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Parent: Why I Will Not Let My Child Take the State Test

By dianeravitch
April 18, 2018 //
57

 

A parent in New York wanted to see what the testing experience was, so she went to the State Education Department website and tried the practice questions for third grade. Whatever her initial objections might have been, what she found most objectionable was the nature of the online assessment.

She wrote:

“I had the opportunity to take a practice grade 3 math CBT today. It sealed my decision to opt my children out. It was highly frustrating and difficult to navigate. The font was very small. At the beginning there were a multitude of directions explaining all the online “tools”. Not all the answer choices always fit on the screen, so you have to scroll up and down to navigate the entire question with answers. On a two step word problem I was required to show my work. To do this you have to tap on an algorithm and then plug in the numbers. For some reason, even though I chose a vertical algorithm, the two numbers were not properly lined up, which made adding them pretty tough. Even with three adults looking at it we couldn’t fix it. The problem also required carrying, and you basically had to do that in your head as there is no way to carry the extra ten to the next column. Also, I had to enter the answer from left to right, instead of adding the ones, tens, hundreds. These tests are already flawed in so many ways, and now we are adding extra anxiety to these kids. And how will the results not be invalid? How will we know if the kid really didn’t know an answer, or just couldn’t figure out how to navigate the computer? None of this is necessary for 8-14 year old children.”

Categories New York, Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing, Technology

New York: Opt Outs Remain High on Long Island

By dianeravitch
April 13, 2018 //
49

 

Newsday reports that the opt out movement continues with vigor on Long Island, the heart of the test-refusal movement.

State officials did their best to intimidate, and some local officials tried to bully parents. The new chancellor of New York City public schools said that parents who choose opt out were “extremists.” The city’s schools have successfully suppressed opt outs by warnings of serious consequences to schools and students. Pundits predicted that the state had killed opt out.

But students and parents on Long Island were unbowed by threats.

”More than half of eligible students on Long Island boycotted the state English Language Arts test this week — a continuation of high opt-outs despite state efforts to win back students and their parents by shortening the exams.

“A total of 74,018 students in grades three through eight across Nassau and Suffolk counties refused to take the exam out of 145,127 students eligible, according to a Newsday survey that drew responses from 97 of the Island’s 124 districts. That’s a refusal rate of 51 percent.

“In Nassau, 28,831 students out of 67,630 students in the districts that responded, or 42.6 percent, sat out the latest assessments. In Suffolk, 45,187 students out of 77,497 in the responding systems, or 58.3 percent, refused to participate…

”So far, opt-outs in the Island’s schools are running close to the 52.2 percent peak recorded at this time last year. The boycott movement has now racked up six straight years of support, starting on a small scale in spring 2013 and ballooning to tens of thousands of students annually since 2015.

“The Comsewogue district, serving Port Jefferson Station, hit a new local refusal record of 90.3 percent.

“School systems reporting opt-out rates of 60 percent or more included Bellmore-Merrick, Malverne, Seaford, Babylon, Middle Country, Patchogue-Medford and West Babylon.”

Education Trust-New York expressed disappointment that so many parents didn’t understand the value of annual standardized testing.

Categories Education Reform, New York, New York City, Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing, Students

Leonie Haimson: Why Parents Opt Out of State Testing

By dianeravitch
April 9, 2018 //
32

 

Writing on the leading news site for New York City Parents, Leonie Haimson explains why about 20% of parents in New York State have refused to allow their children to take the state tests. 

The most important reason is that the tests have no value for individual students. The test results are not retuned until the fall, when students have a different teacher. Knowing their score without being able to review right and wrong answers is useless.

Haimson writes:

“So what are the facts? The state exams have been shortened from three days to two, which is an improvement, and the state mandated that no child could be held back because of a low score on the exam, and no teacher judged on the results, as occurred during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration.

“But there are still many questions about the quality and usefulness of these exams. Here a third grade teacher points out how many of the reading passages continue to be far above grade level, and how the results fail to provide any useful diagnostic information to teachers about their students. Many other educators have pointed out how the state exams are replete with questions like “What is the main idea” of a reading passage, while offering multiple choice answers that are confusing and ambiguous.

“As Jeanette Deutermann of Long Island Opt Out points out, the overemphasis on high-stakes testing has caused schools to narrow the curriculum, focus on low-quality worksheets and eliminate project-based learning. The exams also widen inequities and are toxic for students, as Johanna Garcia explains. Chancellor Farina privately told a group of NYC parents two years ago that she herself would opt out of the test if she had an English Language Learner or special needs child — though she refused to admit this publicly.

“The Common Core standards and exams have also promoted other damaging practices in schools, such as “close reading” strategies in which teachers aren’t supposed to explain the larger context of passages, with students deprived of the background knowledge they need to fully comprehend assigned texts. For the best and most concise critique of how this impairs learning, see a one minute video from Nick Tampio, professor at Fordham University.

”Indeed, some Common Core proponents are now backtracking and renouncing the value of the current state exams, including Louisiana State Superintendent John White, (formerly Deputy Chancellor of NYC DOE) who now says that reading tests should be based instead on knowledge and a broad curriculum.”

it is a giant waste of student and teacher time, as well as many millions of dollars.

No other nation in the world tests every child every year from grades 3-8.

A few years ago, I spoke in Texas to administrators and school board members. One school board member got up and identified himself as an engineer. He said that his company samples its products. If they inspected every single item, he said, they would have no time to mpmanufacture the products. All their energy would be devoted to inspection.

Categories Education Reform, New York, Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing, Students

NPE Action Fund Endorses Khem Irby for Guilford County, North CaroIina, School Board

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2018 //
2

 

The Network for Public Action Fund endorses Khem Irby for School Board in District 6, Guilford County, North Carolina.

Khem Irby has received the Network for Public Education Action’s endorsement for the District 6 seat on the Guilford County School Board in North Carolina. Khem’s background in education and advocacy makes her an ideal candidate for the board.

She currently works as an elementary after-school teacher, and serves as the Secretary for the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) Educational Support Personnel. Khem is also President of the Board of Parents Across America (PAA), a national non-profit grassroots organization that connects public school parents across the country.

Khem told NPE Action that her highest priority would be to make decisions that are student-centered, giving priority to those with the greatest need. She is committed to developing policies that will put schools on a path of ending the school-to-prison pipeline.

Based on her own experiences as a mother, Khem supports a nation-wide moratorium on all charter schools. She said that as a former charter school parent who witnessed too many disparities in charter schools in New York City, she can not support this model of schooling. Similarly, her position on virtual learning is informed by her own experiences. From watching her own child participate in the virtual learning process, she concluded that this it is not the best option for students.

She told us that these programs “take away from the many to give to the few, therefore, I cannot support them,” adding that “we must strive to demand that every public school is a great school and choice.”

To win a seat on the Guilford County School Board, Khem must face a Democratic challenger in the primary on May 8th, and if successful, she will face a Republican challenger on November 6th. Please support Khem in her primary campaign, and ensure she gets on the general election ballot.

Categories Education Reform, North Carolina, NPE Action Fund, Parents

Do You Want to Opt Out of State Testing? Here is Help

By dianeravitch
April 5, 2018 //
1

State and local officials are trying to break the Opt Out Movement. Nothing so terrifies the testocracy as parent refusals of tests.

If you want help in opting out, go to this site.

Opt out is the  most powerful tool available to parents. Don’t let them take it away.

Categories Opt Out, Parents, Resistance, Standardized Testing, Students

New York Parents: Don’t Be Bullied, Opt Out

By dianeravitch
April 4, 2018 //
9

 

A Message from NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education):

 

Please TAKE ACTION NOW CLICK HERE and share your stories with NYSED and the Board of Regents. ASK them to CORRECT the MISINFORMATION and INTIMIDATION being spread on opting out of the 3-8 grade state tests.

Despite the fact that Commissioner Elia has acknowledged that parents have the right to opt out of the state tests, NYSAPE has been flooded with emails from parents sharing stories of misinformation being disseminated by their school districts regarding test refusals. Many stories detail intimidation and bullying, as well as false claims that schools or students will be punished for opting out.

Here is the reality: NO student will have a low score entered into their records for opting out, NO school will be identified as failing because of high opt out numbers and NO school will lose funding.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Board of Regents MUST HEAR from you regarding intimidation and misleading information being spread in your school district regarding your right to refuse the NYS Grades 3-8 state tests.

Here is the truth according to NYSED: “To comply with the federal law, one school academic accountability calculation still must be based on the percentage of all students who pass state tests.… But New York’s plan also creates a new “core subject performance index” that reflects the results only for the portion of students who actually take the state tests [emphasis added] If the result using the index calculation is better, that performance measure can be used to determine whether a school is targeted for additional funding and academic support. In essence, both of these measures are looked at,” Schwartz [of NYSED] told the Regents… “if we have schools that have high achievement but also have high rates of non-participation, those schools will not likely end up on our list of those schools that need to be focused upon.” [1]

Schools have a legal obligation to administer the state tests. HOWEVER, parents have the legal right to opt out their children free of coercion or penalties of any sort.

We are imploring NYSED and the Board of Regents to address these issues!

We refuse the state tests because we do not want to have our schools focus on test prep, and have our children subjected to biased, flawed exams. We demand that our schools focus instead on creating a meaningful, student-centered learning environment. If you’re in doubt about what to do, check out the video of one of our founders, Jeanette Deutermann, available here.

If you do decide to opt your child out of the tests, here’s a NYSAPE TEST REFUSAL LETTER to send to your child’s teacher/s and building principal.

Time is of the essence, as state testing is around the corner! Please TAKE ACTION NOW CLICK HERE and share your stories with NYSED and the Board of Regents. ASK them to CORRECT the MISINFORMATION being spread, and to stop the bullying of our children.

Thank you, NYSAPE

Categories Education Reform, New York, Opt Out, Parents

Freeport Teachers Association Urges Parents to Opt Out Their Children Out of Testing

By dianeravitch
April 3, 2018 //
15

Well, here is a breath of fresh air.

The teachers in Freeport, Long Island, New York, issued a statement explaining why parents not only have the right to opt their children out of the state tests, but explain why the tests are pointless.

Some important state and local officials have engaged in tactics meant to intimidate parents—threatening their their children and their school will suffer punishment if they dare to opt out.

The Freeport Teachers Association says these are false threats. Parents have the right to opt out.

The tests are meaningless because they are scored over the summer, and the results are returned when the students have a different teacher, who will learn nothing about individual students from the scores.

The tests continue to have no value for children with disabilities and English language learners.

The FTA goes further to urge parents to opt their children out of the tests because it is the only way to force the state to change to a more useful form of assessment.

Parents, you and you alone have the power to compel change. Use it!

For their courage and professional integrity, I place the Freeport Teachers Association on the Honor Roll of this Blog.

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Categories Courage, Education Reform, Honor Roll, New York, Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing, Students

Parent Founder of Long Island Opt Out Explains Why She Fights against the Tyranny of Testing

By dianeravitch
March 25, 2018 //
6

 

Jeannette Deutermann is the parent who founded Long Island Opt Out, and whose tireless activism inspired parents and education activists across the state. In this powerful video, she explains why she did it.

She saw that the tests were destroying her children’s spirit and love of learning. The more she learned about the uselessness of the state tests, the more determined she became to protect her children.

Jeannette is a gifted and passionate organizer. She joined with dozens of independent parent and educator groups across the state, which created a coordinating organization called NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education).Through their efforts, 20% of the students in grades 3-8 have refused the tests for three straight years. They objected not only to the tests but to the developmentally inappropriate, highly standardized, lockstep Common Core.

In response to the Opt Out Movement, the state shortened the exams, which had stretched over two weeks for many hours and promised to revise the Common Core. State testing begins April 10-11, and the Opt Out Movement will once again reach out to parents across the state.

Opt out rates in the state have been highest on Long Island and upstate in rural communities. The Education Department in New York City has discouraged opting out and warned schools that low participation rates will harm their school.

Jeannette is a brilliant grassroots leader who is fighting not only for her kids but for all children in the state.

The test scores serve an insidious purpose: they are used to label and stigmatize students, teachers, and schools. They are essential to the privatization movement, which uses low scores as a pretext—not to help schools—but to close them and replace them with privately managed charter schools.

Please watch the video, tweet it, and share it on social media. Join the Movement to restore the joy of learning!

The video was filmed in Brooklyn and produced by professional videographer Michael Elliott with the assistance of Kemala Karmen. It was sponsored by the Network for Public Education.

https://www.facebook.com/carol.c.burris

 

Categories Accountability, Education Industry, Opt Out, Parents, Privatization, Students, Testing

Please Respond to This Research Survey about Opt Out

By dianeravitch
March 23, 2018 //
6

 

Reseachers at Teachers College, Columbia University, are conducting research about the Opt Out Movement.

Please consider participating in their survey if you are interested in the efforts of parents to keep their children from taking state tests as a protest against the overuse and misuse of standardized testing.

The survey was designed by two professors: Oren Piemonte-Levy and Nancy Green Saraisky.

For further information, you can contact:

Oren Pizmony-Levy, PhD
Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education
Department of International and Transcultural Studies
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street
370 Grace Dodge Hall
Box 55
New York, NY 10027

Tel (office): 212-678-3180

Email: pizmony-levy@tc.columbia.edu
Website: http://orenpizmonylevy.com/

Categories Opt Out, Parents, Research

NYSAPE: Schools with High Numbers of Opt Outs Will NOT Be Punished

By dianeravitch
March 7, 2018 //
7

 

The leaders of the Opt Out Movement in New York, which has been highly successful in urging parents to opt their children out of state testing, issued a press release to counter the threats against opting out. 

New York State Allies for Public Education says that no schools or students will be penalized.

The state standardized tests are meaningless. They provide no diagnostic information to help students or teachers. They are cloaked in secrecy. They have no function other than compliance with an unjust law.

Unjust laws are made to be broken. So are stupid laws. Requiring students to take a lengthy standardized test every year is pointless. No other nation does it. We do it because Congress was wedded to the failed ideology of No Child Left Behind.

Opt out.

Categories Accountability, New York, Opt Out, Parents, Testing
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