Updates
- Added Link to find your State Senator and tell to pass HB7 now without further delay.
- Everyone I talk to today shares their story about the horror that their children feel, the crying, the insanity at home because of the build up of these tests.
- I turned in my opt out/ REFUSAL letter today 2/13. Painless process- and my child was NOT the only one sitting it out. I suggest all schools setup large areas to handle those that opt out.
- I have heard that some schools are bullying parents and claiming it will affect the school’s state report card. This is untrue, read below. Do not be bullied by educators that are working on their assumptions. Do not let them convince you that you must accept unexcused absences for your child and keep him or her home. Keep your children in the loop in this process- teach them what you are doing and be strong together.
- Additional links and references added for Third Graders in Ohio and Class of 2018 Freshmen.
The PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) Tests are a series of tests taken over two weeks starting, February the 16th for grades 3rd through 11th in the state of Ohio. It is an assessment to see how well Common Core teaching is doing.
My child has been prepped to expect an ‘extremely intense environment’ for two weeks.
My child has brought to my attention that his teacher has specifically said that SHE CANNOT understand, nor get the answers on the test right. Without a doubt these tests are not only developmentally inappropriate, but insane. If the questions are not clear to adults, how can 9 year olds be expected to manage it? Even Governor Kasich has stated that the quality and validity of the test is unknown.
Do you want to know what I am talking about? Do what I did and Take the PARCC pretest yourself and see.
Why are we setting our children up for failure during 6+ days in an “extremely intense environment“?
Destroying our Children’s Self Worth
Our kids are subjected to 11+ hours of testing that is not grade level appropriate. If a child doesn’t even know what they are asking, how can he answer? I met with a teacher on 2/14 that told me he has instructed his students to guess on subjects that they have not been taught.
Subjecting our children to days and weeks of this is putting our children under undue stress. How are our children going to feel after 11 hours of testing that is not at their grade level? What is this going to do to their self-worth?
It is bound to send children into depression, sleeplessness, anxiety and more.
Unneeded Stress
I personally received a letter home stating it will be an extremely intense environment.
- We have been told that the kids must “be quiet ALL DAY!” for the full 2 weeks of testing in school.
- They will only get one 3-5 minute break during testing days
- There will be No specials on testing days (no gym, music, library, art).
- Kids are told to exercise at night, get enough sleep, and eat well.
- No wonder our kids are stressed over this! They are fearful of the testing and what it will mean to their grades, their teachers, and their schools.
Why are we allowing them do this to our children?
What is this boot camp? Has my child been drafted? Is this child abuse?
What Teachers Say about PARCC Testing
The PARCC is not just another standardized test. Don’t blow it off as just another test. Take it from Dr. Jocelyn Weeda’s Open Letter to Ohio’s Board of Education explains how children are responding to the PARCC.
“I have been forced to be a bystander to this bullying in the past. I have watched over the years as children have cried because they don’t understand a word that is on the test and I am not allowed to help. I have watched children get physically sick because they are worried about how their parents will view them after they see their scores. I have watched as 8 year olds ask if they can bring stress balls into the testing environment (I’m pretty sure that we as adults did not have these concerns when we were 8). I have watched as students beg not to have to take a test that makes them feel so stupid. I have watched as student incidences of seeing counselors due to school anxiety issues rise during testing periods. These are but a few of the things I have witnessed as results of high-stakes testing. “
You can opt your child Out of PARCC tests
I have read countless articles numbering wave after wave of parents opting out of PARCC tests in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and, of course Akron that are striking fear in the hearts of politicians who know the gig is up.
When you choose to opt your child out of the PARCC testing – you are protecting their privacy from this data going to for-profit and non-profit corporations, US Dept of Education, and federal agencies.
Your child is not required to take the PARCC. It will not affect their grades, promotion, or graduation. House Bill 7 bans scores from this first year of new state tests from being used against students in any way.
Third graders in Ohio will still be taking the Ohio Achievement Assessment for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee this year, not the PARCC test for the READING portion, they will take the PARCC for other subjects.
Class of 2018 Freshmen are the only students that need to be concerned about the PARCC test. The Old Ohio Graduation Test is gone and it is replaced by 7 exams – 4 of those are based on the Common Core standards. Ohio Department of Education Graduation Requirements for Class of 2018.
Current freshmen have three options towards earning a diploma. The PARCC end course exams represent only one such option.An alternative to the 7 tests is to school a high enough score on the ACT (28+ in English, 21+ in Reading, 22+ in Math) or SAT (430+ in Writing, 450+ in Reading, 520+ in Math) that one wouldn’t require remedial classes in college. OR, for the vocational path, the other option is to earn an “industry-recognized credential or state license for practice in a vocation” and show employability in a job skills assessment.
With all of the stress our children are put through preparing and taking the PARCC, it might surprise everyone to know that the PARCC testing is not to benefit our children. The PARCC were developed by out-of-state, unelected bureaucrats for special interests and the advancement of Common Core. This data is being used to evaluate the performance of the TEACHERS and Schools, it is not for the benefit of our children.
If you don’t want Common Core in our Ohio schools, you should not allow your child to take the PARCC Testing. This is the final phase of implementing of the Common Core. Last Chance people.
PARCC is an Experiment
They are using the PARCC as an experiment – as our children’s cost. Our children are the ones stressed out over the test. The test that even their teachers are having difficulty answering questions correctly from pretests. They are being set up for failure.
Every child that opts out of the PARCC will push the bill #597 repels common core as a definitive NO to the system. Our local school districts and teachers should have control, not the federal government. They are being held hostage as it stands now. Teachers are spending hours, days, and weeks training our kids how to take these tests instead of teaching our children. Other local teachers are saying enough is enough and resigning.
Our schools are losing valuable instructional time. Instead of teaching our children, they have been preparing for the PARCC for weeks, including several pretests that took full hour blocks of time. We need to support our teachers and give them back the job of teaching our children based on what they need to learn, not what they need to learn for a test or a testing company.
How to Opt Your Child Out of PARCC Testing
I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. But I believe the below information can be helpful in communicating with your school, and sending a message to state officials that this is all really ridiculous and needs to end this year in 2015.
- Print and fill out this form
- Submit this form to your school as soon as possible – Best – Bring it with your child when you drop him or her off on Tuesday Morning. (Are you reading this after the start of your child’s tests? Who Cares- Quit half way through- )
- Mail, fax, or email a copy of your form to your legislator (find your legislator link) and Governor Kasich to take a stand and reclaim your authority over your child’s education.
- Make this your facebook badge photo this week
I strongly urge parents all over Ohio to join me and the many other parents to opt out. We have the right to protect our children. Our parental right guaranteed by the 14th amendment and broadly protected by the Supreme Court (see Meyer and Pierce cases). The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that parents possess the “fundamental right” to “direct the upbringing and education of their children.”
Worried about how it affects your school district?
I love our school district and wouldn’t want to harm it in any way. Opting out of the PARCC test will not affect your school’s report card rating as long as the HB7 continues to pass through the Ohio State Legislature. The Bill has already passed the Ohio House with zero NO- votes, and now we’re waiting for the senate to do the same with their version.
In this bill, Ohio Revised Code 3302.036 provides “safe harbor” to school districts in regards to the PARCC assessments. It states:
- Prohibits the report card ratings issued for the 2014-2015 school year from being considered in determining whether a school district or school is subject to sanctions or penalties.
- Prohibits the department from (1) assigning an overall letter grade for school districts and schools for the 2014-2015 school year, and (2) ranking districts and schools based on operating expenditures, performance achievements, and other specified items for the 2014-2015 school year.
On Jan. 29, State Rep. Jim Buchy filed emergency HB7 to provide “safe harbor” for students whose parents choose to refuse PARCC assessments. This Bill passed the House Floor on February 11th, 2015. - House Bill 7 prohibits 2014-2015 PARCC scores from being utilized for promotion or retention now, or at any point in a child’s education career.
Learn more on the Operation Opt Out Ohio Facebook Page and the Ohioans Against Common Core Website. Tell other parents that they have the option to opt out of the PARCC Testing.
If you have an opinion or a set of facts that I do not know about please share below, and I will work to research and then honestly include them- But do NOT argue with me that this test is not harmful to my child’s psychological and physical well being.
