Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can hassle with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education people over officially opting out (we did it, big headache, believe me, they aren't there to help you opt out), or just write your principal a note telling him or her that you're going to opt out. I'd notarize the note and make my own arrangements for childcare on test days - you can't trust DCPS to work with you. You send your kid to school have them marked present, then take them home, or wherever else, for the rest of the school day. Email the school every day to explain what you're doing for your records, just in case the truancy police/social workers come knocking over unexused absence issues.

Your kid can't be held back a grade, or otherwise penalized, if you opt out. You don't need to explain a thing - the law is on your side. Just do it if you wish. I wouldn't worry about aggregate scores, indivudal scores, philosophy of testing, helping the the poor or anything else if you decide to opt out. As you may know, nearly 20% of public school families in NJ opted out earlier this year, mainly to protest high stakes standardized testing vis a vis teachers' assessments. If only DC parents were half as plucky collectively.

As long as they child is marked present they can't flag you for truancy even if you pull them out early every day of testing. Especially if you have informed them ahead of time.

Unfortunately, they can under Kaya's "80/20" rule, imposed by fiat over the summer. Google it. This school year, if a DCPS student misses 20% or more of any given school day, he or she can be marked absent for the entire day. Many elementary schools seem to be ignoring the rule, particularly those catering to high SES parents, but I wouldn't bank on DCPS not flagging a family for truancy if a kid is pulled out early each day of PARCC testing. Remember, this is the school system hauling the parents of globe-trotting piano protegies and children adopted from Mongolia to court on charges of criminal child neglect.

I don't think this is just Kaya. Charters started that rule as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, from a dcps teacher and parent of 2 dcps kids.

Of course we need data but we need to be able to use it. It's now November what are we going to do with it now? Also why are we using it to evaluate teachers, what was PARCC designed for teachers or students? What does the data tell us about the skills of the lowest performing students, how far can we did into the data and who has access to it? How much time should be spent on acquiring this data and by what means? If it is computerized why did it take so long to get the results?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can hassle with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education people over officially opting out (we did it, big headache, believe me, they aren't there to help you opt out), or just write your principal a note telling him or her that you're going to opt out. I'd notarize the note and make my own arrangements for childcare on test days - you can't trust DCPS to work with you. You send your kid to school have them marked present, then take them home, or wherever else, for the rest of the school day. Email the school every day to explain what you're doing for your records, just in case the truancy police/social workers come knocking over unexused absence issues.

Your kid can't be held back a grade, or otherwise penalized, if you opt out. You don't need to explain a thing - the law is on your side. Just do it if you wish. I wouldn't worry about aggregate scores, indivudal scores, philosophy of testing, helping the the poor or anything else if you decide to opt out. As you may know, nearly 20% of public school families in NJ opted out earlier this year, mainly to protest high stakes standardized testing vis a vis teachers' assessments. If only DC parents were half as plucky collectively.

As long as they child is marked present they can't flag you for truancy even if you pull them out early every day of testing. Especially if you have informed them ahead of time.

Unfortunately, they can under Kaya's "80/20" rule, imposed by fiat over the summer. Google it. This school year, if a DCPS student misses 20% or more of any given school day, he or she can be marked absent for the entire day. Many elementary schools seem to be ignoring the rule, particularly those catering to high SES parents, but I wouldn't bank on DCPS not flagging a family for truancy if a kid is pulled out early each day of PARCC testing. Remember, this is the school system hauling the parents of globe-trotting piano protegies and children adopted from Mongolia to court on charges of criminal child neglect.

Anonymous wrote:And so those parents should be charged under neglect. Each parent/guardian has that as a responsibility and each child has the right to attend school. End of discussion.

Anonymous wrote: I get what you are saying, and agree with a lot of your points. But testing is important for the clearer light it sheds on how underprivileged kids are being helped (or not really for now).

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/no-child-left-behind-republicans-oppose-standardized-tests

Any time we "trust the states" it generally hasn't worked out well throughout American history.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can hassle with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education people over officially opting out (we did it, big headache, believe me, they aren't there to help you opt out), or just write your principal a note telling him or her that you're going to opt out. I'd notarize the note and make my own arrangements for childcare on test days - you can't trust DCPS to work with you. You send your kid to school have them marked present, then take them home, or wherever else, for the rest of the school day. Email the school every day to explain what you're doing for your records, just in case the truancy police/social workers come knocking over unexused absence issues.

Your kid can't be held back a grade, or otherwise penalized, if you opt out. You don't need to explain a thing - the law is on your side. Just do it if you wish. I wouldn't worry about aggregate scores, indivudal scores, philosophy of testing, helping the the poor or anything else if you decide to opt out. As you may know, nearly 20% of public school families in NJ opted out earlier this year, mainly to protest high stakes standardized testing vis a vis teachers' assessments. If only DC parents were half as plucky collectively.

As long as they child is marked present they can't flag you for truancy even if you pull them out early every day of testing. Especially if you have informed them ahead of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand these endless threads parsing statistically insignificant (likely) differences in test scores indicating the "best schools."

I am pretty sure my ADHD child, undiagnosed until this summer, did not score well and is bringing the school down.

I can't stand that testing as it exists now isn't really measuring anything and is widely disparaged, until the day the scores come out and it is suddenly incredibly meaningful and telling.

I was part of the education reform movement that led us into testing (Data! we need data!), and now I want out. How realistic is it to opt out of testing in DC (when private schools are out of reach)? What happens if you opt out?

I get what you are saying, and agree with a lot of your points. But testing is important for the clearer light it sheds on how underprivileged kids are being helped (or not really for now).

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/no-child-left-behind-republicans-oppose-standardized-tests

Any time we "trust the states" it generally hasn't worked out well throughout American history.

Anonymous wrote:

Of course we need data but we need to be able to use it. It's now November what are we going to do with it now? Also why are we using it to evaluate teachers, what was PARCC designed for teachers or students? What does the data tell us about the skills of the lowest performing students, how far can we did into the data and who has access to it? How much time should be spent on acquiring this data and by what means? If it is computerized why did it take so long to get the results?

Because when you're only paying a bunch of educators hired as consultants 12/hour to score standardized tests, they have no incentive to do it quickly.

Another interesting point to question would be why one needs to make standardized tests that require individuals to score them. In this day and age. And how that is efficient.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, from a dcps teacher and parent of 2 dcps kids.

Of course we need data but we need to be able to use it. It's now November what are we going to do with it now? Also why are we using it to evaluate teachers, what was PARCC designed for teachers or students? What does the data tell us about the skills of the lowest performing students, how far can we did into the data and who has access to it? How much time should be spent on acquiring this data and by what means? If it is computerized why did it take so long to get the results?

Do you want crackers with your red herring? Perhaps a sparking wine?

Of course we need data but we need to be able to use it. It's now November what are we going to do with it now? Also why are we using it to evaluate teachers, what was PARCC designed for teachers or students? What does the data tell us about the skills of the lowest performing students, how far can we did into the data and who has access to it? How much time should be spent on acquiring this data and by what means? If it is computerized why did it take so long to get the results?

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can hassle with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education people over officially opting out (we did it, big headache, believe me, they aren't there to help you opt out), or just write your principal a note telling him or her that you're going to opt out. I'd notarize the note and make my own arrangements for childcare on test days - you can't trust DCPS to work with you. You send your kid to school have them marked present, then take them home, or wherever else, for the rest of the school day. Email the school every day to explain what you're doing for your records, just in case the truancy police/social workers come knocking over unexused absence issues.

Your kid can't be held back a grade, or otherwise penalized, if you opt out. You don't need to explain a thing - the law is on your side. Just do it if you wish. I wouldn't worry about aggregate scores, indivudal scores, philosophy of testing, helping the the poor or anything else if you decide to opt out. As you may know, nearly 20% of public school families in NJ opted out earlier this year, mainly to protest high stakes standardized testing vis a vis teachers' assessments. If only DC parents were half as plucky collectively.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, from a dcps teacher and parent of 2 dcps kids.

Of course we need data but we need to be able to use it. It's now November what are we going to do with it now? Also why are we using it to evaluate teachers, what was PARCC designed for teachers or students? What does the data tell us about the skills of the lowest performing students, how far can we did into the data and who has access to it? How much time should be spent on acquiring this data and by what means? If it is computerized why did it take so long to get the results?