DCPCS Initiative: Test 3 and 4 year olds starting in 2013- meeting: August 19

[Anonymous]

Dear DC Urban Mom families-

There is an alarming initiative to start testing 3 and 4 year old children enrolled in DCPCS. A group of parents attended a meeting today at the DCPCS office where they wanted to hear parent concerns. Our understanding is that there may be a vote next week to approve roll out the initiative.

The initiative is called "The Early Childhood Performance Management Framework", it is normally referred to as the PMF. I have a copy of the PMF Document but do not know how to upload it here. I've tried to find it on the DCPCS website, but the search engine comes up with very little. website: http://www.dcpcsb.org

If the DCUM moderator can let me know how I can upload it, I would be happy to do so. I am going to try to set up a Facebook page so people can have access to it as well. As the parent of a 3 year old who is starting their first year in Pre-S, I am deeply, deeply concerned about this initiative.

One of the most troubling issues is that there was almost no parent involvement or oversight in the crafting of this initiative until this point, yet it has been in the works since 2011. At the same time, the representatives of DCPCS could not explain who really started this exercise or what the ultimate goal will be.

Some of the parents shared their concern that this was the beginning of the normalization of standardized testing for Pre-S/PreK age students in DC and that it was being done in a non-transparent way that had no evidence-based findings to support the testing.

Full disclosure: the majority of the parents at the meeting were parents of children from Shining Stars Montessori Charter School. We happen to have an administration and PTA that has been following this issue.

Personally, I have been speaking with other charter school families that I know and they were surprised that their schools had not informed them of this testing exercise.

I will try to answer questions if you have them and get that document out to the DCUrban Mom community if I can, but I really think that people should email/call and attend that meeting. It is important that families from all of the different charter schools make their opinions known about this initiative. At the very least, ask that more information be released to families.

If you want to learn more/submit a comment, there is a DC Public Charter School Board meeting on Monday, August 19 at 7:30 pm, The PCSB's website says that if you'd like more information about the meeting or to sign up for public comment, call [phone] or email [e-mail]. Meeting location: 3333 14th Street NW
I hope to meet some of you at the meeting on the 19th. If you can't make it, please call or email the DCPCS and let them know your thoughts.

Best-

Rhea Vaflor

[Anonymous]

If you send your children to public institutions, there will be testing. But really, it's not a big deal. The tests are fun for the kids. It is generally a kid being asked questions by a teacher one on one, and they absolutely love the attention and generally love the attention. My children have had many similar tests and they beg for more. It is not some big boogeyman.

[Anonymous]

This is neither new nor alarming. Charter schools have been preparing ECE PMF documents for several.years.

[Anonymous]

All of my children were tested in PreS and PreK. It was no big deal. Schools have been using GOLD and other test for sometime now. My kids even did Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills because they were reading in PreK. I welcomed the DIBLES testing.

[Anonymous]

Rhea here:yes, all charter school have been doing assessments, the difference is that now these PreK assessments will be linked to the performance rankings of the charter schools which in turn may affect the funding of that school.

Previously, the assessments were to track the development only. They are testing literacy, mathematics primarily and some social/emotional indicators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rhea here:yes, all charter school have been doing assessments, the difference is that now these PreK assessments will be linked to the performance rankings of the charter schools which in turn may affect the funding of that school.

Previously, the assessments were to track the development only. They are testing literacy, mathematics primarily and some social/emotional indicators.

In what way will it affect funding? Without more information you are coming off like a way-too-concerned first time mom bordering on crazy.

[Anonymous]

This is the way the wind has been blowing for sometime. As a teacher who has taught prek in charter schools in DC, I cannot say that I see the problem. Students are assessed with research-backed formal evaluations such as GOLD, TEMA, IGDI. These are not intensive evaluations - they are conducted one-on-one and provide invaluable information on student growth and development. And as a teacher who worked hard to ensure that my students were entering kindergarten prepared to succeed, I would welcome accountability via these measures.

[Anonymous]

As I understand it a lot of the gold assements are observational/anecdotal, so it's not like they are asking a three year old to sit down and take three hour multiple choice test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rhea here:yes, all charter school have been doing assessments, the difference is that now these PreK assessments will be linked to the performance rankings of the charter schools which in turn may affect the funding of that school.

Previously, the assessments were to track the development only. They are testing literacy, mathematics primarily and some social/emotional indicators.

Do you think that could lead to the charter schools trying to counsel out/remove "low performing" preschoolers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rhea here:yes, all charter school have been doing assessments, the difference is that now these PreK assessments will be linked to the performance rankings of the charter schools which in turn may affect the funding of that school.

Previously, the assessments were to track the development only. They are testing literacy, mathematics primarily and some social/emotional indicators.

Please explain how this will affect funding.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that this testing is encouraging preschool teachers to "teach to the test" rather than provide activities that are developmentally appropriate, because preschools and day care centers are going to be rated on how well the children do on the Kindergarten Entrance Assessment. BTW, I found out at an OSSE meeting that they have been tracking children from preschools for the past 2 years (they've been assigning them numbers).

[Anonymous]

More information is needed. There is a difference between an assessment such as GOLD, etc. to track development and a test which ascertains knowledge. If OSSE is just tracking results and not looking at using the assessments to "hold teachers accountable" that's ok. Using assessments as a major component in teacher/school evaluations will result in "teaching to the test" which is simply ridiculous (for any grade) for Pre-school/kindergarden.

[Anonymous]

This is extreme paranoia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is that this testing is encouraging preschool teachers to "teach to the test" rather than provide activities that are developmentally appropriate, because preschools and day care centers are going to be rated on how well the children do on the Kindergarten Entrance Assessment. BTW, I found out at an OSSE meeting that they have been tracking children from preschools for the past 2 years (they've been assigning them numbers).

Have you looked at the test? My kids have taken "test" in PreS and PreK. The results gave me a great indication of areas when they excel/lacking/on target in their developmental stages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More information is needed. There is a difference between an assessment such as GOLD, etc. to track development and a test which ascertains knowledge. If OSSE is just tracking results and not looking at using the assessments to "hold teachers accountable" that's ok. Using assessments as a major component in teacher/school evaluations will result in "teaching to the test" which is simply ridiculous (for any grade) for Pre-school/kindergarden.

No where have I heard nor seen that this "new imitative" directly affects the funding of a charter schools.