The state board finally announced they are stripping the high stakes consequences from our standardized testing system. This victory belongs to every one of you who stayed focused on the goal. Keep checking your district websites to ensure these new rules are implemented on the ground without delay.
November 8, 2014
Final supporters
The primary purpose of assessment in our public schools should be to improve teaching and learning.
Florida’s current system of high-stakes testing offers little benefit for students, parents, teachers or taxpayers. Results from these high-stakes tests are not useful as diagnostic tools to inform instruction. Money to administer these tests is diverted from real educational activities, to the detriment of our children, our district, and our community.
For these reasons and more, we the undersigned, parents, caregivers, students, teachers and taxpayers hereby petition Governor Scott, the Florida State Board of Education and members of the Florida Legislature to immediately halt the practice of relying on state-mandated, standardized exams results for anything other than diagnostic purposes. Test scores should not be used to determine student, teacher, or school evaluations.
We further petition the State Board of Education to immediately develop a comprehensive “Opt Out” policy that allows parents to have their children excused, without penalty, from participating in state-mandated tests until results are used appropriately to improve teaching and learning. Local districts must be directed to offer high-quality educational activities for students whose families choose not to participate in state-mandated testing.
Updates
September 24, 2014
We just hit 1,000 signatures. Post this link on Facebook right now and email your state representative to tell them the testing system is broken.
Reached 1,000 supporters
September 22, 2014
September 17, 2014
I have been meeting with school board members to discuss how these test mandates drain our local resources. Call your district representative today and tell them that you want these exams removed from teacher evaluation metrics.
Reached 100 supporters
September 11, 2014
September 9, 2014
We are approaching one hundred signatures and need to maintain this momentum to get the board's attention. Text this link to three people who care about our schools and ask them to sign today.
18 Comments
We were just informed that our 8th graders are at risk for not graduating because they have always scored low on the FSA. They have IEPs and 504s maintain a 3.0 & 2.5 average We need to stop this... NOW
Testing children should only be used to determine what skills that student has not mastered for remediation reasons only. Limit the testing...
My daughter attended a private school with no Standarized testing. This year we joined public school and her love for school and confidence in math has diminished! It's appauling what is happening to our children.
I dont see how one test each school year should reflect on a child advancing to the next grade or not. The needs to be more time learning things they actually need in life instead of how to pass a test.
My sons promotion to fourth shouldn't be a major cause of anxiety! Stop the testing
I would prefer completely abolishing the Standardized Testing System for several reasons, or at least postponing it until high school when the children’s brains are developed enough to concentrate for long period of time, to be able to cope with the stress level of the tests and sit for longer periods of time. In my opinion the we should return to the pre-“No Child Left Behind” times, when children were allowed to be children. Since then a lot of things went wrong: 1. Children started serious studying at the age of 5, at which age clearly they do not have the maturity to concentrate for a long time, They need to play. 2. Recesses were taken away in schools, kids were forced to sit and concentrate for longer and longer period of times, when research clearly shows that recesses are at utmost important. 3. The tests start at the age of 8 and last times four times 80 minutes, while clearly research shows that children at the age of 8 can only concentrate for about 16-24 minutes, while at the age of 9 for about 20-30 minutes. 4. Most importantly children became highly stressed about the Standardized Tests to the extent that more and more children committed suicide. “Suicide rates for teens between the ages of 15 and 19 increased by 76 percent between 2007 and 2017. And the suicide rate for 10- to 14-year-olds nearly tripled over that same time period, according to CDC’s data. The same period in which states have increasingly adopted Common Core standards and new, more rigorous high stakes tests." Meanwhile based on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment.) Tests developed by the OECD the United States ranking did not go up between 2000 and 2018, so basically all the stress the children and teachers had to go through did not have any results. The US ranked number 25 worldwide in 2018 while in 2000 it ranked actually better, number 20. This year the testing season will be more stressful than ever. - First of all because most children missed severa
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The state board finally announced they are stripping the high stakes consequences from our standardized testing system. This victory belongs to every one of you who stayed focused on the goal. Keep checking your district websites to ensure these new rules are implemented on the ground without delay.
November 8, 2014
Final supporters
The primary purpose of assessment in our public schools should be to improve teaching and learning.
Florida’s current system of high-stakes testing offers little benefit for students, parents, teachers or taxpayers. Results from these high-stakes tests are not useful as diagnostic tools to inform instruction. Money to administer these tests is diverted from real educational activities, to the detriment of our children, our district, and our community.
For these reasons and more, we the undersigned, parents, caregivers, students, teachers and taxpayers hereby petition Governor Scott, the Florida State Board of Education and members of the Florida Legislature to immediately halt the practice of relying on state-mandated, standardized exams results for anything other than diagnostic purposes. Test scores should not be used to determine student, teacher, or school evaluations.
We further petition the State Board of Education to immediately develop a comprehensive “Opt Out” policy that allows parents to have their children excused, without penalty, from participating in state-mandated tests until results are used appropriately to improve teaching and learning. Local districts must be directed to offer high-quality educational activities for students whose families choose not to participate in state-mandated testing.
Updates
September 24, 2014
We just hit 1,000 signatures. Post this link on Facebook right now and email your state representative to tell them the testing system is broken.
Reached 1,000 supporters
September 22, 2014
September 17, 2014
I have been meeting with school board members to discuss how these test mandates drain our local resources. Call your district representative today and tell them that you want these exams removed from teacher evaluation metrics.
Reached 100 supporters
September 11, 2014
September 9, 2014
We are approaching one hundred signatures and need to maintain this momentum to get the board's attention. Text this link to three people who care about our schools and ask them to sign today.
18 Comments
My comment before was incomplete and I don't see a way to edit it. However, I would just like to say that I have seen first hand how testing puts undue stress on a child and drags a child's self esteem down. It is a very sad situation and this needs to stop.
We were just informed that our 8th graders are at risk for not graduating because they have always scored low on the FSA. They have IEPs and 504s maintain a 3.0 & 2.5 average We need to stop this... NOW
Testing children should only be used to determine what skills that student has not mastered for remediation reasons only. Limit the testing...
My daughter attended a private school with no Standarized testing. This year we joined public school and her love for school and confidence in math has diminished! It's appauling what is happening to our children.
I dont see how one test each school year should reflect on a child advancing to the next grade or not. The needs to be more time learning things they actually need in life instead of how to pass a test.
My sons promotion to fourth shouldn't be a major cause of anxiety! Stop the testing
I would prefer completely abolishing the Standardized Testing System for several reasons, or at least postponing it until high school when the children’s brains are developed enough to concentrate for long period of time, to be able to cope with the stress level of the tests and sit for longer periods of time. In my opinion the we should return to the pre-“No Child Left Behind” times, when children were allowed to be children. Since then a lot of things went wrong: 1. Children started serious studying at the age of 5, at which age clearly they do not have the maturity to concentrate for a long time, They need to play. 2. Recesses were taken away in schools, kids were forced to sit and concentrate for longer and longer period of times, when research clearly shows that recesses are at utmost important. 3. The tests start at the age of 8 and last times four times 80 minutes, while clearly research shows that children at the age of 8 can only concentrate for about 16-24 minutes, while at the age of 9 for about 20-30 minutes. 4. Most importantly children became highly stressed about the Standardized Tests to the extent that more and more children committed suicide. “Suicide rates for teens between the ages of 15 and 19 increased by 76 percent between 2007 and 2017. And the suicide rate for 10- to 14-year-olds nearly tripled over that same time period, according to CDC’s data. The same period in which states have increasingly adopted Common Core standards and new, more rigorous high stakes tests." Meanwhile based on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment.) Tests developed by the OECD the United States ranking did not go up between 2000 and 2018, so basically all the stress the children and teachers had to go through did not have any results. The US ranked number 25 worldwide in 2018 while in 2000 it ranked actually better, number 20. This year the testing season will be more stressful than ever. - First of all because most children missed severa
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My comment before was incomplete and I don't see a way to edit it. However, I would just like to say that I have seen first hand how testing puts undue stress on a child and drags a child's self esteem down. It is a very sad situation and this needs to stop.