Why? It's a waste of time. It benefits:
1) government;
2) (publishing) industry (Pearson);
BEFORE:
I caved to administration and I caved to social pressure. I caved to hoping for the best. I caved to my children's inclusion and the threat of social alienation because children under ten years old would have to deny testing in the face of their peers. I caved to an attempt not to alienate my childrens' passionate, caring and patient teachers. I caved to an inordinate amount of government's attempt to control education at the expense of teaching and of teachers. I caved to what I knew what was not right... and I felt like a fraud who linked sandbags to my kids and their educators and threw
them into the Long Island Sound.
Surprisingly, up until now, government officials and Bill Gates (champion of Charter schools, hence champion of farming out kids from public schools) decided they knew better.
Bill Gates is a private education drop out. So is Steve Jobs. The private sector knows how to make money and drive semi-private charter schools.
Politicians trusted privately funded publishing companies to implement a core curriculum and fast and now and who cares about teachers.
My school district doesn't need it. Our Superintendent (despite his misguided blockage of school bussing), fights against it. At the core, he has fought for our teachers and students. We pay this so we get that. We are here and he is accountable. Superintendent Peter Mustich knows that Rye Neck academic standards exceed the Common Core because of our demographics. Politicians are looking for someone to blame for low education standards. Don't blame economically fit school districts. Look to yourself and leave us alone. It makes local government accountable so they offset the blame to some of the lowest paid government workers: teachers.
The best do their jobs privately. When government intercedes either someone is politically or economically benefitting or off-setting accountability.
Do your research. Opt-out. It's a waste of time.
Diane Ravitch, passionate educator and compatriot of all teachers and student advocates for authentic education, said it best when (loosely quoted) she admitted to not needing to administer or comply with a corporate agenda, so she could say what was on her mind. Ms. Ravitch also attributed it to her Seventies (so I can't wait to be in my Seventies!).
That said. I have some good friends. One of my most respected friends is Gina Tampio, mother of four beautiful boys and wife to anti-Common Core Champion and Assistant Fordham Political Science Professor, Nicholas Tampio.
So, here's the deal in a nutshell:
1. Our kids took tests last year that teachers didn't teach to;
2. Teachers were given materials mid-September and expected to anti-up so had not idea what to teach to;
3. No one knows what happened yet everyone is stressed out.
AFTER:
Since last year, my son, a child in a contained classroom who received a mid-thirty percentile grade on his tests, has dropped from a 3 to a 2 in all core (ELA and Math) curriculum. He is in fourth grade. My understanding is that fourth grade is a repetition of third. Does this make sense?
No.
Children who are errantly tested miss out on up to 1000 minutes of direct instruction per day as per misguided government mandate.
Every child needs a chance. This is not one of them.
(I'm really hoping you're getting this unless it requires a language barrier translation).
OPT-OUT.
OPT-OUT.
OPT-OUT.
E-mail your teacher that you will not participate in spring testing.
DO IT NOW. I did it. Twenty seconds, max. No harm done... Only good.
And that is all.
Book a tutor, have coffee, go for a swim, shoot hoops... snuggle with your child and he or she will be far better off for time better spent.
So will your teachers.
So will your school.
So will you.
