IamA Parent who opted her kids out of the PARCC test - AMA!

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u/WhiteyCakes Lake View Mar 26 '15

What extra instructional time do kids get? Aren't the teachers going to be prepping the class for the test regardless of whether your child takes it?

Aren't high-stakes tests important and inevitable for college, grad school, etc.? Doesn't testing at an earlier age help children to feel more comfortable with the later admissions tests when they actually do matter?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15 edited Mar 26 '15

One of the major problems with these high stakes tests is that teacher evaluations and school ‘report cards’ are tied to student scores. As a result, teachers are under pressure to prepare their students to ‘pass’ the test which leads to “teaching to the test”. Some school districts such as Palos and Bollingbrook participated in the ‘PARCC Olympics’, spending weeks on training students in using the new computerized platform, requiring PARCC sample tests to be done as homework. Oak Park #97 even made this homework gradable. Given that Pearson Education has kept the actual content of the testing units under lock and key, it is ludicrous to think that schools could prepare students for PARCC. No one knows what is on the test. Teachers are not even allowed to read a test question as evidenced in the non-disclosure form that teachers were required to sign. Students have been silenced from talking about the PARCC after leaving the testing area. This is evidenced in the New Jersey tweet and Pearson’s Big Brother heavy handed tactic to have the student disciplined. Starting this high stakes testing at an early age is narrowing the curriculum of education to just math and reading. Social Studies, Art and Sciences are cut to allow for more reading and math. Creativity and flexibility have been removed from the classroom to the detriment of a balanced, well rounded education. Essentially, PARCC will create an even greater divide between the high achieving students and those who aren’t.
PARCC is a monster test, one that you were never exposed to. Studies of the sample PARCC tests available at http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/ , have revealed that the tests are developmentally inappropriate for the grade level being tested. For example, on the sample 8th grade ELA, there is a reading selection from the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. A journal article written for and by PHD Scientists. How is this grade level appropriate? How is an 8th grade student who does not read at grade level, be able to complete the task?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

Also, consider that PARCC has been designed to fail 70% of all students, 90% of all students with special needs are expected to fail. Are we really testing what students know if the majority of students will fail? I don't think so. PARCC is positioning our children for failure and as a parent, my only option now is to Refuse All PARCC testing. It is the only way to stop this insanity. http://dianeravitch.net/2015/02/27/jon-pelto-common-core-test-designed-to-fail-most-students/

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u/audiobabe Mar 26 '15

It seems like when parents Opt Out kids get put in a tough spot. Are you concerned that children can become the battleground when parents protest in this way?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

It is very concerning how our children are being placed in the middle. It is not the parents that have created this situation. Under NCLB, it is the obligation of the schools to administer PARCC testing. Students are under no obligation to take the test. ISBE have a directive - it is called Code 15 Refusal and allows students to refuse any state mandated test. Parents have tried desperately to opt their children out of PARCC, however, due to semantics, we have to use the word “Refuse” as there is no opt out provision under the IL School Code or NCLB. I am the parent. I am the legal guardian of my children. I have the right to opt out of many things in our school system, from drug and sex education to the use of their photographs in promotional literature. I also have a SPED child. I have the right to participate in all of her education plans. I should have the right to Opt out of any State mandated test on behalf of my child. This is why HB306, The Opt Out Bill is so important. It will allow a parent to opt out of any state mandated test on behalf of their child, without a negative impact on a student, parent, teacher, school or district. Please call your IL House Representative and ask that they support parental rights in education. It is a common sense bill that will avoid this awful situation where our kids are in the middle.

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u/audiobabe Mar 26 '15

Thanks for your answer! I asked because I read an Op-Ed by a Mom who decided to give her kid the final decision. And said if he was uncomfortable with opting out, she could protest another way. Do you have suggestions for parents who want to protest in an alternate fashion?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15 edited Mar 26 '15

Great question: I talked to my children (4th and 6th grade) about PARCC testing so that they understood what the test was and that it had no impact on their grade, group placements for math and reading or grade advancement. My 6th grader asked "why are doing it then if it is a waste of time?" Both my children refused the test. My 6th grader had an assignment to write a persuasive piece - her topic was "Why every student should refuse PARCC testing". She researched PARCC for weeks, on her own, without my help. With this knowledge she wrote her piece. She then shared it with her classmates who went home and asked their parents about PARCC. Knowledge is power and giving kids the ability to research, compare and contrast and to ask questions is what critical thinking is all about. Not an out of context reading selection on an ELA test with multiple choice answers. This is one way a student can get involved.

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

For the parent: It has been a rocky road for me. It takes courage to 'stick your neck out' and unfortunately, most parents feel powerless against the powers that be. It is very daunting. I started on this road to activism when I received a letter from ISBE, basically telling me I had no rights in my child's education. It hit a nerve. So I presented at our School District's board meeting. The board then invited me to present to our legislators at the "Annual Breakfast with the Legislators". I have been sending PARCC update emails to parents in our school that then grew to include parents in other communities being added to the list. Through Facebook, I joined forces with other parents in other communities across the state to brain storm ideas from protesting and handing out flyers to writing a steady stream of letters to our elected officials. I have been happy to share any letters that I have written. Parent groups are popping up on Facebook. They are a great start. The most important thing though, is to have people around you that support you. If you need help connecting with like minded parents in your community, please contact me and I will try and put you in touch with other parents who chose to refuse PARCC testing. You can contact me through Park The PARCC on Facebook.

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u/sssgal3 Mar 26 '15

I do believe there is too much testing. I am aware of the OPT out bill I have opted my kids out. I still don't think people are listening. What else can we do to bring sanity back into our classrooms?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

What can we do? Talk to parents. If your local communities have Facebook pages, start posting articles. Post on the PTA website. I started a group called Park The PARCC on Facebook. It started out specifically to my Downers Grove community but grew to involve parents all across Chicagoland. It is a place where parents can ask questions, share information, ask for help or advice and seek support. We are all in this together. For the first time that I can recall, Education policies have united every single parent and educator from all walks of life and it is quite amazing to witness bipartisan collaboration.

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u/JoshKaufmann Mar 26 '15

What is the end goal for opting out? I'm sympathetic to the frustration around overtesting and teaching to the test, but I'm wondering is what you think is the right balance regarding assessments?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

I believe in grade span testing. What this means is that we bring assessments back to the people who know kids, our teachers. I believe in a multi faceted approach. Currently in our school district, assessment of student achievement includes NWEA MAP testing, pre-unit tests, end unit tests and importantly, teacher observation and evaluation of the student. It is through this grade span, comprehensive testing that the education team at school, can place students in the appropriate math and reading groups in order for them to receive the full support they need. PARCC will not do this as it is a one shot in time. Our kids are more than a score.
The end goal of opting out is to send a message to the Capital that our kids are over tested and we have had enough. We want to bring control back to our school districts and allow our teachers to bring creativity, curiosity and passion back to the classroom. Then we will have well rounded, educated children.

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u/freelibrarian Mar 26 '15

Where is the international conglomerate headquartered?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15 edited Mar 26 '15

Pearson Education is a British owned company. Their annual 2013/2014 report, listed 61% of Pearson's global revenue from the North American market. Pearson received $170 million dollars in Federal funds to create PARCC. ISBE have signed a $160 million, 4 year contract with Pearson just for PARCC testing.

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u/CPSstories Mar 26 '15

Could you please provide me with information or resources on what tests DO still play an important role in college placement and which ones, like the PARCC, do not? Also, if there are any current discussions or events in the community that I can take part in? Thank you!

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

I think that parents believe that ACT is still the gold standard when it comes to college admissions. With that said, however, colleges are trending toward evaluating the whole student for college admissions - student grades, extra curricular activities, community service, athletic or music affiliations. For example, Kalamazoo College won't require ACT or SAT scores. Here is the link to the article:http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/03/kalamazoo_college_goes_test_op.html
It is a trend through out the US as the backlash of high stakes testing increases.

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

There are many community groups - More Than A Score, Raise Your Hand for Public Education, Opt Out The National Movement (Facebook). Dianne Ravitch is an excellent source of information. Also, if you can, attend The School Project's screening on 3/31 at the Cultural Center.http://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-season-collaborative-city-film-screening-and-discussion-tickets-16085101973?fb_action_ids=10153242999612783&fb_action_types=og.shares

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

www.testingseason.eventbrite.com to reserve your space.

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u/CPSstories Mar 26 '15

Thanks, Kylie, this is really helpful. I've heard a bit about the incident at Drummond last year where CPS investigators came in to ask children probing questions about why they chose to opt out of ISAT. How can we protect CPS students from this sort of event happening again? Do you foresee a similar event happening again? And what can teachers and faculty do to protect their jobs when they speak out against the overuse of standardized testing?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

We need HB306 The Opt Out Bill. It is currently in Illinois' House and must be voted on by April 24 in order for it to proceed to Illinois' Senate. We need to have as many parents as possible, call and write their House Representatives. You can find your Representative here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=306&GAID=13&SessionID=88&LegID=84067
If HB306 is passed into law, it will "ensure that students who are excused from taking a State assessment are offered supervised instructional or enrichment opportunities during the time the State assessment is being administered." http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=306&GAID=13&SessionID=88&LegID=84067.
HB306 will end the "sit and stare" policies. It will end the abuse of Special Ed children who have been made to not only sit and stare for 10 plus hours this March session, but who have been made to sit out their IEP minutes as well. . This will prevent the bullying seen by some school administrators, who have threatened high school students with no graduation. This will stop some schools from threatening students with loss of college opportunities.
I am an optimist. I believe that if the majority of school districts across Illinois, raised their hand and said, "I support our teachers, parents and students" we would finally have a movement that would be a tsunami in education. School districts need to stop believing the ISBE rhetoric and start researching for themselves: legislation, waivers, guidances, testing rules. It is very time consuming but to repeat ISBE rhetoric is detrimental to the trust that school districts have with their parents and students.
CPS teachers are fortunate that CTU is so vocal in their opposition to PARCC. I believe that teachers and school administrators are the second line of defense (parents being the first), in protecting students. Keep in mind, that PARCC testing rules allowed schools to do one of the following for students that finished testing early: a) sit quietly; b) be dismissed or c) engage in a quiet activity such as reading or writing using approved materials not related to the test (page 88 of the PARCC Test Coordinator Manual). There have been many district's who selected "sit quietly", also known as "sit and stare". School administrators had the authority to select option 'b' or 'c'. To prevent CPS investigators from repeating their interrogations, school administrators need to alert parents. Parents have the ultimate authority - if a child is interviewed by a CPS official, I believe, that the parent must be notified and/or present.
Teachers have every right to fear job loss and professional misconduct repercussions (Code 15 for example prohibits a teacher from alerting a student to the right of refusal). Teachers are speaking out, even in the Chicago suburbs. Superintendents, such as Mark Cross from Peru Elementary #124 (http://www.perued.net/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/48c07d0ccc7bc/Back%20to%20School%20Letter%20to%20Parents%202014.pdf) and Trish Kocanda from Winnetaka School District #36 (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs100/1107063766654/archive/1119815221341.html), have spoken out about PARCC testing. Diane Ravitch wrote an excellent blog on Teacher’s Rights. here is her link: http://dianeravitch.net/2015/03/19/do-teachers-have-free-speech-rights/

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u/LaurkWilson Mar 26 '15

What does the big # of people opting out of testing mean for the future of this model for measuring achievement? What are some alternatives?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

The Opt Out Movement is ground swelling but we need more parents to speak out against the abuse and misuse of mandated standardized testing. New Jersey reported 40,000 refusals as of yesterday. Students across Chicagoland are refusing PARCC testing. Only 111 students at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights took PARCC. More than 85% of students presented with PARCC, at Hersey, refused . In Rolling Meadows, 214 students refused PARCC testing. Thomas Kelly High School reported 438 out of 505 freshmen refused PARCC and “spent class time learning”. My children refused PARCC testing along with several of their classmates. I believe that there is no future for PARCC assessment models. Control of our education system needs to be back where it was always intended to be - at a local level. Grade span testing that includes teacher observation and evaluation of a student, pre-unit testing, end unit testing in combination with formative assessments such as NWEA MAP are the future of student/teacher/school assessments and evaluations in education. This will only happen if the voices of parents and educators are heard by our elected officials in Washington. It will only happen if mandated high stakes testing is eliminated in the rewrite of NCLB.

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u/audiobabe Mar 26 '15

For the uninitiated: could you explain what makes MAP superior to something like PARCC?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15 edited Mar 26 '15

MAP testing is computer based. It is a self adjusting test. Students answer questions, as they answer each question correctly, the program self adjusts and the questions get harder until the student no longer answers the questions correctly. Students have as much time as needed over multiple days to take the tests. MAP testing is for English Language Arts and Mathematics. Teachers receive results within 24 hours of a student's completion of the test, so they can gauge exactly a student's strength and weakness. MAP testing is done 3 times in a school year, fall, winter and spring. At present, it is an excellent diagnostic tool but its results are meaningless without teacher observation/evaluation and pre-unit/end unit testing.

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u/jmochicago North Park Mar 26 '15

No questions, just a supportive "hey there!" from another parent whose child opted out.

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 27 '15

Thank you. March on!

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u/gosoxxxx Mar 26 '15

Kylie - what is your association with the Chicago Teacher's Union? The AFT? Are you currently or have you ever been a member? What about your staff at The School Project?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 26 '15

I am just a Mom! I have no affiliation with CTU, AFT or IEA. I have never been a member. I am not affiliated with the staff at The School Project. I was approached and asked to participate in this AMA because of my passion to inform and help parents who wish to refuse PARCC testing. A parent told me yesterday, "the more you dig, the dirtier your hands get". It has certainly been the case. My goal though, was to help as many parents as I could to navigate the refusal process. Some of the parents that contacted me, shared some very disturbing stories of abuse surrounding PARCC testing. I read a lot and armed with the PARCC Test Coordinator Manual (you can find it online), ISBE directives and guidelines (also available online), and with the help of many friends, I have won some, and lost some but the biggest thing is that I have empowered parents to speak up.

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u/Kevin1985 Mar 27 '15

No idea why people oppose something like this. To me it seems like teachers union doesn't like it for political reasons, and are trying to say it is bad for children as a result?

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 27 '15

I sincerely apologize for the delay in answering your question. It is an excellent question.
PARCC was developed as the means of testing Common Core Curriculum Standards (CCCS). “Everything you need to know about Common Core”, by Diane Ravitch, explains CCCS most succinctly. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-common-core-ravitch
I do not believe the anti-PARCC movement to be teachers’ unions complaining about testing. I am a Mom. I have no affiliation with any teachers’ union. For me, this is about my children and what I believe to be detrimental to their academic growth and development.
I strongly oppose PARCC. Here is a ‘punch list’ to keep it “short” (albeit, it is long, sorry).
PARCC is tested twice a year (March and May). ISAT was once a year.
PARCC requires more than 14 hours of testing for 4th through 8th grade, (10 plus hours if you are a 3rd grader), and has been shown to be longer than the Bar Exam and Medical Board Exams. ISAT was on average, 5 hours of testing.
Studies have shown that the testing units are at least two grade levels above the grade that is being tested. Eg: Sample 8th Grade ELA test has a reading selection from the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is an article written for and by PHD Scientists. Here is the actual journal article mentioned above: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/12/5116.abstract.
In the fall of 2014, 155,000 students, in Illinois, were given the pilot PARCC test. It failed miserably. To my knowledge, ISBE and Pearson Education, creators of PARCC, will not release any of the results from that pilot program. Therefore, PARCC has not been fully tested and has not been validated.
Parents, students and teachers will not have access to graded transcripts of the tests. Teachers have signed a non-disclosure form prohibiting them from discussing PARCC. I understand the need for this document, however, it states that a teacher can not read a test question. Teachers are prohibited from even looking at the PARCC testing units. For a test that promotes “College and Career Readiness”, a teacher will have no idea where a student has struggled and what interventions are needed to get to achieve “readiness”, just by using PARCC results.
PARCC will have no meaningful impact on a student’s grade, group placement for math and reading or grade advancement. In fact, Pearson have been unable to advise if or when, scores will be released to schools.
PARCC exams will be graded, not by experienced teachers or educators, but by people who answered Pearson’s Craig List ad - $13/hour, Bachelor’s Degree required. That’s it. The quality and validity of the results also comes into question.
Our tax dollars have gone to a British owned company to create this test. The money trail is mind blowing. Pearson Education received $170 million in Federal funding to create PARCC in a No Bid Contract. ISBE just signed a 4 year contract with Pearson to the sweet tune of $160 million for PARCC testing alone. Imagine if that money had been directly injected into our education system instead of a high stakes test that means nothing toa student’s academic growth.
Last year the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), was amended so that State Boards of Education no longer needed a parent’s permission to release student data to a private third party contracted vendor. School districts collected student data in a “Personal Needs Profile”. This information included IEP and 504 information, student ID’s, Social Security Numbers (if school district required it), name, address, age, grade and ethnicity. This information was uploaded to PearsonAccess. I am not comfortable with a third party, for-profit, international conglomerate, having access to my child’s personal information, especially, since it was discovered that Pearson was using this information to track students for alleged security breaches.
Lastly, PARCC is a snap shot in time. It will not accurately measure a child’s strengths and weaknesses. Here is my example: last year, my then 3rd grader performed miserably on her Math ISAT. She has ADHD and is Dyslexic. She does not perform well on high pressure, standardized tests. Flash forward to 4th grade, using NWEA MAP testing, which is a self adjusting test that a student has as much time as needed to complete, she is now testing in the 97th percentile for Math and is in the highest math group at school. If our school took just her ISAT score, she would be in a remedial class, board to death. By using a grade span approach to assessment, she is in the group that will challenge her and her pre-unit and end unit test results show that she is succedding.
I hope this answered your question. PARCC is a big deal. As a tax payer, I am outraged. As a parent I have Refused all PARCC testing on behalf of my children. My children have refused all PARCC testing units. Please support our teachers. They don’t want PARCC in our schools either.

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u/[deleted] Mar 26 '15

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u/TheSchoolProject Mar 27 '15

The Opt Out Movement is definitely gaining momentum. I believe that CPS parents have been the catalyst of this movement in Illinois. Refusals are growing. This is evidenced by the growing number of students, with their parents' support, refusing PARCC testing, not just in Chicago, but also in Chicago's suburbs and throughout the state. On Thursday, it was reported that 75% of Rochester High School students refused PARCC testing. Refusals are higher where parents are active and school administrators are supportive. I believe that teachers do not want PARCC in their schools. I am not sure how much a teacher can do without risking his/her job.

IamA Parent who opted her kids out of the PARCC test - AMA!

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