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Ohio Belongs to Pearson

By dianeravitch
June 14, 2015 //
13

This article was distributed by the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy.

“Dr. Barbara Brothers, Dean Emeritus, Youngstown State University, and current chair of the Education Committee of the Greater Youngstown League of Women Voters, is looking into the Pearson operation in Ohio and wrote what she has found thus far.

Ohio, a Pearson State

The Pearson Corporation is a multi-billion dollar United Kingdom enterprise which has grown from a construction company to include newspapers, entertainment enterprises such as amusement parks, and book publishers among its holdings. In 2000 Pearson spent $2.5 billion to acquire an American testing company in an effort to increase its profits through securing contracts to produce standardized tests and test preparation materials
(http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/pearson-education-115026.html). It has been given enormous control over K-12 public schools in Ohio by the Ohio legislature and governor.

Pearson effectively controls what is taught, who graduates, and even who gets a second chance at a high school diploma through the General Education Diploma (GED) examination. Recently Comcast was prevented from acquiring Time Warner because the federal government determined that Comcast’s control of 60% of the market was too great. But that market share pales compared to the 100% Pearson has been granted by the State of Ohio.

Since 2013, Pearson tests even license teachers in Ohio. Because the tests are designed and graded by Pearson, the company and its employees determine what teachers need to know in all particular teaching fields-English, science, history. Colleges must address what Pearson puts on the tests so that their students will be licensed to teach in Ohio initially and, later, when a teacher seeks professional advancement.

By 2018, Pearson end of course exams in designated subjects in grades 9 -12–PARCC Tests–will determine if a student receives an Ohio high school diploma. PARCC tests-Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and careers-are to be based on Common Core State Standards (CCSS), developed with primary input from Pearson.

In January of 2014 Pearson produced a revised GED exam—a new version of the GED that is to be taken entirely on-line. The pass rate fell 90 percent because the test now measures college readiness rather than what was actually learned in high school.

Pearson controls the curriculum by defining the knowledge and skills a student must master. Pearson assures us the CCSS will be rigorous; i.e. that at least thirty percent or more of students taking the tests will fail. An educator such as Dr. Louisa Moats, who was a contributing writer of CCSS, is just one of many of those critical of the jump to test and fail (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/child-development-central/201401/when-will-we-ever-learn). These standards for which Pearson oversaw the development, helped by tax free money such as an $88 million dollar grant from the Gates Foundation, in turn require the development and selling of both on-line materials and textbooks to prepare the teacher to teach to the test. Pearson produces the materials from which the teachers teach and the tests that tell us if they have performed satisfactorily. In Ohio they have no competitors. If your school “fails” then send your child to a Connections Academy, a Pearson for-profit Charter advertised on their GED webpage.

Teachers, parents, and concerned citizens have criticized the tests on a number of grounds-the number of tests, the time the tests take, the appropriateness of the questions, the secrecy about the test questions, the spying on students’ social media, the use of the tests for punishment, teaching to the test, the ignoring of the arts, the expense and failure of the technology for administering the tests, and the tremendous cost to taxpayers. The mania for testing and collecting volumes of data are destroying our education system and creating a world of big profits for the Pearson corporation and Big Brother-ism–all approved by our Ohio Legislature and Governor and supported by Federal legislation-No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.

William Phillis
Ohio E & A

Ohio E & A | 100 S. 3rd Street | Columbus | OH | 43215

Categories Curriculum, Ohio, Pearson, Standardized Testing

Should SAT Prep and Khan Videos Be Part of the Curriculum?

By dianeravitch
June 12, 2015 //
53

The College Board has ambitious plans to make SAT prep a standard part of the curriculum, utilizing Khan Academy videos. The head of the College Board is David Coleman, architect of the Common Core. The ostensible goal is to help more poor kids get prepared to take the SAT and gain admission to college.

“The company wants schools to track students’ progress from eighth to 12th grade using the “SAT Suite of Assessments,” which will be largely paid for by schools and typically administered during the school day, thus ensuring high participation rates. All of the exams will be aligned with the redesigned SAT, which is slated to make its debut next spring. More school-day testing is bound to take time away from traditional instruction, as is Khan prep if schools make it part of the standard curriculum, which appears to be the College Board’s goal….”

“If you ask Coleman, having students do Khan prep in school doesn’t detract from authentic learning. He believes that doing multiple-choice math and reading questions on screen and watching Khan’s YouTube videos constitute an “organic tool” that will work within the existing curriculum to develop academic skills. Meanwhile, Cynthia Schmeiser, who oversees assessment at the College Board, believes that “the sooner a student starts [using Khan prep], the more comfortable they’ll be on test day.”

“These positions fly in the face of test-prep experts, who argue that the SAT is divorced from traditional school work because it is a high-stakes, time-pressured, multiple-choice exam. Tutors typically recommend intense, compact preparation that detracts as little as possible from other educational pursuits and takes months not years. As Brendan Mernin, a founding tutor at Noodle.com, put it, “The SAT is supposed to show what you got out of your schoolwork. It is not supposed to be the schoolwork.”

What do I think? I think this is a corruption of education. The goal of education is to help young people learn and develop in mind, body, and character. School is a time to explore and develop interests and talents. Taking a test is not the goal of education. It is supposed to be a measure, not a part of the curriculum.

It is well-established that students’ grade point average predicts college readiness better than the SAT. Many colleges recognize this,and more than 800 are now test-optional.

The SAT has been losing ground to the ACT. This may be a clever marketing ploy by the College Board to best the competition.

Let’s hope that more colleges recognize that students’ work over four years means more than the SAT or the ACT. Free the students from this unnecessary burden!

Categories Coleman, David, Curriculum, Standardized Testing

BREAKING NEWS: Oregon Passes Strong Opt Out Bill

By dianeravitch
June 11, 2015 //
33

Despite the pressure exerted by the U.S. Department of Education and threats to cut off federal funding, the Oregon legislature passed a strong opt out bill, protecting parental rights.

From: Oregon Education Association

Oregon Senate passes HB2655–first step on path to a better way

Senate Passes “Student Assessment Bill of Rights”

Today the Oregon Senate overwhelmingly passed HB 2655 (24-6) — one of the strongest bills in the nation to support all students and parents on statewide standardized assessments. The bill establishes the Student Assessment Bill of Rights which requires assessment transparency by giving students:

the right to know the purpose of statewide assessments and how the results will be used

when exactly the assessments will be administered

the amount of class time required for the assessment

the learning targets that make up the assessment

how students can self-assess and track their own progress

when the results will be made available
and who will have access to the student’s testing data and how the data will be used

HB 2655 also establishes one of the most parent friendly opt-out provisions in the nation by ensuring that every parent has easy access to information about statewide assessments and how to exercise their right to determine if sitting for the statewide standardized assessment is in the best interest of their child.

More importantly, the legislation brings us one step closer to our ultimate goal–a system where parents, students and teachers are “all-in” instead of wanting to “opt-out.” We have already been working with educators and education leaders across the state to begin to map out a better path for student assessments that focuses on inspiring a love of learning. To learn more about how you can get involved, click here.

This is a huge victory for students and parents, and we’re proud of all the work you did to pass HB 2655 –this bill would not have become law without your commitment to improving public education in Oregon.

Categories Opt Out, Oregon, Resistance, Standardized Testing

Testing Does NOT Promote Civil Rights or Equity

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2015 //
52

This is a sad, sad story. At the very time that increasing numbers of parents, researchers, and educators agree that testing in American schools is out of control, the caucuses in the House of Representatives representing children of color have taken a strong stand in favor of high-stakes testing.

According to the Washington Post, they want schools held accountable if children fail to meet targets two years in a row.

“Now the Congressional Tri-Caucus has sided with dozens of civil rights groups and the Obama administration. In a letter to the Senate on Wednesday, more than 80 members of the Tri-Caucus said they cannot support the bill without key changes, including a requirement that states take action at schools that are failing to serve subgroups of children, such as those who are low-income, African American or English learners, or those who have disabilities.

“Specifically, the Tri-Caucus — made up of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus — wants the federal government to compel states to act when a school fails to meet testing targets for subgroups of students two years in a row.

“That type of change is anathema to many Republicans, who see it as a federal overreach, and to the NEA, which likens it to a return to the test-centric and overly punitive provisions of No Child Left Behind. But members of the Tri-Caucus say that the requirement is key to ensuring that states do not overlook the nation’s neediest children.

“Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.), the ranking Democrat of the House education committee, said he and his colleagues are seeking a new law that “honors the civil rights legacy of the law and fulfills the needs of all of America’s children.”

This is very sad. It will make the testing corporations very happy. It will not help children.

Standardized tests are normed on a bell curve. Affluent students cluster in the top half, students whose family income is low cluster in the bottom half. The bell curve never closes. Why would civil rights groups favor a mechanism–standardized testing–that by its nature will rank, label and stigmatize the children with the greatest needs?

Categories Civil Rights, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Standardized Testing

Vicki Cobb: A Time for Civil Disobedience: LINK ADDED

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2015 //
4

Vicki Cobb, author of many nonfiction books for children, attended the Skinny Awards last night. The dinner is an annual fundraiser for Class Size Matters, Néw York’s most dynamic advocacy group for children, parents, teachers, and public schools. It operates on a shoestring but has had national impact through the efforts of its leader, Leonie Haimson, to support class size reduction, to fight high-stakes testing, and to defend student privacy from corporate data mining.

The Skinny Awards are a direct contrast to billionaire Eli Broad’s “Broad Award,” given to the urban district or charter chain that has most vigorously implemented corporate reform. The Skinny Awards go to those who fight for high-quality public education for all and who oppose the corporate assault on public schools.

Vicki decided, as she watched and listened, that she was observing the birth of a movement for civil disobedience. Not called into being by billionaires or the powerful, but led by grassroots parents, teachers, and principals.

She writes:

“The havoc wrought by corporate group-think on education can well cost us a generation of thinkers and doers and risk takers. Our children can’t be written off as the cost of doing business.

“This has awakened a sleeping giant in the population. Opt-out is political. It is democratic. The people are rising up against oppression. It is the only way to make politicians and the billionaires funding this disruption to take notice. If they don’t, watch; there will be further unrest.

“I am honored and energized to add my voice to the opt-out movement fighting for the minds of our children and the future of America.”

Categories Class size, Opt Out, Resistance, Standardized Testing

Marc Tucker Fires Back at Kati Haycock and Jonah Edelman, Advocates of Annual Testing

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2015 //
42

Here is one of those blog battles that are very informative.

 

Awhile back, a group of civil rights organizations came out in favor of retaining annual testing as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB). A smaller group issued another statement critical of parents who opt their children out of annual standardized testing.

 

Marc Tucker wrote a post saying that annual tests have harmed poor minority students, and they should reconsider their position. He was criticized strongly by Kati Haycock of Education Trust and Jonah Edelman of Stand for Children, who support annual testing.

 

In this post, Tucker responds to Haycock and Edelman. All of the links are embedded in his post, including the link to civil rights leaders who disagree with the organizational statement.

 

He says there is no evidence for their assertions and urges them to base their critique on facts, not attacks.

 

As you read this debate, be sure to read the statement by Seattle teacher and activist Jesse Hagopian and the board of the Network for Public Education, critiquing annual testing. The Seattle chapter of the NAACP opposes annual standardized testing.

 

You might also want to see Mercedes Schneider’s overview of this debate, in which she points out Haycock’s failure to cite any evidence.

 

 

Categories Standardized Testing

Oregon: Feds Threaten to Withold Funding if Parents Allowed to Opt Out

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2015 //
73

The U.S. Department of Education has threatened to withhold funding from the state of Oregon if a bill passes allowing parents to opt out of Common Core testing.

“PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The U.S. Department of Education has sent the state of Oregon a letter, threatening to pull federal funding if Oregon lawmakers pass a bill making it easier for parents to opt out their children from standardized tests.

“The state could lose more than $140-million a year if the bill passes, maybe up to $325-million. Representative Lew Frederick is a supporter of the bill. He says losing funding has always been a thought but he tells KOIN 6 News, Oregon isn’t the only state fighting standardized testing.

“The bill doesn’t say get rid of the test.” said Frederick. “The bill says simply, here is a procedure for opting out of the test if parents come forward and want to opt out, that’s all it says.”

This money represents funding for the neediest students in the state.

The only time in the past that the Feds made similar threats was in the 1960s, when districts refused to desegregate, pursuant to federal law and court orders. Who imagined that the day would come when the ED would threaten to cut off funding if a state allowed parents to refuse the tests?

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

Fairtest: Weekly Update on Testing Resistance and Reform

By dianeravitch
June 9, 2015 //
4

 

 

Bob Schaeffer of Fairtest writes:

 

 

With stories from more than half of the 50 states, this week’s news clips show the expanding breadth, depth and clout of the assessment resistance and reform movement. You can help strengthen support for grassroots activism by making contributing to the campaign for Less Testing, More Learning
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fairtest

 

 

 

National “We Now Know That Students Cannot Be Tested Out of Poverty”
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/243692-dc-civil-rights-organizations-fail-to-represent-education-civil

 
Keep Pressing the U.S. Senate to Roll Back Federal Test Overkill Mandate

http://fairtest.org/roll-back-standardized-testing-send-letter-congres

 

 

Arkansas on Verge of Dropping PARCC Test
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2015/06/arkansas_poised_to_drop_parccs_common-core_test_in_favor_of_act.html

 

 

California Schools Face Challenge of Explaining Common Core Test Results to Parents
http://edsource.org/2015/schools-face-challenge-of-explaining-common-core-test-results-to-parents/80735#.VW77FPlLUZx

 
California Rural Districts Develop Innovative Assessment Alternatives
http://www.pinerivertimes.com/article/20150604/PRT01/150609875/-1/prt/Bayfield-school-district-helps-create-testing-alternative-

 

 

Connecticut New Law Would Reduce Test Exhaustion for 11th Graders
http://wnpr.org/post/new-law-would-reduce-test-exhaustion-connecticuts-11th-graders#stream/0

 

 

Delaware Parents Understand Why to Opt Out
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/06/02/parents-know-smarter-balance-test-bad-kids/28383361/

 

 

Florida Testing Problems Mean Fewer Third Graders Held Back
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-third-graders-reading-retention-20150603-story.html

 
Florida Too Much Testing in Schools Critics Say
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150604/ARTICLE/150609853

 

 

Idaho Test Contractor Problems Delay Score Reporting
http://www.idahoednews.org/news/isat-test-results-hit-a-series-of-delays/#.VW8N4PlLUZw

 

 

Indiana District Supers Call for True Accountability, Not Reliance on ISTEP Scores
http://www.jconline.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/06/04/op-ed-bad-news-coming-istep/28492025/

 
Indiana High-Stakes Testing To Come Under Scrutiny by Legislative Committee
http://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/high-stakes-testing-to-come-under-scrutiny/article_ef7efa79-a5d5-5ed7-859e-d6b79a5d9e2c.html

 

 

Kansas Trying to Pilot Local Assessments Under NCLB Waiver
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2015/06/kansas_tried_for_local_tests_u.html

 

 

Louisiana SciTech Charter School Testing Irregularities
http://thelensnola.org/2015/06/03/scitech-charter-leader-let-students-take-tests-for-each-other-and-at-home/

 

 

Maine School Officials Say Test is Fatally Flawed
http://www.mdislander.com/maine-news/education-news/test-fatally-flawed-school-officials-say

 
Maine House and Senate Revive Test Opt-Out Bill
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/06/08/politics/standardized-testing-opt-out-bill-revived-by-maine-house-senate/

 

 

Massachusetts Groups Launch Week of Actions for Less Testing, More Learning
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/get-ready-for-a-week-of-action-for-less-testing-more-learning/

 
Massachusetts Teacher Takes Stand Against Controversial Tests
http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/local-teacher-takes-stand-against-controversial-tests/article_220e0928-d92e-5a1d-998c-4509d5530718.html

 

 

Michigan Is There Too Much Testing in Public Schools
http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/washtenaw-county/interview-is-there-too-much-testing-in-michigan-schools

 

 

Missouri Legislature Throws Out Smarter Balanced Test
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/missouri-legislature-throws-common-core-test-out-the-window/article_09441f40-b77a-5f0d-ae9f-7678a30d551a.html

 

 

Montana Flawed Test Cancellation May Threaten Federal School Ratings
http://helenair.com/news/education/state/schools-break-from-glitchy-tests-threatens-their-passing-grade/article_4ed2c4dd-bf6e-5d85-bc5a-ac67f9a1fb90.html

 
Montana New Bugs Further Delay Test Administration
http://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_ea5ba2cd-6af8-5790-9ddf-ae620f162c42.html

 

 

New Hampshire Opt Outs Drove City Participation Rate Below 95%
http://nhpr.org/post/manchester-and-nashua-miss-federal-bar-test-participation

 

 

New Jersey Local Opt-Out Rates Approached 50%
http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/montclair-parcc-opt-out-numbers-over-47-percent-1.1348072

 

 

New York How Standardized Testing Can Maintain the Status Quo
http://www.alternet.org/education/how-standardized-testing-reveals-stark-inequalities-between-rich-and-poor

 
New York Students Hold Hearing at State Capitol on Testing Policies
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/236290/for-students-a-lesson-in-policy-that-affects-them-education/

 
New York Judge Finds Second Version of State Teacher Licensing Test Racially Biased
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/nyregion/judge-rules-second-version-of-new-york-teachers-exam-is-also-racially-biased.html

 

 

North Carolina End of Course Tests Cause Too Much Stress, Dread
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20150605/OPINION01/306059995?p=1&tc=pg

 
North Carolina Test Taking Is Not True Learning
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article23221716.html

 

 

Oklahoma Throws Out Writing Test Scores Due to Reliability Concerns
http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/writing-tests-won-t-count-on-schools-a-f-report/article_ab4ea186-6825-5638-a487-295599c367a3.html

 
Oklahoma Questions Raised Over Quality of Temp Exam Graders
http://oklahomawatch.org/2015/06/04/concerns-raised-on-use-of-temp-agency-test-graders/

 

 

Oregon Meaningful Learning Can’t Be Measured With a Standardized Test
http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/33117498-78/meaningful-learning-cant-be-standardized.html.csp

 

 

Pennsylvania Hundreds of Philly Students Opted Out of Tests This Year
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/82667-sanctions-or-success-hundreds-of-philly-students-opted-out-of-standardized-tests-this-year

 

 

Rhode Island ACLU, Other Groups Petition for Public Hearings on Using PARCC Test for Graduation
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150602/NEWS/150609868/13748/NEWS

 
Rhode Island Listen to Teachers About Tests
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150603/OPINION/150609801/2011

 

 

Texas Teachers Give Failing Marks to New State School Grading Scheme
http://www.sacurrent.com/Blogs/archives/2015/06/02/new-school-assessment-scale-fails-with-sa-teachers

 
Texas Houston Schools Will Scale Back Local Testing in Response to Grassroots Pressure
http://blog.chron.com/k12zone/2015/06/hisd-to-scale-back-testing/

 

 

Utah Education Organization Wants to Reduce the Impact of Standardized Exams
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_604be4cc-0b10-11e5-8830-f73cced7d68b.html

 

 

Virginia Governor Signs Testing Reform Bills
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Governor-Signs-SOL-Reform-Bills-305897751.html

 
Virginia Parents Protest SOL Exam Volume
http://wvtf.org/post/richmond-parents-protest-sol-tests

 

 

Washington Testing Overkill Takes Toll of Parents, Students
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/05/thats-life-testing-takes-toll-on-parents-students/

 

 

Wyoming Testing Task Force Begins Work
http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/testing-task-force-begins-work

 

 

International SAT Cheating Scandal Broadens with Indictment of 15 Chinese Nationals
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/03/sat-cheating-scandal-broadens-with-indictment-of-15-chinese-nationals/

 

 

“High-Stakes Testing” Podcast From Humankind Radio
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/humankind-on-public-radio/id806933156?mt=2

 

 

Five Myths About Standardized Testing and the Opt-Out Movement
http://www.empowermagazine.com/5-myths-standardized-testing-opt-movement/

 

 

 

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779
mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org

Categories Resistance, Standardized Testing

Third Grader: “I Did My Job,” I Opted Out of All the Tests, and I Will Be Promoted to Fourth Grade

By dianeravitch
June 8, 2015 //
13

This is a great story from Florida, where legislators are test-crazy. Sammy Addo, a third-grader, did not take any of the required tests. His mother is a teacher and a strong opponent of high-stakes testing. Sammy took only the tests that his own teacher gave, based on what she taught in class. Sammy was promoted.

He says, in part:

My name is Sammy Addo. I am finishing third grade at Port Malabar Elementary this week. Next year I will be in fourth grade even though I did not take the Math or the Reading FSA.

I also did not take any of the three FAIR tests this year. I did not take either of the two BELLA tests, either of the two district math tests, the district science, or the district social studies tests. There are a lot of tests!

Even though I didn’t take those tests, I took all the tests that Mrs. Kelly gave me about things that she taught in our class. Those tests were how I proved what I learned. I did well and that is why I am going to fourth grade – my report card proves I did my job as a third grader.

Lots of people at school said I would have to stay back because I didn’t take the FSA, but I knew they were wrong.

I knew that my mom and dad wouldn’t tell me to do something that would be bad for me. They always say that one test on one day does not prove anything about me.

Read the link and watch the video. Sammy is one smart little guy!

Categories Florida, Opt Out, Standardized Testing

Please Advise This Parent in Seattle Whose Daughter Opted Out and Was Punished

By dianeravitch
June 7, 2015 //
91

I received this email from a parent leader in Seattle:

 

 

Hello all,

 

We are in need of advice in Seattle.

 

This spring the SBA was rolled out in grades 3-8, 10 and 11. We were delighted to learn that there were many opt outs across the Seattle School District, as well as in every corner of the State. We formed the Seattle Opt Out Group in Dec. 2014 and have worked tirelessly in the first half of 2015 to inform parents about opting out and the problems that high stakes standardized tests bring with them. We plan to continue our efforts in earnest over the summer and into the next school year.

 

Yesterday, however, we learned of an event that has us quite alarmed, and we want to proceed in as informed a manner as possible.

 

Apparently at a Seattle middle school the principal forbade students who opted out of the SBA to attend a year-end school carnival last Friday.

 

A parent reached out to us and sent us this note:

 

Here is my daughter’s experience with being excluded from the Denny Carnival last Friday.

 

During the last period of the day, my daughter was summoned to the vice principal’s office. She waited for about twenty minutes and was then invited into the office. The vice principal informed my daughter that two of her teachers had emailed her earlier in the day to inquire why she was not on the approved list for the carnival because she had outstanding effort grades(all A’s in effort as well as academics). The vice principal then informed my daughter that she may be able to write a letter of appeal, but she would let her know if that was possible by the end of the period. She explained that she had to follow the rules which were that only students excused from the SBAC for medical reasons would be allowed to attend the carnival. Students who opted out would not be allowed to go because they did not follow the rules.

 

My daughter then returned to her classroom to wait. Her teacher read a list of students who were allowed to go to the carnival and she was not on the list. She was then sent to a another teacher’s room to do homework with the other students who weren’t eligible, mostly due to behavior infractions. After 30 minutes, she was informed that she could write a letter of appeal.

 

My daughter was very upset and disappointed, but she knew that her teachers supported her and that this was just an unfair rule.

 

We would appreciate any guidance as to how we should proceed. It has been suggested that this is a case of the principal violating student discipline policy. Have you heard of a punitive measure such as this occurring elsewhere in the country and, if so, can you describe to us the route of action that was taken? Any advice is welcomed by us!

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