It has been a struggle, but Leone and I have opted our daughters out of testing for 2012. I have spent hours on the phone with administrators and the Texas Education Agency, but we have won for this year. I truly feel we are on the cusp of having enough people to make a difference in public education!
Kudos to you for standing up to a dysfunctional system, uninformed politician, & publishers who make a bundle to do what you know is best for your children.
ReplyDeleteWe need more parents like you. I hope you will set the stage and inspire others to follow your ever so smart lead!!!
Bravo to the Moore Family!!
ReplyDeleteYou are pioneers in a growing movement to resist the deformity of data driven education reform that has been perpetrated upon unsuspecting parents and children and I appreciate your efforts!
Clyde Gaw
www.dumpduncan.org
Bravo!! The first of many that will follow I hope! By 'opting out' we tell them that they CANNOT use our children as 'data points' to judge them, schools, teachers or principals. Every landslide begins with one grain of sand, and accumulates until so many are piled up that it MUST fall. Thank you for standing up for your children, and for all children!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/10-year-old-i-want-to-know-why-after-vacation-i-have-to-take-test-after-test-after-test/2012/04/10/gIQA1sOz8S_blog.html <This is the link that I told you about in class and...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-micromanaging-educators-stifles-reform/255543/ < I thought this was interesting and relevant as well.
I have been troubled with standardized testing for years and have even asked administrators about opting out here in Texas and I am always met with a "no". They have told me that my only option is to take the children out of school (homeschool) during the testing. My daughter is in 4th grade this year....they told me next year that there would be no option and she had to take the test because it is a pass or fail year. I am at a point with the curriculum that I have thought about taking all 3 of my children out of the public school system. I would love to find out more about your story of success.
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DeleteHow did you circumvent the "requirement" that 5th graders have to take the test in order to pass to 6th grade? I have some friends facing this next year and they are concerned that their child will not pass to 6th grade because our administrators tell us over and over again that, "If they fail (or don't take) STAAR in 5th grade they will not go to 6th." Would love to hear a success story about that!
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