Opting out of PARCC testing in DC?

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised more parents aren't questioning this test. Have you folks looked at the test?

I'm a rule follower by nature (and have never opted out of anything) but I also reached out to OSSE to found out how to opt out of this test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inform your school now that you will be keeping your child home on testing days and that you are opting them out of the test. I'm sure if there is some provision that exists (which I doubt) they will let you know right away.

I do think you should inform them you have chosen to keep them home on testing day so there is no assumption your child just happened to be out.

Our school goes on lockdown with every grade affected by the seriousness of administering the test. That's what you get when the fear of god, loss of job and bad performance evaluations driving teachers teach to the test. It's too bad tying performance evaluations to the tests was ever implemented (I know it's been suspended this year) because the whole atmosphere in our school is really shitty and I don't see that abating just because the evaluation/performance piece isn't around this year.

The anti-PARCC sentiment will catch up to DC, it's just not here yet. It's like a rising tide of disgusted parents across the U.S.

Teaching to the test is not a bad thing if it's a good test with performance assessments. So much of the discussion of Common Core and testing is uninformed.

If what's being taught is a good Common Core aligned curriculum then there should be no need to teach to the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised more parents aren't questioning this test. Have you folks looked at the test?

I'm a rule follower by nature (and have never opted out of anything) but I also reached out to OSSE to found out how to opt out of this test.

OP again -- so glad I have some company!! Same here - rule follower, never opted out of any kind of testing. I will contact them as well. Thx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inform your school now that you will be keeping your child home on testing days and that you are opting them out of the test. I'm sure if there is some provision that exists (which I doubt) they will let you know right away.

I do think you should inform them you have chosen to keep them home on testing day so there is no assumption your child just happened to be out.

Our school goes on lockdown with every grade affected by the seriousness of administering the test. That's what you get when the fear of god, loss of job and bad performance evaluations driving teachers teach to the test. It's too bad tying performance evaluations to the tests was ever implemented (I know it's been suspended this year) because the whole atmosphere in our school is really shitty and I don't see that abating just because the evaluation/performance piece isn't around this year.

The anti-PARCC sentiment will catch up to DC, it's just not here yet. It's like a rising tide of disgusted parents across the U.S.

Teaching to the test is not a bad thing if it's a good test with performance assessments. So much of the discussion of Common Core and testing is uninformed.

Ok. Let's assume you're right -- though I have never heard anyone say that teaching to a test is a good thing. And I am POSITIVE that our Principal disagrees -- is not a fan of PARCC. Have you looked closely at common core and the Pearson test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised more parents aren't questioning this test. Have you folks looked at the test?

I'm a rule follower by nature (and have never opted out of anything) but I also reached out to OSSE to found out how to opt out of this test.

OP again -- so glad I have some company!! Same here - rule follower, never opted out of any kind of testing. I will contact them as well. Thx. [/quote

Will one of you post what you learn here?

[Anonymous]

The schools took federal grant money and this is the price - "show us what you did with our money with your results on a standardized test."

The golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The schools took federal grant money and this is the price - "show us what you did with our money with your results on a standardized test."

The golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rules.

And that's not the only relevant money flow... look at how much has gone to Pearson, developers of PARCC, and how cozy they were with those who developed Common Core. Too much of this smells rotten... and you can imagine how such a sorry test can be put together and imposed on kids.

[Anonymous]

NP here. I work in a school.

I don't think it makes sense to opt out. No one is using this year's scores to make any sort of decisions about students, teachers, or schools. To the OP's concern, even if someone in another state/country got ahold of your child's PARCC score, I don't know how they'd interpret the results.

Results won't even be available until late 2015 or early 2016! This year is important mostly as a baseline -- to see how your child grows over time, and how schools grow and improve over time.

It would be challenging to fully opt out of PARCC. There are two parts (one performance-based/writing assessment coming up soon as well as a more traditional end-of-year test later on), and they are both broken out into shorter sessions across multiple normal school days rather than longer, multi-hour tests we had with the DC CAS. With shorter sessions spread over more days, you might have to miss upwards of 10 days, at which point you'd run into DC's compulsory school attendance regulations.

[Anonymous]

The idea of opting out is a form of civil disobedience, not necessarily protecting one's own child from bogus scores, stress whatever.

If enough parents opt out on principle the test becomes null and void. It forces a re thinking of this particular test and the generalized testing culture.

I also work in a school and it all does stink. Follow the money on this. It leads to testing companies, curriculum writers and the tech companies providing hardware, software and consultants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I work in a school.

I don't think it makes sense to opt out. No one is using this year's scores to make any sort of decisions about students, teachers, or schools. To the OP's concern, even if someone in another state/country got ahold of your child's PARCC score, I don't know how they'd interpret the results.

Results won't even be available until late 2015 or early 2016! This year is important mostly as a baseline -- to see how your child grows over time, and how schools grow and improve over time.

It would be challenging to fully opt out of PARCC. There are two parts (one performance-based/writing assessment coming up soon as well as a more traditional end-of-year test later on), and they are both broken out into shorter sessions across multiple normal school days rather than longer, multi-hour tests we had with the DC CAS. With shorter sessions spread over more days, you might have to miss upwards of 10 days, at which point you'd run into DC's compulsory school attendance regulations.

Baseline: This only makes sense as a baseline for growth over time IF THE TEST IS SOUND AND MEASURING WHAT IT SHOULD BE. Definition ally not the case since no one appears to think this year's results are worth anything.

Opting out: Appalling that the system would make it this difficult to opt out. Various NJ districts are ADVISING PARENTS HOW TO OPT OUT -- allowing kids to be sent to school, and the school must accommodate that child X or Y has been opted out of the test. THIS should be an option for all. And don't get me started on the district's ludicrous attendance rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of opting out is a form of civil disobedience, not necessarily protecting one's own child from bogus scores, stress whatever.

If enough parents opt out on principle the test becomes null and void. It forces a re thinking of this particular test and the generalized testing culture.

I also work in a school and it all does stink. Follow the money on this. It leads to testing companies, curriculum writers and the tech companies providing hardware, software and consultants.

I just don't buy this as a legitimate thing. Without standardized testing you don't have any consistent or uniform way to assess student performance and achievement across schools. You don't know where the problems are, or where the successes are. You don't have a baseline, you don't know if your schools are getting better or worse, you really don't know much of anything other than random, disconnected tidbits of anecdotal information.

As for the "companies, curriculum writers and the tech companies providing hardware, software and consultants" - I also don't buy that. It's your own school district that is controlling and making the decisions about what companies, curriculum writers, and tech companies to engage with. There's absolutely nothing to say that savvy educators couldn't band together and disrupt the established vendors. But, they don't... instead they just sit on their asses and complain and misdirect blame every which way. So, it's hard to find much sympathy there.

[Anonymous]

For goodness sake.

opining that the PARCC test has serious problems DOES NOT mean that standardized testing itself is a problem

Yes, our educational leaders and even our teachers are not willing/able to take a stand or speak out without risking their livelihoods and their ability to teach their students. That is PRECISELY why it is up to parents to take a stand. Perhaps by opting out but certainly by becoming informed and lobbying leadership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For goodness sake.

opining that the PARCC test has serious problems DOES NOT mean that standardized testing itself is a problem

Yes, our educational leaders and even our teachers are not willing/able to take a stand or speak out without risking their livelihoods and their ability to teach their students. That is PRECISELY why it is up to parents to take a stand. Perhaps by opting out but certainly by becoming informed and lobbying leadership

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of opting out is a form of civil disobedience, not necessarily protecting one's own child from bogus scores, stress whatever.

If enough parents opt out on principle the test becomes null and void. It forces a re thinking of this particular test and the generalized testing culture.

I also work in a school and it all does stink. Follow the money on this. It leads to testing companies, curriculum writers and the tech companies providing hardware, software and consultants.

Ditto

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For goodness sake.

opining that the PARCC test has serious problems DOES NOT mean that standardized testing itself is a problem

Yes, our educational leaders and even our teachers are not willing/able to take a stand or speak out without risking their livelihoods and their ability to teach their students. That is PRECISELY why it is up to parents to take a stand. Perhaps by opting out but certainly by becoming informed and lobbying leadership

OP here. EXACTLY!!! Thank you!!

How many times can one say "I am not against standardized testing in general -- PARCC, at least now, is a BAD TEST."