Meeting 3/12: How to Opt Your Child Out of High Stakes Testing

by Patrick Perry | Mar 10, 2014 |

How to Opt Your Child Out of High Stakes Testing

Are you tired of the impact high stakes tests are having on your school,
your child and your family? Join us to learn how to say NO and the steps
necessary to opt your child out.

Wednesday, March 12
6:30 pm

Kings Bay Y in Windsor Terrace
(corner of Prospect Avenue and Vanderbilt Street)

6:30-7:30 Janine Sopp from Change the Stakes will be in attendance to talk
to us about how to opt our kids out and answer any questions we have.

7:30-8:30 Meet and organize with other parents to plan next steps for
your school

Testing starts April 1st, please join us and take a stand to opt out

Call your representative about Regents appointments

by Patrick Perry | Mar 4, 2014 |

From Carol Burris:

Dear friend of public education

In early March, the legislature will vote yea or nay on the re-appointment of the 4 incumbent Regents. Often we hear that the legislature does not control education policy and therefore there is little that can be done to influence the course of testing , data collection and the Common Core.

This, the appointment of the Regents, is your representative’s best and most direct opportunity to influence educational policy and to be responsive to the thousands who came out to express their unhappiness at forums across the state.

Please write to your representative and send a simple message: Vote “no” for the re-appoinment of the four incumbents. Follow up with a phone call.

Let them know you will be watching.

You can find their contact information here:

Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

Senate: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator

Although the vote is scheduled for March 11, it may be moved up. So please email or call ASAP.

I also suggest that you read my latest blog to understand the the devastating effects that Common Core testing will have on our most vulnerable students.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/23/why-test-based-school-reform-isnt-working-by-the-numbers/

High Stakes Testing Forum Monday March 10 at The Earth School

by Patrick Perry | Mar 4, 2014 |

High Stakes Testing Forum

Monday March 10, 2014

The Earth School

6PM in the Auditorium

Entrance on Ave. B @ 5th st

Decision Time for Families

Last year, a large percentage of families at the Earth School joined a national movement

by refusing to allow their elementary school children to take standardized state tests.

Now, more families are asking questions about opting out of testing.

To facilitate discussions about what this means for our community and individuals, join in this

forum about testing and it’s consequences as a tool in education.

Panelists Include

Leonie Haimson, founder & Executive Director of classsizematters.org, will explain

student privacy and InBloom

Fred Smith, retired NYCDOE data analyst, will explain the use of norm-referenced tests

Middle School Principals, Sonhando Estwick & Peter Karp, Tompkins Square

Middle School & I.C.E Middle School respectively, will talk about qualities they seek

when admitting a student and their views on the current policies regarding testing

Nicole, East Side Middle School teacher, will share her experiences as a test prep expert

and her views regarding testing

Colin Schumacher, 4th/5th grade teacher, Earth School, will provide a teachers’

perspective on testing

Childcare will be available

Get the NY state legislature to pass real Common Core reform

by Patrick Perry | Mar 4, 2014 |

On Feb 28, Democrats in the NY Assembly made a back-room deal creating a bill to strike at common core. However, their bill CEMENTS THE CORE IN PLACE. If a matching bill shows up in the NY Senate, it could pass and we could be stuck with the Common Core indefinitely.

To STOP this process, the first step is to prevent the matching Senate bill. Do this by calling AND emailing Senator John Flanagan. As the Senate Education Committee chair, he would be the person who sponsors the matching Senate bill; we need to convince him NOT to do that.

Instead, ask Senator Flanagan to support a truly anti-common core bill, S6604.

email: [email protected]
Long Island: 631-361-2154 (answering machine is ON right now)
Albany: 518-455-2071

You can use the text below to email:

Subject: Common Core Bill
To: John Flanagan <[email protected]>

Dear Senator Flanagan,

I understand that the NYS Assembly has passed a bill to lessen the impact of Common Core, but that also solidifies Common Core as NYS’s curriculum. I urge you to use your influence to not bring this bill to the Senate floor for support. Although it does some good for students, teachers & schools, it does not deal with the core of the issues related to Common Core. As a result of the current Assembly bill:

1. The U.S. Department of Education would not be responsible for rescinding its RTTT requirements for NYS to support Common Core, its associated testing, VAM for evaluating teachers, and more charter schools.

2. Common Core high-stakes, standardized tests will continue to drive instruction narrowing the curriculum and continue to doom poverty-stricken students to failure. Higher, more rigorous standards and testing does not result in poverty-stricken students performing better in schools! It creates more failures!

3. Rank & file teachers and child development experts are not given the opportunity to review & revise the national Common Core standards and process. This is paramount, if we want educators to own the process and revise CC to reflect developmentally appropriate standards.

4. Accepting the Common Core axiom that all students should meet specific grade level requirements for promotion is not supported by any educational research. We know that children are unique and progress at their own pace. Common Core violates this premise.

Please consider these arguments and use them to create a new bill that supports them. S6604 is a beginning that I urge you to support, as an alternative.

Sincerely,

Anti-testing groups form alliance to bring sanity to education policy

by Patrick Perry | Feb 25, 2014 |

Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post Answer Sheet: organizations connecting across the country.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/21/anti-testing-groups-form-alliance-to-bring-sanity-to-education-policy/

Next Entries »

Take Action Now

Join Our Letter Writing Campaign in Opposition to Cuomo’s Latest Education Changes

Use our Toolkit to Educate & Organize at your School

Read, sign, and share the NYS Principals’ Letter to Parents About Testing

Leave your testing stories on our facebook page

Students, Parents and Teachers Speak Out for Quality Education

Thanks to all who participated in this collective message! Read messages from real people who provided insights into what they would like to see in the new NYC Schools Chancellor

Visit Teacher’s Talk Testing to watch video of the Teachers discussing the real world consequences that excessive standardized testing has in their schools and classrooms