[TNS-list] Conversations about the State Tests and Assessment at TNS

[Rachel Birdsall]

																																				January 12, 2015
Advocacy Committee Update

As we enter the second half of the school year, you will be hearing a lot more about the state math and English tests. As many of you know, the Advocacy Committee at TNS has supported a school-wide Opt Out of these high stakes tests for three years now. We will be at it again this year. Each year our little movement has grown. Three years ago just 13 students opted out. Two years ago it was roughly 50% of the students in testing grades (3-5), and last year more than 80% of eligible students did not take the state tests. For the past two years, the students who opted out of the tests participated in TNS teacher-designed alternative assessments instead.

We are proud that our school community has been at the forefront of a large wave of political opposition to these tests—last year over 200,00 students in New York State refused to take them! TNS parents chose to opt out of these tests for many reasons, but largely to keep pressure off of our teachers, whom we trust, and to keep the focus on teaching. What is under threat here is their rich curriculum, with its emphasis on inquiry and project-based learning, and respect for multiple intelligences and multiple learning styles. Taking time in the school day for explicit preparation for state tests is not what our school community believes in. We know that there are many other – more authentic and more meaningful – ways to measure what our children know and can do. We want teachers to take our kids on trips exploring the city and world they live in, not take them through endless practice exams; we want our kids to pursue meaningful and engaging questions, not learn to fill in bubbles for multiple choice questions; we want them to have their social and emotional development nurtured, and have them learn to be members of a community. We do not want either our students or teachers to be seen simply as a number.

We know that families have many questions about the tests and what is at stake in this decision. What do these tests assess? How are they different from how TNS teachers regularly assess my child? Can't we just give the tests and keep our rich curriculum? What will opting out of the tests mean for my child's chance of admission in middle school?  If I opt my child out of these tests, am I depriving them of a chance to practice a skill that is useful later on?

In order to address these questions, and others, we have some events planned in the coming months:
On January 28th at 8:30 AM teachers, from Pre-K/K to 5th grade, will share the ways they “measure” student growth, make decisions about class instruction, and the place state testing plays in instruction and curriculum. 
There will be a forum to address the middle school issues: the tests and admissions and how our students do in middle school given their relative lack of experience on standardized tests (hint: very, very well). We will have TNS graduates from different schools and folks familiar with middle school admissions there to answer your questions.
Advocacy Committee meetings (the next one is on Wednesday, January 20th after drop off) where we will be encouraging discussion of these questions.
Advocacy Committee will have a parent in each upper grade class who will be available to answer your questions and be a conduit for information on these issues.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any one of us (listed below). We have also included some (hopefully) useful links:

http://tnsny.org/posts/view_news/5084 <http://tnsny.org/posts/view_news/5084> (A link to “Frequently Asked Questions about Testing at TNS” on our school website)
http://www.optoutnyc.com/ <http://www.optoutnyc.com/> ("Where New York City parents can learn about high-stakes testing in New York State and find tools for organizing their school communities")
http://tnsny.org/posts/view_news/5446 <http://tnsny.org/posts/view_news/5446> (A link to Recent Testing-Related News, from TNS website)

Annie Hewitt (ashewitt at gmail.com <mailto:ashewitt at gmail.com>)
Aura Olavarria (AOlavarria at council.nyc.gov <mailto:AOlavarria at council.nyc.gov>)
Jeanne Mullen (jeannemull at gmail.com <mailto:jeannemull at gmail.com>)
Michelle Holland (michelleholland77 at yahoo.com <mailto:michelleholland77 at yahoo.com>)
Rachel Birdsall (rachelb at me.com <mailto:rachelb at me.com>)

For TNS Advocacy Committee 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.theneighborhoodschool.org/pipermail/tns-list-theneighborhoodschool.org/attachments/20160112/567fdcb4/attachment.htm>