Video and Press Release: NYC High School Teachers Refuse to Administer Test

International HS at Prospect Hts has children from 35 nations speaking about 25 languages. Making them sit through a MOSL test that has nothing to do with their education but only to do with rating their teachers is obscene. These 30 teachers said NO.

Was this event worth getting 5 hours sleep? Hell yes. Below this photo is the video of the press conference held across the street from the Prospect Hts Campus where the International School is located. I was so proud to be associated with these teachers, who not only made a stand but articulated their views so clearly. For the first 7 minutes they read their letter to Farina 9which you can read at http://www.standupoptout.wordpress.com). The rest is the excellent Q and A with the press, some of whom asked some excellent questions and got even more excellent responses. Advocating for teacher made assessments (not Pearson), one reporter from Epoch Times (who asked impressive questions) brought up the issue of standardized tests. Listen to Steve's (the gentleman in the white beard) fabulous response. Rosie and Emily were right on as always and the other teachers who spoke were too.

Note some of Geoff Decker's (from Chalkbeat) questions as he probes for the dividing lines between teachers and the DOE and the UFT -- who he points out were united on opposing what the teachers were doing (not surprised, are you?) Geoff did his job as a reporter and the teachers did theirs by not putting their feet into those waters. Their restraint and discipline was impressive (you know I would have jumped down the DOE and union's throats -- thus the youth leads the aged.)

I should point out - since a reporter later told me he assumed MORE organized this - that it was the teachers at the school who organized this - with the support of MORE, NYCORE and Change the Stakes, all of whom blasted out the story and provided moral and logistical support. I believe the role these groups played is a long-term one -- providing a sense of support and empowerment based on working with each other in a free and democratic atmosphere. See - democracy does work. And darn, working with them is so energizing, my tendency to not leave my house is easy to overcome just to be with them.

UPDATE: And Jia Lee and the rest of the Earth School crew, some of whom who also opted out of giving the test send support:

https://vimeo.com/93555886

NYC High School Teachers Refuse to Administer Test

May 1, 2014 · by Change the Stakes 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday May 1st, 2014

Contacts:  Janine Sopp, janinesopp@gmail.com, (917) 541-6062
Emily Wendlake, emilywendlake@gmail.com, (413) 657-7255
Emily Giles, emmeducator@gmail.com, (917) 575-2936
Rosie Frascella, rosiefrascella@gmail.com, (917) 767-1001
Anita Feingold-Shaw, afeingoldshaw@gmail.com, (510) 872-1712

Teachers and Staff at International High School at Prospect Heights refuse to administer the NYC ELA Performance Assessment Test

New York – On Thursday, May 1, 2014, most of the teachers at International High School at Prospect Heights gathered on the steps of their school to announce that they will not give the NYC English Language Arts Performance Assessment Exam.  More than 50% of parents have opted their students out of taking the test, and 30 teachers and staff refused to administer the exam citing professional and ethical concerns.  Approximately 95% of the students at IHSPH are English Language Learners. Thirty-five percent of students are classified as Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), meaning they have missed more than one year of school.

The test is not used for promotion and does not factor into student grades. The test has not been aligned to assess English Language Learners and will be used exclusively for the purpose of evaluating teachers.

Teachers are refusing to give the test todaybecause they say it was constructed and formatted without any thought for the 14% of New York City students for whom English is not their first language.

 Teresa Edwards-Lasose, a parent who opted her student out, said, “The test is meaningless.  He (her child) doesn’t  read and write enough English yet to do the test and it doesn’t count for his grades.  Why should he take it?”

The level of English used on the exam is so far above the language levels of the school’s recent immigrant student population that it provides little or no information about their language or academic proficiencies. Despite students’ best efforts and determination, the vast majority of them received zero points.

Anita Feingold-Shaw, a 9th and 10th grade English teacher at IHSPH said, “This test doesn’t benefit students, but it definitely hurts them and that feels unfair.”  Many of the students that took the test in the fall did not yet read or write in English.  And yet, this test asked them to read pages and pages with no translation support and write an argumentative essay in English.

“I watched students just put their heads down and give up.  A few students even cried,” says Emily Wendlake, another 9th and 10th grade English teacher at the school. “Testing experiences like this make our students feel like failures, and that school is not for them.  We feel the consequences in our classes for the rest of the year.”

More Background
Their action happens to fall on May Day, which in New York City, has become a day where the demands of immigrant rights are center stage.  Their decision to abstain from the test, they say, is ultimately one of educational justice for their immigrant student population.  “Our students deserve every second of class time to be engaging, meaningful and relevant to their lives.  This test is the opposite – oppressive, irrelevant to their learning and demoralizing,” said Giles, a science teacher at the school.  “Why wouldn’t we refuse to give it?”
Teachers at Prospect Heights draw a connection between the struggles of English Language Learners and immigrant rights. This is not the first time that the school community has organized around the rights of their students.  Last year, after watching many of their top students unable to attend college because of financial constraints, teachers created the International Dreamers Scholarship Fund.  The fund provides scholarships to undocumented students that cannot receive government funding for higher education. Last year the school community raised $35,000 and provided full scholarships to two undocumented students.
Ultimately, they’re asking that Chancellor Fariña reconsider the use of this assessment with English Language Learners in favor of measurements created by teachers.

The International High School at Prospect Heights is a public high school located in Brooklyn, NY.  Read their letter to Chancellor Farina at http://www.standupoptout.wordpress.com

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Norm in The Wave: High Stakes Testing Opt-Out Movement Takes Off

Published Friday, April 18, 2014 www.rockawave.com


High Stakes Testing Opt-Out Movement Takes Off
By Norm Scott

Stories of numerous parents in the city and around the state who have begun a revolt against high stakes testing by having their children refuse to take the tests have recently broken into the mainstream media. Even school principals in Brooklyn and Manhattan have led post-ELA test rallies outside their schools over the impropriety of many of the tests based on the common core curriculum. Quite an achievement by organized groups of parents and progressive teachers who just a year ago were being deemed “oddballs.”

Yes, we are in the midst of the high stakes testing season and the education wars keep heating up between the real reformers who want to make schools inviting spaces for children, teachers and parents and the corporate style ed deformers who are trying to turn the nations schools into a mini-me of the corporate model. High stakes tests and the common core nationally imposed curriculum have become the battle ground. The corporate mentality feeds on “data” and with few economic resources to fight against the billions on the other side, real reformers are using the opt-out movement as a “deny them the data” campaign.

The more than a decade old battle has morphed as many parents of younger children have seen how the focus on tests damage their children psychologically and educationally as schools focus more and more time on test prep. Once the tests are over (in a few weeks) everyone breathes a sigh of relief. The change of atmosphere in schools is palpable. Trips, projects, more interesting curriculum become more common. But there is also a cost as the sense of the school year being over is felt in early May. Teachers start disappearing to be sent to other schools to mark the exams, the results of which are not known until the summer, thus becoming useless as a tool for the teachers to use to improve their current students’ learning.

A word of explanation. I am not talking about removing standardized tests from the equation, but to de-emphasize them in the use as a one snapshot a year of a child’s learning to make judgments about them, their schools and their teachers. And I am not talking about the kinds of tests high school kids take to get into colleges where there can be intense pressure. I am talking about subjecting 8-year olds to the same kinds of pressure we used to reserve for 17-year olds high school kids (and increasingly people are thinking we should not be doing that to them either.)

A few years ago I was part of a group of teachers and parents who founded ChangeTheStakes.org (CTS) to inform parents around the city of the impact high stakes testing was having on their childrens’ education. CTS has put out a series of materials to support parents who want to opt their children out the tests by addressing issues of whether their child will be promoted or get into the middle school of their choice if they don’t take the test (new rules protect these children from retaliatory actions). Also on the agenda has been is what the children will be doing while the others are taking the test. Some school systems require those children to “sit and stare” in the same classrooms – do nothing. There has been a revolt against those policies with calls on schools to provide meaningful activities.

There is still time to opt out of this year’s math tests. If you are a potential opt-out parent you can contact CTS at changethestakes@gmail.com or check out the website.

Teachers are also beginning to take a stand. Some NYC teachers at the Earth School on the Lower East Side have formed a group called “Teachers of Conscience” and have refused to give the tests. teachersofconscience.wordpress.com.

Teacher asks for help for research project at Channel View
Were you a resident of the Rockaways during WW II, or served in WW II? Would you consider being interviewed about your experiences? We are seeking individuals to share their memories of life during WW II. Channel View School for Research’s 8th grade students are exploring life during wartime and the impact it had on the Rockaway residents. We are also investigating the imprint Fort Tilden has left on the peninsula and are petitioning the National Park Service to consider why it is worth preserving. Please contact Annette Malloy at (718)634-1970, or AMalloy@schools.nyc.gov if you are interested.

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Parents Who Fought Off School Resistance to Opt-Out Led to Modifed Policy

The students were told by one teacher if they opted out, they would not be part of the "culture" of the school. They would be different and not be able to be part of the after-test celebrations. We wanted to meet with the principal but at this point we were simply getting the party-line and things were moving too slowly (the ELA test was in just three weeks). Two parents from the school set up a community wide meeting and invited Janine Sopp to come and "educate" us on what was exactly entailed with opting out. We brought our kids (who at this point were conflicted as they didn't want to be "different" from their peers). We left the meeting pretty sure we were going to opt out and my kids were DEFINITELY interested in opting out. The more they heard the madder they got. We wrote up careful notes from the meeting and presented those to our principal and the PTA.... Brooklyn parent

It is not easy for a small minority to stand up, especially if you and your kids are turned into outliers. This great story came in from a  Brooklyn elementary school parent. I get where teachers are coming from -- if your job were on the line based on test scores and if your high scoring kids talked about opting out, you just might get that sinking feeling.

Kudos to these parents, their kids and the school principal for willing to listen and modify the policies.

There were several families interested in opting out but we felt unsure. We were at first met with resistance by the principal but especially by the teachers and even the PTA. This was new territory for our school because nobody had spoken of opting out before. The students were told by one teacher if they opted out, they would not be part of the "culture" of the school. They would be different and not be able to be part of the after-test celebrations. We wanted to meet with the principal but at this point we were simply getting the party-line and things were moving too slowly (the ELA test was in just three weeks).

Two parents from the school set up a community wide meeting and invited Janine Sopp to come and "educate" us on what was exactly entailed with opting out. We brought our kids (who at this point were conflicted as they didn't want to be "different" from their peers). We left the meeting pretty sure we were going to opt out and my kids were DEFINITELY interested in opting out. The more they heard the madder they got. We wrote up careful notes from the meeting and presented those to our principal and the PTA. He then set up a school-wide meeting and spoke from the administration's side and we were there as informed parents from the Opt Out side. It was a good conversation with probably 50-60 people. We reassured the principal and the staff that we were worried about harming our school (a school we all care about) or teachers but felt this was really important for parents to stand up. The principal did agree that things were changing so quickly and that the commissioner really is looking to the parents and not the teachers for the lead. He asked us to please, just let him know soon so he would be able to think about staffing on those days. Once we had the reassurance that our kids were going to be included in school activities and not punished, 10 families opted out of 5th grade (and others from the third grade). The kids spent the mornings with their "buddy classes" helping them with their reading.

For a first year and pulling the momentum together just a few weeks before the ELA we think this was a success. Many parents of 2nd graders looked to us for guidance and cheered us on.

Friday before vacation we got a school-wide email from our principal:

The staff and I share some of the feelings that you may be reading in the newspaper. The PTA is creating a page on their website that allows parents to access many resources related to State testing so thta you can be informed about information from the State and discussion or events that are happening around the city.

I just looked and that page is not up yet but it is a positive sign of open dialogue and transparency. We learned the importance of engaging the principal and working together with the school. Additionally, I know many parents who have left the choice up to their kids. We learned the importance to inform our kids in order to make that decision. (The more the kids heard the night of the community meeting, the more committed they were to not participate in this test).

It does take courage to be the minority and stand up for what you believe is right. Some people need others to step up first (are you that person?). It takes courage to ask our children to be different from their peers and stand apart. Finally, it takes courage and trust on the part of the principal and staff. Our principal is new and has no tenure and I believe he was courageous in NOT trying to silence us, NOT trying to dissuade us and ultimately said "I have to be neutral but I am here to support families who make that decision."

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NYC Parent Urges Farina and King to Cancel Upcoming Math Exam

There was no rigor applied to the development of these tests, nor does the practice of high-stakes testing in general stand up to critical analysis....I was offended by your remarks earlier this week to the effect that while parents' opinions should be respected, children should come to school prepared to meet challenges like the state tests...

I honestly believe it is time for insurrection at the local level... I want de Blasio and Farina to unequivocally condemn these tests and call those who inflicted them us to account.

......Jeff Nichols, NYC parent opt-outer

Read Jeff's comments regarding the motivation of this letter below. Jeff and his wife Anne Stone are Change the Stakes stalwarts..

Dear Commissioner King and Chancellor Fariña,

Events are moving very fast. You are no doubt aware that today the principal, staff and parents of one of the most highly regarded schools In New York City, PS 321 in Brooklyn, will be holding a protest outside their schools to decry the abysmal quality of this year's ELA tests. You have probably read the astonishing comments from teachers and principals that continue to pour into the the New York City Public School Parents blog and other sites (http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2014/04/liz-phillips-brooklyn-principal-i-have.html).

I have not yet heard your view of this situation, Chancellor Fariña. But as an opt out parent, I have to tell you frankly I was offended by your remarks earlier this week to the effect that while parents' opinions should be respected, children should come to school prepared to meet challenges like the state tests.

Have you not realized that parents are protesting the tests precisely because we want our kids challenged deeply by real learning in our schools and these tests are obstructing that goal? Have you not realized that NYSED's and Pearson's claims that these tests represent new levels of "rigor" and "critical thinking" are demonstrably false?
There was no rigor applied to the development of these tests, nor does the practice of high-stakes testing in general stand up to critical analysis, so I fail to see how taking the state tests represents a worthwhile challenge for any child.

Moreover, Commissioner King, I cannot accept the state's intention to keep the tests secret from parents. My wife and I are responsible for all aspects of our children's upbringing. We would not permit a doctor to administer a vaccine to our children and forbid us from knowing what is in the shot. We will not let you subject our children to any exercise in school while forbidding us to know its contents, much less tests that are being used to determine their promotion and whether or not their teachers will be fired.
The forced, secret high-stakes testing of minor children is going to go the way of cane switches, dunce caps and forcing left-handed children to write with their right hands -- practices that were once commonplace that we now regard as child abuse. It's only a matter of time.

The question is, will our local and state education leaders join together and stop this travesty? Given the fact that the NYSED and the Pearson corporation have again utterly failed the test of earning parents' and educators' confidence in the quality of these exams, why should our schools proceed with administering the math tests later this month? Can you give me any reason other than obedience for obedience's sake? All I hear from you, Commissioner King, is slogans about higher standards and career readiness. I have yet to witness direct engagement by you with the arguments made by the thousands of educators and parents in our state who are advocate abandoning high-stakes testing of young children once and for all.

I call on you, Commissioner King, to suspend the administration of this year's state tests, and if you fail to do that (as I expect you will) I call on you, Chancellor Fariña to refuse to administer them.

We have lemon laws protecting consumers from egregiously faulty consumer products, but we no one is protecting our children from these worthless exams. Chancellor Fariña, they are state tests, so you can blame Commissioner King and the legislature for them, but you are ultimately responsible for our city's schools. You must ensure that no one forces educational malpractice upon them. If NYSED continues to ignore the protests against the state tests that are exploding across the state, and you allow the math exams exams to go forward, the public will hold the DOE accountable as well as NYSED and the U.S. Department of Education.

We now have teachers in this city and beyond refusing to administer the state tests and parents refusing to allow their children to take them. Chancellor Fariña, will you stand with these disobedient citizens, or will you stand with Arne Duncan and John King and insist that the tests must go forward regardless of their quality, because an unjust law says they must?

I hope both of you will acknowledge that finally, enough is enough. Suspend the state tests and bring daylight onto the whole process that led to this debacle.

Sincerely,

Jeff Nichols

One parent thought Jeff should address King and not Farina since she has no control. Jeff begged to differ:

I know, of course you're right, these matters are outside Farina's and de Blasio's control. I know at one level my demand make no sense.
But for the sake of argument, the tests are also outside the control of teachers who are now starting to refuse to administer the exams and are risking their jobs to do so. And they are outside the control of parents boycotting them. At the grass-roots level, test refusal is exploding. Is it truly impossible for our city officials to join us?
As a negative example, we have the history of leaders in the south defying federal orders of integration in the 1960s. As a positive one, we have Obama's administration refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, in a sense defying Congress, which has the authority to make laws the president must obey.
Officials can and do at times take a position contrary to the directives of authorities higher than themselves when they believe an inviolable principle is at stake.

By the way, can Tisch and King suspend the exams, or does the order to give them technically rest with the legislature? Who could legally suspend the tests?
I regard NYSED as utterly hopeless, which is why I am not bothering to talk to them. I honestly believe it is time for insurrection at the local level, and NYC is a pretty darned sizable locality. And moreover what I really want is something less than what I demand -- I want de Blasio and Farina to unequivocally condemn these tests and call those who inflicted them us to account.

Jeff

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Refuse the Tests: Change the Stakes Releases Video

Amazing - Lisa Donlan, parent, CEC 1

Join the hundreds of NYC parents -- let's make it thousands -- who are refusing to let their children take the NYS tests, which begin April 1st! Watch our powerful new video where parents explain why they're opting out! Visit the Change the Stakes website to view the video and access information that tells you how to opt your child out of the tests. If you have questions, email us at changethestakes@gmail.com. http://changethestakes.wordpress.com/ 

We don't have $4 million for ads, but we have great people. The UFT should take this and run it as an ad for one even one day. 

Kudos to the wonderful crew at Change the Stakes and  who organized this little gem with filmmaker Michael Elliot. What a cooperative effort - draft after draft with the crew offering comments and the clip getting better and better. We don't need no stink'n hedge fund scum.

Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014

What began two years ago as a small pocket of resistance has burgeoned into a full-blown protest movement: public school parents are demanding an end to the excessive use of standardized tests and top-down, corporate-backed reforms.  Change the Stakes estimates that three times as many NYC school children as last year – perhaps exceeding 1,000 – will refuse to take the annual English Language Arts (ELA) and math exams that begin next week. FULL STORY HERE

12 Reasons to Opt Out (pdf)

How to Opt-Out

Sample Opt-Out Letters

English: .html | .doc
Spanish: .html | .doc

Will My School Lose Funding?

See NYSAPE: The 95% Participation Rate and How Schools Do NOT Lose Funding

From the NYC Department of Education

For the official take, see the NYCDOE’s Student Participation in Grades 3-8 New York State Tests Parent Guide (pdf)

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WAGPOPS, District 14 Resources for Opt-Outers

My old district where I worked for 35 years is beginning to come up big time in the opt-out movement -- and new alliances are being built with parents, some principals and the Superintendent -- many people I've known for decades plus the newcomers.

Below is a letter from parent activist Lorna. I taped the town hall last week. Link: https://vimeo.com/90159926

Hello Parents --

As you know, the state tests begin next Tuesday.

I have spoken to several of you on separate occasions about my family's decision to opt out. We are not opting out because we oppose testing and assessment of students, we are doing it because:

• What used to be assessment has become corporate-driven, high-stakes tests that are used as an instrument  to punish teachers.
• Overemphasis on testing robs our kids of a well rounded education, and robs teachers of their ability to offer individualized instruction.
• Ultimately, Common Core Standards and all the curricula and tests that go along with it serve to enrich corporations instead of our children.
• As part of Race to the Top, New York State sold away our children's personal data to third party vendors like Gates-funded InBloom, without allowing us to opt-out.

Please know that these tests are not desired or concocted by our teachers, principal, or any local administration. It's being forced by the State, and since our previous mayor and his staff were in full support of it, teachers and administrators could not speak out...

...BUT WE CAN!

By agreeing to the Race to the Top initiative, the State has taken away our right to a decent education, the right of teachers being allowed to teach, the right to have well-designed curriculum materials that are designed to educate not confuse and confound, the right to preserve private & sensitive educational data about our kids, and the right to equitable funding.


The only hope we have to put a stop to all of this is to OPT-OUT. You will not just be opting out of the tests they put so much faith in -- you'll be sending a message loud and clear that we are taking back our rights.


This weekend, our local grassroots parents' organization, WAGPOPS, wrote a letter about the recent Town Hall that our Community Education Council hosted. The letter was sent to all the principals and parent coordinators in our district. Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected education experts/advocates in the nation posted it yesterday on her blog, so if you didn't receive it you can read it here:
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/25/our-education-spring-the-parent-led-opt-out-movement-grows-in-new-york-city/

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Read the link above and the attached "Why Opt Out" letter for more info.
2. Download the sample "Opt Out Letter" attached, fill it in and send it in to your child's principal and teacher ASAP. I suggest email and print outs in backpacks.
3. Talk to your child about it and call the school to make sure they are given an alternate activity to do, so they will not be forced to "sit and stare."
4. SHARE THIS INFO WIDELY!

WE ARE LUCKY...
To live in District 14 because the opt out movement has the full support of all of our elected officials, our superintendent (who hosted the opt-out Town Hall last week) and many, many teachers and administrators. 
Because of this, you are backed by a team of powerful people who will not let your child be held back or your school lose funding.

Please reach out to me if you have questions. And if you haven't already, please "Like" WAGPOPS on Facebook to get up-to-date news & info about opting out, as well as all the educational issues that affect Williamsburg & Greenpoint parents.

https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgGreenpointParents
If you're still not sure, I have provided some background reading below. :)

Best,
Lorna


MORE READING ABOUT COMMON CORE, OPTING OUT AND THE "ED REFORM" MOVEMENT:

Lots of resources for info on opting out:
http://changethestakes.wordpress.com/
http://unitedoptout.com/
http://www.liparentsforeducation.com/

545 NYS Principals and 3,000 parents sign letter to opt out:
http://scfeeney.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/anopenlettertonewyorkparents_21nov13.pdf

Carol Burris, NYS Principal and education activist:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/18/who-are-the-enemies-of-common-core/


Student data and privacy:
http://www.classsizematters.org/inbloom_student_data_privacy/
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/student-data-compiling-system-outrages-article-1.1287990

Bill Gates:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/16/1247790/-What-Bill-Gates-really-thinks-of-Common-Core-State-Standards#
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/business/deciding-who-sees-students-data.html?_r=0
http://teachersletterstobillgates.com/

Pearson, and that awful curricula:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/31/a-ridiculous-common-core-test-for-first-graders/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/nyregion/standardized-testing-is-blamed-for-question-about-a-sleeveless-pineapple.html
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2014/01/the-defiant-parents-testings-discontents.html

http://www.wnyc.org/story/312508-did-pearson-go-college/

Diane Ravitch:

http://dianeravitch.net/

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WPIX Video: Opt-Out, Test Resistance Breaks into Mainstream -

Diana Zavala of Change the Stakes,  Jeannette Deutermann of Long Island Opt out, Lisa Rudley of NYSAPE -  WPIX this morning. ..
http://video.pix11.com/Opting-out-of-standardized-tests-25755159?playlistId=11929#.UzQ1DPldXTp.

Yea for our own Diana, former NYC teacher and parent activist supreme.

Finally, the key to the ed deform movement - high stakes testing for kids and teachers - is beginning to come apart. Even that bastion of media ed deform - NBC - The Today Show - did a segment the other day about that pre-k teacher in Mass. who quit. OK, so they had Michelle Rhee on, but their poll showed over 6000 opposed and less than 100 in favor on the current testing issue.

It is time for teachers to step up and inform and assist parents who want to opt-out - and we know some principals will go crazy, so we need to figure out ways to do that.

I believe this movement will also begin to impact on the test-intensive charter schools where parents will also begin to get fed up. We just have to get to them.

One thing - and you'll see when I post a video of the District 14 forum we took part in last week - is that right now it is mostly white, middle class parents who are opting out. So CTS has begun to penetrate into places like East NY and Brownsville and Bed-Stuy --  CEC 19 in East NY is holding a forum on Tuesday - Katie Lapham from MORE and Janine and Fred Smith from CTS will be there and I hope to tape.

Below is a great video segment where the parents opposed to common core did not come off as right wing nuts as the pro-common core people have tried to paint them.

Diana and parents from NYSAPE were part of a long segment in WPIX this morning where they were given an opportunity to address the high stakes testing issue in some depth. Diana gave a great response to the question about what has changed by linking the tests to teacher eval which has nothing to do with the child. And one of the other parents nailed the State Ed Dept statement asking why parents wouldn't want to know how their children are doing by pointing to the fact that neither they nor teachers ever get to see the results of the tests - other than a number 6 months later.

This is only the beginning -- lots more coming from our little flagship group of mostly parent activists. When all is said and done in terms of my 44 years of activism, being part of the founding of this group as an offshoot of the Grassroots Education Movement 4 years ago, will go down as one of my proudest achievements. And the best thing is that I don't have to do any heavy lifting - just watch them and kvell.

Here is a summary from Fred Smith:

Questions allowed Lisa, Jeanette and Diana to be articulate about a wide range of issues.  Segment began with references NYSAPE website for information on opting out and went to a reporter on scene in anticipation of today's Hamilton Heights protest (Test Free Zone). Then it came back to the studio.  Lisa kicked off with being able to opt out.  Jeanette then told that there was no educator input in development of CC.  Diana- debunked the myth that there were no standards before the Core and the fact that the USA has been a world leader in innovation.  Other points built the case for opting out:

LR- Testing has come at the expense of instructional time; schools are now a test-driven environment.

JD- Whatever Andrew Cuomo is now saying, his policies (ATTR) have been at the center of the problem. Pervasive test prep--teacher careers in balance. Focus of school year is on testing. She points to upcoming ELA and Math tests, as well as field tests, as the place to opt out.

Reporter asked about financial consequences to schools/districts if parents opt kids out.  JD answered that no funding was withheld on LI.  She and LR said there is no evidence that federal money will be taken away (waivers) and that money would remain to be allocated in a different way--not lost.

LR- References an Academy of Sciences study that said there is no benefit to the testing--which does not provide a valid measure of educational outcomes or contribute to children's learning. The amount of ELA and math testing time alone has increased enormously since the start of NCLB. Testing companies like Pearson are calling the shots and making decisions aimed at profiting them.

DZ- Makes CtS points about how testing has gone much too far in NYC-- promotions denied to kids who do well all year but stumble on the test; teacher evaluation dependent on scores of 8-year olds; summary judgments being made about schools (school report cards).

An official SED statement was presented: Tests offer opportunity for parents to gauge the progress a child is making toward meeting standards.  Why wouldn't a parent want to know how well child is doing?

JD- Knocked that one out of the park: Teachers and parents don't get timely feedback.  Maybe some information six months after-the-fact. No details and results not useful diagnostically to improve instruction. Not useful to teachers. Curriculum has been "highjacked" and there is no benefit to children or classrooms.

At the end, the host of the show said that this is a story--to be continued....

(The above account is based on a DVR I made of the program.)

Thanks again to this trio, who have been unsparing in their efforts and commitment to do what is best for children and public education.

Fred

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4dJ2_Vx0sI

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Change the Stakes Press Release: Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014

Change the Stakes

Changethestakes.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              

March 26, 2014

CONTACT: 

Janine Sopp, 917-541-6062, janinesopp@gmail.com

Nancy Cauthen, 646-438-1233, nkcauthen@earthlink.net

           

Number of NYC Parents Refusing State Tests Expected to Triple in 2014

New York City –What began two years ago as a small pocket of resistance has burgeoned into a full-blown protest movement: public school parents are demanding an end to the excessive use of standardized tests and top-down, corporate-backed reforms.  Change the Stakes estimates that three times as many NYC school children as last year – perhaps exceeding 1,000 – will refuse to take the annual English Language Arts (ELA) and math exams that begin next week.

At the Brooklyn New School, well over 200 students – nearly 80% of students in testing grades – will not take this year’s exams; last year only 4 BNS students opted out of the tests. The estimated test refusal rate at the Earth School in Manhattan is 50%, compared with 30% last year. At P.S. 446 in Brownsville, as many as 25 3^rd grade parents have submitted refusal letters. At the Academy of Arts and Letters in Fort Greene, the number is 40, representing 75% of the 3^rd grade. Principals say they expect the numbers to continue to rise until the exams begin April 1^st.

Although children not taking the tests span the full range from 3^rd to 8^th grade, parents of younger children often refuse the tests because of changes in their child’s attitude toward school as a result of the testing.

Roseanne Cuffy-Scott, parent of a 3rd grader in the East Village said, “My son used to love going to school until his evenings were filled with homework assignments that confused him with complicated and poorly written math and reading questions. His assignments are stressful for both him and myself. I have to spend hours explaining concepts that he's not ready for developmentally.” As for the tests, she said her son is nervous and “is fearful he will have to attend summer school or repeat third grade.”

Many parents refusing to have their children tested encounter supportive principals and teachers, while others are not so fortunate. Samantha De Los Santos, parent of a 3^rd grader with special needs in Queens’ District 25, wants to opt her son out but says administrators and staff are pressuring her to allow her son to be tested. “They’re telling me he’ll be scored as failing if he doesn’t take the test and that he might not be promoted. They’re really scaring me.”

The lack of direction from the NYC Department of Education has led to uncertainty among administrators about how to respond to families refusing the tests; parents are still seeking guidance from the DOE. Although the new Chancellor, Carmen Fariña, has made clear her intent to be more responsive to parents, her department’s efforts have been hampered by the transition falling in the middle of the school year and pressure to tackle a multitude of issues at once.

The information vacuum has fostered misinformation, with students being threatened with various punishments – being forced to attend summer school or denied promotion as well as being excluded from graduation ceremonies and other school celebrations – for opting out of the tests.

But many parents refuse to be dissuaded from protecting their children from a public education system gone wrong. Dawn Babbush, a 3^rd grade parent in Brooklyn’s District 13, asks “What has happened to our schools? How did it get this bad? The voices of trusted educators and caring parents have been completely disregarded.  Our children are being subjected to a curriculum that lacks joy and life – it’s scripted and standardized and full of test prep. Test scores are used to sort students and rank teachers, creating a climate of competition and fear. It's no wonder teachers feel pressure to teach to the test.”

Ms. Babbush added, “This is not the education we want for our children and we will not stand for it any longer. Parents have a voice, and our elected officials need to recognize us. We'll be paying attention come November.”

###

Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org) is a group of New York City parents and educators promoting alternatives to high stakes-testing. 

 

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South Bronx School Blogger Joins Opt-Out Movement

For those that want more information, follow NYS Allies for Education for how the "How to Opt Out" primer. It can be done, it should be done! ......I asked [my son] would he feel bad if he didn't take the exams and would the other kids make fun of him. His reaction was that he would not feel bad and that the other kids would want to know where they can sign up to miss the exams. In fact as this is being written he is texting his friends telling them he is not taking the exams. His friends are way jel.... South Bronx School

We know that at this point in NYC teacher boycotts of tests has not taken off here in NYC as it has in Seattle and Chicago, but boy, what if every teacher with a child in public school joined SBS in opting their children out of the test? SBS takes us through the process he and his family went through. Discussions like this are being shared on the Change the Stakes extremely active listserve where we see new and exciting things around opt-out and promotion policy happening every day.

This can be done. This should be done. Parents of Harrison NY, Westchester County, and NYC,

please read. This is important. You can take back control of your child's education.

I have been wanting to opt out my son of the NYS exams for a number of years. Actually every year since he started testing. He is in 7th grade now and I have finally decided that enough is enough. This year he is not wasting his time taking the state ELA and math exams.

The people it took the most convincing to opt him out have been my wife and my step-mother, a retired (13 years now) AP in the Bronx. For those who are of the Jewish persuasion you know with Jewish mothers you kinda don't have much of a say at times. But I digress. After last years ELA debacle in which not one student in his class finished the exam on any of the 3 days testing a stand had to be made.

 Read in full: Hey Harrison NY! I'm Opting Out My Son and So Can

 

Portelos left this comment at SBS:  

Mr. Portelos has left a new comment on the post "Hey Harrison NY! I'm Opting Out My Son and So Can ...":

I opted both my kids out. They are 2 and 3. They will never take a standardized test.

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