Archives for category: Standardized Testing
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“Mister, No English”

By dianeravitch
May 10, 2018 //
49

A teacher in a big-city district in New York, posted this note on his Facebook page. I can’t give you the link because the teacher requested anonymity for fear of reprisals even though he plans to retire at the end of this academic year.

The post says:

I haven’t taught a class in over a month. I’ve been administering various tests– English, math, and the test for my field–the NYSESLAT. This morning I was giving the second of four parts of the NYSESLAT test to a bilingual class of third graders. It’s the New York state test for English proficiency. It takes roughly 3 1/2 hours for a child to complete. It was the first listening, reading and writing component of the test. A student who came to my school on the second day I started NYSESLAT testing, from Puerto Rico, had to take the test. I haven’t had the chance to spend any time with him because I’ve been giving tests. Nonetheless, he had to take this test. After he did the first two parts of the test before I read the instructions, he passed me this note.

At the bottom of his post there is a note that says, “mister no English.” It is accompanied by four hand-drawn faces with tears streaming from their eyes and downturned mouths, the opposite of smiley faces.

Categories Education Reform, English Language Learners, New York, Standardized Testing

Students in Brooklyn Middle School Lead Opt Out Protest

By dianeravitch
May 7, 2018 //
4

 

Those people who think that opting out of state tests is only for affluent white kids in the suburbs should watch this video. 

It shows African American students at the Brooklyn Collaborative Middle School leading a protest against state testing and taking their Message to other schools in their neighborhood.

Students in New York City have no participated in the opt out movement because the city’s education leaders have warned them of dire consequences to them as individuals and to their school. They have never been informed that they have a right to refuse the tests.

Categories New York City, Opt Out, Standardized Testing, Students

Ralph Ratto: Choosing Between My Students and the Institution

By dianeravitch
May 1, 2018 //
19

 

Ralph Ratto is an elementary teacher in New York. He wrote a tweet during testing time. A principal—not his own—saw the tweet and reported him. He was in trouble. 

He wrote the following open letter to the anonymous principal who turned him in.

An open letter to the principal who chose the Institution over the kids.

Dear principal who chose to remain anonymous,

Every year I watch my students struggle with abusive assessments that provide me, as their teacher, with useless data. Every year the test is administered in the Spring just as allergy season  is in full swing. Every year my students must suffer through this test while leaf blowers, jets, garbage trucks and traffic create an annoying din that makes concentration difficult, especially with those of my students with ADHD, severe allergies and other issues that affect their learning. And yes, every year my students perform better than the state, region and often lead the district.

You cowardly chose  to  attack a teacher who was documenting the noise pollution that affected every child in our school rather than solve the problem of noise pollution or even solve the problem of these abusive tests. 

Your priorities are skewed. You may post tons of smiling faces on your own Twitter account but the truth is out there. Today, you chose the institution over those smiling faces. Shame on you.

Yes, I may have broken test protocol , but you broke something even more important. Your failure to approach me personally goes to character. Your failure to choose kids over institution goes to character. 

You got your teaspoon of flesh. I was reprimanded and told not to do it again. Tomorrow is test day #3. I will always choose kids over institution. The question is, what will you do?

Commitment

No charges are being brought against me.

I am still committed to ending test abuse. I am committed to the opt out movement. I am committed to the success of my students.

 

 

 

 

Categories New York, Opt Out, Standardized Testing, Students

Ohio: Online Testing System Crashes

By dianeravitch
April 18, 2018 //
48

 

Ohio testing is bogged down by failure of the online system supplied by vendor AIR. 

Can anyone remind me why everyone began switching to online assessment?

What was wrong with paper and pencil tests?

What was wrong with tests written by teachers?

How many billions have been wasted on testing in the past 20 years that could have been used to raise teachers’ salaries, reduce class size, repair buildings?

 

Categories Ohio, Standardized Testing, Technology

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

NYSAPE Demands Commissioner Elia’s Resignation for Test Fiascoes

By dianeravitch
April 17, 2018 //
19

 

New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) issued a statement demanding the resignation or firing of State Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2018

More information contact:

Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com

Jeanette Deutermann (516) 902-9228; nys.allies@gmail.com

NY State Allies for Public Education – NYSAPE

Commissioner Elia and the Board of Regents Continue to Fail New York’s Children;

Parents Demand the Immediate Removal of Commissioner Elia

Parents across the state demand that the Board of Regents act immediately to remove Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. It is time the Board of Regents exercises control over the State Education Department to stop the runaway train of anti-public school “reform” that the commissioner represents.

Last week’s 3rd-8th grade ELA testing was an epic–and avoidable–fail for the children of New York State. The problems began before the tests were even administered, continued during their administration, and will persist unless there is a radical shakeup in the leadership of the State Education Department; in the way in which information about the tests and participation in the tests is communicated to families; and in how the tests themselves are constructed, administered, and scored.

The twin disasters of this year’s botched computer-based tests and an even more flawed than usual ELA test design prove that Elia is unequal to her duties and lacks the competence to helm the education department. Our children deserve better.

Leading up to the tests, some districts sent letters to parents asking whether their children would be participating in the assessments. Others, including the state’s largest district, New York City, sent home testing “info” riddled with spin, distortion, and outright lies regarding test refusal and its consequences. Many disadvantaged communities told advocates that they did not know they had a right to refuse the tests, even though it is their children who are most likely to suffer the negative effects of school closure.

Amy Gropp Forbes, a mother active in NYC Opt Out, wrote in a letter addressed to Chancellor Betty Rosa, “I urge you to issue a formal statement that clarifies a parent’s right to refuse state testing for their children. If the state allows some parents the right to opt out of state exams, it MUST give ALL parents this right, and consequences to schools and districts across the state must be equitable.” Gropp Forbes received no reply.

That the BOR and SED stood by and let this situation transpire despite having been made fully aware of the inequity–a statewide NYSAPE letter writing campaign generated over 200 complaints of “misinformation and intimidation”–is inexcusable. The absence of state-issued guidance also allowed some schools and districts to intimidate potential test refusers by instituting “sit and stare” policies.

Further evidence of a dereliction of duty on the part of BOR and SED came last week during the state ELA exam. The problems far exceeded the typical complaints associated with the state’s standardized exams. In fact, the problems were so egregious that one Westchester superintendent felt compelled to apologize to his entire community for what students had to endure. Social media flooded with teacher and proctor reports of children crying from fatigue, confusion, angst, hunger, pain, and more.

“Any good teacher knows how to judge time in lessons and assessments,” stated Chris Cerrone, school board trustee from Erie County. “As soon as I saw the format when I received the instructions I knew something was wrong. Day 1 would be short. Day 2 would be too long.”

Jeanette Deutermann, founding member of NYSAPE and LI Opt Out questioned, “Who was actually responsible for the construction and final version of these assessments? SOMEONE is responsible; that someone is Elia and the Board of Regents. The worst test since the new rollout has happened on their watch. Until a more capable leader is in place, we demand that all work on the construction of future tests be suspended immediately.”

Ulster County parent, educator, and NYSAPE founding member Bianca Tanis attributed last week’s fiasco in part to the state’s adoption of untimed testing. “Both SED and members of the Board of Regents continue to ignore the egregious consequences of untimed testing, misleading the public by claiming that the tests are shorter. For many educators, administering this test was the worst day of their career. The truth is out, and it cannot be ignored.”

“Enough is enough,” declared Dr. Michael Hynes, Superintendent of Long Island’s Patchogue-Medford district. “Not only are children and educators suffering, but with this untimed policy the state is in violation of its own law, which caps testing at no more than 1% (9 hours) of instructional time. Where’s the enforcement?”

“For a decade or more, SED and its vendors have proved themselves incapable of creating valid, well-designed, non-abusive exams that can be reliably used for diagnostic purposes or to track trends in student achievement over time,” said Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters.

“Since the Common Core was introduced, these problems have only gotten worse, with tests so difficult and confusing that teachers themselves are at a loss as to how the questions should be answered. A recent report from the Superintendents Roundtable revealed that the NYS exams were misaligned to excessively high benchmarks, meaning far too many students are wrongly identified as low-performing,” said Marla Kilfoyle, Long Island public school parent, educator, and BATs Executive Director.

Brooklyn public school parent and founding member of NYC Opt Out, Kemala Karmen, is calling on SED to notify every single parent of their right to refuse May’s upcoming math assessment. She added, “The state can and should halt its hellbent race towards computerized testing, for which it is clearly ill-prepared; stop farming out test construction to dubious for-profit companies; truly shorten the exams; and, most important, remove high stakes attached to the assessments.”

Here’s a compilation of observations made by parents, administrators, and teachers about the numerous problems with this year’s NYS ELA state test, and the suffering it caused students.

NYSAPE calls on the Board of Regents to stand up for equitable and authentic learning & assessments and immediately remove Commissioner Elia.

#OptOut2018 Test Refusal Letter: English​ & Spanish​

​NYSAPE is a grassroots coalition with over 50 parent and educator groups across the state.

###

Categories Accountability, Education Reform, Failure, New York, Standardized Testing

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

New York: “The Tests Aren’t Worth the Paper They Are Printed On”

By dianeravitch
April 9, 2018 //
31

 

Two local union leaders in New York—in Mahopac and the Saranac Lake District—urge parents to opt their children out of the state tests because they are a waste of time and money. 

They write that while the state has shortened the tests by a day and hired a new vendor, parents should opt out and do what is right for their child:

”And yet, have any of the changes reduced the impact these tests have on students? More importantly, are the tests, and the data they produce, having any positive impact on teaching and learning in our schools? In our view, the answer to both of these questions is an unqualified “no.” The tests aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.”

There are serious questions about the validity and reliability of the tests, about computer testing, and about how accurately the tests measure student ability.

They conclude:

”In our view, there are compelling reasons to refuse the 3-8 state tests again this year. If you’re new to the testing, and have concerns about the state tests as we do, you’re not alone. Hopefully your school district has notified you of its protocol for refusing the tests. If not, you should know that to opt out, simply send a letter to your child’s principal prior to the April 11 start date.

“We’re committed to doing our part in helping rebuild the trust that parents, students and teachers have in the state Education Department. The same is true for the approximately 20 other teacher union local leaders from around the state who comprise an ad hoc coalition in support of the views expressed here. Yet until meaningful changes are made to the broken system of grade 3-8 tests, civil disobedience in the form of opting out will be necessary. Here’s hoping that this year’s round of protesting finally results in SED listening to the collective voice of parents, teachers and students.”

 

Categories New York, Opt Out, 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

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
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