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

[undertheradar]

Are you saying teachers should teach what large corporations "think" they should teach? With no educational background, these corporations are going to decide what is best for students rather than the people who are actually qualified and who studied child development?

I'm sure that you can understand that the most qualified people to run the business side of schools would be people with business backgrounds. The people best to devise and execute the learning plans would be educators. The business people would be charged with getting the best possible return on investment in regards to dollars budgeted and spent. The educators would be responsible for providing measurable results while staying within reasonable financial constraints.

Based upon your tiring tirades against CC, we get it, you don't like it. So while your kids are "opted out" of testing, who is supposed to be planning what the minority of non-participating students are doing during prep and test time? Better yet, who is supposed to be paying for this alternative activity? Since you are so strongly opposed to the entire CC program, perhaps you have a means to fund the additional costs of educating the "opt outs?"

 

[leebee]

Let's not forget that if your students/school underperform on the tests, Pearson has the remedial education program available for sale that will help you bring the scores up. CHA-CHING!!

I have no real problem with setting standards for each grade level, or most of Common Core, and I don't even mind the majority of standardized tests. However, these smarter balance tests are not straight-out testing subject material as the canonical tests (even SAT/ACT tests) do, and they are a gigantic moneymaker for the companies that are designing the testing and remedial materials. No longer do we emphasize mastery of skills- instead we just demand that kids learn to integrate everything at once. While that might be how adults do things in real life, you HAVE to understand the basics before you can attempt the complex. I think we are already failing at the basics, so how can we ever expect to be successful at the higher levels of complexity that these tests demand?

 

[Tinijocaro]

I'm sure that you can understand that the most qualified people to run the business side of schools would be people with business backgrounds. The people best to devise and execute the learning plans would be educators. The business people would be charged with getting the best possible return on investment in regards to dollars budgeted and spent. The educators would be responsible for providing measurable results while staying within reasonable financial constraints.

Based upon your tiring tirades against CC, we get it, you don't like it. So while your kids are "opted out" of testing, who is supposed to be planning what the minority of non-participating students are doing during prep and test time? Better yet, who is supposed to be paying for this alternative activity? Since you are so strongly opposed to the entire CC program, perhaps you have a means to fund the additional costs of educating the "opt outs?"

Hey, you are not at all required to read my "tiring tirades". Stop reading if it is bothering you.

My kids don't need any alternate activity, they are happy to just read a book while others take the test. It's been working in our district, no extra cost.

 

[nugov2]

Let's not forget that if your students/school underperform on the tests, Pearson has the remedial education program available for sale that will help you bring the scores up. CHA-CHING!!

I have no real problem with setting standards for each grade level, or most of Common Core, and I don't even mind the majority of standardized tests. However, these smarter balance tests are not straight-out testing subject material as the canonical tests (even SAT/ACT tests) do, and they are a gigantic moneymaker for the companies that are designing the testing and remedial materials. No longer do we emphasize mastery of skills- instead we just demand that kids learn to integrate everything at once. While that might be how adults do things in real life, you HAVE to understand the basics before you can attempt the complex. I think we are already failing at the basics, so how can we ever expect to be successful at the higher levels of complexity that these tests demand?

The reality is though, Pearson isn't the only company making tests that are big moneymakers. Harcourt, McGraw Hill and Riverside all make bank off of the tests they create that are given to students in schools in addition to PARCC and we don't hear the same outcry. Those are the ones that control the lions share of the testing revenue. So why is it Pearson is the only one getting flamed, because it is the "in" company/test to boycott and get upset about.

I do agree with your statement that we do not emphasize the right things in education and agree we need major changes, but I disagree with the the way people cherry pick issues and I feel like the whole CC/PARCC movement is hypocritical in a lot of ways.

 

[Tinijocaro]

The reality is though, Pearson isn't the only company making tests that are big moneymakers. Harcourt, McGraw Hill and Riverside all make bank off of the tests they create that are given to students in schools in addition to PARCC and we don't hear the same outcry. Those are the ones that control the lions share of the testing revenue. So why is it Pearson is the only one getting flamed, because it is the "in" company/test to boycott and get upset about.

I do agree with your statement that we do not emphasize the right things in education and agree we need major changes, but I disagree with the the way people cherry pick issues and I feel like the whole CC/PARCC movement is hypocritical in a lot of ways.

I think Pearson gets the brunt of the criticism because they seem to have their hand in every aspect of education-now they are creating the test that student teachers must take to become certified, they create the remediation for kids who do poorly on their tests. Yes, there are certainly other companies doing the same thing, but not on the same scale as Pearson.

 

[htmom]

I have a daughter and up until this year she has had no iep , no extra help whatsoever. We tried to get her extra help last year. I spoke to her teacher, her counselor, and even the school principal one day. They all said she was going to be ok. I thought, ok then , we will just do as much extra help at home. Now this year the school counselor called me, they are starting a great after school help program. They will do all sorts of things that reinforce what is going on in the classroom.
So I do what a good mom does, I send her. She comes home after the first day of "help" and I ask how was it? She started to cry. I asked her what was wrong, well she opened her backpack and took out two "practice tests" they were both marked up pretty good and she told me that is what they did in "help" so in other words. They were not willing to give a struggling kid help but by God if the test scores need help let's give them more tests. Don't help them in anything else, just testing.
In her case she doesn't have test anxiety normally. But the stressing how they need to pass the test is way to hard on young kids.
My oldest, who does fairly well on the tests, had a teacher tell them last year that he would fail them if they achieved below basic.
I don't mind the kids taking tests and I wouldn't allow them to opt out. But there is too much pressure on the teachers and too much tied to money for the schools.

 

[nugov2]

I think Pearson gets the brunt of the criticism because they seem to have their hand in every aspect of education-now they are creating the test that student teachers must take to become certified, they create the remediation for kids who do poorly on their tests. Yes, there are certainly other companies doing the same thing, but not on the same scale as Pearson.

Not really. The other companies have just as much to gain, now is Pearson the biggest one...yes, but especially Harcourt/McGraw are huge making billions a year right along Pearson in testing and text books/materials etc.

Pearson does make the current Teacher certification test, but they do not make the test to be admitted to the program. Again, I am not saying that they aren't making tons of money...they just really aren't any better or worse than the other testing companies making billions of dollars too. I would say if you are against one, you should be against all and should make it an anti testing big corporation movement vs a CC/PARCC/Pearson movement. There would probably be more support. Most people who I see protesting the loudest are not showing examples again against the company as they are their district and are stating that they are OK with other testing just not this one and that makes them look uneducated/uninformed on the subject. All of these companies that administer these tests are in it for the money not for the kids. It is the cherry picking that makes their stand less credible. They are all in the same corrupt boat, Pearson just has the biggest state room.

 

[nugov2]

I have a daughter and up until this year she has had no iep , no extra help whatsoever. We tried to get her extra help last year. I spoke to her teacher, her counselor, and even the school principal one day. They all said she was going to be ok. I thought, ok then , we will just do as much extra help at home. Now this year the school counselor called me, they are starting a great after school help program. They will do all sorts of things that reinforce what is going on in the classroom.
So I do what a good mom does, I send her. She comes home after the first day of "help" and I ask how was it? She started to cry. I asked her what was wrong, well she opened her backpack and took out two "practice tests" they were both marked up pretty good and she told me that is what they did in "help" so in other words. They were not willing to give a struggling kid help but by God if the test scores need help let's give them more tests. Don't help them in anything else, just testing.
In her case she doesn't have test anxiety normally. But the stressing how they need to pass the test is way to hard on young kids.
My oldest, who does fairly well on the tests, had a teacher tell them last year that he would fail them if they achieved below basic.
I don't mind the kids taking tests and I wouldn't allow them to opt out. But there is too much pressure on the teachers and too much tied to money for the schools.

Who do you blame for this though, the test or the school deciding that is what they are going to subject their students too? It is awful and disgusting to do that to a child, but that isn't happening everywhere so then for me it becomes a district/administrator/teacher failure. Who says that is a good plan and then who feels good about themselves as a teacher putting kids through that. It is awful and a shame. Some districts spend very little time prepping for these tests and they also seem to be the ones scoring the highest in our area...so I think that right there says something. Don't make it a big deal, don't put unnecessary stress on the kids and they will perform better. Threaten, waste tons of instructional time, pressure students and your results will suffer.

 

[earsaddict]

I can't help myself. I don't like conflict but I have to share my two cents. I have thin skin, and yet, with my non business acumen I can't help but wonder about all the money that our publicly funded schools are paying paying to private corporations nationwide. Do we really trust big business to make the best decisions for our children? For any of us? They have such a great track record....W.R. Grace, Enron, Goldman Sachs, Firestone....we even complain about some of Disney's business moves and we love Disney.

They put profit ahead of my daughter, your children, our parents and you and me. But my school district is working to get her an education despite these regulations and products. I'm sorry, but I don't trust corporations and business people to make educational decisions. Not in health care, not even in transportation outsourcing. Sure hire a savvy business manager but have a school superintendent and administration who know child development, pedagogy (spelling), educational trends, something. Sorry. Rant over.

 

[htmom]

I most definitely put it on the school. I think it is ridiculous that a teacher is made to feel like they will loose their job over a test. That is put on them by the principal. He probably just got reamed out by the school board for not having enough proficient students. They all are made to feel as though they are failures, from the student, to the teacher, to the principal and anyone in between.

 

[undertheradar]

The reality is that there is a finite amount of funding. There are numerous ways to spend that funding and the then there are the many minority campaigns to alter how that money is dispersed. Between funding of honors/advanced, special needs/iep, and the standard everyday regular students, there is not enough money to go around.
Right now, standardized testing is the easy "evil" target. Next year it will be athletics or extra-curriculars. After that, the "evil" corporations or the "evil" unions. It is a cycle that keeps repeating and the taxpayers/"investors" don't have the means to get every party to accept a fair and balanced plan.
I believe that schools require a business side that controls all spending, and an education side that controls education. The two sides have to communicate and work within stringent financial constraints.

 

[nugov2]

I can't help myself. I don't like conflict but I have to share my two cents. I have thin skin, and yet, with my non business acumen I can't help but wonder about all the money that our publicly funded schools are paying paying to private corporations nationwide. Do we really trust big business to make the best decisions for our children? For any of us? They have such a great track record....W.R. Grace, Enron, Goldman Sachs, Firestone....we even complain about some of Disney's business moves and we love Disney.

They put profit ahead of my daughter, your children, our parents and you and me. But my school district is working to get her an education despite these regulations and products. I'm sorry, but I don't trust corporations and business people to make educational decisions. Not in health care, not even in transportation outsourcing. Sure hire a savvy business manager but have a school superintendent and administration who know child development, pedagogy (spelling), educational trends, something. Sorry. Rant over.

The reality is that there is a finite amount of funding. There are numerous ways to spend that funding and the then there are the many minority campaigns to alter how that money is dispersed. Between funding of honors/advanced, special needs/iep, and the standard everyday regular students, there is not enough money to go around.
Right now, standardized testing is the easy "evil" target. Next year it will be athletics or extra-curriculars. After that, the "evil" corporations or the "evil" unions. It is a cycle that keeps repeating and the taxpayers/"investors" don't have the means to get every party to accept a fair and balanced plan.
I believe that schools require a business side that controls all spending, and an education side that controls education. The two sides have to communicate and work within stringent financial constraints.

Those are the key points that make districts successful vs making them fail. A great Superintendent can make a great school district, if they involve the community and the teachers you will have a lot more success. The teachers feel valued and the parents do as well. I think that is one of the biggest downfalls in education. We have lost the "it takes a village" mentality. What helps one child, helps all and many do not see beyond the needs of their own family. Extra resources in the school even benefit those who do not need them b/c they take the burden off the classroom teacher. When a community comes together to make up for the short comings of the state/government you have successful students and teachers. That is what I attribute to our school districts success. We have something we need, we come together and fundraise for it. We have grant writing committees who write grants to every corporation we can. We have not only school based groups(most people know them as PTA), but a district level foundation. Since my dd has been in K we have raised about a half a million dollars from our district foundation alone through grants and fundraising. We need to learn to come together and build up our schools instead of tearing them down. The schools(especially if your district relies on the title 1 funding) need to play the government game, so why not stand up at board meetings and put committees together to successfully play the game that works in the best interest of the kids vs fighting them tooth and nail on an issue you aren't likely to change anytime soon. Arm chair activism never works, get involved and make a change where you can is my motto. I know I am not doing what is going to benefit my kids and the kids in our district by opting out of PARCC. If parents spent as much energy fighting this one test to get out there raise money for their schools the impact would be much further reaching.

 

[Southernmiss]

Those are the key points that make districts successful vs making them fail. A great Superintendent can make a great school district, if they involve the community and the teachers you will have a lot more success. The teachers feel valued and the parents do as well. I think that is one of the biggest downfalls in education. We have lost the "it takes a village" mentality. What helps one child, helps all and many do not see beyond the needs of their own family. Extra resources in the school even benefit those who do not need them b/c they take the burden off the classroom teacher. When a community comes together to make up for the short comings of the state/government you have successful students and teachers. That is what I attribute to our school districts success. We have something we need, we come together and fundraise for it. We have grant writing committees who write grants to every corporation we can. We have not only school based groups(most people know them as PTA), but a district level foundation. Since my dd has been in K we have raised about a half a million dollars from our district foundation alone through grants and fundraising. We need to learn to come together and build up our schools instead of tearing them down. The schools(especially if your district relies on the title 1 funding) need to play the government game, so why not stand up at board meetings and put committees together to successfully play the game that works in the best interest of the kids vs fighting them tooth and nail on an issue you aren't likely to change anytime soon. Arm chair activism never works, get involved and make a change where you can is my motto. I know I am not doing what is going to benefit my kids and the kids in our district by opting out of PARCC. If parents spent as much energy fighting this one test to get out there raise money for their schools the impact would be much further reaching.

Stands up and applauds. Great post.

The current superintendent of my kids schools has been in place for 30 years. I am looking for a candidate that will bring cohesion between schools and the community. There's one in the pool if 5 candidates that I see as the forerunner bringing that and innovative ideas to the district.

 

[livie1205]

I am in north florid and we have no " opt out" so my child will be taking the test ( 3rd grade) . The parents and students were told that if they did not score high enough they would not be going to 4th grade. I thought that was a misunderstanding but no they confirmed that if they did not score 3 or higher they would fail. The school has had lots of complaints from parents about worried and stressed out kids. That is a lot of pressure to put on them.I get the testing but to pass or fail on one test that is brand new this year ( the teachers claim they don't even know what's on the test) is crazy. The kids should be graded on the year as a whole.

 

[Tinijocaro]

I am in north florid and we have no " opt out" so my child will be taking the test ( 3rd grade) . The parents and students were told that if they did not score high enough they would not be going to 4th grade. I thought that was a misunderstanding but no they confirmed that if they did not score 3 or higher they would fail. The school has had lots of complaints from parents about worried and stressed out kids. That is a lot of pressure to put on them.I get the testing but to pass or fail on one test that is brand new this year ( the teachers claim they don't even know what's on the test) is crazy. The kids should be graded on the year as a whole.

Does your district take the PARCC? Most districts don't have an "opt-out". You always have the right to refuse. They are banking on the fact that you don't know that.

ETA that I see you take the FCAT. See this link:
http://www.dailynews.com/social-aff...overhaul-than-other-states#.UrO7aFlJF6A.email

 

[undertheradar]

Hey, you are not at all required to read my "tiring tirades". Stop reading if it is bothering you.

My kids don't need any alternate activity, they are happy to just read a book while others take the test. It's been working in our district, no extra cost.

Does your district take the PARCC? Most districts don't have an "opt-out". You always have the right to refuse. They are banking on the fact that you don't know that.

I missed it, where do you live?

 

[Callie]

I don't understand opting out of the test. We had two sets of testing every year. One was ISTEP, and I forget what the other one was. But that one they gave you a test based off your previously tested skill level. Starting in 3rd grade I always tested to the highest level, so it got boring. I'd even remember some of the same questions year after year.

ISTEP was a little different. I never got anxiety, but I did get nervous because the teachers always made it seem like a massive deal. All the rules and steps that had to be taken. I would've done even better had they just handed me a book and said answer the questions!

But it was mostly just boring for me. I preferred the other tests my teachers entered us in. We got prizes for doing well!

 

[taylor1293]

I am in north florid and we have no " opt out" so my child will be taking the test ( 3rd grade) . The parents and students were told that if they did not score high enough they would not be going to 4th grade. I thought that was a misunderstanding but no they confirmed that if they did not score 3 or higher they would fail. The school has had lots of complaints from parents about worried and stressed out kids. That is a lot of pressure to put on them.I get the testing but to pass or fail on one test that is brand new this year ( the teachers claim they don't even know what's on the test) is crazy. The kids should be graded on the year as a whole.

Yes, if your 3rd grader fails they "may" be held back. However, the FSA (Florida's version of the PARCC) doesn't completely determine that. If your child fails, she or he will be given a "portfolio test" (a series of other assessments). That would be the deciding factor.

Just to clarify a little more, the FCAT (prior test) was on a 1 - 5 scale. A 3 was considered passing but a 2 passed you on to 4th grade. Only a 1 meant you had to pass by portfolio. I am not sure what the FSA scale will be.

Also, the teachers have no more information available to them about what is on the test than the general public. Even after the test, we will not know what it contains. We are not permitted to look at it nor discuss it with anyone.

 

[already]

Maybe you didn't understand what I was saying. Decisions-very important decisions relating to what goes on in the classroom are now being made by billion dollar corporations, rather than by educators. Unless your children go to private school or charter schools, their education also is being decided upon by large corporations rather than by educators.

Well, then those districts are pretty stupid and I would be moving.

Come to our district. Our superintendent has already said that no teacher or school will be affected by these tests. They administer them because they have to, but teachers will not be evaluated by them. Our school still takes responsibility for the hiring of good teachers, not some billion dollar company. Our district still takes responsibility for the education of our children.

Our arts are thriving in our schools. In elementary and middle schools, the students get art 1 day a week (one hour), and music and pe 2x per week. So no billion dollar company is affecting our arts.

Our school spent exactly 1.5 hours prepping for these tests last week. 1 hour on the LA, just going over the practice tests. And the prep was actually a great review on the writing they have been doing. The teacher was positive, saying things like "You all know how to write a good topic sentence, right?" and then spent a few minutes reviewing the basic parts of a paragraph. Then the students had a half hour to play around on the practice site to learn how to move. They spent a half hour going over how to do the math. There has been no prepping for days and days and days. So no billion dollar company is affecting class teaching time. Science and Social Studies have not suffered. In fact, one grade is doing a fun unit on the pioneers.

If your district is allowing a billion dollar company to call the shots, you have a bigger problem with your Superintendent and your school board.

 

[already]

Yet, it is business people who should run schools and educators who should teach. Those corporate dollars that you choose to attack are just about equal to the dollars collectively pulled in by the teachers unions and pension funds. Your choice of target is questionable. The US has such a poor return on investment when comparing education results against developed countries. Let's not forget that every student required to be assisted by special teaching programs, special teachers and assistants, special equipment, all come out of the same general fund used to educate all of the students. There just is not enough money in the budget to provide every little thing that everyone wants education to provide.

As for charter schools, that is a for-profit mess just coming to the forefront of our education mess.

While I agree with most of what you post, this is absolutely not true. Special Education does not come out of the general fund.