Surprisingly, Tuesday's state budget adoption linked the distribution
of increased school aid to another revision of Annual Professional
Performance Review (APPR) elements. Assessments are one of two elements to be
weighted in the APPR that must be approved by November 15.
With this news, the movement to promote test refusal*, as
a means to make a political statement, has increased around our
state.
We have heard from many members; some urging NYS PTA to
endorse test refusal, but most appreciating our position to
support every parent's right to make the choice for their own child.
As the, “New York State PTA Position Paper: Use of
Student Assessment & Its Impact on High‐Stakes Educational Decisions”
states:
High‐stakes testing associated with political
initiatives has changed the landscape of education in New York State and across
our country. The effects of some of these changes may be unintended, but when
devoid of a sound educational rationale, they can actually interfere with
educational improvement.
We also support the need for meaningful pupil
assessment and educator accountability. Current trends unfortunately exaggerate
the use of narrowly defined results to judge educational performance and make
high‐stakes educational decisions. These trends cannot be permitted to stifle
student and educator creativity or to impede the imperative to educate the
whole child.
The latest action by our state leaders, combined with member feedback
on both sides of the issue, creates an urgency to reiterate
that NYS PTA strongly
supports the right of every parent to decide what is best for their
child whether to take or refuse the test.
We strongly recommend that parents whose children will not participate
in annual testing work collaboratively with their school
district’s administration on a plan for the child that is agreeable to
both parties.
Finally we ask that, no
matter how you choose, everyone be respectful
of another parents’ right to make either a similar or
different choice for their child.
*Please note, we do not refer to this as
“opt-out” as that is not an option in our state. One can "refuse the
test" or "not participate" thereby causing the test to be coded
999.
-Bonnie
Bonnie M. Russell
NYS PTA® President
Communicate to Advocate!
everychild.onevoice.®
president@nyspta.org
We all want to do what is right for our children, their teachers and their schools. However, that means different things to different people. Every student and family is unique. As families make these decisions, we urge everyone to respect all parents and students whether they choose to take or refuse the test. Everyone should be treated equally in a respectful manner no matter what that decision is. 