This is a big step forward. The union gained the right to block unnecessary tests. The ultimate goal must be to block all standardized tests because they are inherently designed to favor advantaged students over disadvantaged students.
Some network chiefs are trying to saddle students and teachers with useless and unnecessary tests. But we know what our students need – and we’re using powerful new language in our contract to reject these tests.
As part of our demand for respect for our professionalism and decision-making, we’ve fought against tests that are unduly burdensome and not useful. In the current Board-Union Agreement, we won the right to vote on ALL assessments that are not mandated by the State of Illinois, REACH, or particular programs like IB or bilingual education.
This is huge. This year, dozens of schools have held discussions in their PPCs, school communities and union meetings, and held votes where members have said “NO” to ‘optional’ assessments.
Some Network Chiefs are pushing back and trying to persuade members to add more tests – but members have held firm and confident in their judgement about the assessments their students need – or don’t need.
Cases which cannot be resolved at the school level will be brought to Strategic Bargaining for resolution. Our view is that the contract is clear and that teachers know their students’ needs.
If you’re having problems resolving testing issues at the school level, contact your field rep so this can be brought to strategic bargaining. And remember to email your plan and vote results to Vera Lindsay.
Both teachers and students have been victims of over-reliance on high-stakes testing for decades. Way too much teaching time has been taken up with prepping students for test-taking and administering numerous assessments — often, it seems, to profit big testing companies. A serious side effect: counselors are so busy with test prep duties on top of huge caseloads that they lack adequate time to counsel students who need the help they’ve been trained to provide.
But we know what our students need, and we’re using powerful new language in our contract to reject the time wasted on unnecessary and pointless tests — and take that time back for teaching.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
A small beginning step in the fight to end the insanities and harms caused to the most innocent of society the students by standardized testing.
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Yeah!
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Yes, this was a big win for us at the CTU, but it is incredibly hard to enforce. Unfortunately, as we know, the past 20 years of corporate edreform have had a strong impact on teachers and teaching. Many teachers today have only known “data-driven” instruction (that low-quality test prep cloaked in scientific-sounding numbers.) And it shows. There have been some school by school wins, but it’s going to be hard to show/remind teachers about what schools CAN look like. Members even of the mighty mighty CTU have bought into the test-prep frenzy. We’ve lost the vision of what quality schools look like and it’s all because of edreform. I don’t know if we’ll be able to ever heal from the harm done. 😦
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The REACH tests in particular are a complete joke and of NO USE WHATSOEVER. The vast majority of kids know what they are and what the consequences of them are for their teachers, so they game them, purposely doing worse in the beginning of the year and better later on. Absurd, meaningless answers can also satisfy the objectives of the test in some of the subject areas tested. I’ve been told some of those are quite funny. There are ZERO teachers behind the gaming, it’s the kids themselves who figured this out and spread the word amongst themselves. As you might suspect, REACH does not measure what is claimed, if it measures anything at all. The tests are a shallow, pathetic attempt at a VAM system. If VAM is a battle tank with no gas for the engine and no ammo for the guns, REACH is a drunk passed out on the sidewalk holding a dull twig. It’s just that stupid. A total waste of everyones time and money. It’s a reformy attempt to keep a VAM toe in the door, to keep the zombie idea of evaluating teachers by test scores alive. It’s long past time to slaughter the VAM zombies.
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Go, CTU! Keep fighting (& we know your leadership & older members will, including you, KatieO), never give up & we people in the opt out movement are behind you every step of the way.
We’ll be whooping & cheering for you next Sunday, at the Pride Parade!
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Oh, I forgot to mention that there’s that annoying not-so-little word “mandate” in the mix.
Let’s make sure we stop yet another, four-year, $160 million dollar “contract” (in ” ” because it was a no-bid, which, of course, is illegal, but our ILL-Annoy AG did NOTHING against the I.S.B.E. or Pear$on) with Pear$on.
Actually, perfect time to march on the Glenview, ILL-Annoy Pear$on campus: let’s get out there, parents!!!
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