School officials and policy makers give the test companies so much power over judging our students, teachers, and schools, yet these companies are allowed to operate in secret, even after so many bad questions are exposed.

Well, it’s all about profit, they say. We have to make money. We can’t let you see the questions because then we would have to pay people to write even more of them.

Not that I would encourage them to do more of what they already do so badly. But still… that is just not a good enough excuse for us to allow them to operate in secret, and to have no right to monitor what kinds of questions they are putting on the tests.

Lots of Chicago folks  and advocates around the US will remember what CPS did to George Schmidt when he published a set of Chicago Public Schools end-of-course exams, the CASE exams, back in 1999. CPS sued George for $1.4 million. After long litigation, CPS “settled” for 0 dollars and never allowed George to teach in CPS again. Oh, and they also dropped the CASE exam. Because it was a lousy test.

We have ways of exposing the tests even without publication of all the questions (though that is the only sure way to hold the test publishers and testing officials accountable). The public needs to scrutinize these tests now, and share what we know. Anonymity can be maintained. No one else should lose their job over the test companies’ failures.

So for Public Schools Action Tuesday today, I am asking you to share your stories. Students, write to me about your weird or stupid test question experiences. Parents, ask your children if they ever felt that there was a strange or silly question on a test. Teachers, ask the question as part of a teacher-made test. You know what to do. You see this stuff all the time.

Share what you find with me. I will not disclose any information without your permission. You can also send them to Susan Ohanion who has a web site filled with stupid test questions and other atrocities.

Let’s keep exposing the truth behind those testing secrets.

This week it was an essay question on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge, which asked students to write about a secret that was hard to keep.

According to the AP story, the dad who learned about this question from his twin 9-year-old sons said, “All of the sudden, you have in a sense Big Brother checking out the secrets of families.”

All of these crazy questions are making people like John Albin of New York City call for complete transparency in state standardized testing. John’s position carries special weight. He is the parent of a first grade student who has experienced test prep beginning in kindergarten. He currently works in procurement administration for a public college in New York, after having previously specialized in performance metrics for the New York City Department of Transportation (corrected as of 5-13-12).

The Pineapple Revolution is growing. Stay tuned!

Lots of interesting stories as the annual K-12 “testing season” reaches its peak.  If you have additional articles to contribute, send links directly to me (Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>):

A Glimpse of Technology Enhanced Tests (be sure to read the comments)

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/05/experts_who_work_on_technology.html

Kentucky is First State to Implement Common Core Tests

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120505/NEWS01/304290101/kentucky-schools-testing

Physical Fitness Impacts Test Scores

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/children_who_are_fit_tend_to_d.html

No College Left Behind — The “Holy Grail” Test Does Not Exist

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/no-college-left-behind-a-guest-post/2012/05/08/gIQAnkypAU_blog.html#pagebreak

More Mistakes on State Tests — Lots of Errors in Translating Math Exam

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/160845/mistakes-on-translated-state-math-exams-add-up

Accountability for Test Errors — Great Letters-to-the-Editor

http://www.newsday.com/opinion/letters/letters-doubts-about-state-s-tests-1.3704666

Tracing Test-Cheating Scandals to Their Roots

http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/05/09/tracing-the-test-cheating-scandal-back-to-its-roots/

Chancellor Condemns Exam Errors — Will Still Use Flawed Scores for “Accountability” (Except for Testing Companies)

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/chancellor-merryl-tisch-condemns-testing-mistakes-article-1.1074997

Please support SB 637 as amended: This bill requires charter schools to waive fees for low-income families and was introduced to address the outrageous fees charged by the Noble Charter School Network for minor infractions such as eating chips and failing to track the teacher with your eyes.

From Raise Your Hand (with a few informational comments I added in italics)

Please support Recess Bill – SB636, Amendment 2: This bill requires a 20 minute recess for all Illinois Pre-K– 5th graders and allows districts to implement recess for grades 6-8. Next year CPS schools will have a much longer day. Every child deserves a break during the day! Support this bill.

Please support Reduced Class Size Bill SB3362 and HB4455: Lowers class size to 18 for Pre-K -3rd, 22 students for grades 4-8 and 25 students for 9th grade – 12th. Lower class size is one of only four strategies identified by the Institute of Education Sciences as evidence-based reforms that have been proven to increase student achievement.

Please support Anti-Bullying Bill HB5290: This bill requires the Illinois State Board of Education to develop a model bullying prevention policy for schools.

Please support Moratorium Bill SB3239/HB4487: This legislation stops school (closure) actions for the school year 2012-2013 while school districts establish policies that improve academic performance at low-performing schools. CPS’s school closing processes so far have been disruptive, have sent children to worse schools, are contributing to increased youth violence in our communities, and unfairly put experienced, dedicated, qualified teachers and other staff out of work during a time of economic difficulty. In doing so, CPS has ignored students, parents, teachers, the community and the facts. A sounder, community-inclusive plan must be put into place before more damage is done.

Please support HB4246 (Barbara Flynn Curie amendment): This legislation requires the State of Illinois to pay for the normal costs of Chicago Teachers Pension Fund benefits earned from 2013-2059. State support for CTPF has fallen in recent years: CTPF received $34.5 million in 2011, compared to the $2.5 billion plus received by districts outside of Chicago. This bill includes a state appropriation of $191M to CTPF in 2013.

Raise Your Hand also opposes HB 4277 (see below).

Finally, this from CTU

Please oppose HB 4277 and the associated Amendment #1.

This bill would force school districts to divert more funds from neighborhood public schools to charter schools. While public schools are funded almost entirely by taxes, charters receive private money from corporate privatization proponents.

This Charter School Bill (HB4277) is not about reform or the betterment of our communities. It is about transferring a public good—Education—to private non-profits, where taxpayers and parents have NO recourse or chance for accountability. In addition, most charter schools do NOT offer a better education for students (2009 Stanford/CREDO study).

CPS faces a $712 million deficit due to the serious fiscal crisis as federal, state, and local revenues have decreased. By increasing the required funding for charters, the state would decrease the amount available for neighborhood public schools that serve the vast majority of CPS students.

The FY 2012 budget already includes a funding increase in 2011-12 for charter schools. Charters already receive:

• $348 million in annual support for charter and contract schools
• $9.7 million in new funds to open 4 new charter schools in 2011-2012
• $6.7 million in new funds to support 1,000 expanded slots for new students at currently operating schools in 2011-2012
• $22 million in new funds to add additional grades for 3,000 students in 2011-2012

Because of the district’s financial crisis, CPS reneged on a negotiated 4% pay increase for teachers and other staff, saving a mere $100 million. CPS, per state statute, will be required to implement a longer school day, a new teacher evaluation system, and the new Common Core State Standards. These new responsibilities beg the question: how will CPS fund these new initiatives while at the same time increasing funds for the Charter Schools?

Negotiated Charter legislation that passed in 2008 included a moratorium on new charter laws specific to Article 27A of the school code, which includes statutes on local and state finance for charters, until June 30, 2013.  The proposed legislation is a significant change to charter law, thus violating the spirit and intent of the agreement.

So, what did the man in the bully pulpit do? President Obama issued a proclamation declaring this “National Charter Schools Week:” “I call on States and communities to support charter schools and the students they serve.”

No. Don’t do that to teachers. Not this week.

And you might send a stern note to whitehouse.gov or send a tweet #barackobamashouldhonorteachersandnotcharterschoolsthisweek.

Did you get a “heartfelt e-mail” from Michelle Rhee, asking you to honor teachers this week by clicking on her web site to hear the messages of thanks for teachers from her billions of members? A lot of people did.

You notice that I have not included a link. That’s because the minute you click on any link from Michelle Rhee, sugar-coated as each one is in the gingerbread of her lies about how much she supports “great” teachers, she will add you to her pretend army in her crusade to destroy public schools through privatization, high-stakes testing for students, teachers and schools, charters, vouchers, “virtual school.” She claims several million members already.

Don’t do it. Uh-uh. You can find out all you need to know about Michelle Rhee here and about how change.org is complicit in her efforts by redirecting people to misleading Rhee  petitions (sign if you love teachers, eg) after they have signed someone else’s petition. Rhee pays change.org to do this something like $2 per signature). Read about a PAA member’s efforts to get them to stop here.

And please spread the word about Rhee petitions. Treat them like the virus-loaded messages they are.

What about applauding your local pol for tipping his/her hat to teachers?

Except in rare cases, don’t do that. Please.

Instead, share this message from a Syracuse, NY teacher: “Keep your empty words to yourself. Your actions have already shown us what you really think.”

So, what to do?

I think you know what to do. And now you know what not to do.

Time for Democrats to take action

Recently the chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party sent DFER a “cease and desist” letter directing the group to remove all references to the Democratic Party and the words “Democratic” and “Democrat” from its name or face action from the California Secretary of State. “It’s clear that the so-called ‘Democrats for Education Reform’ are an astro-turf group trying to trick voters into thinking they are, or speak for, the Democratic Party,” Democratic chair Eric Bauman said in a statement. He was objecting to DFER’s endorsement of a former Teacher for America member as a candidate for the California assembly.

Democrats everywhere ought to urge their local party to take the same action, especially when the party name is used in connection with ugly letters like Baumann’s Sun-Times diatribe.

Dr. Joyce Epstein, who heads the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University, created the gold standard for parent involvement programs – a comprehensive set of practices that encourage good parenting, strong home-school communication, volunteer opportunities, support for learning at home, a parent voice in school decision making, and community collaboration.

Last night’s parent forum at DePaul really made that package come to life.

On the panel were (right to left in photo) Monica Espinoza and Joanna Brown from Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Lynn Morton from Community Organizing and Family Issues, yours truly, Wendy Kattan from Raise Your Hand, and Latrice Watkins, LSC chair of Piccolo Elementary, who led the Occupy Piccolo protest earlier this year (Cecile Carrol from Blocks Together arrived after this pic was taken).

Together, we represented that full package of parent involvement activity, and, as I pointed out to the audience of about 100 teachers and students studying to be teachers, you get the whole package with parents. We want to be involved in all those areas and woe to the school principal, school CEO, or US Education Secretary who tries to relegate us to cookie baking, science projects, or cover for a school privatization and union-busting agenda.

I talked about the importance of the parent voice in the context of the critical need at this time for parents and teachers to have a united front. PURE was founded by parents and teachers together during the last Chicago teachers’ strike in 1987, to help parents and teachers speak with one voice about who was failing our children: not the greedy teachers or the lazy parents, but the politicians and bureaucrats whose neglect and poor management was forcing failure on our schools.

Things are much worse today. Now, in addition to lazy, greedy politicians and bureaucrats, we also have to deal with the multi-million dollar attack campaign against teachers and public schools coming from the corporate sector, and from both the right- and left wing. Propaganda against public schools and teachers is turning up everywhere – on fashion designers’ billboards, in major Hollywood movies, etc. So the truth has got to be told more loudly. PURE has a long track record of speaking the truth and sharing it in the media, in workshops, and in clear fact and tip sheets so that the public is better educated about education issues. Students and teachers need to help spread the word – your reach is vast and we all need to be on message together.

I assigned homework, too, starting with asking everyone to sign and share the National Resolution against High-Stakes Testing.

My colleagues all had amazing stories to tell. All in all, it was a very inspiring evening.

Here are two more opportunities to join with other public school advocates, share the truth about our schools, and plan some action to support and protect public education.

Teachers for Social Justice

School closings. Attacks on teachers & the CTU. Unfunded longer school day. Too much testing. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE??

TSJ forum with parents, students, teachers, and community folk from Beverly, to Bronzeville, to Pilsen, to Ravenswood in a dialogue about where we go from here. The time for city-wide unity is now!

Saturday, May 5, 5PM – 7 PM
Intuit Art Gallery
756 N. Milwaukee Ave (Chicago)
(Donations at the door appreciated)

Voices of Youth in Chicago Education

VOYCE is convening 400 students and parents on Monday, May 7, from 6-8 pm at the IBEW Union Hall (600 W Washington) on the issue of racial disparities in the administration of extreme school disciplinary practices.

We’ve invited our elected officials to join us, and John Simmons and Antwan WIlson, senior staff at Denver Public Schools, will also be there to speak about the results that they’ve seen in Denver as a result of their revisions to the discipline code and increased emphasis on transparency and reporting.

PURE has endorsed the Call to Action for this event:

CALL TO ACTION
May 7, 2012

This month marks the 58th anniversary of Brown v. Board, the historic Supreme Court decision that declared that racially segregated schools in the United States were “inherently unequal,” and abolished decades-old segregationist laws. Yet almost sixty years after this monumental decision, our schools continue to produce tragically unequal outcomes.

Nowhere are these disparities more stark—or hold more grave consequences—than in the administration of school discipline. Federal civil rights data released by the U.S. Department of Education this year has shown that Black and Latino students are suspended or expelled three times more often than white students, and arrested for non-violent offenses over three times more frequently than white students. The Black-white suspension ratio in Chicago is the third-highest in the entire country. And every day, an average of thirty-one students are arrested in Chicago schools—over six times more students than are arrested every day in New York City.

Brown v. Board was a landmark decision made possible by the courage and moral leadership of grassroots activists, parents and students on the ground as well as the Supreme Court justices who wrote the unanimous decision. Today we are calling on our judicial and legislative leaders to take another courageous stand in the face of the grave racial inequalities that have persisted through to our educational system today.

The undersigned organizations stand together today to call for an end to the extreme and ineffective school disciplinary practices that are putting more and more students of color on a path to prison. It’s time for our public leaders to invest in the policies and practices needed to put Black and Latino youth on a path to college, not a path to prison.

Interested candidates should submit nominating forms at the school where they want to run by May 9th. Schools will hold candidate forums on May 14th and 16th and hold elections on May 18th.

Application forms are available here

Schools needing supplemental LSC elections:

Bright Elementary School (10740 S. Calhoun Ave.)
Burke Elementary School (5356 S. King Dr.)
Chicago Military Academy (3519 S. Giles Ave.)
Clark High School (5101 W. Harrison St.)
Collins High School (1313 S. Sacramento Dr.)
Curtis Elementary School (32 E. 115th St.)
Davis Magnet Elementary School (6730 S. Paulina St.)
Deneen Elementary School (7240 S. Wabash Ave.)
Drake Elementary School (2722 S. King Dr.)
DuBois Elementary School (330 E. 133rd St.)
Dumas Technical Academy (6650 S. Ellis Ave.)
Dyett High School (555 E. 51st St.)
Fuller Elementary School (4214 S. Saint Lawrence Ave.)
Goldblatt Elementary School (4257 W. Adams St.)
Guggenheim Elementary School (7141 S. Morgan St.)
Hoyne Elementary School (8905 S. Crandon Ave.)
Lathrop Elementary School (1440 S. Christiana Ave.)
Marine Military High School (145 S. Campbell Ave.)
Marquette Elementary School (6550 S. Richmond St.)
Parskside Elementary School (6938 S. East End Ave.)
Phillips High School (244 E. Pershing Rd.)
Piccolo Elementary School (1040 N. Keeler Ave.)
Raby High School (3545 W. Fulton Blvd.)
Reed Elementary School (6350 S. Stewart Ave.)
Robeson High School (6835 S. Normal Blvd.)
Ross Elementary School (6059 S. Wabash Ave.)
School of Leadership High School (7627 S. Constance Ave.)
Sherman Elementary School (1000 W. 52nd St.)
Tilden High School (4747 S. Union Ave.)
Till Elementary School (6543 S. Champlain Ave.)
Woodlawn Elementary School (6657 S. Kimbark Ave.)

One that I was going to urge you to sign today has already done the job! Nearly 1000 people signed a petition asking Kenneth Cole, the clothing designer, to take down a billboard in New York suggesting that teachers’ rights conflict with students’ rights. Within hours, the company tweeted that the billboard is coming down.

Score one for our side.

But there are more battles to be fought, one signature at a time! Don’t let your clicker finger wear out, but here are three digital actions for today’s Public Schools Action Tuesday.

The big drive this week is for more signatures and more groups to sign on to the National Resolution against High-Stakes Testing. So far over 5000 people and 220 organizations have signed.

Please sign on today if you have not already done so, and share it with your networks.

It’s also important for LSCs to put the Resolution on the agenda for your next meeting and vote to sign on, and for PTAs to consider signing, too. The National PTA has sent around an advisory to local PTAs urging them to sign. Let us know if your LSC or PTA are considering the Resolution!

Support arts in school! From the arts advocates Ingenuity Inc:

“For the first time in 25 years, Chicago is creating a plan that will lay out ideas to support the arts and artists throughout the city. But to transform the plan into real wins for the people and children of our city, we first need the broad support of thousands of Chicagoans who care about culture—people like you.

“We already know the arts have a tremendous impact on students. In fact, according to a new study by the White House ‘students with high involvement in the arts, including minority and low-income students, performed better in school and stayed in school longer.’”

Please click on this online petition to show your support for more arts in the schools and across the city.

Last but not least, I thought you may want to join others who are grading Rahm’s first year in office on Crain’s … and please pass it on!

You can catch PURE’s Wanda Hopkins on May 20th at another education forum (see below).

And, I’ll be bringing home the Chicago connection to the great short documentary “The Inconvenient Truth behind Waiting for Superman” on May 29th at 6:30 at Talcott school, 1840 W Ohio (here’s the flyer in English and Spanish). The program will offer Spanish translation; a Spanish-language transcript of the film will also be available.

Here’s the rest of the schedule, courtesy of Raise Your Hand:

May 2nd –DePaul College of Education, “Parents and Schools”, 5:30-7:30pm

Wendy Katten from RYH speaking with representatives from Blocks Together, COFI, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and PURE.

Place: Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield,
Time: Tuesday May 2nd at 5:30pm-7:30pm

May 5th – Intuit Art Center- Teachers for Social Justice Event

Jill Wohl from RYH speaking. Other invited groups: KOCO, 19thWard Parents, Dyett Students, Whittier Parents, CTU and more.

Place: Intuit Art Center, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Time: Saturday May 5th at 5pm-7pm

May 20th-Luther Memorial Church- “Critically Thinking About Chicago Public Schools”

Sonia Kwon from RYH on panel with PURE’s Wanda Hopkins and other parent and community groups. Discussion around current status, concerns and future of CPS.

Place: Luther Memorial, 2500 W. Wilson,
Time: Sunday May 20th at 5 pm

***
Sign up for the Raise Your Voice Lobby Day in Springfield on May 9th. We plan to take the 7am train from Union Station together but if you prefer to drive and meet us there, that is fine, too. More details will be sent out in the next couple of days on specific bills and we will have a training on May 7th to get you familiar with the process of going to Springfield. Feel free to contact us with questions.
Please email us if you want to attend by May 5th at wendy@ilraiseyourhand.org

From Teachers for Social Justice:

CHICAGO UNITES ON MAY DAY 2012

Together Labor and Immigrants Will March

Since 2006, May Day has been reclaimed in Chicago

Date: Tuesday, May 1st
March Assembly Noon in Union Park
Rally 3:30PM
Federal Plaza

Why Teachers Should Join the May Day March

Defend our Education & Democracy

Our union is under attack. We have to defend ourselves and it’s not only our contract.  Public education in a democratic society is now in question.

May Day is a perfect time to speak about the future of our public schools.

No to Austerity and Privatization

Marching and speaking up on May Day will help us and all the other public sector workers under the hammer of privatization and austerity cuts. We need our city libraries, mental health clinics and decent transportation. We see our services in the public sector being cut to the bone.

May Day March Builds Solidarity for the CTU

Preparing to strike also means building solidarity with other sectors of labor, students and parents. Our union fight back for a contract must be supported by the labor movement.

No to Rahm!  No to CPS Attacks on Public Education

For teachers and public school workers May Day will be a perfect time to build solidarity within our schools and unions. We must march to defend our jobs, schools and contracts. Our unity gives us strength if we are forced to strike.

Stop Deportations and Full Rights for Immigrants

For immigrant workers who brought May Day back to Chicago it is day to defend our families and call for justice not deportation. Children need their parents. We support families.

Today I saw it again at an otherwise wonderful conference about racial healing in New Orleans put together by the Kellogg Foundation for their grantees; PURE is grateful to be one. They fund our work against high-stakes testing.

The conference’s only panel on education included Lisa Delpit, a terrific scholar on bias in education, who has said,

“If teachers make judgments only according to the tests being inflicted on the children by the schools, then they can misunderstand their children’s brilliance.”

We also heard from Edward Fergus Arcia who writes on disproportionality in education opportunity for African-American and Latino children. He actually referenced “bad data” in his remarks.

But not Amy Wilkins of the Ed Trust.

She talked about the “common basis of fact” as she whipped through her 72 slides, claiming that we have “turned the corner” on achievement based on NAEP scores – 4th grade up slightly, 8th grade flatlined, high school down. Okay, sure.

She threw up two slides showing test score jumps at two schools after they were “reconstituted and restaffed,” claiming that this proved something great happened because the schools “decided to do more.”

Well, at last year’s conference, I wanted to say a lot in response to the excellent education panel presentation, but I didn’t get a chance.

This year I decided not to let that happen (I just feel a need to speak out in these settings…), so I was the first at the mike.

Moderator Rehema Ellis, NBC’s education reporter, called on me. I thanked Dr. Fergus for mentioning bad data, and said that the reason I was at the conference was that African-American students in Chicago were being disproportionately flunked based on standardized test scores. I said that things were about to get worse with the new national standards and I urged people to go to the Parents Across America web site, and sign on to the National Resolution against High Stakes Testing.

At this point, Rehema Ellis broke in to insist that I ask a question. I decided not to point out that NBC has a track record of squelching differing views of education reform, especially from parents, so I just asked this question: Would the panelists join in a national dialogue on standardized testing, bringing together civil rights groups which often have widely differing views on the value of these tests?

Amy took the mike and stated that she “disagreed.” She claimed that no one had a problem with standardized tests until there were stakes for adults, which kind of ignores the 30 or so years FairTest has opposed them, the work PURE and others in Chicago have been doing since the late 1990′s, etc. (but to be fair, it was as factual as her other statements). She also claimed that test scores are the “only way” you can compare schools, that there is “no other evidence.”

Well, as I sat down, at least one person mouthed “Thank you for saying that.” I was satisfied.

Advancement Project – Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund – FairTest – Forum for Education and Democracy – NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – National Education Association – Parents Across America – United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries

for further information:

Monty Neill (617) 477-9792

Pamela Grundy (704) 375-4222

Matt Cregor (646) 515-5284

for immediate release, Tuesday, April 24, 2012

MAJOR EDUCATION, CIVIL RIGHTS, PARENTS, AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE RESOLUTION TO ROLL BACK HIGH-STAKES TESTING;

SEEK SIGN-ONS FROM ORGANIZATIONS, INDIVIDUALS

Inspired by a statement adopted by more than 360 Texas school boards, major national education, civil rights and parents groups have launched a resolution calling on federal and state policymakers to reduce standardized test mandates and, instead, base school accountability on multiple forms of measurement.

The initial signers include the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Parents Across America, National Education Association, United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, Advancement Project, National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Forum for Education and Democracy. Other supporters include educators such as Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch as well as community-based education groups in New York, Chicago and Charlotte.

The groups are seeking endorsements from other local, state and national organizations as well as individuals concerned with the rapid increase in time, money and energy devoted to exams used to make major decisions about students, educators and schools. Supporters can sign on at http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution,

Dr. Monty Neill, Executive Director of FairTest who helped coordinate drafting the resolution, explained, “The overreliance on high-stakes standardized testing is undermining educational quality and equity across the U.S. The collateral damage includes narrowed curriculum, low-scoring students pushed out of school, and teaching to the test.”

““By teaching to the test, we are depriving a generation of youth, particularly youth of color growing up in low-income communities, from developing the critical thinking skills they need, and our country needs, to be competitive in this global economy,” added Matt Cregor, Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

“Parents are fed up with constant testing,” concluded Pamela Grundy from Parents Across America, who helped lead a community revolt against expanding testing in Charlotte, North Carolina last year. “We want our elected leaders to support real learning, not endless evaluation.”

The resolution urges state officials to “reexamine school accountability” and develop a system “which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools.” At the federal level, it calls on the U.S. Congress and Obama Administration to overhaul “No Child Left Behind” and “to reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.” The full text is online at http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution

Don’t be on the wrong side of the pineapple, folks.

I’ll have to admit that it was a lot of fun watching this story roll out with my friend and PAA co-founder Leonie Haimson when we were in Washington DC for the US Department of Education parent meeting late last week.

Leonie first broke the story on her NYC Parents blog. Her son is in eighth grade and had just taken the New York State Regents exam in English/Language Arts. He told her about the ridiculous story on the test about a race between the pineapple and the hare, and the dumb questions he had had to answer about it. You can read the story and questions on her blog.

Leonie did some quick research and discovered that there were blog posts and even web sites complaining about the pineapple story, which had been used on a number of state tests including the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT).

It was great fun watching the story go viral. Read about the media firestorm over the test here. Leonie adds,

Clearly, a revolution is brewing, but whether the corporate reformers will have the sense to realize and step back before it is too late is still uncertain.  Perhaps only the Pineapple knows for sure, and he’s not talking. As one teacher tweeted over the weekend, Pearson has moved it to an undisclosed location.

And here’s how you can sign up for the revolution .

Montgomery schools superintendent Joshua Starr congratulated the school board Tuesday on standing firm against some of the turbulent reform efforts being embraced around the country.

He called their political posture, including the past decision not to support the state’s application for a federal Race to the Top Grant, “one of the reasons I was so thrilled to come here.”

The report on Mr. Starr’s comments came in Wednesday’s Washington Post Answer Sheet blog:

Starr critiqued the growth models and rubrics being developed as contradicting research on what motivates teachers. He said Montgomery’s current system, which mentors struggling teachers for a year before decisions about termination are made, is a “hill to die on.”

Until we have that elected school board and can get rid of Broadie toady J.C. Brizard, I will consider Mr. Starr (oh! he’s probably even Dr. Starr! what a concept!) as MY superintendent.

“As No Child Left Behind is dying its slow death, it’s an incredible opportunity to fill that void with what we believe we should do for kids,” he said.

Indeed.

Here’s what it looks like, Mr. Mayor >>>

School officials at Rahm’s local school don’t remember seeing him.

But thanks to Alderman Bob Fioretti (pictured) and to everyone else who supports LSCs!

Actually, they’re hosting us, but we’ll see.

Spent yesterday dropping off PAA position packets with each member of the Senate Education Committee. Had a great meeting with Sen. Patty Murray’s education aide, a not-so-great debate with Mark Kirk’s person. Got off the elevator just as Ed Committee Chair Tom Harkin got on… doors closed before we could ask for a picture!

Anyway, this sign was in the Senate Hart building (no doubt posted by some secret Truth in Government Commission) but perhaps even better describes things over at Arne Duncan’s USDE.

No, not a 9.5-fingered Mayor.

They would love to have our local school councils, our voice in school decisions.

Let’s show that we appreciate our LSCs and the fact that LSC-style school reform is more successful than top-down interventions like school turnarounds.

Go VOTE! Until 7 pm today, Wednesday April 18, at the elementary schools; tomorrow, Thursday April 19, from 6 am to 7 pm at the high schools.