Who is refusing Common Core tests for 3rd-8th graders?

[JanaDee]

your kids are going to have to take test like this to graduate from high school so let them get used to it now

Not everywhere.

 

[Ceila]

I took standardized tests when I was in school, too. Prepping for the test took a day, two max and we took one standardized test a year. Now? The majority of their class time is devoted to learning materials for the tests (as they take multiples throughout the year). The only things they learn about are material on the tests. They don't have time for anything else.

I think that this year is unique, because of the extremely different testing environment. The vast majority of students have not had a test like this on a computer, so there is a learning curve. There are many different tools available to students, and as educators we need to make sure they are comfortable using them before testing begins. During the test itself, we are absolutely not permitted to assist any student with the test itself, even for things like moving forward to the next question. Next year, all but the 3rd graders will have taken the test, so test prep time will be greatly reduced going forward.

 

[aprilgail]

There is a public K-8 in Columbus, ohio where 187 students were opted out by their parents. They have started a group meeting inviting all parents to attend, from any public school. They have collected all the legal information and have the support of the teachers at the school. My son enjoyed taking those tests. I would have allowed him to take them; he's in college now, so not an issue for us but I love that there is a nationwide movement to get legistors to listen to parents and teachers regarding methods of instruction and testing.

The year my daughter was in 8th grade we opted out- we were one of 2 people in the Jr. High that year that opted out- the next year 280 people in the Jr. High alone opted out, this year more than 50% of the school has opted out. If they want to give them one standardized text a year it would be a different story but they are giving WAY to many- to many hours are lost just teaching how to take these tests. My big grip in 8th grade with those tests is that they were giving standardized tests in science and math- that year they also had regents (also a state test!) in science and math. Why are they wasting time double and triple testing for the same thing. And on top of that testing that year the state decided that our district was one of the ones they were giving an additional test to in order to test questions they should put on the test. If you want the kids to test your test then they should be considered employees and paid for their time! It is not their job to test questions for pearson company.

Our district also does STAR testing. They test them in the beginning, middle and end of year to rate how the teachers are teaching which I do not think is fair at all. The kids know those grades are not used for anything other than rating their teachers so a lot of kids all say "screw it lets mess with the teachers and do bad on the test". Starting in 8th grade they take the PSAT's in our school too- and they take them in 9th, 10th and 11th too (I do not opt of of those, nor regents which are required)- how many state tests do you want them to take?

 

[jrmasm]

I think that this year is unique, because of the extremely different testing environment. The vast majority of students have not had a test like this on a computer, so there is a learning curve. There are many different tools available to students, and as educators we need to make sure they are comfortable using them before testing begins. During the test itself, we are absolutely not permitted to assist any student with the test itself, even for things like moving forward to the next question. Next year, all but the 3rd graders will have taken the test, so test prep time will be greatly reduced going forward.

This year is not unique in my district. They have been prepping hard since my youngest started elementary. My objection is the dramatic increase in focus on prepping since my oldest was in elementary. I have considered opting out simply in protest.

 

[Tinijocaro]

These are not the same standardized tests we all took years ago. They are made by a corporation (Pearson) out for money-period. Educators were not asked for their input. Test results are given in the form of a number only. Teachers can not use these results to improve their teaching since they are not allowed to actually go back and see where their children struggled (or did well). If a large part of these tests is to evaluate teachers, it's only right that teachers should be able to use the results to drive instruction. In NYS, teachers are not even allowed to keep a copy. So little Jimmy receives a 2 on the math portion-which skill is he struggling with? Teachers don't know since they aren't allowed to look at Johnny's test. Also, the test results don't even come back until the child has moved on to the next grade-what good is that?

Of course I am speaking from the NYS point of view, but our ELA portion of the tests are completely age-inappropriate. The third grade reading portion is at a 7th grade level. We are supposed to be testing what a child already know. I find it horribly inappropriate to be expecting 3rd graders to have success on a 7th grade test. It's like telling a 6 month old to walk. Just give them much harder stuff and they will be college and career ready. There is no science behind these tests. No proof, studies, field tests done that prove these tests are going to make your child college and career ready. It's all a big experiment and it is failing miserable.

My own kids did fine on the test back when I was still having them take them-mostly 4, a few 3. Anxiety has nothing to do with the reason I refused for them (not sure why people keep bringing up anxiety, anyone who has spent any time seriously looking into these tests would know there are much bigger issues than anxiety)

An seriously, do any of you really think that by refusing to allow your children to take a test that your child will think they can get out of all tests? Or that your child will not get enough practice on tests? They won't be prepared to take tests in high school and college? Teachers will continue to give tests to students,whether or not there are standardized tests. It is the teachers who know our students-I trust them to design a test that measures a student's success in any given area.

I am not opposed to standardized tests as a whole. I refuse so that any standardized tests given are age appropriate, written with educator input , not by a corporation that has it's hands so deep into the pockets of school districts that districts are now having to lay off teachers, cut programs and having to do much, much more with much, much less. Just look into Pearson Corp. They are making billions off the backs of our students and school districts- their tests are loaded with errors and are completely age-inappropriate.

Education is actually becoming more "dumbed down" due to these tests. Teachers are forced to focus almost entirely on ela and math-letting science and social studies go by the wayside. Forget the arts, these programs are being cut all over the country due to inadequate funding, due in part to the high cost of these tests.

Pearson has ads on Craigslist for test graders. So your children's tests are probably being graded by some shmoe who isn't a teacher, just following a rubric, no real english or math teaching skills. This is a fact. They implement the tests but will not allow teachers to grade them.

There is so much more but I need a rest. A couple of you said why bother opting out even if you disagree with the high stakes testing. Why bother? To make a change! To get tests that actually mean something, where teachers can learn from them to help their students. Parents should really look into this more than just saying "oh, my kid has to take tests anyways so this is good practice." No. It's a complete waste of time and money. Teachers are having to spend huge amounts of time preparing kids for these tests-education is much more than tests.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Our district had an entire week of testing until 10:45. Because we needed computers for testing, students not taking the test had to sit in the auditorium. After that they had 25 minute classes for the rest of the day instead of 45 minute ones. Several classes were cancelled every day. Because of our income level we are required to serve lunch every day so we can not do a half day. Also this means that the periods that must be held every day are lunch ones, and others are cancelled. The students struggled with the poorly worded tests. Computer problems were rampant so some students will have to re-test later. In lower income districts just finding a computer for every child to test on is a problem.
Next week we have HSPA's. I assume the week after will be make-ups for those who were absent or had computer problems. This is after all of the time spent prepping. In addition we are an urban district. Many of our students read below grade level and have poor vocabulary. Some things that might be culturally relevant knowledge in other neighborhoods will not in ours. Comparing our teachers' scores with a middle class suburban score is unfair. We are facing enormous financial struggles and over-sized classrooms. Yet, money spent on these tests is considered a priority. I respect parents who pull their children out, out of protest.

 

[Ceila]

Pearson has ads on Craigslist for test graders. So your children's tests are probably being graded by some shmoe who isn't a teacher, just following a rubric, no real english or math teaching skills. This is a fact. They implement the tests but will not allow teachers to grade them.

They aren't even allowed to read the questions as the students take the test. According to the test administrator's manual (the TA is the person supervising the students taking the test, which is usually their classroom teacher), it's a security breach to "[Read] test items or passages before, during, or after testing ● Exception: Reading to a student who has the human reader accommodation listed in his or her IEP or 504 Plan is permitted on the English Language Arts/Literacy assessments or as an accessibility feature for the Mathematics assessment."

file:///C:/Users/Carol/Downloads/2015%20PARCC%20Spring%20Grades%203-5%20Computer-Based%20Test%20Administrator%20Manual.pdf

So, not only may the scoring be done by non-educators, educators aren't allowed to see the test questions. How this is possible, I don't know, since if a student has a problem with their computer hardware, it would be almost impossible to not see the screen. And while I think most conspiracy theorists are crazy, I do have to wonder if this is more about Pearson's lack of confidence in their test questions than cheating.

 

[Ceila]

Our district had an entire week of testing until 10:45. Because we needed computers for testing, students not taking the test had to sit in the auditorium. After that they had 25 minute classes for the rest of the day instead of 45 minute ones. Several classes were cancelled every day.

If I may ask, why weren't the other classes held for students who weren't testing? We have a weird schedule laid out, but on one day we will have some students testing while others are in their classes, and then they flip-flop. I'm just curious how other districts are handling this - not giving you a hard time.

 

[Happy Snowman]

These are not the same standardized tests we all took years ago. They are made by a corporation (Pearson) out for money-period. Educators were not asked for their input. Test results are given in the form of a number only. Teachers can not use these results to improve their teaching since they are not allowed to actually go back and see where their children struggled (or did well). If a large part of these tests is to evaluate teachers, it's only right that teachers should be able to use the results to drive instruction. In NYS, teachers are not even allowed to keep a copy. So little Jimmy receives a 2 on the math portion-which skill is he struggling with? Teachers don't know since they aren't allowed to look at Johnny's test. Also, the test results don't even come back until the child has moved on to the next grade-what good is that?

Of course I am speaking from the NYS point of view, but our ELA portion of the tests are completely age-inappropriate. The third grade reading portion is at a 7th grade level. We are supposed to be testing what a child already know. I find it horribly inappropriate to be expecting 3rd graders to have success on a 7th grade test. It's like telling a 6 month old to walk. Just give them much harder stuff and they will be college and career ready. There is no science behind these tests. No proof, studies, field tests done that prove these tests are going to make your child college and career ready. It's all a big experiment and it is failing miserable.

My own kids did fine on the test back when I was still having them take them-mostly 4, a few 3. Anxiety has nothing to do with the reason I refused for them (not sure why people keep bringing up anxiety, anyone who has spent any time seriously looking into these tests would know there are much bigger issues than anxiety)

An seriously, do any of you really think that by refusing to allow your children to take a test that your child will think they can get out of all tests? Or that your child will not get enough practice on tests? They won't be prepared to take tests in high school and college? Teachers will continue to give tests to students,whether or not there are standardized tests. It is the teachers who know our students-I trust them to design a test that measures a student's success in any given area.

I am not opposed to standardized tests as a whole. I refuse so that any standardized tests given are age appropriate, written with educator input , not by a corporation that has it's hands so deep into the pockets of school districts that districts are now having to lay off teachers, cut programs and having to do much, much more with much, much less. Just look into Pearson Corp. They are making billions off the backs of our students and school districts- their tests are loaded with errors and are completely age-inappropriate.

Education is actually becoming more "dumbed down" due to these tests. Teachers are forced to focus almost entirely on ela and math-letting science and social studies go by the wayside. Forget the arts, these programs are being cut all over the country due to inadequate funding, due in part to the high cost of these tests.

Pearson has ads on Craigslist for test graders. So your children's tests are probably being graded by some shmoe who isn't a teacher, just following a rubric, no real english or math teaching skills. This is a fact. They implement the tests but will not allow teachers to grade them.

There is so much more but I need a rest. A couple of you said why bother opting out even if you disagree with the high stakes testing. Why bother? To make a change! To get tests that actually mean something, where teachers can learn from them to help their students. Parents should really look into this more than just saying "oh, my kid has to take tests anyways so this is good practice." No. It's a complete waste of time and money. Teachers are having to spend huge amounts of time preparing kids for these tests-education is much more than tests.

The tests we took decades ago were made by a corporation and they made money on them too...

 

[Tinijocaro]

http://www.nystoptesting.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/nyregion/standing-up-to-testing.html?_r=0

For anyone who is interested in reading further.

 

[Tiggeroo]

If I may ask, why weren't the other classes held for students who weren't testing? We have a weird schedule laid out, but on one day we will have some students testing while others are in their classes, and then they flip-flop. I'm just curious how other districts are handling this - not giving you a hard time.

Because many classrooms have only 5-6 computers. We had to place students in rooms with computers. Nearly every room was used for testing. Each testing room was required to have at least 2 teachers.

 

[Tinijocaro]

The tests we took decades ago were made by a corporation and they made money on them too...

The difference is teacher input has been excluded from current tests. Pearson has a huge history of testing errors and cannot be relied upon to be giving accurate results. Kids are taking many more tests today than we did years ago. Much more money for Pearson without quality control. Heck-teachers aren't even allowed to keep a copy of the test to review after. It's illegal. What is Pearson afraid of?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ief-history-of-pearsons-problems-with-testing

 

[Ceila]

Because many classrooms have only 5-6 computers. We had to place students in rooms with computers. Nearly every room was used for testing. Each testing room was required to have at least 2 teachers.

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Don't even get me started on Common Core Math. Please check out this 4 minute video. Very enlightening.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I don't have a problem with standardized tests, I took them and my kids took them. I have a problem with the high stakes attached to test results and tying school funding to those results. My kids are both in high school. They have to take EOI (end of instruction) tests. In order to graduate, they have to pass 5 of those tests. Algebra 1, English 2, and three others which can vary. My son had no problem passing these tests and this will be the first year my daughter tests. I am aware that many kids really struggle with these tests and they delay graduation.

 

[Tinijocaro]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/edu/4890272315.html

Here is one Craigslist ad.

 

[aprilgail]

The pressure they put on the teachers about these tests is then passed on to the kids. One teacher told the kids in my daughter grade if they didn't get a 3 they would be held back next year. And in Jr. High if you did not score a 3 then the next year you lost the chance to take and elective and instead had to take a special class to teach you how to pass the test. NY tests them WAY to much!

 

[aprilgail]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/edu/4890272315.html

Here is one Craigslist ad.

10.70 an hour?? Wow- burger king pays more than that! And this is what is rating our children????

 

[DisneyBabies]

My vote was other because we live in South Carolina and we have repealed implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced test.

But we still have several tests taken through the year; MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) is a three part test that is taken three times per year to help determine where each child is at learning wise and give extra instruction to fit each child; last year the kids took PASS at the end of the year, but we are changing that this year and taking ACT.

I will not opt-out my children. These tests help push them ahead or boost them up if they are struggling and help them with identified weak areas.

And our kids don't stress out about it because they are told it's just a test, do your best and leave it at that. I can't imagine anyone telling an elementary school child that they will be held back based on ONE test score and anyone who does this or follows through on that needs to have their head examined! One test at that level can not determine a child's knowledge and shouldn't be used to do so.

Besides they are still taught the same things as the other kids whether we opt-out or not, so I don't see the sense in it.

 

[Happy Snowman]

10.70 an hour?? Wow- burger king pays more than that! And this is what is rating our children????

I doubt Burger King in Detroit pays more than $10.70/hour....