I received this email from a parent leader in Seattle:
Hello all,
We are in need of advice in Seattle.
This spring the SBA was rolled out in grades 3-8, 10 and 11. We were delighted to learn that there were many opt outs across the Seattle School District, as well as in every corner of the State. We formed the Seattle Opt Out Group in Dec. 2014 and have worked tirelessly in the first half of 2015 to inform parents about opting out and the problems that high stakes standardized tests bring with them. We plan to continue our efforts in earnest over the summer and into the next school year.
Yesterday, however, we learned of an event that has us quite alarmed, and we want to proceed in as informed a manner as possible.
Apparently at a Seattle middle school the principal forbade students who opted out of the SBA to attend a year-end school carnival last Friday.
A parent reached out to us and sent us this note:
Here is my daughter’s experience with being excluded from the Denny Carnival last Friday.
During the last period of the day, my daughter was summoned to the vice principal’s office. She waited for about twenty minutes and was then invited into the office. The vice principal informed my daughter that two of her teachers had emailed her earlier in the day to inquire why she was not on the approved list for the carnival because she had outstanding effort grades(all A’s in effort as well as academics). The vice principal then informed my daughter that she may be able to write a letter of appeal, but she would let her know if that was possible by the end of the period. She explained that she had to follow the rules which were that only students excused from the SBAC for medical reasons would be allowed to attend the carnival. Students who opted out would not be allowed to go because they did not follow the rules.
My daughter then returned to her classroom to wait. Her teacher read a list of students who were allowed to go to the carnival and she was not on the list. She was then sent to a another teacher’s room to do homework with the other students who weren’t eligible, mostly due to behavior infractions. After 30 minutes, she was informed that she could write a letter of appeal.
My daughter was very upset and disappointed, but she knew that her teachers supported her and that this was just an unfair rule.
We would appreciate any guidance as to how we should proceed. It has been suggested that this is a case of the principal violating student discipline policy. Have you heard of a punitive measure such as this occurring elsewhere in the country and, if so, can you describe to us the route of action that was taken? Any advice is welcomed by us!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I don’t know how this family should proceed. If it were my daughter, I might very well be at the local gun shop, even though I’m very anti-gun.
But I do know what the students of this school need to do. Every single one of them needs to decide that if they can’t all go to the carnival, then none of them will go. Those carnivals make an awful lot of money for someone. If students are going to be punished, they should turn that punishment right back around.
Contact a lawyer.
Contact a lawyer?? Really? No wonder our society is so mess up. Take the kid out for pizza and let her know standing up for what is right is not always easy but it must be done.. Then send her to school with her letter opting out for next year. And lets hope 100 other parents do the same thing. That is how responsible Americans handle their issues. Not by hiring a lawyer.
Take her out for pizza, tell her to stand up, send the letter – then contact a lawyer.
Society is messed up because people are more interested in finding the lost remote in the couch than understanding issues and getting out to vote.
I agree with your premise. Screw a lawyer they are parasites that are allowed to work under an immoral and corrupt paradigm taking advantages of loopholes without regard for ethics with the sole purpose of enriching themselves in mind and as a result in my eyes that makes them no different from a politician.
I like this one. Her parents should forget about legalities. Celebrate her courage by doing something better than some carnival!
Of course, you make a good point.
May I point out, that this is precisely why these principals from hell can do what they do. I ran. I didn’t sue, but I should have for the malicious behavior that ended my career just as I became a celebrated educator. I hardly had the resources because I was thrown to th dogs just before my longevity raise kicked in, so I was making gallon 58k.
I know that David Pakter and Walter Porr sued in nYC. Both lost years of their lives, david lost half a million dollars, but won his case. Of course, fe w of you know of these teachers, or Karen Horwitz who sued in Chicago and runs th eNAPTA site, and wrote “WHITE CHALK CRIME,’ self publishing it so the story of the corruption and the proof the criminality was laid bare.
If you are unaware of those teachers, like Lorna Stremcha who lost their life’s savings to fight back, THAT, my dear colleagues IS the issue.
Surely, in this day when Jaimie Dimon can walk away with billions, after the destruction he allowed to defend on the public, you can see that the behavior is only a matter of degree. This principal did what he did, BECAUSE HE COULD!
He expects parents to back off, and teachers to lick their wounds, because IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO SUE.
No accountability for their crimes ensured that there will be another financial crisis, because these charlatans will surely do it again.
NO accountability for their actions, not merely such low-level machinations as this sick puppy foisted on the children and parents, has allowed top a administrators to not merely mandate anti-learning curricula, it has allowed them to dictate as if they were lords of a fiefdom.
This, by the way, was told to me by the chief union re in Manhattan, when I complained about the total abrogation of my civil rights. “You teachers let them be petty dictators.”
Darvo
With all due respect, I knew civil rights lawyers—the real deal.
Get a good lawyer, preferably one that understands this is more than a dry legal issue.
The vast majority of edubullies are craven cowards. They don’t mind intimidating a youngster—let them know you can defend yourself, including legally.
The girl and her parent are following the good example set out a genuine American hero:
“The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.”
Frederick Douglass was right then. He’s right now.
Opt out of craven cowardice. Opt in to one of the true human rights issues of our time.
That girl showed true courage in refusing to gobble down the heapings of servility those educrats tried to serve her.
She’s got guts.
😎
Hey there Crazy TA… I tried to get a lawyer, so did Dania Hall IN Long island… we discovered that this was very difficult… many refused to represent teachers, because they did business with the city, or the board of ed.
I finally got a lawyer when a parent who was a lawyer, secured one for me. He was infuriated at what the principal was alleging… as allis children had passed through my classes. He wanted me back in his son’s classroom….that never happened. After 8 years in the school which I helped to put on the map in NYC, I was never to return.
For 25 k, my lawyer filed a suit, and I went back, now allowed to teach a few kids each period in a ‘closet’– my classroom trashed and all my work and research GONE! The lawyer did not come to my rescue when in that storeroom, the principal entered daily to document my incompetence.
It’s lose-lose when ones civil rights are not upheld by THE UNION as per the contract. It is collective bargaining, not tenure, which unions provide, and THAT IS WHY SIXTEEN YEARS AFTER I (AND TENSOF THOUSANDS OF VETERAN TEACHERS WERE REMOVED, you all got VAM!
http://www.perdaily.com/2011/01/lausd-et-al-a-national-scandal-of-enormous-proportions-by-susan-lee-schwartz-part-1.html
This blog and comments shed more light on what happened, apparently, at the Denny Middle School.
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2015/06/denny-issue-over-opting-out.html
Just another example of how the overemphasis on testing is destroying public education.
Thanks for the link. Sounds like this has always been a behaviorist bribe to encourage student compliance. Students should have protested this a long time ago, but, as usual, no one uttered a peep because previously only the “bad” kids were punished and, after all, they had it coming, right? But the Opt Out kids aren’t bad kids, so now it’s unfair.
Sigh.
This is not true. I have worked at Denny for 9 years and teachers have been complaining about this for all 9 of them.
I should have said not “completely” true –other than the “not a peep” statement, I completely agree.
Nice link. I am amused how they hide their master race mentality and oppressive behavior behind a rubric. I would be interested to see if the exclusive carnival club correlates to special needs students or even income of parents. My bet is kids on IEPs or free lunches need not apply and are encouraged use the back door to the school.
The evidence seems to support your comment, MathVale.
Sadly this is very common. First, be sure that all communication between the parent and the school is in writing and cc the communication to pertinent folks (legislators, UOO, press, etc.) A child cannot be punished for a parent’s decision to refuse a test for a child. Period. Demand to see the discipline policy which states that children will be punished for parent refusal of tests. They of course will not have that in the discipline manual – ask to see the exact policy in writing. Demand that the child be allowed to attend the carnival and demand that they respond in a timely manner (we never wait for a response longer than 24 hours as stalling is a typical bullying tactic). Start there and let me know what happens – happy to help. Typically after this they back down – if they don’t I’m happy to navigate the next steps w/the parent which typically means getting the media involved (social and mainstream) and if necessary exposing and shaming. My email is writepeg@juno.com and United Opt Out National’s email is unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com.
Sounds like “bullying” to me. That principal should be ashamed of herself…and I applaud that student for her bravery in standing up for her rights. I think the Seattle people who support her decision should write letters of
support for her and publicize them in the newspaper.
In my middle school we teach the Olweus bullying prevention program which defines bullying as:
When someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.
The abuse which emanates from the current testing and accountability regime of Duncan, Cuomo, etc., and as illustrated by this example from Seattle, sure seems to qualify.
I applaud the parents and teachers who are refusing to be bystanders.
I like the idea of contact the local newspaper and news outlets. Let the school district take the heat in the court of public opinion. The parents and/or child could also post a video on youtube discussing the issues of school district bullying students that obeyed their parents’ wishes.
Unfortunately the local newspaper is a pro testing, anti union, and completely in the Bill Gates (local boy makes good) educational reform camp. The Gates Foundation underwrites all of their education reporting (“edulab” features)
Great idea. The public needs to know that our young are being treated like they belong in jail if their parents don’t comply with repressive policies from D.C. at the behest of those who finance their warped campaigns.
Was this Carnival an annual event? Does this school system routinely punish students for non-compliance to coercive commands, especially when a parent has made the choice? Are we rewarding compliant behavior over mastery, autonomy and good citizenship? I think these questions need to be answered by the Board of Education. What is happening here is nothing less than institutional harassment, intimidation and bullying.What are the HIB laws in Washington state?
This sounds tacky and petty and I would treat it that way.
I would address a straightforward letter to the superintendent and cc the principal and board chair. If no response in a week, send it to the paper.
I would also counsel the child that these are adults acting irresponsibly.
With the growth of opting out, I’m expecting much pushback from districts and legislatures in the coming year, which will be interesting in an election year.
I believe that opting out is the right thing for students to do, in consultation with their parents. It’s an act of civil disobedience against an unjust system, and I’m glad that people are starting to catch on.
That said, the power of civil disobedience is that people are willing to break the rules and take the consequences. Being barred from the carnival seems a small price to pay that has the effect of highlighting the petty nature of the pro-testing administrators.
If this were my child, I think I would congratulate her for taking a principled stand and tak her and her friends out to celebrate her moral victory–the more publicly the better.
How can a legal action be deemed civil disobedience?
Sadly this is very common. First, be sure that all communication between the parent and the school is in writing and cc the communication to pertinent folks (legislators, UOO, press, etc.) A child cannot be punished for a parent’s decision to refuse a test for a child. Period. Demand to see the discipline policy which states that children will be punished for parent refusal of tests. They of course will not have that in the discipline manual – ask to see the exact policy in writing. Demand that the child be allowed to attend the carnival and demand that they respond in a timely manner (we never wait for a response longer than 24 hours as stalling is a typical bullying tactic). Start there and let me know what happens – happy to help. Typically after this they back down – if they don’t I’m happy to navigate the next steps w/the parent which typically means getting the media involved (social and mainstream) and if necessary exposing and shaming. My email is writepeg – at – juno – dot – com and United Opt Out National’s email is unitedoptoutnational – at – gmail – dot – com.
Agree that the policy should be in writing. It should have been distributed to every parent and teacher and read aloud to all students, including the criteria for a proper appeal, and all of that authorized by the school board.
But there is also the remaining question of why the principal would have an event designed to exclude students and function in the same capacity as a pep rally for winners in the game of testing, excluding those students whose parents say no, forcing the students to file an appeal. The moral thrust seems to be grovel and comply or else.
Laura that is exactly it. The moral thrust is comply or else. I am seeing it in every aspect of public education. And it is becoming more forceful and more punitive by the day.
Apparently the opt out form had some vague language at the bottom about students not being able to access some “activities” but there was nothing specifically written or said.
What if fnd totally repressive and fascist is that there was a special session in D.C. about school bullying. I laughed my head off and thought: “The BULLIES are talking about school bullying, when they are the bullies at the behest of big $$$$$. What a bunch of yahoos.”
Bullies often hide, stalk and wait until they retaliate and strike.
That’s what happened here. They hurt the student, away from her parents, near the end of the year…a gotcha moment, a very hurtful moment. The only purpose of this act was to inflict harm. They did not inform the parents, because they were cowards and wanted to create the most pain possible. Sadly, they succeeded.
This is sick and unthinkable. The parents and the Opt-Out groups MUST stand up, expose it and send a loud message that our children are not there for their cowardly retaliatory acts, because they felt powerless against parents exercising their parental rights. Our children must be safe in school. Safe from bullying by educators.
These educators must face consequences. They were WRONG!
This is not an isolated incident, guaranteed!
SICK! Fight it!
Several posters of this blog in the past have criticized teachers for intense tent prep and the effects on students. Now we see an example of the truth that Reformers care little about students and will humiliate, bully, and ostracize children to force compliance and undermine parental rights at the alter of the all-important Test. Far worse than mandated test prep and very disgusting. We are becoming North Korea.
The only advice is yell, raise heck, and vote.
*test
My response is based on the assumption that it was the parent who opted out the child. To take punitive measures against a child because of the actions of a parent is egregious. The child is being singled out and discriminated against because the parent has exercised his/her rights to freedom of speech and to protest. Since when does any provision of any US law allow anyone to be punished for the actions of another? Lawyer up!
I agree with Mary. A student was being punished for a parental decision. Essentially, pitting student and parents.
As a part of normal growth and development, it is important that middle school children develop a sense of belonging. Shame on the principal.
Yes, it was a paretal decision to protect her child, but THE decision to create a party celebrating this bogus test, is SHAMEFUL… IT SHOULD BE REVEALED IN THE MEID AND ONLINE…TWITTER hashtag. #shameontheprincipal
I read about a 3rd grader who was not allowed to be involved in the ice cream party because she opted out and she sat in the classroom to watch the kids get the ice cream while the principal and teacher verbally excluded her in front of others. It is to bad the adults we trust our kids with do not know how to handle things better. While you are sending your letters to the paper and contacting the attorney, take her out to celebrate her courage.
Disgusting. In Colorado, a kid was denied a popsicle, because his parents opted him out of the repressive and totially stupid tests. So schools are supposed to protect our young, but don’t, because of ka-ching …. $$$$$.
Parents need to get an attorney, and sue. Principals are lawless. I have been saying this for years in NYC.
The real problem is that the pro-SBAC-test Superintendent of the Seattle School District supports this abusive policy. The Superintendent is elected by the school board Thankfully, there is a school board election this year. If anti-test challengers are able to defeat pro-test incumbents, the new school board can appoint a new Superintendent who would pledge that this abusive policy is ended and that in the future, when there is a carnival, EVERY CHILD gets to go to the carnival. So my advice to this parent and all parents is to get involved in the election and work hard to elect anti-SBAC school board candidates. It is time to end the abuse of all of our children.
I would see if the local media outlet would pick up the story, and if not, posting any communication between the principal and the parents on Facebook. See if it goes viral. The principal needs to be publicly shamed and disciplined by the school board for unfairly punishing a child.
Do something special with your child the night of the carnival. Teach her that standing up for what is right is not always easy but complying will render you a slave. There are much worse things in life than not going to a carnival. We not need to stop shielding our children. This act by the school is an illustration of a society that is breeding obedient drones afraid to stand up against wrong or stand for your beliefs. I am sick of hearing “it’s not fair.” Like my momma always told me “life’s not fair….wasn’t meant to be….fair is what you make it.” Teach yout child to stand tall and be proud of standing on principle. Someday she can own her own carnival and go every night. Now THAT’S fair.
Life is not fair, but it can be just. I am not ready to give up and just say “that’s the way it is”. To the child, not going to carnival may be very important to them. It could impact her social relations at the school for the rest of her time there. She can stand tall, but she should also know her parents and other fair minded people have her back. Let’s not blame the student and instead put blame where due – on the principal.
Telling a kid “life’s not fair” communicates the message that unfairness is somehow ordained in the universe, maybe by God and, hence, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. It’s meant to instill passivity and compliance. Maybe life isn’t fair, but the goal should always be to make it more fair, not just accept things the way they are. Humans create unfairness, humans can address it.
I’m with Dienne. As an elementary teacher I refused to go along with schemes that essentially promoted public shaming as a way of getting the “bad” kids to conform – like Friday fun, awards ceremonies, hallway charts of test results, attendance at field day, etc. The bottom line for me was that this approach not only didn’t work to change the behavior of the “bad” kids but that it promoted an “every kid for himself” kind of mentality. Unfortunately it was often the parents of the “good” kids that thought these schemes were just fine (healthy competition). They’re not – even for the “good” kids – opting out of the carnival and any other “separating the wheat from the shaft” schemes is the way to go.
Having said that (and as the wife of a good lawyer) I also agree with Peg – where does it say that a child will be punished for a parental decision – perfect way to frame the response.
Standing up for a cause has its consequences and this is a good lesson for your child. The carnival will have fewer attendees,money will be lost and your child misses a few hours of rides and cotton candy. I would say that the cost of opting out was not that high and your child stood up for a cause important to your family. Whining about consequences after your family engages in civil disobedience is poor behavior.
Principals from hell, are well known everywhere. I have written here often , linked to Montana teacher Lorna Stremcha’s whose testimony “Lawless” nails what these petty dictators do to bully teachers. Her book, finally published “Bravery, Bullies and Blowhards: Lesson fro a Montana Classroom” nails the nasty tactics towards teachers that these pathetic administrators use to ‘show’ everyone who is boss!.
Do not get me wrong, I have met wonderful principals, and my niece is a great principal of the Horace-Mann k-12 school in California. It is a very difficult and exhausting job! The good principals are worth there weight in gold!
But because there is so little accountability for these administrators, there are those failed human beings, that look around and see no consequences for anything they do… thus, it is natural to go from abusing the civil rights of teachers, to HURTING CHILDREN
http://www.perdaily.com/2011/01/lausd-et-al-a-national-scandal-of-enormous-proportions-by-susan-lee-schwartz-part-1.html
GET HIM INTO COURT, AND FAST!
and get Lorna’s book to see who these bullies really are: “PARENTS teachers and taxpayers all need to understand the pervasive atmosphere found in many schools. It was an atmosphere in which petty tyrants often rule.”
First of all, she should explain to her daughter that the great heroes we all admire today like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela had to be brave and disappointed to stand up for right, and that she is fighting for an important cause and sometimes you have to put up with unfair retaliation to create change.
Then, she should get this out to the media. Maybe there is some mainstream outlet that will pick it up. If not, social media.
Then, have a great party or special event for the kids who opted out.
Go to the press!!!!
I would contact a lawyer as well. That is a violation of her rights. There’s no law that says she has to take the test, so she should not be punished for not taking the test. How does not taking a test make her a delinquent? Especially if she has high grades and good behavior? Standing up for your rights is not a one time thing.
I am not sure where the punishment is. The carnival is for those who participated in testing. The child did not. If the child should be upset at anyone, it is the parent. The parent decided (along with the child, most likely) to use the opt-out as way to either rightly avoid the defective test, or to make a statement, or even both. So now the child is reaping the benefits of the actions of her parents and herself. So be it.
The carnival is an added celebration by the governmental organization to keep students and families in line and on message. This family has chosen not to participate. So they suffer the consequences.
What are we teaching kids? So many who have posted feel that the child should shirk their “responsibility” or “duty” to take the test, but reap the privilege associated with it,which is attending the carnival. This is a unintended example of entitlement thinking that is damaging our society. That is wrong.
Did other kids opt out? Did they get banned from the carnival? Then have a celebration with them. Let the superintendent know what you did. Let the media know what happened. Let other parents know. But stay true and logically consistent with your beliefs and actions. In fact, the teachers ought to excuse themselves from the carnival as best they can. With some discussion, I suspect some students would agree to stand with their excluded friends.
“The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly, hidden in the shadows. Remember that.”
― Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy
“People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.”
― Emma Goldman
So you’re fine with carnivals being used as manipulative control mechanisms to force children to comply with nonsensical, harmful dictates from above? What is the purpose of education? To create a compliant citizenry who will do as their corporate masters tell them, or to create critical citizens of a representative democracy?
BTW, Emma Goldman would be horrified by the actions of this school.
Yes, Emma Goldman was completely against conformity for conformity’s sake. To use a quotation from her to ENCOURAGE conformity destroys what she worked for. Shameful. And what does a quote from Vampire Academy have to do with anything?
The event is called an “end of year carnival”, and her teachers were confused as to why she was excluded. It reads to me like it was a pre-existing event, not a test-related one.
Also, if parents have the right to opt out and fulfilled the requirements to do so, then neither parent nor student “did not follow the rules”, which was the the VP’s reason for denying her attendance.
(For the record, I’m against any exclusions from a year-end celebration like that, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish.)
In theory, I would agree with the person that said the students should just accept this consequence as it was part of the opting out process. But that should be the case only if they knew this was part of the consequence when they opted out. However, that was not the case. No one knew, including the staff, until shortly before the carnival was to begin, when it was noticed that the majority of the about 30 students excluded were opt out students. Teachers didn’t have much of a chance to say anything as they had also not been informed. They protested, but they also had to get their students ready to go. There were some that thought maybe there had just been a mistake, or an oversight. Overall, it was not handled well.
LIZ has the answer… MAKE IT GO VIRAL… LOCAL NEWS..” Principal shames children: punishes them for legating opting out of test which have no value. This is not about shirking responsibility.
As to this idea, that the parent is to blame for opting-out… THAT is insane.
The parent was smart to know that the tests are unnecessary, invalid and hurtful.
There should never have been a carnival for THE bogus PURPOSE of ‘rewarding’ students who took that test… THIS WAS MANIPULATION AND HARASSMENT, from a man who probably pulls such behaviors on teachers, as I said in my comment above. I would bet that the teachers there cannot ‘excuse themselves from the carnival’ as Milo suggested, although refusing to attend would send a clear message. THEY ARE SCARED OF THE BULLY.
No one stops him FROM doing such miserable things to teachers, so, HE FIGURES ” I WILL pull a fast one on the kids!’
GO TO THE LOCAL NEWS! Shame the SOB!
Write your congressperson.
Write the local school board.
OUTRAGEOUS! and by the way I posted this on Oped news (OEN) with my comment and links to “Bravery, Bullies and Blowhards” which this man most certainly is.
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Please-Advise-This-Parent-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Advice_Diane-Ravitch_Experience_Parenting-150607-296.html#comment548399
Go there folks, to this news site, where conversations about the NSA, politics, world events are so interesting and lucid, but ALMOST NO ONE TALKS ABOUT EDUCATION. Go and comment on the insanity of these tests, and the truth about top-down mandates and outrageous behavior of principals! Conversations here are so wonderful, but we are all preaching to the choir.
Here where I live parents organized their own end of the year festivities, took the kids out of school for the day, and had a blast. They only had to be willing to give up the perfect attendance prize…If that matters to them.
Carnivals on school hours? Sounds like a waste of taxpayer money to me. Washington state will not start an income tax to pay for school carnivals during funded ed hours. Poor judgment on the principals part, now he’s on the naughty list.
Diane, we in Seattle have worked hard to tell this story far and wide. It’s a pretty ridiculous one. The district has no comment on it. I have had to file a public disclosure request to see the appeal form.
The principal is just trying to set the tone for kids next year who may want to opt out but will lose the right to go to a school carnival. It’s petty and punitive on the part of the principal. Most parents are appalled.
The parents of the children who were excluded from the carnival for this reason should contact their local chapter of the ACLU. Its seems that there is an equal protection claim upon which a case for an injunction could be made. This could result in a court order prohibiting the school district from engaging in this discriminatory punitive behavior in the future. The parents will not need to incur legal costs if the ACLU decides to take the case.
p.s. Federal equal protection analysis goes like this:
– two groups of similarly-situated people cannot be treated differently unless the government body can show that that the disparate treatment is RATIONALLY related to serving a legitimate state interest.
The operative term here is “RATIONAL.” Because the high-stake testing policies applied in most states are rarely rational, it is likely they would not survive an equal protection challenge.
Diane,
Thank you for bringing attention to this story.
There is more that has occurred, https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/common-core-standards-sbac-testing-the-bully-principal-and-more/.
Dora
This whole scenario sounds like PBIS (Positive behavior intervention and support) gone awry. This particular fiasco doesn’t even qualify as carrot and stick since apparently the carnival was not advertized very well as a reward for testing participation but was really used as a punishment to “stick it” to those kids whose parents had opted them out of testing. I have real trouble with this behaviorist approach applied in a blanket fashion in any case. It has morphed into a behavior control system that really has little to do with building and reinforcing “positive behavior” in the individual but is more like a crowd control program. A high school in which I worked applied the philosophy to creating a positive learning climate. We were supposed to reward students for pro-social behaviors with a little ticket that they could enter into a weekly drawing. The majority of students found the process mildly insulting and the rewards were less than inspiring. It really did little to target those who needed the support. The kids who regularly won were the usual suspects who already routinely met the criteria. It did nothing to encourage those kids who knew they could never win and there was no systematic attempt to reach these kids with more than a generic “carrot.”.
“You were supposed to”???
Who mandated that….some administrator who got his orders from some superintendent, al of them removed form actually seeing what motivates kids.
The real principals of learning (yeah those, again, ) says that REWARDS FOR ACHIEVEMENT really works. But there are intrinsic rewards for effort, and they do not involve stars, or tickets. Lauren Resnick;s work with effort -based learning became the National Standards Research that Pew funded, when she was at Harvard. I was the nYC cohort for this research… because they wanted to see how I did it… got those kids to learn. Turns out there were loads of rewards for hard work in my classroom, even though i never gave a test.
Click to access polv3_3.pdf
Kids know what a reward really is… often it is a teacher’s smile, the admiration of classmates and parents for hard work, and yes, real talent; but in the end, the reward was the portfolio of work they gathered, work that showed they had met the expectations we had all set for the year in September.
There is pride in doing the work, if the environment is one where the teacher in charge, knows what learning looks like, and what her students need in order to learn.
No tickets or carnivals necessary… although to be truthful, my 7th grade students entered their stories in city and state competitions, like the Read and the Scholastic writing competitions… and many won top recognition, but many also felt like winners when their BEST work was posted in the hallway.
Sorry, I get off the subject… which s a meshuganah principal with few principles.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to whether we passed out those little tickets, so I guess enough people did to keep admin happy. They were in to giving themselves pats on the back. As you can tell from my thinly veiled snarkism, I was not a fan. Where I was not above bribery to encourage work completion when the energy level was really low, I was upfront about my intentions and did not wrap them in false rah, rah garbage.
Go to my comment on the next post… where will this madness end.
Name and shame this coward school vice principle and principle for abuse of order.
Typo. I meant “principal.”
In a similar case in another state, it was the carnival company itself that solved the problem. They don’t want bad PR, and they don’t want to be known for excluding children. Find out the name of the carnival company, let them know what is happening. Here is the article: http://www.scarymommy.com/elementary-school-excludes-poor-kids-from-end-of-year-carnival/ The carnival company was horrified (either actually or corporately out of self service) and offered to host a free carnival for students who were excluded because they couldn’t go. Bypass the ridiculously broken system at the school and the district. Call the company and explain the situation and what happened. Since it is too late for her to go to this carnival, maybe by informing the company of the policy, you can get them to pressure the district for future opters-out.
Is this a joke? Seriously–what is going on here? There is a carnival for students who reflectively state they performed their best on standardized test and students who did not take the test were excluded? Who came up with this??? Where is the common sense with administration and faculty who agreed to this??? Are there administrators and educators who believe any of this is justified? There are so many factors that can influence a middle school student’s performance on the tests—raging hormones, a dispute the morning of the test at home, on the bus or in the hall with a friend, staying up late watching a younger sibling because a parent works or has an emergency, students who don’t even understand the directions so they can’t possibly do their best on the test—I could go on. The entire carnival needs to go away or be used in a different way such as to celebrate the end of the school year. This is taking high-stakes testing to a whole new level.
If you think that’s bad, my 2nd grader came home really upset after taking the math MAP/NWEA accessment because after he completed the test, he hit NEXT to submit his test and the the computer halted so he pushed NEXT again the computer shut down. The teacher told him that he would not be allowed to attend the after testing party that was being given to all of students that did well on the test because she did not know his score. The test was given on Friday and the party was on Monday so she would have to get his scores after school and let him know Monday if he would be able to attend the party. This really made me angry because he has received mostly A’s and only a few B’s all year. Also, when he took the reading assessment he scored 31 points above his goal. Fortunately, Monday before the party she had his scores and he scored 33 points above goal in math as well. When did the goal of education turn to punishing kids for their achievement on standardized tests. Maybe its me but shouldn’t the tests just be a guide to see where students need help, not to punish them. Where have this societies morals and values gone…we are now punishing and abusing kids in the name of education. I also have a daughter in 7th grade and I opted her out of the CCRAP/PARCC test this year in Chicago. Next year my kids will be going to school in the burbs because I cant deal with CPS and this high stakes testing crap any longer.
Choose your burb carefully. Most of them are badly infected. Data is king! The kids are getting lost behind the numbers.
My response would absolutely be to go to the event and force them to call the cops and have me removed, thereby setting up a court case. Just because a cowardly bully says no doesn’t mean that that’s the real, legally correct answer. I’d also call the local media beforehand so they can be there as witnesses.
Man, you were one bad dude in middle school! I didn’t even wish I could do something like that until well into high school! ( I was rather goody two shoeish. 🙂 )
To Milo Jury
I hope that you will read in details from these links. Please do not promote or voice your SUBMISSIVE behavior in the BEST DEMOCRATIC AMERICA (USED TO BE IN THE LATE 18TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY)
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2015/06/denny-issue-over-opting-out.html
There is more that has occurred,
You misuse the quote and its meaning from Emma Goldman in this story. If you open those above two links and read them for a clearly ostracized technique that bullies 11 years old KIDS in their year end of middle school.
“People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.”
― Emma Goldman
Parent and a child in this story have applied correctly what Emma advises them to do.
According to School Board Director Marty McLarence, and Denny Middle School Principal Jeff Clark, THEY HAVE a serious CONFLICT between their WORDS and ACTIONS. Please see they emphasize on “sense of belonging”, “enjoyed by ALL”, but they intentionally ostracize kids at not their own fault according to Child’s Bill of Rights, Article 2.2
[start quote]
From Principal Jeff Clark:
The 2015 My Best Performance Carnival at Denny International Middle School
The My Best Performance Carnival was a great success and
“”enjoyed thoroughly BY ALL.””
From Seattle School Board Director Marty McLaren:
I attended the multi-cultural potluck/welcome event for new families at Denny last Thursday, and can bear witness to the fact that Mr. Clark and his staff
“”have created a vibrant sense of belonging, community, and MUTUAL RESPECT at Denny””‘. This is the FOUNDATION on which the academic success of Denny students is built.
Marty
From Sally
There IS a Child’s Bill of Rights (the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), and Article 2.2 states “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or family members.” This seems applicable here.
[end quote]
Back2basic
In my many years as a teacher I discovered that school districts are deathly afraid of
bad publicity (local newspaper; “going viral”)
the mere mention of “lawsuit.”
These parents can be successful in this battle if they are assertive enough. I also liked Jon’s idea of just going to the carnival and inviting the press to come along. I guarantee the police will not be called.
the parent made a legal choice. This should not have been done and should be taken to the state Department of Education.
First, I would email the principal and say I will be in his office at 8:00 in the morning the following day to discuss the issue with him. Next, I would request to see the rules for this carnival from previous years. Probably, the opt out requirement was not a factor or requirement in previous years. I would then say to the principal that he changed the rule for political reasons and was using my child as a pawn in an adult’s game. Obviously, this requirement is not part of the district’s discipline code and make the principal aware of that additional fact. I would conclude the meeting by saying that I expect my child to attend the carnival and that I would be there the day of the carnival to make sure that it happened. My bet is that the principal would back down rather than have an incident the following day because he would probably call the district’s legal team to see if he had any real grounds to exclude the child. They would tell him that he did not have legal grounds and he would respectfully cave. By the way, I would speak to him at all times in a calm, but firm and factual manner.
ACLU
There are very popular and powerful petition sites on the internet where one can go to ask for support. For instance, I think Change.org is one.
Here’s a post that reviews a list of these sites.
http://www.wallaceresources.us/PetitionSites.html
I’m going to suggest that the parent (or the child or maybe make it a family project) in Seattle write a powerful petition statement and post it on a site like Change.org and then announce—with the link—that petition to ask for support. I’ll sign. I’ll even post an announcement on all of my four blogs to anyone who follows what I post.
Thank you, Lloyd! We are going to look into this.
Also, look for the BATS-Bad Ass Teacher Association on FB. Tell your story with the principals name and the phone at your childs school will have to be disconnected!
I guess my question would be, how many students in Seattle were denied privileges or were outright disciplined for opting out? There must be more stories than this, as shameful and hurtful as it is to this child. Perhaps the Opt-Out movement should consider a class-action lawsuit. If that dog of a suit, Vergara, could gain traction, surely there is something to be done about a justified grievance.
I have no additional advice for the parents. Other commenters have great suggestions.
I would like to respond to the Principal Clark’s letter linked earlier:
According to dictionary.com, the first definition of scholar is “a learned or erudite person, especially one who has profound knowledge of a particular subject.”
The student who was punished has a deeper understanding of assessment and politics than the principal.
She is more a scholar–and has a truer moral and spiritual compass–than the principal.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
We’re in a similar situation in our district. This is an article from the local paper: http://www.thedailymail.net/news/article_449fd7fa-ee2e-11e4-95c4-074086a2a47e.html?mode=story
This story didn’t even cover all the details. The day of the test, teachers tried to coerce students whose parents had sent in opt out letters to take the test by telling them, incorrectly, that both of their parents have to give permission in order for them to refuse the test, and threatening them with AIS or with being held back a grade next year. Elementary school children who chose not to take the tests had candy, recess, and snack time taken from them, and children as young as nine were yelled at if they didn’t sit silently in the cafeteria for well over an hour without moving, looking at one another, or putting their heads on the tables when tired. Middle school students were told that there will be no extracurricular activities next year because of their refusals. When a group of students questioned an administrator about testing, several of them were verbally abused far out of proportion to the alleged infraction of talking in class. One student was yelled at until she was crying and had to be sent to the nurse. Another student who tried to comfort her was yelled at and made to sit with her face to the wall at the front of the class. Two other students were so upset by this that they went to talk with the principal, and were also yelled at, and told they were acting like “an irate mob.” After the initial reprimand, the administrator even sought out the students throughout the day to continue the harassment, with students taken out of lunch and accosted in the nurse’s office while sick.
Parents have spoken to the principal, the superintendent, and the school board multiple times. The administration refuses to apologize to the students involved, or to discuss testing policies for the future with parents. The retaliation continued this week, with students who opted out not receiving a President’s Award for Educational Excellence, despite the fact that several met all the criteria. Only one student who opted out did receive the award–the child of a school board member.
This kind of bullying is happening, and we need to all keep communicating and letting schools know that it won’t be accepted.
Let the school board know how upset you are and that you will most definitely be involved in upcoming school board elections.
From a retired school administrator… Children should never be punished for a parent’s decision. As these situations escalate (they will if not stopped) and if your school district has official “count days” for funding, the principal, superintendent and school board all need to be reminded that not only do parents have the right to opt their children out of testing, they also have the right to opt them out of attendance on count days. (Use only if really desperate and with the backing of other parents and community members. I’d use this option as leverage to get your district to eliminate high stakes testing and Communist Core. You really have more power than you realize. Let the picket sign construction begin!)
Since the topic is bullying, some of you may be interested in a letter written by Seattle Public Schools superintendent Larry Nyland to all district staff on 3/19/15 (below).
From: Office of Public Affairs
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 4:02 PM
Cc: Office of Public Affairs
Subject: Smarter Balanced Assessment administration
Dear Staff,
Some of you have expressed concern about the administration of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). Concerns have included questions about the utility of the assessment, the instructional time lost due to testing and the likelihood of lower test scores. I encourage you to visit our newly developed Frequently Asked Questions on our district website.
I would acknowledge that the SBA presents unique challenges – particularly in regard to this year’s test administration. Although the amount of SBA testing time for each individual student is relatively small (about eight hours depending on grade level), because of our limited technology, the administration of the test is spread out through much of the spring months.
The SBA however, does take several steps in the right direction. It reflects the higher College and Career Readiness Standards (Common Core) which our students need to compete successfully in a global market for family wage jobs (75% of family wage jobs now require SOME college). Yes, the SBA does measure student progress against a higher standard and the percentage of students that achieve proficiency will likely be lower. We have seen similar trends with the WASL, the MSP, the HSPE, and the EoCs. In each case, we have learned from the test results and risen to the challenge. I am confident that we will do so again, and that the preparation work done in Washington and Seattle will mean that our state and district scores will continue to compare favorably. Seattle currently outperforms the state in Reading, Math, Science and Writing.
I also take seriously my oath of office promising to uphold state and federal laws. The SBA is a state requirement and a part of both state and federal law. Since we are already a high risk grantee for Special Education, failure to give the SBA could further jeopardize our federal funds. Teacher and principal contracts, as well as state certification, also require adherence to state law.
All employees responsible for administering the SBA are directed to give the SBA as required by law and/or their supervisor. I would also ask that staff give appropriate professional advice (rather than personal advice) to parents.
SBA administration has begun for many of our schools and will begin soon for many more. I want to thank all of those who have worked so hard to prepare for these assessments – from student learning, to keyboarding, to technology, to the logistics of scheduling, and more.
A note to those with personal/professional objections to administering the SBA:
Staff who object to administering the SBA must give advanced notice to their supervisor and work with their supervisor to insure that arrangements are made for SBA administration and coverage. For those who give advanced notice, refusal to give the SBA will be considered as misconduct. Consequences will be determined after further consideration and review of the CBA. Failure to give advanced notice of your refusal to administer the SBA, will be considered as insubordination and flagrant misconduct, and it will result in the imposition of serious discipline, up to and including termination of your employment and a referral to OSPI to take action on your certificate.
Finally, I want to restate my confidence in the teachers and students of Seattle. We live in challenging times. Each of us – superintendent, principal, teachers, and students – faces increased challenges in support of student learning. There is no question, we are each being asked to do what seems daunting. The challenge of our times is whether we face those challenges with a GROWTH mindset or a FIXED mindset. A fixed mindset says we are what we are and have no hope for future growth. A growth mindset says that we can each learn and grow through dedicated effort. Seattle has demonstrated that kind of growth mindset resulting in a steady increase in test scores. The growth over the past six years has been exemplary district-wide and includes more schools of distinction than any other district in Washington. We have that hope and aspiration for each of our students and each of us as colleagues and professionals.
Thank you – each of you – for your part in making great things happen for each and every one of our students.
Sincerely,
Larry Nyland, Superintendent
PS: Although the focus of this memo is Smarter Balanced Assessments, I recognize the challenges presented by the combination of SBA, district interim assessments and other building assessments like the SAT and WAKids. I have had initial talks with SEA and look forward to further conversations about creative options that will help us focus more clearly on the assessments that matter the most for learning.
Note: The website cited in Nyland’s letter is no longer active. Here is the new Seattle Public Schools SBAC webpage:
http://sps.ss8.sharpschool.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=14645
Sally,
What an awful letter from the Seattle superintendent. He just follows orders. What makes him think that 8 hours of testing is a relatively small amount of testing? True as compared to 25 hours of testing but ridiculous as compared to 2 hours.