Some educators have been voicing opposition Common Core State Standards and standardized testing by writing impassioned essays and by--more dramatically--refusing to test students.
Peggy Robertson, an elementary school teacher and teacher trainer in Aurora, Colorado, has been a critic against standardized texting, and is refusing to administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) test in her classroom, according to a recent Washington Post article.
The Post features a recent letter published by Robertson, as she explained why she isn't administrating the PARCC test to her students.
Post writer Valerie Strauss also shared that "a Florida teacher recently wrote a letter posted on Facebook to the parents of her students explaining why she was refusing to give a particular test to her kindergartners, and a few days later, the Florida Education Department suspended the test."
Robertson wrote:
I also refuse to administer the PARCC because I believe that participation in such testing gives the test credibility – of which it has none. The PARCC test was designed to assess the Common Core standards, which are not grounded in research, nor are they internationally benchmarked. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the Common Core standards, Common Core curriculum and Common Core testing, will in any way close the achievement gap. It will do the opposite.
Robertson closed her letter encouraging everyone to stand with her and sign in the comment section below and share the letter with national and state leaders. Users took to the comment section to share their support. One user, Kelboc, said "we need more courageous teachers like Peggy. I am opting out in California!"
Other readers shared their experiences in opting out their schools. One user, "OptOutPhilly," thanked Robertson for taking a stand.
"I proudly wore my United Opt Out t-shirt to back to school night tonight," OptOutPhilly wrote. "I know at least one parent is opting out at my child's school; I call it a start."
Read the full story.
Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
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