Here is a letter from a NYC principal who spoke out
against standardized testing and corporate education reform on WNYC radio, when
Brian Lehrer had Michelle Rhee as his guest. She sent the below letter,
about opting her children out of testing in the Ridgewood NJ public schools, to their principals,
teachers, the superintendent, the NCLB administrator, guidance counselors,
Special Education supervisor, etc. The official response so far has been
from the superintendent, who made a veiled threat that she could be reported
for truancy for keeping her children out of school on these days. The letter
has been slightly revised to omit the names of her children and their schools.
Good
afternoon.
Please
be advised that I do not permit my children, to participate in the NJ ASK or
any other standardized testing for state report cards and NCLB/RTTT
accountability. I believe that this kind of testing is, at best,
counter-productive and perhaps even harmful to my children’s education and
development. My position is based on my conscientious objection to the State of
New Jersey and the U.S. Department of Education employing an early 20th Century
assessment model, which reflects the goals, aspirations and knowledge of that
time, in order to make high-stakes decisions about the effectiveness of
teaching, learning, and schooling today. This kind of high-stakes
testing is not based on what we know about teaching and learning in 2012, nor
can it prepare our children for the demands of the 21st Century.
The State of New Jersey and the USDOE overstep their bounds and do a disservice
to the public when they ignore professionals in local schools by arbitrarily
making high-stakes educational decisions based on standardized
tests. Finally, this absurd emphasis on standardized testing
depletes valuable tax dollars that could otherwise be spent on improving and
supporting teaching and learning.
As
a parent and a 26-year veteran NYC public school educator, children’s development
as life-long learners is a top priority. Educators know that
assessment is either for learning or assessment is of
learning. Assessments (or “testing”) should always generate feedback
that students can apply to their future learning. Professionally, we know
that assessment for accountability is wrong. The NJ
ASK gives the Ridgewood Public Schools no information that they don’t already
have. Ridgewood parents and residents insist on excellent public
schools. Our local government and our democratic electoral process ensure that
we consistently have high performing schools.
In
urban areas such as Newark, Jersey City, Camden, Paterson, and New York City,
high stakes testing for the purpose of school and school district
accountability dooms the most needy students to months of intellectually
bankrupt classroom experience. The curriculum narrows in order to
ensure that students can respond correctly to multiple-choice questions or
formulaic short answer and essay questions. Timed, one-chance
tests subject all children to the perceived possibility of
humiliation and failure. This pressure to perform scars children and robs them
of their natural curiosity and innate desire to learn. In fact, our
current understanding of the neuroscience of learning indicates strongly that
the environment created by high-stakes testing actually inhibits
learning. No Child Left Behind, including New Jersey’s current
waiver from the sanctions of that legislation, fails to improve educational
outcomes for students. Ironically, it leaves increased numbers of
“minority” subgroups and economically disadvantaged students even further
behind.
My children have had a wonderful experience at [their
public schools] in Ridgewood. In fact, I too, am a product of the
Ridgewood Public Schools. As a result of the strong educational
foundation established here in Ridgewood, I was able to attend two of our
nation’s finest post-secondary institutions in order to pursue my
dreams. Personally and professionally, I must stand with the thousands
of courageous parents, schoolteachers and administrators across our nation, who
are boycotting high stakes testing. By opting out of standardized
testing, we will deny the USDOE the data that supports its ill-conceived agenda
for education reform. Together we will work to improve public
education for all students based on current educational and scientific
research. As citizens, it is our responsibility to save
our public schools.
Sincerely,
Jean McTavish
