Julie Borst, a parent in New Jersey, reports that New Jersey administrators are going to absurd lengths to compel students to take the PARCC tests, no matter what their parents want. Why do the administrators engage in dictatorial and abusive actions to force these pointless tests on children? Why is their need so urgent? The tests provide no useful information to help children. They have no educational value. Their only function is to rate students and compare them to other students their age.

Borst says flat out: No. It is my child, not yours and not the state’s.

She writes:

 

 

“I’ve been watching in horror as the PARCC testing “season” began in New Jersey last week. I am unabashedly in the Opt Out corner. Oh, sorry, forgot, this is New Jersey, where we play word games. “Refuse” was the word of choice last year, as opting out is not “allowed.” This year “refusing” is getting kicked back to parents too. NJDOE has been in full spin mode for several months and we know the districts with the highest refusals rates from last year have caught an earful.

 

“First, though, let’s be crystal clear about something. When a parent opts out /refuses /insert your choice of it’s-never-going-to-happen here, they are NOT asking for anyone’s permission. They are very simply informing you of what they are choosing for their child. You are expected to respect that decision. End of story.

 

“Parents aren’t opting out because the test is hard. Amazingly, that insipid thought is still floating around and a “news” source published it (I refuse to link to the NYPost. Go Google that hot mess of “journalism” if you must.). They. We. I. Am doing it because public education has become a marketplace for the next best shiny, never-been-tested, device, curriculum, test, insert latest crap your local board of ed got suckered into buying…Chromebooks anyone? None of which has anything to do with educating our children.

 

“Leading up to the testing window, there were stories of stupid stuff…reward parties, bids for prom, getting out of taking the English final exam, the cheer on PARCC videos…demonstrating the level of desperate these people have sunk.

 

“Once the testing started, truly awful stories started pouring in, and continue to this week, about how districts were handling students whose parents refused PARCC. You really have to wonder what is going on inside the heads of these teachers, principals, superintendents, and county superintendents.

 

“I wonder if they have thought about the real damage done to the trust that any really good school must have with its students and parents. Listen carefully, hurting children is not going to get you that trust. You’re going to lose it immediately, and there will be nothing you can do to get it back.”

 

She then tells stories about how children were treated by administrators who decided they should be punished for opting out and sought to make them as uncomfortable as possible.

 

This will embolden parents to opt out in greater numbers next year.