Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Public School Parents Must be Involved in the High Stakes Testing Hearings!

Reblogged from Save Our Schools NJ.... 


Please click here to let Governor Christie and NJ Education Commissioner Hespe know that the commission they are creating to review testing in New Jersey must include public school parents concerned about high-stakes testing, and that the commission must hold public hearings across the state.  

The commission will be appointed soon and we want the Governor and Commissioner to know that the people of New Jersey are watching!
BACKGROUND

Thanks to your calls, emails, letters and testimony, A3081/S2154 (the anti high-stakes standardized testing legislation), received overwhelming, bipartisan support in the New Jersey Assembly (74 yes; 4 no; 2 abstentions), and was poised for an equally strong, bipartisan vote in the New Jersey Senate (the legislation has 5 Republican and 8 Democratic Senate sponsors).
The A3081/S2154 legislation would create an independent, expert task force that includes public school parents, to hold statewide public hearings and thoroughly examine alternatives to high-stakes standardized testing; student data privacy concerns; implementation and cost of the new PARCC test and Common Core; and teacher evaluation.  The legislation also freezes for at least two years all the punishments associated with the PARCC test, for students, teachers and public schools.

Instead of agreeing to sign A3081/S2154, Governor Christie issued an executive orderUnlike the legislation, the executive order is very limited in its scope.  It calls for a quick review of "the quality and effectiveness of student assessments administered to K-12 students" and "recommendations on the volume, frequency, and impact of those assessments" and of the Core Curriculum Content Standards.
The executive order also gives Governor Christie complete control over who serves on the commission and does not require that public school parents be involved, or that the process include any public input. 

Please click here to let Governor Christie and Education Commissioner Hespe know that the people of New Jersey are watching and expect the commission to hold statewide public hearings to enable commission members to hear from New Jersey residents; and that the commission must include public school parents who are concerned about high-stakes standardized testing.

Your energy and passion are why the A3081/S2154 legislation moved so quickly and with so much bipartisan support.  This is only the first step in a broader campaign against high-stakes standardized testing.  Please stay tuned for information regarding additional legislation and other actions.
Thank you!

                                              How are the Children?

No comments:

Post a Comment