ATTENTION PARENTS: I sent this to the APS administration and fellow board members today. The PARCC is HORRENDOUS. PLEASE WRITE LETTERS TO THE BOARD. YOU MUST HELP US STOP THIS INSANITY. email: [email protected] Hello: These are my questions for administration and my requests for agenda items or a very long work session to answer these items and discuss. I would like this by March 2, when PARCC testing begins. 1. I understand from teachers that yesterday principals and test coordinators were informed of a mandated PARCC trial sometimes this month or the beginning of February. Please confirm what this is, if it is true, who is doing this, how its being done, and the schedules at the schools because of this. 2. I would like all costs associated with schools preparations for the upcoming March 2-May 8 testing windows. That includes: technology, man hours, headphones and how those headphones were purchased at each school, printing, training of test coordinators and principals, etc. EVERY SINGLE SOFT COST please. 3. I would like the schedules for elementary, middle and high school students during the March 2-May 8 testing window. I do NOT want to read anything about the 8-hours-per-student test time. I want the schedules at the schools, what classes are being relocated or canceled for the administration, etc. I want to know how high schools are ensuring all the 9-11 graders take the PARCC AND how they are fitting in the RIA during two of the weeks that PARCC is scheduled. 4. I would like the board to get an overview of testing accommodations or lack therof for PARCC testing. One parent spoke to us twice about his sons special ed accommodations not being met by PARCC. He hired a lawyer and with his lawyer and in December was able to secure the accommodations for his son. Great for this parent. But what about all of our special education students with accommodations? I dont understand the rules regarding the accommodations at all and want to know why we cant offer such accommodations if laid out in the IEPs during PARCC testing. 5. On the issue of special education students: Has the district sent a letter home to each of its spec-ed students families informing them (in Spanish and English) of accommodations and their options in regards to the PARCC -- those options including opting out of the PARCC? If so, I want to see the letter. If not, why do special education parents not know as the dad I described above didnt know until he had a conference??? Last night at a forum, a volunteer mentioned how she and her organization wont be able to go visit the special ed students they visit for a month because of PARCC testing. These kids they visit or severely disabled. 6. On the issue of special education students: I was dismayed to learn that gifted students, while they fall under the special ed umbrella, supposedly do not fall under the IDEA law. So that means if gifted students are having to miss their gifted classes because of PARCC testing, its OK. Its not OK to me or other parents of gifted students. Our students IEPs detail accommodations to our childrens learning. I would like clarification on this please and I would like to know how our gifted programs districtwide and our 50% programs at our four schools that offer it are being impacted by PARCC. 7. On the issue of opting out: the district has set a deadline for parents to opt out. I object to this deadline because the district cannot set a deadline if it doesnt adequately and properly inform parents with a LETTER sent home in English and Spanish about this option. Not every parent goes to our APS web site and our school web sites. Also: a. The district has not formally given each and every parent a letter that tells them they have this option. While I do appreciate the test link on each schools web site, it is not adequate. b. The district thinks that by posting opt-out and test information online only, it is educating parents about the ridiculous testing and their rights to opt their children out; c. Word of mouth is the way we are spreading the opt-out option and so we will have parents opting out at the last minutes and seconds. d. IF a parent manages to see the opt-out forms, then they are scared to fill them out because of the false and scary claims made on the forms. I spoke of this previously. These scare tactics must be eliminated from the forms. 8. In December, Dr. Peercy and I were made aware of errors on End of Course exams -- those errors contributing to a 50% failure rate among seniors at La Cueva HS. I would like the board to get a presentation on each End of Course exam to be administered in Spring 2015, the associated errors flagged by RDA to the PED, and the PED response to those error flags. Please let me know how these topics of discussion can be met in near-future meetings or work sessions and how my questions regarding costs can be answered as well. I would like all the information I request shared with the entire board. Additional questions for administration: 9. During March 2-May testing window, the daily high school schedule at VVHS is changed so all 9-11 graders can get into the labs. So for example, the ABC sked is eliminated. EVERY SINGLE DAY, there is a new schedule, so one day it will be periods 5, 4, 6 and 7. Another day its period 2, 5, 7, 2, etc. So kids every day are getting a new schedule. 2. For seniors who have open periods, they may NOT LEAVE THE SCHOOL during testing. If they have open 7 or 2 period, and the schedule for the day is 5, 7, 2, 3, they have to be in the library for the whole day. 3. For students taking CNM and UNM and CEC courses, it is unknown how the heck they can accommodate their courses IF the schedule for the day calls for them having one of their HS classes at the same time as a CNM course. OR the testing is going on, they can get to CNM but THEY CANNOT LEAVE THE SCHOOL for testing purposes. 4. Two teachers need to be in the computer labs at all times -- so theyre having to adjust schedules for the teachers -- how they are trying to do this is unknown. 5. We have kids who leave early, like my senior, on certain days. Those are the days she works. If her Period 7 day -- when she usually leaves at 1 and works at 3, is now a Period 7 in the morning because of a PARCC test and she is relegated to the library in the morning during Period 7 and has to go to class at 1 for a class she usually has in the morning, how the heck does she work? DOES THIS DISTRICT ACTUALLY EXPECT CNM, UNM, AND WORK PLACES TO ACCOMMODATE THE PARCC????? Folks, this is ridiculous. And this happens for two months. I have asked the PTO parents to organize a letter-writing campaign. Today on FB, parents are spreading the word about this. Parents are saying: I knew it was going to be bad, but I didnt realize this was how bad it was. This must be addressed, as well as all the aforementioned items I previously sent, by the end of February, in a board meeting. Thank you, Kathy Korte
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 17:57:58 +0000
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