Dear Springville GI parents, staff, and community members,
I have started an OPT-OUT movement boycotting high-stakes standardized tests right here in our community. As a parent it is common sense that a test cannot determine whether my children are progressing or are in need of help. As an educator I have seen the destructive nature of the state exams on the public education system. I take this action to help our children receive the proper and well-rounded education that they deserve. Public schools and their teachers are being pressured to increase test scores on the ELA and math exams. These exams have no positive outcomes for our children. The protest and opt-out involves the ELA and math exams in grades 3-8 as those exams have absolutely no bearing on our children's education. Read the truth about our state assessment system that NYSED does not tell parents.
This important step is not in anyway an attack on our school district, especially its excellent, dedicated teachers. Our schools and teachers are under siege by this ill-advised system that is setting up public schools for failure. Some people will say that boycotting state tests hurts our schools, well folks, our schools have been devastated by the financial and educational costs of high stakes exams.
If you want to participate in our campaign to take back public education from Corporate America and politicians or have any questions, please contact me.
Thank you, Chris Cerrone
We only need 6% of a grade level to boycott the test and the exam results would be invalid. Be a part of this group to take back our schools from corporate and government interference!!
The public agrees:
- Governor Cuomo is hurting our kids education: #1
How high-stakes exams hurt our children:
- Pressure to perform hurts our kids. Are your kids nervous or upset near testing season? Are your children talking about the state tests weeks or months before the exams? Then your kids are being "Taught to the test".
- Money diverted from classrooms to testing and data systems raises class sizes.
- Teaching to the test does not help students.
How high-stakes exams do not determine the quality of our teachers and schools:
- Standardized tests and "value-added models" of data have significant
margins of error that do not accurately determine your child's
abilities.
How large corporations are profiting and influencing our schools:
- Pearson pays for "junkets" for NYSED officials to influence education policy.
- Pearson Education currently has a five-year, $32 million contract to administer state test and provides other "testing services" to the State Education Department. This does not include Race to the Top funds, workbooks, teacher evaluation programs and student data analysis.
- Pearson is in position to completely control what our children learn with no parent, teacher or local influence.
