This afternoon (Monday, 12/8), Christine Wysocki, a fellow teacher, and I were scheduled to meet with Senator David Argall, Senator Mark Folmer, an unnamed lawyer representing the education committee, and an aide. The senators had granted us one hour of their time so we could express our concerns over state-mandated testing. As we were led into Argall’s conference room, we learned Senator Folmer had bailed and sent an aide, and the lawyer and other announced attendees were no-shows. That left five of us: Argall, one of his aides, Folmer’s aide, and Christine and me...certainly not a meeting that was going to change the world...but it was a start. Christine started by telling them several stories about her own students who have shown great anxiety over the PSSAs. She handed them a free-write assignment by a 6th grade girl, a student who had been identified as Below Basic. This young lady’s well-written text explained in detail why the PSSAs were ridiculous. Senator Argall told me that he had only watched twenty minutes of STANDARDIZED; however, Folmer’s aide watched the entire film. I decided not to focus so much on the tests since everyone in the room already knew my stance. Instead, I immediately dove into attacking the Project-based Assessment (PBA) the PDE plans on implementing. The PBAs, as most of you already know, will kick in when students opt out or fail the Keystone Exams. By the way, there’s no project in the project-based assessment. While students can opt out of the Keystone Exams, the PDE makes it very clear: the PBAs are mandatory, and students who fail to complete or pass them will not graduate. Anyone can access the PDE’s explanation of the PBAs. I welcome all of you to do so. But be prepared! By the time I finished reading the entire “Frequently Asked Questions” section, I was fuming. What it all boils down to is institutionalized blackmail. And trying to implement this program will be a major train wreck. And who will suffer? More kids will become even more frustrated and develop negative attitudes toward school and learning. I certainly did my best to relay my anger and incredulity. Folmer’s aide spoke up briefly to say that Folmer had introduced legislation that, if adopted, would allow school districts to voluntarily use the Keystone Exams in any way they deemed appropriate. What that means is that a district can choose to make the exams a graduation requirement (or not). Or they can use the exams in place of mid-terms or finals. But Folmer’s legislation does not call for an end to the exams. I let Folmer’s legislative idea sink in for a few minutes...and then it hit me: if districts choose to NOT make the Keystones a graduation requirement, and if students then choose not to take them, what will the PDE do? Will they force the kids to complete the PBAs? None of this makes sense, and I truly believe there’s an easy explanation. No one knows what the hell is going on! As our hour came to a close, I asked Senator Argall where all of this is heading. A genuinely affable man, he said, “I really don’t know enough about it. And neither do most other senators.” In a month’s time, he said, everything could change. Governor-elect Wolf could overhaul the entire system. Wolf has yet to name his cabinet. Committees need to be reconfigured. Wolf and the Speaker of the House will have a direct impact on where education is heading over the next four years. Argall’s advice: keep spreading the word to parents and anyone willing to contact his/her legislators. The PDE, an entity I truly believe is run by failed educators, remains out of touch with what really happens in classrooms. They have no clue what good education is all about. And I’ll wager they’ve allowed the Data Recognition Corporation to have far too much of an influence. As long as apathy reigns over the parents of public school children, those in charge will get away with fraud, slander, blackmail, and abusive practices. Contact your legislators and spread the word.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:32:39 +0000
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