise, they are seriously deluded.
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Quite correct about the seriously deluded part. But then again I’m one who thinks that the vast majority of GAGA admins and teachers are seriously deluded (as shown by not challenging harmful practices) for all their beliefs in standards and standardized testing, and the “grading” of students.
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Thanks for the review.
For a variety of reasons, 16 groups may have recognized that their positions were wrong, PR problems, lack of information, etc..
The 12 may be entrenched in their opinions (wanting to avoid loss of face?), even as the profit-making, excessive testing universe unravels.
Or, as Schneider mentions in her piece, requests for signatures weren’t sent, the timing of returns was off.
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I think it depended on which organization leaders like Liz King enough to sign on. http://cloakinginequity.com/2015/05/06/whos-the-william-wallace-of-testing-jessedhagopian-or-liz-king/
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Good question Mercedes! Patty
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To make it acceptable for all civil rights groups, a viable alternative that takes us away from testing is essential. I support opt out, but also support accountability. And have implemented it in my public school back in 1995. It can be done!
Keep fishing
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“my public school”
You owned/own a public school?
Thoroughly agree with your last two word thought!
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I implemented it in Milwaukee Public Schools which I don’t own 🙂
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Everyone talks about standardized testing, but what form are they talking about. A criterion based test, written in the style and to the reading levels to which students have been exposed or a norm referenced test, the scores of which must fit a normal curve? I grant that the wide range of reading levels in the typical class demand a lot of different forms of evaluation, but not all standardized tests are equally poor. No matter what type of standardized tests are being discussed, they are hardly necessary every year to evaluate a school. And they certainly are meaningless in evaluating teaching. A teacher I know who received insufficient one year at a school of recent immigrants became highly efficient the next year when teaching in a high income area per the VAM model being used in the district.
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Those who support the “test” do so, in my humble opinion, because they want accountability. They may or may not know that the test is not a real measure of accountability. What they do know is no viable alternative is offered.
The point is, either we offer the viable alternative of some test crazed idiot will. The time is now!
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