PARCC -- What a waste. Can we opt out?

[Anonymous]

PP who opted out.

Maybe OSSE and the DC City Council should look into why leaving free-thinking families alone is such a huge deal to them, given that the Dept. of Ed has no history of cracking down on schools where at least 95% of kids are not tested, despite 20 years of threats aimed at admins, teachers and parents. If opting out was pointless, nearly 1/3 of public school families in state of NY wouldn't have opted out last year.

We're already an eccentric family anyway (speaking a foreign language seldom heard in DC at home); the kids are used to it.

[Anonymous]

So should only 'free thinking' people get a pass? What about poor kids?

How do you propose we gauge whether or how much all students are learning?

[Anonymous]

Fact is that two dozen countries that don't subject students to extensive standardized testing in elementary school are higher performing than the US. They can be found from the Netherlands, to Finland, from Estonia to Japan, from Singapore to Australia, from Canada to New Zealand. Look at the PISA tables. Study what they're doing in elementary ed, particularly to help poor kids, and copy as best we can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fact is that two dozen countries that don't subject students to extensive standardized testing in elementary school are higher performing than the US. They can be found from the Netherlands, to Finland, from Estonia to Japan, from Singapore to Australia, from Canada to New Zealand. Look at the PISA tables. Study what they're doing in elementary ed, particularly to help poor kids, and copy as best we can.

Isn't PISA a standardized test?

[Anonymous]

Yes, but a relatively short one given internationally, not graded by computers or enriching a corporate entity.

I find this webs site looking at the pros and cons of Common Core linked testing useful.

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001747

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, I've opted out without trouble in a JKLM several years in a row.

OP, the key is to keep a low profile.

Just find out when the testing days will be as far in advance as you can and keep your child home those days. Then write your principle a note asking that the child not being given make-up tests.

No school can test every kid - admins will leave you alone if you don't engage.

Engage and they'll twist your arm and threaten.

Not worth the headaches.

Good luck.

NP here. Thanks. This is exactly what we'll do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but a relatively short one given internationally, not graded by computers or enriching a corporate entity.

I find this webs site looking at the pros and cons of Common Core linked testing useful.

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001747

An aside - does any school in DC participate in PISA - I know BASIS does in its AZ schools (BASIS DC isn't yet eligible).

[Anonymous]

OP wants to opt out because she doesn't want to face how much her DCPS school sucks.

[Anonymous]

My DCPS ES school has the highest PARCC pass rate in the city (look it up if you want to know which school), and one of the highest in the whole darn country.

I still want to opt out my high-performing kid out.

I don't like anything about the PARCC, and don't feel like I owe DCPS a thing after all I've done for them over the years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, I think it is a good idea to get kids used to taking standardized tests. They'll be doing it for much higher stakes later on: APs and SAT

That's akin to arguing that if a kid doesn't start taking practice driving tests in ES, they won't be reading for much higher stakes driving tests as teenagers. I was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist who earned 5s on APs, and near perfect SAT scores, yet never took a standardized test before the PSAT. I also attended public schools ranked in the bottom third in my state, in the days before state testing.

If you want your kid to get used to taking standardized tests in ES, you can. Just look up your nearest Prometric Test Center (one downtown, another in Bethesda) and sign up for tests. Many K-5th grade options available, e.g. the SCAT and ACT Junior.

Why on earth would I want to take my kid to Bethesda to pay for practice tests when he can do them in school for free? And how lovely for you that you did well on your SAT and APs without elementary testing. I also did extremely well on those tests in a state with standardized elementary tests (should we dig out our scores and talk about colllege admissions and IQs?). I found the whole testing experience in high school to be not particularly stressful since I had been doing the same thing every year. That is something I would be happy to share with my children.

[Anonymous]

Oh - and was a NM scholar too, not that it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, I think it is a good idea to get kids used to taking standardized tests. They'll be doing it for much higher stakes later on: APs and SAT

That's akin to arguing that if a kid doesn't start taking practice driving tests in ES, they won't be reading for much higher stakes driving tests as teenagers. I was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist who earned 5s on APs, and near perfect SAT scores, yet never took a standardized test before the PSAT. I also attended public schools ranked in the bottom third in my state, in the days before state testing.

If you want your kid to get used to taking standardized tests in ES, you can. Just look up your nearest Prometric Test Center (one downtown, another in Bethesda) and sign up for tests. Many K-5th grade options available, e.g. the SCAT and ACT Junior.

Why on earth would I want to take my kid to Bethesda to pay for practice tests when he can do them in school for free? And how lovely for you that you did well on your SAT and APs without elementary testing. I also did extremely well on those tests in a state with standardized elementary tests (should we dig out our scores and talk about colllege admissions and IQs?). I found the whole testing experience in high school to be not particularly stressful since I had been doing the same thing every year. That is something I would be happy to share with my children.

Because you argued that kids in DC public elementary schools need to take high-stakes standardized tests as preparation to prepare for taking the SATs and APs tests in HS. I didn't buy the argument, pointing out that if you feel your kids need practice taking standardized tests in ES, you have private options in the Metro area. I will be happy to share a standardized test-free childhood with my own children, while using my IB DCPS.

Signed,
Princeton Graduate

[Anonymous]

The entitlement of some DC parents it just astounding ... you ALL use PARCC as a metric to judge schools. And yet, your child is too good, too "free thinking," to take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement of some DC parents it just astounding ... you ALL use PARCC as a metric to judge schools. And yet, your child is too good, too "free thinking," to take it.

I'd call it hypocrisy, but totally agree. It's galling.

[Anonymous]

I would assume that most families that are trying to opt out are higher SES or have higher education parents than the majority of DCPS kids. and DCPS knows these are the kids most likely to score well on PARCC so its in DCPS' interest to make them test. I think its pointless becuase its not my kids job to bring up the test scores especially since DCPS doesn't care about higher achieving kids every other day o the year. Maybe DCPS should ask all the parents of 4th graders at Brent why they are leaving and not heading to a cap hill middle schoolr or jefferson? Maybe they should listen to parents when they ask for test in classes, not BS differentiation in the same class, or when parents ask for serious academic rigor. Maybe, just maybe, then those same parents will be around when you need to use their kid to bring up your test scores.