Great Solidarity letter written by Kari Steeves! If you are not opting your child out but want to support those of us who are and/or the movement, please send this in today or tomorrow! Thanks, Tory Dear Chancellor Fariña, My children will be taking this year’s state standardized tests, but in solidarity with the many families in my school and district who are opting out of the test, I am writing to express my objection to the misuse and overuse of standardized testing in my children’s education. The tests play too influential a role in crucial decisions, such as promotion to the next grade, admissions to middle and high school, teacher evaluations, and school ratings and closings. As a consequence: Our school overemphasizes the testing subjects at the expense of the arts, sciences, social studies, and physical education. Valuable learning time is lost to test prep and long sessions of testing and field testing. Worse, they strip the joy from learning in favor of drill and grill. My children have complained bitterly of boredom as test prep has intensified over the last several weeks. Our children suffer inappropriate stress and anxiety out of fear they will fail a grade, cause their teachers to be fired, or cause their school to be closed. Money that our classrooms desperately need to function optimally is instead spent on expensive tests, test prep, test-aligned curriculum, grading, and analysis of data. The tests do not assess my children’s abilities or knowledge accurately or thoroughly. In District 6, where we live, 87% of children receive free and reduced-price lunch. Not coincidentally, 80% of our kids score 1s and 2s on the ELA section of the state tests. The tests more effectively measure our district’s income level than the work our students actually accomplish daily. Standardized testing is seriously harming our schools, district, and city. I ask that you make a bold statement against testing and end the “consequences,” as you called them at the D6 Town Hall, of opting out of standardized testing. Please reduce the number of standardized tests given to my children and stop using their scores to penalize children, teachers, and schools.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:40:07 +0000
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