"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

In support of opting out of the tests

Sent to the Chicago Tribune, March 4, 2015
Re: "Opting out of PARCC proves murky process for parents, students," March 4
Part of the reason for the growth of the opt-out movement, as noted by the Tribune, is that the tests are too long: We are now testing far more than we have ever done, even though studies have shown that increasing testing does not increase student learning, and there is no evidence that the new tests will help students or teachers.
The Tribune also mentions that there are "technological glitches." The new tests are delivered online, which means billions for infrastructure, up-to-date computers and operating systems for each student, and constant upgrades. This also means new technology whenever "progress" in made in the computer world, with the inevitable problems with new software and hardware. We can expect the glitches and financial drain on schools to continue indefinitely.
Parents are doing the right thing in opting their children out of this irresponsible, unresearched, nonstop testing program.
Stephen Krashen
Original article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-common-core-test-optout-met-20150303-story.html?track=rss#page=1

1 comment:

  1. The PARCC exists to make Pearson even richer.

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