Simply bizarre. Ever get the feeling there are multiple universes...right here in DC?

The board passed the proposal, so get ready for more reading and math instruction and fewer developmentally appropriate activities for your little ones. They will emphasize what gets measured. Kids have always be assessed but schools have never been called out on these results.

Have you seen some of these tests? The list of assessments they propose is from 2010-2011, and has assessments such as the PPV (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test?) ... This was never designed to be used in the way they intend... the test literally flips pictures in front of a three year old and asks the three year old questions about each picture... the schools are then supposed to data enter these "test results" manually and report back to "big brother".... ridiculous waste of time.

It's awful and will only result in additional emphasis on math and reading for 3 and 4 yo's, which is developmentally inappropriate. Play is how young children learn.

The problem is that they are evaluating based on math and reading testing...for 3 and 4 year old children. Which flies in the face of well researched educational needs of children that age-they need social and emotional learning, not cognitive learning. The schools will have to focus more on testing for math and reading to keep the scores high to keep their funding. The madness begins even earlier.

This is unbelievable, testing kids in the pre-school, pre-kindergarten and lower elementary doesn't produce anything meaningful.

Perhaps some charter parents should file a lawsuit to prevent implementation?

This is a waste of DC resources and injurious to the children.

Kids have been assessed in these grades for a long time. It's responsible to do such assessments. Again, there has been no change in the system and no "high stakes" introduced.

What is the problem?

Not a re-do. Last time they were seeking public comment, this time they will vote on it. Terrible idea.

Are we redoing this whole thread again....didn't we already do this a few weeks ago?

This is unbelievable, testing kids in the pre-school, pre-kindergarten and lower elementary doesn't produce anything meaningful.

Perhaps some charter parents should file a lawsuit to prevent implementation?

This is a waste of DC resources and injurious to the children.

direct link to revised proposal:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?present=true&id=1020703#anchor

Thanks, 20:54, for the links.

There apparently are no high stakes here by your own definition.

This is nothing to get overwrought about.

The Board votes on the proposal on Monday. They've revised it in response to public protest but it still includes literacy and numeracy for little ones. Check out the revised proposal on the website. I'm quite distressed by it overall but they have made it less awful.

From the petition's page:

"If it passes, the PCSB's new accountability framework for all charter schools with Preschool and Lower Elementary programs would assign between 60-80% of a school's overall rating to the test scores of its 3, 4, and 5-year-olds. That sort of emphasis doesn't reflect what parents want for their children -- and it doesn't reflect what the research tells us about how children learn."

High stakes definitions and articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-stakes_testing

http://www.harborhouselaw.com/articles/highstakes.togut.htm#1

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_33.htm#04

What exactly are the high stakes?

Please consider signing the petition below to keep the Charter School Board from adding the reporting of PK3 and PK4 standardized test results to the PMF. Read More here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/public-charter-school-board-find-some-balance-before-you-rank-preschools-and-kindergartens