New common core exams were implemented in Pennsylvania before I moved up to Brooklyn and have been defined as "common core aligned," with "increased rigor." From accounts of teachers across the state, these tests are not helping students learn and instead are a waste of time. A superintendent in Bethlehem area said "that students is spending a lot of time demonstrating things we already know that he or she can already do." As a former PA resident myself, I can tell you this is increasingly true. The tests I had to take growing up did not help me and were, instead, often used as a carrot or a stick in certain situations.
This past week the standardized test scores of Pennsylvania students grades 3-8 were released, much to the dismay of people paying attention. Scores overall dropped precipitously, only increasing with the age of the students (notice how higher grades had larger dips than lower grades). Those in the PA state government are attempting to make excuses, stating how these scores should be the new baseline, despite previous secretaries saying the same thing three years ago after a cheating scandal had erupted.
All this is happening as an opt-out movement is forming across the state and the country. Even though Pennsylvania state law allows for a child to be opted out of a state exam, there was a large controversy at the end of the 2014-2015 school year when teachers at the Feltonville school in Philadelphia were sharing that information. To me, that seemed rather wrong.
Luckily, though, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka the No Child Left Behind act) is moving forward in the House and the Senate with a proviso solidifying parent's rights to opt out of tests for their children. While not everything in this act will be beneficial to children, in my opinion, this is a signal that we are again moving in the right direction.
All this is happening as an opt-out movement is forming across the state and the country. Even though Pennsylvania state law allows for a child to be opted out of a state exam, there was a large controversy at the end of the 2014-2015 school year when teachers at the Feltonville school in Philadelphia were sharing that information. To me, that seemed rather wrong.
Luckily, though, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka the No Child Left Behind act) is moving forward in the House and the Senate with a proviso solidifying parent's rights to opt out of tests for their children. While not everything in this act will be beneficial to children, in my opinion, this is a signal that we are again moving in the right direction.
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