Falls Church School Won't Teach To The Test.

[LWolf]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25306-2004Oct11.html

Thank you, Falls Church School. Every board member in my drill-obsessed district will get a copy of this one from me. If high-stakes testing weren't bad enough, the atrocities committed by districts' panicky groveling to corporate for-profit bush supporting educational "programs" in order to document proof of worshipping at the testing altar as ordered leaves many educators as well as students disliking "school."

<snip>

Teachers grumble and moan about how politicians' love affair with tests has turned education into a grim mission to teach creative young minds how to darken the ovals completely and neatly.

Parents complain about the lost arts and athletics, the exciting labs and imaginative lessons that schools cut out to make way for classes on the art and science of taking standardized tests.

But rarely do public schools take a stand on behalf of the children left behind by the very law that promises to carry them forward.

This summer, Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Falls Church put down a marker. A letter sent to every parent said teachers are being forced to spend "valuable instructional time preparing students to take the Standards of Learning tests, to the exclusion of activities that extend and deepen student learning, integrate the arts with content, and allow students to develop and pursue their own questions."

[JohnKleeb]

1. God the SOLs I know what thats like

Falls Church is a few towns over from me, good town.

[LWolf]

2. We'll, they're obviously a step ahead

of the rest of us on this issue, anyway. :-)

Whether it's the SOLs, the WASL in Washington, the TAKS in TX, the CAT 6, CSTs, and CAHSEE in CA, the FCAT in FL,or any other version--all of them are time and stress intensive, and the priority is to spend the whole year drilling and test-prepping, and pre-testing, instead of teaching. Instead of questioning, investigating, or just plain growing and learning.

[onenote]

3. my local elementary school

Bailey's elementary is just a half mile from my house (in fact, its where I vote). I don't have any kids, but if I did, I'd be proud that they attended that school.

onenote

[LWolf]

4. I love the internet.

I'm way over on the left coast; I post something happening somewhere, anywhere, and I get to meet people who are actually there! :hi:

As a local, could you express support in a LTE? The more people in more places who say these things publicly, the sooner we can turn the tide.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

5. Glad someone posted this

I'm local too, and am so proud of Baileys for taking this step. It shows how commited the school is to its students -- a huge percentage of whom are ESL, functionally homeless, or just in bad home situations.

:toast:

However, I bet the new Fairfax County superindendent of schools is probably shitting a brick right about now.