The state of New York has a problem: according to its own data, 225,000 students did not take the mandated state tests. What should the state do? There’s been talk of financial penalties, but thats’s not likely. Now we know that federal officials told state officials there would be no financial punishment.
State officials say they will patiently explain to parents why the tests are necessary, as if the parents really don’t understand.
What the state and the Feds don’t understand is that the parents know exactly what they are doing and why. They know the state tests do NOT provide useful information to parents or teachers. They know the tests are too long (8 hours!) for children, with a passing mark intended to fail most children. They object to the time and high-stakes attacked to testing; they don’t want their teachers fired because of children’s test scores. Parents of children with disabilities are outraged that their children are subjected to tests that frustrate and fail them.
Here is the latest from politico.com:
“WHAT’S NEXT FOR NEW YORK OPT OUTS: New York state education officials said Thursday that they aren’t planning to withhold money from school districts with record high opt-out rates on standardized tests this spring. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia will present a plan to the state board of regents next month that will detail how she will work with superintendents and principals to reverse the tide of test refusals, The New York Times reports [http://nyti.ms/1Jnk0UY ]. State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch didn’t rule out withholding money from districts if the state finds that administrators were encouraging opt outs, however. Chalkbeat New York reports [http://bit.ly/1NIQzMH] that Elia said, “I am absolutely shocked if, and I don’t know that this happened, but if any educators supported and encouraged opt-outs. I think it’s unethical.”
“- New York has to adequately address the high opt-out rates. If, down the road, federal officials feel that the state hasn’t done that, then they could step in. Federal law requires a 95 percent participation rate on state tests, and New York saw the highest opt out rates this spring in the state’s history. “The [Education] Department has not had to withhold money – yet – over this requirement because states have either complied or have appropriately addressed the issue with schools or districts that assessed less than 95 percent of students,” the agency has said repeatedly.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
No country for old school officials…………..Why doesn’t Ms Tisch do it for them?………..”School officials need to know, Ms. Tisch said, that “they have to be responsible to work with parents to explain why the testing system is so important to the district and to the school.”……… let’s punish the local school officials, brilliant.
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“. . .to explain why the testing system is so important to the district and to the school.”
And the students???
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Ms. Elia needs to know that the tests and how they are used are unethical not the opting out of students with the support of educators!
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If the tests had value parents would willingly have their children take them–no need for NYSED to force these things onto students and parents. These tests are a travesty. The only beneficiary has been Pearson who bought former Commissioner with their free travel bribe!
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It is apparent in NY, and even recently in California, that educated parents have a clear understanding of the damage of this rampant and destructive testing, so they opt out of allowing their children to be so abused by this corrupt mandated methodology.
Unfortunately, we see that less informed parents (often in inner cities) in the LA community and elsewhere, are more easily influenced not only to push for the testing, but to vote for parent triggers that take their schools away from them and charterize/privatize them for the Broad/Walton billionaires onslaught.
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I live, teach, and send my 3 daughters to school in a very rural and low SES area. I make no efforts to hide my feelings about the current state (and propaganda) approach to state testing-it insults the intelligence of so many and substitutes a scapegoating mystery measuring-stick for an instructional dipstick. Even so-I am unashamed to say it wasn’t too long ago that I had absolutely no problem with the testing practices at all. Teachers in my region gathered to score, went back with trends in student successes and shortcomings and worked with their teams to address them (and we even gathered regionally during our “summers off” to do this!). It wouldn’t surprise me that in urban areas, tests are sold to the public the same way “school choice” is. “Choices” (magnet/secondary) being more or less available based on test scores from your starting/elementary school. “Evidence” that your kid’s teacher must be bad because those test scores are low, data showing your school would be better off in receivership, a way to blame the school vs concentrated poverty resulting from failed social and economic policy that needs to be reformed more than anything else (Go Bernie!)
Still the mantra of the test pushers continues, to the lengths that it makes one wonder at not just the foolishness-but at the gall. Talking to intelligent and aware citizens this way is just not smart.
https://dmaxmj.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/post-op-ed-opened/
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Can I pls ask–How much are these useless, oppressive tests costing each district? Can we get dollar figures on the cost to buy the tests, lease or buy the hardware and software needed to take them, teacher-hours needed to prep, proctor, record and discuss the results, the cost of bandwidth enhancements, the cost of 220V upgrades to power the equipment, etc.? We need to give high-profile to how much of ouur property taxes are being wasted subsidizing the tech and testing industries instead of reducing class size, a far better and documented means of increasing achievement.
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This will vary quite a bit from district to district.
There is usually no direct licensing, scoring, or reporting cost to a district for a state mandated assessment. That cost is usually paid for by a state contract.
The technology cost varies upon the local approach to technology integration and how well it is resourced. If a district does not have much technology, there will be additional equipment, wiring, and bandwidth costs. In a district where technology is integrated into the teaching and learning already and is a stable part of the budget, there is probably no additional cost for the technology required for online state assessments.
The cost that is unavoidable is the time cost for test administration/proctoring in terms of reduced instructional time and reduced access to instructional technology for support learning. I would argue that time for test prep is avoidable and should be avoided, but in states with higher stakes accountability systems or pro-testing cultures like New York that might be a hard sell.
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In the Long Island district where I live, the state pays for the exams. The district pays for outside scorers, substitutes, proctors, test prep and many other unfunded mandates associated with the tests. It’s one of our biggest issues, the ridiculous amount of money standardized testing steals from our children’s classrooms.
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Ira –
From the Boston Public Schools budget for the coming school year:
“$500 thousand for continued support of 10,000 PARCC devices.”
Click to access FY16%20Budget%20-%20Overview%204-16%20City%20Council.pdf
And MA hasn’t yet (in theory) thrown down for PARCC instead of our current MCAS.
Maybe that’s chump change in the overall scheme, but note these aren’t classroom computers which could be used for constructive ends. It’s continued support, so one assumes it will be a recurrent item.
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This may be off the topic to some readers.
Have people noticed that building foundation and structure of building frame are the utmost important SHOULDER to sustain living people and their wealth?
Building foundation is the teaching force.
Building frame is the pedagogy and curriculum that are well rounded on body = extra curriculum; mind = Liberal Arts, Social studies and STEM; and spirit = Languages and Philosophy.
Living people = people from leaders to commoners.
Wealth = the future work-force or younger generations.
Historically, savage people with physical strength can survive. Then, the gathering of weak, but civilized people well organize to conquer the savage people.
Modern living world has two distinctive groups: the savage = “”money minded””, and the civilized = ”civility minded”.
Time will prove again that democracy will overcome fascist, communist and terrorist. Back2basic
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Let’s hope!
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We can only hope and work toward overcoming those savage tendencies that you describe May! Thanks for your wise words!
What appears to be simple “civilized behavior” (which many supposedly simple cultural groups have lived for eons) can be very hard to live, especially in the I, ME, MINE culture that dominates American society these days.
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If states and districts really want to stop opt out they will have to make the tests count as part of grades or for promotion or course credit. I foresee that push. But that could be a tough sell in many legislatures and in many districts.
It could get hot.
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Very hot, because their are special interests looking to WalMartitize our schools and our teachers. Tests are the cheap fix.
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That would be interesting. If these flawed tests start negatively impacting grades, teachers should just hand out the office phone numbers of legislators.
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Let us not underestimate what these people will do.
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They should hand out those office phone numbers anyway
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The district-written and mandated standardized test I have to give EIGHT times a year HAS to be part of a student’s grade. I’m making the tests to be one point each.
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LYA!!!
(Love your attitude!!)
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It’s already that way in my district here in Missouri. Endofyear (EOC) tests count for 10% of the students’ semester grade. (Which is why I first suggested “homeschooling” one’s children during the testing window as then the district couldn’t count the test scores against the student).
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http://quotes.lifehack.org/quote/yogi-berra/if-people-dont-want-to-come-out/
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Trust Yogi Berra, Jon, to elucidate as clearly and Arne Duncan…or is the other way around?
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I think Yogi is far more lucid than Arne ever could be.
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From the man from the Hill, here’s some of Yogi’s quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra.html
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What a bunch of BS! Still can’t believe what a……holes there are out there in politics!!!!!
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Is there a difference between telling parents to opt out and detailing how the test truly affects the school, students, and teachers as well as not providing any meaningful data?
I can see how a teacher who tells a parent not to allow their child to take the test could be seen as unethical, but a teacher who provides all of the literature/blogs of the results of such tests is only informing the parent. The parent can then make their own informed decision.
Elia is acting unethical by threatening to decrease district funding as a result of opting out.
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Ang…a close teacher friend of mine only told one parent who asked about the testing and opt out, to go online and read about it. Her principal got notified of the conversation and she was set back from teaching her long term gig of gifted classes, to teaching all remedial students. This is the not so subtle form of punishment for even thinking of giving any info to parents.
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In Utah, teachers can lose their licenses if they even mention opt out to parents. http://www.standard.net/Education/2014/04/24/25-SAGE-warning.html
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Guess what? Parents have the moral AND intellectual high ground, by far. And they know it!
The days of “Let ‘s bring this to the New York Times and then it will all be over” are so very over! What else is there to do?
The American government has failed its people in a very fundamental way, and it doesn’t even know how to address its own mess, whether the intent is cleanup or coverup.
Opt out.
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Elia was brought in specifically…as the bull spewing the “you know what”, as Cuomo and Tisch hide behind her. Elia will be thrown under the bus by these two, but she is New York’s version of the Common Core “advertiser”. As soon as all hell breaks loose, she will run with her money sticking out of her pocket as Cuomo and Tisch will develop their sudden amnesia.
As a parent in New York, I say “No” to Elia. And furthermore, since New York City’s opt-out numbers were low due to Farina not doing her due diligence as other superintendents did, let’s save her the trouble.
For every parent that “unethically and immorally” opted out of last year’s (borrowing from Elia), send your district’s advisement of parents’ right to “opt-out” to three other parents in New York City, either through the mail, through e-mail, or in person.
Ms Elia…we, the people of New York, are not threatened or coerced by you, and wholeheartedly and unconditionally opt out for the academic school year, 2015-2016.
While we agree that exams do hold a proper and legitimate purpose, the exams you push upon the students of this great state serve no academic or pedigocical purpose, and are intended to systematically destroy public education across New York.
On behalf of our students, their parents, our teachers and our public schools, we said no in the past, we say no to you now, and we say no to you for the upcoming school year.
This is non-negotiable, unconditional, and on behalf of 225,000+ students and their families, we reject you and your demands, and stand ready to defend our democratic traditions in the Empire State…now and always.
“Hands across New York…
one million students united,
Pulling the curtains on the privatization movement…
until democracy and public education are righted!
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Try this for LAUSD convoluted thinking…from the folks at LASR…Ellen
—————————————————————————————————
JUST IN: LAUSD says new test scores lower but ‘kids not getting dumber’
Posted on August 20, 2015 6:25 pm by Mike Szymanski
common-core-standards-After reviewing preliminary results of the Smarter Balanced Assessments, LA Unified officials say the test scores are lower than what parents typically see but want them to know “it does not mean our kids are getting dumber.”
Cynthia Lim, Executive Director of the Office of Data and Accountability, told the LA School Report today that parents should not worry when the see the results fro last year because the new tests are not comparable to previous statewide measures in how they are structured and how they are given — by computer.
Her explanation was part of a district strategy to ease anxieties among parents who may be fearful that the new tests leave the impression that their children are regressing in their academic pursuits. That is not the case, Lim said. It has always been clear to school administrators here and elsewhere that a new form of testing, based on the Common Core State Standards, would drive down test results in the early years.
“We are expecting that scores will be lower than what we’ve seen in the past in terms of what we would say is proficiency, because the tests are really different than what we’ve had for the last 10 years,” Lim said.
Not only are the new tests different in how they pose questions, the new scoring system is tougher, but Lim said the test material isn’t necessarily more difficult for students or any more advanced.
“It is a different way of teaching; the material is not harder, we are assessing deeper levels of thinking among students,” she explained. Rather than multiple choice questions or basic recall questions, the students are asked to explain how they got to an answer.
Lim sent a letter to the school board and Superintendent Ramon Cortines last week, warning against comparisons between the old test scores and the new ones. She noted: “The percentage of students who will have ‘met or exceeded standards’ on the new tests will be lower than the proficiency rates we have seen with the old California Standards Tests.”
Lim said, “There’s no way to compare the test scores. So even if you were advanced on (the California Standards Test) and this year you’re ‘Nearly Meeting Standards,’ it doesn’t mean that you’ve gotten dumber. We are assessing different skills. It’s new to teachers and new to students in terms of how we’re assessing. I think as people get more familiar, scores will most likely increase.”
The scores this year will not be used to determine if schools are “failing” nor will they be used for the evaluation of teachers, Lim said.
The district is not concerned with the lower scores for now. A decade ago when the tests were changed, they saw a similar drop in scores. This time, the tests are taken completely on computer tablets — some questions require listening, others include writing exercises. They are also subject to “computer adaptability,” which means an incorrect answer is followed by an easier question, a correct answer leads to a harder question.
District officials say they are especially concerned that parents may react negatively to a perception that their child is not scoring well on the new test. “We worked with our local district on our talking points because it does not mean our kids are getting dumber,” Lim said. “It means that we’re assessing them in a different way than we ever have before. It’s actually a more holistic view of students and how they learn.”
The actual scores by school, district, county and state will be released by the state and available to the public in mid-September. The state is a few weeks behind in releasing the scores, Lim said.
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How the the hell do people like Lim get into the positions they do??
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As long as New York’s law mandates that 50% of a teacher’s job evaluation be based on test scores, I will continue to refuse to have my children take the tests. Change/reverse the law, and then I’ll think about changing my position.
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I hate to say this, but I still believe very strongly that parents can be penalized for opt-out.
But when such laws pass, they will have to be challenged in court.
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Existing, settled law is very clear that they cannot be penalized. Any such law that is proposed will never pass, as it would have to put the specific interests of the state concerning testing far ahead of the broad, comprehensive rights of parents to have primary agency in their children’s upbringing. It is virtually impossible that any such law could be written in such a way as to pass constitutional tests. Let them try. See what all parents, particularly those on the right would think of the state having more say in any part of their children’s lives than they do.
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They really can’t stop us. My middle son enters 9th grade in two weeks, after opting out all through elementary school at O.A. Thorp elementary school here in Chicago. At first, he stood alone among his classmates. By 8th grade, he had been joined by a dozen. His younger brother, now going into 5th grade, is already part of a movement that includes about half his classmates. They can’t legislate our families’ rights, and the more they push the bigger the movement will become.
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Thank you George N. Schmidt for your true courage.
Parents need to be educated or cultivated about the INVALID testing scheme.
Parents need to understand that learning is only important if curriculum is transparent, appropriate to the general level of age, and most of all is interested/suited to the child age.
If learning method brings a child, psychological damage like fear and failure spirit, that learning method MUST be ABORTED.
In the same vein, people work hard to pay taxes for their children’s QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION. People SHALL FIGHT BACK for their democratic rights = parents demand local control and their say in their children’s education.
As a result, people should strongly unite with CONSCIENTIOUS TEACHERS AND PRINCIPAL in order to protect and preserve PUBLIC SCHOOLS within their district.
No privatization can happen. No administration can bully people. No federal law can apply or supersede local law IN ORDER TO BULLY LOCAL PEOPLE, if AND ONLY IF people understand the true meaning of the word DEMOCRACY.
This can ONLY be realized whenever teachers and principal stand tall for the PRINCIPLE IN HUMANITY = joy in learning and teaching can not be intimidated or threatened by power of money. Back2basic
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The parents will be the ones that eventually stop this nonsense. Opt outs will grow this year, picketing legislators will increase, and teachers will do everything we can to support the parents choice.
You will see increased pressure to replace Regents, Tisch nd Elia. You think John King walked into a firestorm with his town halls, wait til Elia tries to tell parents to behave.
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Elia was hoping the USDOE would put a gun to the head of districts for her because she needed a punitive stick to brandish, but it would be unpopular to do it herself unless she could say she was doing it for the children.
You can’t tell parents you are doing it for their children if they say “we don’t want it” and there is no penalty to any other child for the opt out.
So now she is stuck leaning on school personnel to change parents minds because it would be a political bomb to threaten parents and their children correctly.
Carrots for individual parents would be expensive though I expect sometime soon to hear about food/cash giveaways for pledges to take the tests – probably contests or raffles.
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So the government gives families the right to refuse the tests, and then the government is disappointed that families refuse? Sounds like instead of “patiently explaining” the tests’ importance, the government should be concerned that they are not representing the interests of so many families.
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During an interview Ms.Elia stated that she didn’t know why parents are opting out. This smacks of incompetence as it would be pretty easy to ask parents why they opted out. Also, the idea that giving these tests does anything to close gaps is laughable. Keep in mind that the only way you close gaps is to slow down the fast learners. Keep up the good fight Diane and let me know if I can do anything to help.
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