Matty257 (Parent): Folks, Dr. Fagen has once again abused her position in order to further her own (and the Boards) agenda with a new email, sent to thousands of parents across the district, without any consideration to presenting a balanced view of an issue. The current flavor of the day deformer topic is...INNOVATION STATUS! Dr. Fagen pontificates in her email the many evils of the state-mandated READ assessments, and discusses only one option for avoiding said evil. Lets leave to the side the incredibly rich irony of Dr. Fagen, of ALL people, decrying the READ test for removing power from teachers and not allowing them to design curriculum best suited to each individual student. Lets also ignore Dr. Fagens laughable overtures to teachers about how much she cares about them and trusts them to be the best people to assess and educate our students. Okay, while were at it, lets also set aside the glaring hipocrisy of Dr. Fagen lambasting the limited or non-existent value of standardized tests, saying: We know that teachers have far more information than any READ Act assessment, and they are best equipped to decide how much quality assessment and at what time is best for each student. These types of one-size-fits-all teacher-proofing strategies found in the READ Act are not best for children. The funny thing is, I agree with her on this! However, its not just the READ assessments that suffer from these shortcomings, LOTS of standardized tests share these same characteristics. And dont be fooled into thinking that the solution DCSD puts in place will be any different; it will still be standardized testing, it will just be different standardized testing. Do you honestly think that, if our BOE would pass a resolution of such import that it would fundamentally change how a school, and perhaps the entire district, approaches the education of our children without buy-in from the public, that they would hesitate for a second to put in place any standardized testing program they see fit? Of course not! Theyll do whatever they want, whenever they want, without so much as a second thought about their constituents. The main difference between the READ test and whatever solution the DCSD BOE puts in place? The tests put in place by DCSD will line the pockets of the wealthy for-profit corporations who have recognized public education as a viable profit center, and have inserted themselves in every possible way into the education system to make their money. Make no mistake: DCSD being exempt from READ testing will only result in different tests, not less tests, and not better tests. Other important things to consider: The DCSD BOE has already passed a resolution supporting schools that pursue Innovation Status with the state BOE. Of course, this was done with limited public input, strong public opposition to the resolution, and no real discussion about the potentially disastrous effects of Innovation Status, the effects such status could have on state funding, the removal of licensure requirements for teachers, the unchecked expansion of charter schools which, unlike our current (and great) charter schools, would be owned and run by surreptitious and shadowy corporations with little to no accountability (there have been major FBI investigations into these types of charter schools across the country because of money laundering and misappropriation of funds allegations against their owners and operators), and removal of special education requirements which could leave some of our most vulnerable children underserved and in nightmare, worst-case scenarios. Oh, and dont forget: its not clear that any school could even go back to traditional status after getting Innovation Zone status...is there even a road back if this turns out to be the disaster we fear? And yet, our BOE saw fit to pass a resolution supporting these measures, and only afterwards decided Dr. Fagen should send a one-sided email declaring the many attributes of Innovation Status, and none of the risks or consequences (intended or otherwise). Dr. Fagen encourages us to get involved...so lets do it. Send an email to Dr. Fagen. Ask her to answer the vitally important questions asked by the Douglas County Federation and Douglas County Parents. There are posts here and on the Involved page that ask these questions. Ask them yourself. Ask Dr. Fagen if shes considered any of these issues, or if the only issue was how best to support the Boards wealthy corporate political donors and Dr. Fagens network of benefactors who stand to profit from DCSD paying out millions of dollars to implement a new testing system, expand charter schools to private enterprises, and in the end, keep our students exactly where they are now: tested to exhaustion, with ever-changing teachers as their current teachers are driven away by a superintendent and board who marginalize and alienate them, living with falling results as the educational standards fall and more money is funneled out of the classroom and into PR and administration, and going to class in schools that are increasingly falling into disrepair due to funding shortfalls and a board that doesnt care about it. Lets get some answers to these questions! And remember, none of this can happen without the approval of the SAC and the schools staff...lets make sure everyone we encounter is educated on these issues, only then can we hope to fend off this disastrous policy!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 23:30:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015