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

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[quote=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.

[b]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[/b]

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.

[b]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 (202) 328-2660 or email iigodan@dcpcsb.org. Meeting location: 3333 14th Street NW[/b]
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[/quote]

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