It is no secret that I am passionate about education advocacy. I am a teacher and I am not too shy to admit that for the second year in a row I will be refusing the tests for my oldest son.
My fifth grader will not be taking the New York State ELA and Math exams that begin on April 1. While the date is humorous, it really is no joke that the kids of NYS and across the country are being used as guinea pigs. This generation of students are taking high stakes testing that is tied to the new bungled Common Core Standards. Please understand that this is not about making education more rigorous for our children, and improving public education like the education reformers claim. Follow the money trail and check the facts. This is simply about the privatization of public schools and companies like Pearson, Gates, and others making BILLIONS off our our children and their data. Yes, most of this is just about data and companies hungry to make money off of it.
Please take a moment and view this powerful video from Change the Stakes. When you finish watching, remember this is the reality that all of the children in grades 3-8 in New York are going through all year long.
Do not forget, as parents and guardians, you have the right to refuse the tests for our children. There are no consequences for children, schools, teachers, or districts. Scare tactics are being sent out via the New York State Department of Education. Commissioner John King is spreading his propaganda about how the tests will help students, but it is not true. Our children are more than a number. My kids and yours deserve to be learning in a way that does not focus on tests that give us no feedback. Teachers are professionals that know how to use authentic assessment tools to let us know how our kids are doing. High stakes testing needs to end and we must move away from the theory that Common Core is a mess simply because of the implementation. That is a myth, but only made matters much much worse for the kids that are stuck dealing with this on a daily basis.
It is time to stand up tall and join the education revolution and REFUSE the tests because it is the right thing to do for your children. For more information about refusing the tests (it is NOT too late) please head over to NYS Allies for Public Education to learn more.
Previous posts about education advocacy:
