Local parent rips state tests
Parents, it is time to say enough.
Tell them to stop holding our schools and our children hostage. Tell them our children are missing out on opportunities that they are afforded. Tell the state officials that they are acting like bullies and are withholding money that our schools need to educate our children. The amount of time that our children have gone without many of the supplies, educational material, and resources that they need to be educated, has been almost nine-months. Well it’s time that we, as parents, do our civic duty and tell the elected officials to act like grown-ups and do the job that they are being paid to do.
On April 11, 2016, our children’s stress and anxiety levels will rise. They will not be able to eat and sleep well, and they could be out of their regular schedule for over eight weeks. You ask how? Well on April 11, the window opens for our children to be forced to take the PSSA tests and the Keystone Exams. Your child could be in a situation to take up to four state exams over the next few weeks. Schools reinforce to our children every day, send letters home reminding parents of testing procedures and expectations, and post on their websites the “importance” and the “impacts” of these exams. Sounds like these exams are critical, right?
Well let me tell you, these exams are not critical at all. These exams only give school officials a comparison of where your child stands with another child. With that information, what are schools properly able to do? Schools are financially limited with teachers, specialists, and resources thanks to our state officials. Schools cannot take this data and appropriately place our children in their deserved class. Teachers have been furloughed, classes eliminated, and specialist released. The state has punished our children by withholding money that was due to our schools on July 1, 2015. Our children have missed out on opportunities that would help our children improve academically, socially, and behaviorally. All of these factors could have a negative impact on my child’s test scores. Because of this factor, I will not allow my children to be bullied, put-down, and set-up for failure, anymore by the officials of this state that display a lack of compassion and flaunt an over-abundance of ignorance for my children. My children will not participate in these exams anymore.
Therefore, I will be contacting my children’s school and will inform them that I refuse my children to participate in the test. The politicians have increased the stress and anxiety that our children will experience by not passing a budget and giving our children what they deserve. I have contacted the school and they stated that there are two ways to “opt-out” of the exams. One is to contact the school, schedule a time to review each exam, and state the religious belief why you are “opting-out.” The second method is to simply write a note stating that you “refuse” for your child to take the exam. It is that simple. Refusal does not require you to go into the school to review the test. Refusal is not part of Pennsylvania law, but is instead part of the assessment process described by Pennsylvania’s Education Department in the materials it shares with each school’s testing coordinator and shares online (thank you Google). You can view this manual online which is where I received the most accurate, and unbiased information. The Pennsylvania testing coordinator’s’ handbook state, that if for some reason a student refuses to take the exam, it should be coded as “other.” The outcome is the same as parental opt out on religious grounds. In both cases the test is coded as a “do not score.” In both cases the child simply does not receive a score. They do not receive a zero, and there is no penalty to the school or teacher.
It is time for us parents to say “enough”, to the state officials. Our children deserve the best education that we can give them. I feel this year, my children have not been given the best education due to the ignorant and hard-headedness of the officials that at one time told us they would work for us. Well that time has come and gone. I ask that all parents consider the stress and anxiety that these officials have placed on your child all because of their incompetence. I ask that we send a clear message to these officials that they will not bully our children anymore by withholding what our children deserve.
Schools cannot penalize our children with scare tactics and state these tests are critical for the progress and monitoring of our children. The state has made it loud and clear that they do not care about our children, and it is time that we send a clear message back to them. Contact your child’s school over the next few weeks, and opt-out your child. Your child will once again enjoy going to school without test anxiety and be stress free.
James Patrick is a resident of Connellsville.