Latest on Opt-Out: Is it Legal?
EdWeek has a good round-up of test season news (with links to stories at the NY Times and others).
Even as assessment pushback grows, however, the state of the law on the right to boycott tests isn't as clear as you'd expect. The Education Commission of the States, a research group based in Denver, took on the thorny question of what's permitted, and found a confusing assortment of laws and policies, and a whole lot of even-more-confusing silence on the question on opting out.
In a new white paper, the ECS found that only a handful of states have clear laws one way or the other on whether parents can keep their children out of state-mandated tests. But in most states, there is no law on the subject, or the law isn't clear. In such murky terrain, some state departments of education have clarified their policies on opt-outs, but others "are often silent on the issue," the ECS says.
From the report on what happens in Washington State:
Even as assessment pushback grows, however, the state of the law on the right to boycott tests isn't as clear as you'd expect. The Education Commission of the States, a research group based in Denver, took on the thorny question of what's permitted, and found a confusing assortment of laws and policies, and a whole lot of even-more-confusing silence on the question on opting out.
In a new white paper, the ECS found that only a handful of states have clear laws one way or the other on whether parents can keep their children out of state-mandated tests. But in most states, there is no law on the subject, or the law isn't clear. In such murky terrain, some state departments of education have clarified their policies on opt-outs, but others "are often silent on the issue," the ECS says.
From the report on what happens in Washington State:
According to the Department of Education, a parent may refuse to have his/her child take state tests. However, high school students must to pass certain state assessments before graduating.
Meanwhile Chicago has caved to Arne Duncan's pressure and will be giving the PARCC assessment. This after Chicago Public Schools said their schools were not ready to give the test and they would only test 10%of students. Diane Ravitch explains.
Comments
-curious
--- swk
HP
Students in New Mexico walk-out on PARCC
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/03/02/new-mexico-students-walk-out-over-new-tests-contested-in-us
SBAC Math: 5/21, 5/22
SBAC ELA: 5/4, 5/5, 5/6
MSP Math 6/8
MSP ELA: 6/8
MSP Science: 5/12 *Paper
This is just insane!
-Fedmomof2
Empl
SAT -4 hours
Possible repeat SAT- 4 hours
IB 1-2 hrs
AP 1-2 hrs
LA final - 1-2 hrs
Math final- 1-2 hrs
History final 1-2 hrs
Science final 1-2 hrs
Elective Final 1-2 hrs
8 hours SBAC
- Fedmomof2
-parents wake up
Families who refuse to allow their children to participate in assessments, including Smarter Balanced, must submit the refusal in writing, signed and dated, to go in the student's permanent record file. Parents or guardians must submit this refusal annually. Here are the consequences:
Students who do not participate will receive a "zero" score on the assessment and no score report for teachers or families to view.
A zero will negatively impact the school's overall results.
Teachers will not receive results that could be used as a tool to measure the student's academic growth.
Families will not receive results that will enable them to chart the student's growth over time.
High school juniors without assessment results will not be eligible for the remedial testing waiver offered by state colleges (see above).
Students who do not participate will receive supervision but not instruction during assessment time.
Families will not receive results that will enable them to chart the student's growth over time."
Notwithstanding the fact that no reliable test outcomes are expected over the next 2 years. Really, SPS will say anything.
Skeptic
Do you have some evidence of your claim that "no reliable test outcomes are expected over the next 2 years."
--- swk
That one struck caught my eye too, but for a different reason. Has anyone actually had a teacher use their child's prior year standardized test results for measuring growth? None of my kids' teachers have ever mentioned such a thing, but I'd be interested in hearing from any teachers that do use these. Do teachers really measure students against standardized test data from the prior grade under the prior teacher? And will teachers get the current year's SBAC results in time for them to actually use these data to measure anything?
HIMSmom
"High school juniors without assessment results will not be eligible for the remedial testing waiver offered by state colleges (see above)."
What does this mean?
swk, I did read that SBAC test scores won't be valid this year. I wish I had time to find the document.
Valid means that a test is able to do what it is designed to do. In this case, SBAC is designed to accurately measure a student's knowledge of the CCSS.
Reliable means that a test would give a student the same score if taken more than once, and a scorer would give the student the same score if scored more than once, and two different scorers would give the student the same score when scoring the student's test.
Skeptic made a claim about reliability. I said there was no legitimate concerns about reliability. I acknowledged some legitimate concerns about a very specific type of validity called "external validity."
--- swk
The purpose of this large scale testing movement never had the goal of measuring and improving upon an individual child's learning. Even Road Map types of projects, which "follow" a child's educational career, are intended to track teachers and systems rather than help individual students.
Common Core claims to be about outcomes for the individual child. But as long as CC is attached to states' receipt of federal funds and teacher evaluations, it will continue to exist for that from which it spawned.
I have found a student's prior testing information helpful (though I'm very against the overtesting mess). Sadly, this is a side effect rather than the purpose.
--enough already
Yes, the time required for SBAC seems excessive. But HS List, are we really going to start complaining about the fact that kids already have to take final exams in their courses, and perhaps AP or IB exams and college entrance exams too? Assessments are a part of education--you learn the material, study it well, get tested on it, move on to the next thing, right? Studying for exams helps reinforce knowledge, helps you to see the larger connections, etc. Quizzes, chapter tests, etc. are probably stressful, too--should we get rid of those?
HF
--- swk
HIMSmom
"It depends of what the meaning of is is" or "Is waterboarding actually torture?" can be excellent questions for the prospective law student or debating class.
Your arcane factual information and need to correct every non-expert's comment is missing this existential point:
This subject (apparently, your job) that you are strongly defending at every posting is having REAL LIFE negative effects on people's children and teachers' ability to do their jobs. Does that matter to you?
The math teacher on the other thread made that painfully clear and direct. So are the people who are tired of their children's educations being sold out.
Obama, Emmanuel, Gates and Duncan's kids are not taking these tests. That says it all.
--enough already
I'm a veteran, considered highly effective, teacher and I have two words of advice on this topic:
Opt out.
The information garnered from these tests does not begin to compensate for the lost learning time and unethical use of your children for corporate profits and political gain.
--enough already
"Students who do not participate will receive supervision but not instruction during assessment time."
Are we to assume that the students chained to a computer for eight hours will be receiving "instruction" during the test? I highly doubt it. If it's a negative to not receive instruction, why are they doing just that to all the kids who are not opted out?
I see no point in giving data to a for profit corporation about my child. The MAP test was NEVER a benefit to my family (no teacher ever discussed it with us and my child's instruction was never changed), and this will be no different. We are done.
-gammon
" But HS List, are we really going to start complaining about the fact that kids already have to take final exams in their courses, and perhaps AP or IB exams and college entrance exams too? "
No. I am calling attention to the amount of time spend on end-of year tests, and juniors shouldn't be expected to take 8 hrs. of SBAC. I'd prefer to skip SBAC and allow teachers to prep for final exams.
And the purpose of many of my posts regarding the technical nature of assessment is intended to make things less arcane, not to defend assessments per se. There are readers who appreciate it and there are readers who are infuriated by it. I'll go ahead and count you in the latter group.
--- swk
It should also be noted that juniors may take the SAT more than once.
From my standpoint, CCSS have not improved classroom instruction. There is a decreased emphasis on content coverage and LA has been reduced to "support with evidence." Our child recently took a quiz where they were told they didn't have to have the right answer (the right answer required content knowledge), they just needed to supply justification for their response (right or wrong). Huh?
undecided
P.S. I appreciate swk's clarification on terminology
I was busy typing what you felt castigated by when you high-fived my NCLB comment.
To be clear, your information is helpful and I've said that before.
What I am responding to is the fact that you have apparent ties to the testing industry, and your lack of response to the real life consequences of your job (?) is palpable.
You had both facts and animus about the preschool initiative, in part because your wife is in that field (as you made more than clear).
On the other hand, I have detected no ethical concern whatsoever by you about the effects of testing on real people.
Many here feel like you did when the preschool issue affected your family. Call it personal, but you're the one who told us.
You can be both factual and have an ethical judgment about this issue, too. You can correct people's factual errors without seeming to rebut their larger, usually moral point. So far, that's not happening.
--enough already
You have to love it: not only is the test not designed with all learners in mind, the District test administrators see special education supports and services as an unfair advantage anyway.
I am incredibly perplexed. I am not an somebody who opposed all standardized tests. But under these circumstances, I am not even sure why the District is not "refusing" the SBAC on behalf of students with disabilities, at least those who due to difficulties with planning, working memory, meta-cognition and attention, will be like lambs to the slaughterhouse on SBAC testing day in my opinion, given the District's stance that adults providing prompts and supports constitute that "unfair advantage".
AnneS