There is no clear state policy on how to handle students who opt out of standardized testing like the PARCC exams in New Jersey. Some school districts are adopting policies to provide alternative activities for students who do not want to take the tests, while avoiding punishment. Critics argue the PARCC questions are too complex, especially for younger students, and that practice tests are taking away from classroom instructional time. Parents have the legal right to opt their children out of tests in some states, but this issue is new and unclear in many states including New Jersey.
The document discusses a proposed bond issue for District OR-1 that would fund renovations and additions to Bennet Elementary School and Palmyra Junior-Senior High School, as well as building a new football field and track. It provides details on what a bond election is, how bond proceeds can be used, and what specific projects are included in the proposed bond issue that voters will decide on in November.
Winton Woods Middle School- Child Abuse (Understanding the Problem)OCLRE
The document proposes a policy called "Live Safe" to address child abuse. The policy has three parts: 1) requiring a mental health check before parents can take a baby home from the hospital; 2) mandating in-home checks every other month for those convicted of abuse; and 3) requiring abused children and abusers to attend therapy programs. The policy aims to prevent abuse, help abusers address underlying issues, and support abused children. It is argued the policy could help end abuse by identifying and treating mental health problems, ensuring children's safety, and getting help for families and children. While some may resist aspects of the policy, similar checks and programs already exist, and the policy aims to protect welfare, which governments are
Marion Sterling- Keys to Getting Any Job- Struggling ParentsOCLRE
The document summarizes a project created by students to help unemployed adults find jobs. The students researched job search strategies and created a flyer with tips on writing resumes, finding job openings, and interviewing. They distributed the flyers to classmates, a local food pantry, and received positive feedback from a judge who saw one student use the research to help her mother create a resume.
This document appears to be a research paper examining the influence of dancehall music on adolescent behavior. It includes a table of contents, acknowledgements, statement of the problem being examined, research questions, and description of the methodology which involved distributing questionnaires to students. The findings section presents data in tables and charts showing most students listen to dancehall often and enjoy it, while the lyrics commonly promote sexual and criminal content. The analysis suggests dancehall music can have both positive and negative impacts on behaviors, with some students engaging in delinquency or lack of emotion while others find it helps creativity. Measures to reduce negative impacts are discussed.
This document is a student's research project on teenage pregnancy in Frome, Jamaica. It includes an introduction, acknowledgements, statement of the problem, research methodology, data collection instruments, presentation of data through figures and tables, analysis, findings, recommendations, and appendices. The key findings are:
- Over half of teenage pregnancies occurred between ages 14-17, with another 25% between 18-19.
- Peer pressure was a major contributing factor in 50% of cases, with financial problems and curiosity also contributing.
- 60% of parents were highly disappointed by their child's pregnancy and some ejected them from their homes.
- 45% of young fathers were terrified by the pregnancy, while others
This document provides an outline for a research study investigating the causes and effects of ineffective parenting in the community of Canaan Heights. It includes sections on the topic, research questions, data collection methods, instruments used, procedures for collecting data from questionnaires distributed to community members, and plans for presenting and analyzing the data. The goal is to identify the main causes of ineffective parenting in the community and how it affects children, as well as recommendations for addressing the problem.
The document thanks various individuals who helped with a school research project on unemployment in the community of Petersville, Jamaica. It introduces the topic of unemployment, including its causes and consequences. The researcher investigated unemployment in Petersville through questionnaires to collect data on factors contributing to local unemployment, how unemployed residents survive, and how the government could help address unemployment. Data showed the main causes were lack of jobs and being unqualified for opportunities, while the primary problems faced were inability to meet basic needs or complete education.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention FINAL Report (5)Nicole Waers
The document summarizes research conducted by interns to identify the needs of at-risk youth attending the Learning Opportunities Center (LOC) alternative high school. The interns interviewed LOC teenage parents to understand their experiences. Key findings included that the realities and challenges of parenting should be communicated to youth, all costs of childcare should be made clear, and more financial planning education is needed. The interviewed parents also expressed a need for life skills training, support groups, hands-on learning opportunities, and greater college and career preparation resources. The research aims to help develop a program through Opportunities for Individual Change to reduce teenage pregnancy rates.
The document discusses a proposed bond issue for District OR-1 that would fund renovations and additions to Bennet Elementary School and Palmyra Junior-Senior High School, as well as building a new football field and track. It provides details on what a bond election is, how bond proceeds can be used, and what specific projects are included in the proposed bond issue that voters will decide on in November.
Winton Woods Middle School- Child Abuse (Understanding the Problem)OCLRE
The document proposes a policy called "Live Safe" to address child abuse. The policy has three parts: 1) requiring a mental health check before parents can take a baby home from the hospital; 2) mandating in-home checks every other month for those convicted of abuse; and 3) requiring abused children and abusers to attend therapy programs. The policy aims to prevent abuse, help abusers address underlying issues, and support abused children. It is argued the policy could help end abuse by identifying and treating mental health problems, ensuring children's safety, and getting help for families and children. While some may resist aspects of the policy, similar checks and programs already exist, and the policy aims to protect welfare, which governments are
Marion Sterling- Keys to Getting Any Job- Struggling ParentsOCLRE
The document summarizes a project created by students to help unemployed adults find jobs. The students researched job search strategies and created a flyer with tips on writing resumes, finding job openings, and interviewing. They distributed the flyers to classmates, a local food pantry, and received positive feedback from a judge who saw one student use the research to help her mother create a resume.
This document appears to be a research paper examining the influence of dancehall music on adolescent behavior. It includes a table of contents, acknowledgements, statement of the problem being examined, research questions, and description of the methodology which involved distributing questionnaires to students. The findings section presents data in tables and charts showing most students listen to dancehall often and enjoy it, while the lyrics commonly promote sexual and criminal content. The analysis suggests dancehall music can have both positive and negative impacts on behaviors, with some students engaging in delinquency or lack of emotion while others find it helps creativity. Measures to reduce negative impacts are discussed.
This document is a student's research project on teenage pregnancy in Frome, Jamaica. It includes an introduction, acknowledgements, statement of the problem, research methodology, data collection instruments, presentation of data through figures and tables, analysis, findings, recommendations, and appendices. The key findings are:
- Over half of teenage pregnancies occurred between ages 14-17, with another 25% between 18-19.
- Peer pressure was a major contributing factor in 50% of cases, with financial problems and curiosity also contributing.
- 60% of parents were highly disappointed by their child's pregnancy and some ejected them from their homes.
- 45% of young fathers were terrified by the pregnancy, while others
This document provides an outline for a research study investigating the causes and effects of ineffective parenting in the community of Canaan Heights. It includes sections on the topic, research questions, data collection methods, instruments used, procedures for collecting data from questionnaires distributed to community members, and plans for presenting and analyzing the data. The goal is to identify the main causes of ineffective parenting in the community and how it affects children, as well as recommendations for addressing the problem.
The document thanks various individuals who helped with a school research project on unemployment in the community of Petersville, Jamaica. It introduces the topic of unemployment, including its causes and consequences. The researcher investigated unemployment in Petersville through questionnaires to collect data on factors contributing to local unemployment, how unemployed residents survive, and how the government could help address unemployment. Data showed the main causes were lack of jobs and being unqualified for opportunities, while the primary problems faced were inability to meet basic needs or complete education.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention FINAL Report (5)Nicole Waers
The document summarizes research conducted by interns to identify the needs of at-risk youth attending the Learning Opportunities Center (LOC) alternative high school. The interns interviewed LOC teenage parents to understand their experiences. Key findings included that the realities and challenges of parenting should be communicated to youth, all costs of childcare should be made clear, and more financial planning education is needed. The interviewed parents also expressed a need for life skills training, support groups, hands-on learning opportunities, and greater college and career preparation resources. The research aims to help develop a program through Opportunities for Individual Change to reduce teenage pregnancy rates.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive function. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
The document discusses gang violence in Cleveland and the motivations for joining gangs. It then outlines the efforts of an 8th grade class at St. Adalbert Catholic School to address this issue. The class brought in a former gang member to speak about his experience and how to avoid gangs. A survey found that students felt gangs were a major problem in their neighborhoods but did not feel responsible for helping others. The class was recognized for their work at a youth justice summit.
This document proposes changing the uniform policy at WWMS to allow students to wear spirit wear tops every day instead of only on Fridays. It identifies issues with the current policy, such as not allowing student expression. Alternative policies are considered, and surveys of students and teachers are summarized. The proposed policy is identified as allowing spirit wear tops with uniform bottoms daily. An action plan is outlined to influence stakeholders like teachers, parents, and the school board through presentations and petitions to approve the new policy.
Winton Woods Middle School- Child Abuse (Understanding the Problem)OCLRE
This document provides information on how to obtain child abuse and neglect registry checks in each U.S. state. It lists the contact phone numbers and websites for requesting checks from central registries in each state. For some states, it specifies how to submit written requests, including required information like names, dates of birth, and social security numbers. The purpose is to help individuals obtain information on whether applicants have a history of child abuse or neglect from registry records in any state where they have previously lived.
The document summarizes the multi-year project of St. Vincent de Paul School students to address the injustice of vandalism in their community. Over two years, students researched vandalism, surveyed community members, selected vandalism as the topic, created educational materials and lessons, and held activities like a vandalism mystery game to raise awareness of how to prevent vandalism. Their work included research, collaboration, and presentations to educate their school and town.
The document discusses a bond issue for Winton Woods City Schools to raise money to rebuild school facilities. Most of the 11 school facilities are 40-50 years old and in disrepair, with leaky ceilings, falling tiles, and outdated infrastructure. The bond issue would allow the schools to borrow money to construct new buildings and update equipment. Alternatives discussed include postponing the vote to gain support, reallocating current funding, and establishing a bond program to educate the community. The proposed course of action includes forming a committee, being transparent about tax increases, creating an informational website, distributing posters and flyers, and conducting walkthroughs of the outdated facilities.
The document summarizes a student team's project to address the problem of vandalism at their school and in the local community. The team identified vandalism as a problem through research and pre-existing knowledge of incidents. Their solutions included educational programs for students and the community. The team successfully implemented educational lessons and activities for students, which appeared to reduce further incidents of vandalism at the school. However, they were unable to partner with local police or organize a community event as planned. Overall, vandalism at the school decreased following the student-led education programs.
The document discusses proposed changes to food stamp qualification requirements in the United States. It introduces food stamps and current qualification limits based on income and household size. It then proposes raising the maximum income limit to allow more people to qualify for food stamps. This could help families in need but may increase program costs and tax burdens. The document also discusses alternative policies around work requirements and constitutional considerations around the proposed changes.
1) The document discusses concerns around PARCC testing in Ohio, including that it takes up too much time, stresses students out, and doesn't affect grades.
2) Alternatives proposed include letting local communities decide whether to participate in PARCC or returning to OAA standardized tests, which took less time.
3) The proposed solution and plan of action is for students to create a video presenting the problems with PARCC testing to the local Board of Education and request returning to OAA tests instead.
The group identified that a lack of adequate sex education is harmful to students. They believe teaching abstinence-only is not enough, as some teens will not choose abstinence. Their proposed solution is to implement a new, reformed health class that is given an hour each school day. This would decrease teen pregnancy and STDs by providing more comprehensive education about safe sex practices and the consequences of unprotected sex. The class would teach students how to protect themselves regardless of their sexuality. The group believes the federal government should mandate this approach nationwide as issues like STDs are global problems.
The document discusses the problem of cigarette smoking and proposes policies to address it. It notes that cigarette smoking rates and related deaths are increasing. It then analyzes three alternative policies: 1) banning smoking cigarettes and setting an age limit for e-cigarettes, 2) banning smoking except in designated areas, and 3) banning all tobacco products. The first policy is chosen because it fulfills the requirements of sufficiently reducing smoking while also regulating e-cigarettes. The policy would ban smoking cigarettes statewide and set a minimum age of 21 for purchasing e-cigarettes.
This document proposes reforming the health class curriculum at a middle school to include a semester-long health class with a comprehensive sex education unit. It identifies issues with the current abstinence-only approach such as unintended teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Three alternative policies are considered: incorporating sex ed into gym, science, or a standalone health class. A semester-long health class is selected to allow more time for instruction and questions. An action plan is outlined to gain support from students, teachers, and administrators to implement the new policy.
This document outlines the uniform policy of the Winton Woods City Schools district. It provides details on the permitted and prohibited attire under the policy. For permitted attire, it lists approved shirt, pant, skirt, and shoe options. Spirit wear is only permitted on Fridays. Accessories like hats, exposed chains, and inappropriate images or words are prohibited. Consequences for non-compliance include being sent to the office. The policy aims to promote a neat and orderly appearance that positively reflects the student, school, and district.
This document discusses juvenile drug use, presenting it as a problem with several contributing factors. It notes that according to surveys, 10% of teens in Ohio use drugs, with the top reasons being peer pressure, depression, escaping problems, boredom, and rebellion. The document then discusses how drug use relates to school performance and public policies around testing and possession. It proposes alternative policies like recreation centers or rehabilitation to address the issue and prevent teens from ending up in the juvenile system.
The document discusses graffiti and proposed public policies to address it. It provides background on graffiti, including that most graffiti is gang-related and done by individuals between ages 10 to 40. It also outlines Ohio's current graffiti policy and criticisms that it is not well enforced. The panel proposes a policy of jail time, monetary fines, and community service for graffiti offenders proportional to the offense's severity. They believe this will help prevent further graffiti incidents while fitting consequences to each crime. The panel identifies stakeholders to convince and creates an action plan to propose this policy to local governments.
The document is a collection of notes, sources, and draft materials related to developing a public policy proposal on the issue of graffiti. It includes sections on defining the problem, alternatives, proposed policies, plans of action, and reflections. Key elements include:
- A definition page explaining terms like graffiti, art, vandalism, and taggers.
- A problem identification analyzing different types of graffiti and their relation to other issues.
- Notes and sources on the controversies around viewing graffiti as art versus vandalism.
- An overview of the existing graffiti policies in Columbus, Ohio and ideas for improving enforcement.
- Draft materials like forms, charts and photos to
This document discusses juvenile drug use and proposes alternatives to address the issue. It begins by outlining reasons why teens use drugs such as depression, stress, bullying, peer pressure, boredom, and rebellion. It then discusses the negative impacts of teen drug use including poor school performance, loss of friends, and health issues. Three policy alternatives are proposed: 1) creating recreation centers for teens, 2) drug rehabilitation programs, and 3) after-school programs about the dangers of drugs. The benefits and disadvantages of each alternative are described. The document argues that a recreation center would be the best approach and outlines an action plan to implement this policy, including gathering support from government officials and community organizations.
The document discusses problems with Ohio's current smoking ban and proposes alternative policies. The current ban does not restrict e-cigarettes, allowing all ages to purchase them. This could reduce life spans if children start smoking e-cigarettes early. Three alternative policies are proposed to address this issue by presenting the current law and analyzing the pros and cons of each policy option. The policies include banning smoking statewide, banning cigarettes except in designated smoking areas, or restricting e-cigarette sales to those over 21.
Walker The flying circus of physics with answers (wiley, 1977)rulerimrankhan
This document is the cover and introductory pages of the book "The Flying Circus of Physics" by Jearl Walker. It provides answers to physics problems presented in the book. The cover features a cartoon image of a circus tent with various physics concepts represented by different circus acts. The introductory text provides information on the author and copyright details for the book.
1. The document describes a study that measured the rate of heat transfer through different materials. It found that material A transferred heat at a rate of 1000 W, material B transferred heat at 700 W, and material C transferred heat at 500 W.
2. The study also examined the rate of heat transfer through combinations of the materials. It found that a combination of materials A and B transferred heat at 1500 W, while a combination of materials B and C transferred heat at 1200 W.
The article discusses teacher evaluation models that are being adopted across the US to improve student achievement. It notes that the focus on rigorous teacher evaluations is meant to address the perception that too few underperforming teachers are being dismissed each year. The article provides an overview of common components in research-based evaluation models, including measuring teacher skills, instructional practices, student assessment, and classroom culture. It argues that for evaluations to be effective, ineffective teachers must improve or leave to make room for more effective teachers. The article concludes by outlining steps administrators can take to successfully implement new evaluation systems, such as ensuring common understanding of rating criteria, monitoring for rating consistency, tracking teacher performance issues, and collaborating with teachers unions.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive function. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
The document discusses gang violence in Cleveland and the motivations for joining gangs. It then outlines the efforts of an 8th grade class at St. Adalbert Catholic School to address this issue. The class brought in a former gang member to speak about his experience and how to avoid gangs. A survey found that students felt gangs were a major problem in their neighborhoods but did not feel responsible for helping others. The class was recognized for their work at a youth justice summit.
This document proposes changing the uniform policy at WWMS to allow students to wear spirit wear tops every day instead of only on Fridays. It identifies issues with the current policy, such as not allowing student expression. Alternative policies are considered, and surveys of students and teachers are summarized. The proposed policy is identified as allowing spirit wear tops with uniform bottoms daily. An action plan is outlined to influence stakeholders like teachers, parents, and the school board through presentations and petitions to approve the new policy.
Winton Woods Middle School- Child Abuse (Understanding the Problem)OCLRE
This document provides information on how to obtain child abuse and neglect registry checks in each U.S. state. It lists the contact phone numbers and websites for requesting checks from central registries in each state. For some states, it specifies how to submit written requests, including required information like names, dates of birth, and social security numbers. The purpose is to help individuals obtain information on whether applicants have a history of child abuse or neglect from registry records in any state where they have previously lived.
The document summarizes the multi-year project of St. Vincent de Paul School students to address the injustice of vandalism in their community. Over two years, students researched vandalism, surveyed community members, selected vandalism as the topic, created educational materials and lessons, and held activities like a vandalism mystery game to raise awareness of how to prevent vandalism. Their work included research, collaboration, and presentations to educate their school and town.
The document discusses a bond issue for Winton Woods City Schools to raise money to rebuild school facilities. Most of the 11 school facilities are 40-50 years old and in disrepair, with leaky ceilings, falling tiles, and outdated infrastructure. The bond issue would allow the schools to borrow money to construct new buildings and update equipment. Alternatives discussed include postponing the vote to gain support, reallocating current funding, and establishing a bond program to educate the community. The proposed course of action includes forming a committee, being transparent about tax increases, creating an informational website, distributing posters and flyers, and conducting walkthroughs of the outdated facilities.
The document summarizes a student team's project to address the problem of vandalism at their school and in the local community. The team identified vandalism as a problem through research and pre-existing knowledge of incidents. Their solutions included educational programs for students and the community. The team successfully implemented educational lessons and activities for students, which appeared to reduce further incidents of vandalism at the school. However, they were unable to partner with local police or organize a community event as planned. Overall, vandalism at the school decreased following the student-led education programs.
The document discusses proposed changes to food stamp qualification requirements in the United States. It introduces food stamps and current qualification limits based on income and household size. It then proposes raising the maximum income limit to allow more people to qualify for food stamps. This could help families in need but may increase program costs and tax burdens. The document also discusses alternative policies around work requirements and constitutional considerations around the proposed changes.
1) The document discusses concerns around PARCC testing in Ohio, including that it takes up too much time, stresses students out, and doesn't affect grades.
2) Alternatives proposed include letting local communities decide whether to participate in PARCC or returning to OAA standardized tests, which took less time.
3) The proposed solution and plan of action is for students to create a video presenting the problems with PARCC testing to the local Board of Education and request returning to OAA tests instead.
The group identified that a lack of adequate sex education is harmful to students. They believe teaching abstinence-only is not enough, as some teens will not choose abstinence. Their proposed solution is to implement a new, reformed health class that is given an hour each school day. This would decrease teen pregnancy and STDs by providing more comprehensive education about safe sex practices and the consequences of unprotected sex. The class would teach students how to protect themselves regardless of their sexuality. The group believes the federal government should mandate this approach nationwide as issues like STDs are global problems.
The document discusses the problem of cigarette smoking and proposes policies to address it. It notes that cigarette smoking rates and related deaths are increasing. It then analyzes three alternative policies: 1) banning smoking cigarettes and setting an age limit for e-cigarettes, 2) banning smoking except in designated areas, and 3) banning all tobacco products. The first policy is chosen because it fulfills the requirements of sufficiently reducing smoking while also regulating e-cigarettes. The policy would ban smoking cigarettes statewide and set a minimum age of 21 for purchasing e-cigarettes.
This document proposes reforming the health class curriculum at a middle school to include a semester-long health class with a comprehensive sex education unit. It identifies issues with the current abstinence-only approach such as unintended teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Three alternative policies are considered: incorporating sex ed into gym, science, or a standalone health class. A semester-long health class is selected to allow more time for instruction and questions. An action plan is outlined to gain support from students, teachers, and administrators to implement the new policy.
This document outlines the uniform policy of the Winton Woods City Schools district. It provides details on the permitted and prohibited attire under the policy. For permitted attire, it lists approved shirt, pant, skirt, and shoe options. Spirit wear is only permitted on Fridays. Accessories like hats, exposed chains, and inappropriate images or words are prohibited. Consequences for non-compliance include being sent to the office. The policy aims to promote a neat and orderly appearance that positively reflects the student, school, and district.
This document discusses juvenile drug use, presenting it as a problem with several contributing factors. It notes that according to surveys, 10% of teens in Ohio use drugs, with the top reasons being peer pressure, depression, escaping problems, boredom, and rebellion. The document then discusses how drug use relates to school performance and public policies around testing and possession. It proposes alternative policies like recreation centers or rehabilitation to address the issue and prevent teens from ending up in the juvenile system.
The document discusses graffiti and proposed public policies to address it. It provides background on graffiti, including that most graffiti is gang-related and done by individuals between ages 10 to 40. It also outlines Ohio's current graffiti policy and criticisms that it is not well enforced. The panel proposes a policy of jail time, monetary fines, and community service for graffiti offenders proportional to the offense's severity. They believe this will help prevent further graffiti incidents while fitting consequences to each crime. The panel identifies stakeholders to convince and creates an action plan to propose this policy to local governments.
The document is a collection of notes, sources, and draft materials related to developing a public policy proposal on the issue of graffiti. It includes sections on defining the problem, alternatives, proposed policies, plans of action, and reflections. Key elements include:
- A definition page explaining terms like graffiti, art, vandalism, and taggers.
- A problem identification analyzing different types of graffiti and their relation to other issues.
- Notes and sources on the controversies around viewing graffiti as art versus vandalism.
- An overview of the existing graffiti policies in Columbus, Ohio and ideas for improving enforcement.
- Draft materials like forms, charts and photos to
This document discusses juvenile drug use and proposes alternatives to address the issue. It begins by outlining reasons why teens use drugs such as depression, stress, bullying, peer pressure, boredom, and rebellion. It then discusses the negative impacts of teen drug use including poor school performance, loss of friends, and health issues. Three policy alternatives are proposed: 1) creating recreation centers for teens, 2) drug rehabilitation programs, and 3) after-school programs about the dangers of drugs. The benefits and disadvantages of each alternative are described. The document argues that a recreation center would be the best approach and outlines an action plan to implement this policy, including gathering support from government officials and community organizations.
The document discusses problems with Ohio's current smoking ban and proposes alternative policies. The current ban does not restrict e-cigarettes, allowing all ages to purchase them. This could reduce life spans if children start smoking e-cigarettes early. Three alternative policies are proposed to address this issue by presenting the current law and analyzing the pros and cons of each policy option. The policies include banning smoking statewide, banning cigarettes except in designated smoking areas, or restricting e-cigarette sales to those over 21.
Walker The flying circus of physics with answers (wiley, 1977)rulerimrankhan
This document is the cover and introductory pages of the book "The Flying Circus of Physics" by Jearl Walker. It provides answers to physics problems presented in the book. The cover features a cartoon image of a circus tent with various physics concepts represented by different circus acts. The introductory text provides information on the author and copyright details for the book.
1. The document describes a study that measured the rate of heat transfer through different materials. It found that material A transferred heat at a rate of 1000 W, material B transferred heat at 700 W, and material C transferred heat at 500 W.
2. The study also examined the rate of heat transfer through combinations of the materials. It found that a combination of materials A and B transferred heat at 1500 W, while a combination of materials B and C transferred heat at 1200 W.
The article discusses teacher evaluation models that are being adopted across the US to improve student achievement. It notes that the focus on rigorous teacher evaluations is meant to address the perception that too few underperforming teachers are being dismissed each year. The article provides an overview of common components in research-based evaluation models, including measuring teacher skills, instructional practices, student assessment, and classroom culture. It argues that for evaluations to be effective, ineffective teachers must improve or leave to make room for more effective teachers. The article concludes by outlining steps administrators can take to successfully implement new evaluation systems, such as ensuring common understanding of rating criteria, monitoring for rating consistency, tracking teacher performance issues, and collaborating with teachers unions.
The FTC takes in reports from consumers about problems they experience in the marketplace. The reportsare stored in the Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel), a secure online database available only to lawenforcement. While the FTC does not intervene in individual consumer disputes, its law enforcementpartners – whether they are down the street, across the nation, or around the world – can use informationin the database to spot trends, identify questionable business practices and targets, and enforce the law.
Credit is due to all original authors and no financial gain was made from the report, Simply sharing an interesting story for educational purposes,
Gulen Charter Schools NSD / FARA submittal Gulen Cemaat
http://www.empireofdeceit.com
he Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was enacted in 1938. FARA requires certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities or other activities specified under the statute to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities. Disclosure of the required information facilitates evaluation by the government and the American people of the activities of such persons in light of their function as foreign agents. The FARA Unit of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) in the National Security Division (NSD) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of FARA.
https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara
This document is an intern performance evaluation survey for an intern named [Intern Name]. It asks the evaluating manager to rate the intern on various success factors like quality of work, leadership, excellence, business orientation, and interpersonal skills on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Does Not Meet Expectations" and 5 being "Exceptional Performance". It also asks the manager to provide an overall rating of the intern's general development throughout the internship. Additional questions ask if the manager would consider the intern for a future internship or full-time employment. The manager provides positive feedback about the intern's strong performance, work ethic, and potential for future opportunities.
Some important differences from Pharmaceutical analysis ManikImran Nur Manik
This document discusses electrochemistry and polarography. It explains that polarography uses the technique of controlled-potential electrolysis to study electrochemical reactions through measurements of current versus voltage. Polarization curves generated from these measurements can be used to determine properties like the number of electrons transferred in a redox reaction. Polarography is commonly used to study reactions involving metal ions in solution and to detect various analytes based on their oxidation or reduction potentials.
This document contains notes and planning materials for a student working on an assignment for their A2 Media Studies course. It includes research on the codes and conventions of soap opera genres, analysis of trailers and episodes of soaps like EastEnders and Coronation Street, and planning for a media production project to be exhibited on the BBC. The student demonstrates their understanding of relevant audience theories, narrative structures, and the roles of producers and directors.
1. The document discusses a lesson plan for teaching students about current events. It includes activities for students to report on news they read, discuss topics in newspapers and magazines, and learn about the royal family and government.
2. Students would explore daily life activities, the king's responsibilities and projects, and visit palaces in Bangkok and Hua Hin. They would discuss important community news.
3. The lesson also involves students finding and presenting news, discussing daily life rewards, identifying helpful community members, and learning to use newspapers and media for studies. Conservation projects are also included.
a) Bioassay: Prerequisites and development, errors in bioassay and how to overcome them. Statistical design of bioassay.
b) Principles of Microbiological Analysis (diffusion method) of the Following Drugs:
(i) Microbiological Assay: Antibiotics, vitamins, sulfa drugs
The document appears to contain mathematical equations and exercises related to calculus. It includes derivatives of functions like f(x), definitions of derivatives, and steps to solve derivative problems. The document also includes explanations and solutions to exercises involving finding derivatives of various functions, applying derivative definitions and rules, and determining maximum and minimum values of functions.
IIT-JEE Mains 2017 Offline Previous Question Paper Set DEneutron
This document contains instructions for a test booklet:
- The test booklet contains 44 printed pages.
- Candidates are instructed not to open the test booklet until told to do so.
- Candidates should read the instructions on the back cover carefully.
- The test booklet contains details about the candidate name, roll number, exam center, and contains 90 questions across 3 subjects worth a total of 360 marks.
- Climate change is a major issue for environmental sustainability as the Earth's climate has changed and is changing rapidly due to factors like increased CO2 emissions from human activities like fossil fuel use and deforestation.
- Some of the key challenges related to addressing climate change are the continued growth of the human population and our increasing resource demands, the slow response of ecosystems to environmental changes, and the complexities of accurately measuring and attributing climate changes to human vs. natural causes.
- Potential solutions include transitioning to more public and low-carbon transportation options, developing policies to minimize anthropogenic impacts through collaboration between policymakers and scientists, and consuming fewer and more sustainable resources by thinking critically about what we really need.
This document contains information about phonetic symbols and their usage in analyzing the sounds of the Ukrainian language. It includes tables that list consonant and vowel sounds, as well as diagrams illustrating the placement of sounds in words. Symbols are provided for different types of consonants like hard, soft, and fricative sounds. Markup is also included to show stress, syllables, and the building of words from individual sounds. The purpose is to teach readers how to break down words into their phonetic components using this system of symbols.
This document contains information about phonetic symbols and their usage in analyzing the sounds of the Ukrainian language. It includes tables that list consonant and vowel sounds, as well as diagrams illustrating the placement of sounds in words. Symbols are provided for different types of consonants like hard, soft, and fricative sounds. Markup is also included to show stress, syllables, and the building of words from individual sounds. The purpose is to teach readers how to break down words into their phonetic components using this system of symbols.
Букварь 1 класс Прищепа
Назва: Букварь: Підручник для 1-го класу
Автор: Прищепа К.С. Колісніченко В.І.
Рік: 2005
Видавник: Навчальна книга
Сторінок: 160
This document contains information about phonetic symbols and their usage in analyzing the sounds of the Ukrainian language. It includes tables that list consonant and vowel sounds, as well as diagrams illustrating the placement of sounds in words. Symbols are provided for different types of consonants like hard, soft, and fricative. Markup is also included to show stress, syllables, prefixes, and suffixes. The purpose is to teach literacy and reading skills through a scientific breakdown and representation of the phonetic structure of the Ukrainian language.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms for those who already suffer from conditions like anxiety and depression.
Similar to WintonWoodsMS-PARCC Ohio State Testing (20)
This document provides an overview and guidance for Ohio's Youth for Justice program. The program is coordinated by the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education and empowers students to create positive change in their communities through a four-phase process. The phases include selecting an issue of injustice, researching solutions, implementing a plan, and presenting results. The document provides examples of past topics, guidance on identifying community resources for research, and lists of government and nonprofit organizations that can serve as resources. The goal is for students to gain experience in civic participation by developing and advocating for solutions to issues they identify as important.
Ohio High School Mock Trial competition Timekeeper Sheets - 2016 OCLRE
This document provides instructions for timekeepers at the Ohio High School Mock Trial Competition. It states that each team must bring two stopwatches and a trained timekeeper to monitor time for both the plaintiff/prosecution and defense. The timekeeper sits in the jury box if available and shows time remaining cards to the teams. If a time discrepancy of over 15 seconds is found, the timekeepers should notify the judge to resolve it before continuing. The timekeeper is responsible for accurately keeping time for both sides and notifying the judge when time has expired.
The document discusses factors that put individuals at risk of joining gangs such as lack of employment, poverty, social isolation, domestic violence, negative peer networks, and lack of parental supervision. It also discusses the effects of gang violence according to interviews with a teacher and former gang member who note that gang violence affects the entire community and more prevention programs are needed. A survey found that 8th grade students have more exposure to gang violence than 7th grade students, showing a need for more gang prevention resources for older students. Finally, the document outlines and compares three alternative action plans to address gang violence: awareness bracelets, a prevention website, and informational posters.
Gangs are groups that claim control over territory and engage in illegal or violent acts. They are often organized by race, ethnicity or activities like money making. Risk factors for joining a gang include lack of family support, poverty, isolation and academic failure. Modern gangs introduce new violent acts as rites of initiation, and there are over 33,000 active gangs in the US with 1.4 million members. Gangs are responsible for an average of 48% of violent crimes and up to 90% in some areas, showing their significant role in gang violence according to the FBI and National Gang Assessment reports.
This document introduces six students from Heritage Middle School - Ra'Man Jackson, Da'Shawn Murphy, Tyler Wade, Latrell Robinson, Marshon Wilson, and Koebe Polack. It also names their tutor, Alexis Mittereder, from John Carroll University. The students and tutor are pictured from left to right.
The document discusses factors that put individuals at risk of joining gangs such as lack of employment, poverty, social isolation, domestic violence, negative peer networks, and lack of parental supervision. It also discusses the effects of gang violence according to interviews with a teacher and former gang member who note that gang violence affects the entire community and more prevention programs are needed. A survey found that 8th grade students have more exposure to gang violence than 7th grade students, showing a need for more gang prevention resources for older students. Finally, the document outlines and compares three alternative action plans to address gang violence: awareness bracelets, a prevention website, and informational posters.
This document introduces six students from Heritage Middle School - Ra'Man Jackson, Da'Shawn Murphy, Tyler Wade, Latrell Robinson, Marshon Wilson, and Koebe Polack. It also names their tutor, Alexis Mittereder, from John Carroll University. The document provides the names and identifies the students as being from Heritage Middle School and their tutor's affiliation with John Carroll University.
Gangs are groups that claim control over territory and engage in illegal or violent acts. They are often organized by race, ethnicity or activities like money making. Risk factors for joining a gang include lack of family support, poverty, isolation and academic failure. Modern gangs introduce new violent acts as rites of initiation, and there are over 33,000 active gangs in the US with 1.4 million members. Gangs are responsible for an average of 48% of violent crimes and up to 90% in some areas, showing their significant role in gang violence according to the FBI and National Gang Assessment reports.
The document discusses factors that put individuals at risk of joining gangs such as lack of employment, poverty, social isolation, domestic violence, negative peer networks, and lack of parental supervision. It also discusses the effects of gang violence according to interviews with a teacher and former gang member who note that gang violence affects the entire community and more prevention programs are needed. A survey found that 8th grade students have more exposure to gang violence than 7th grade students, showing a need for more gang prevention resources for older students. Finally, the document outlines and compares three alternative action plans to address gang violence: awareness bracelets, a prevention website, and informational posters.
The document discusses factors that put individuals at risk of joining gangs such as lack of employment, poverty, social isolation, domestic violence, negative peer networks, and lack of parental supervision. It also discusses the effects of gang violence according to interviews with a teacher and former gang member who note that gang violence affects the entire community and more prevention programs are needed. A survey found that 8th grade students have more exposure to gang violence than 7th grade students, showing a need for more gang prevention resources for older students. Finally, the document outlines and compares three alternative action plans to address gang violence: awareness bracelets, a prevention website, and informational posters.
A group of students at Heritage Middle School organized a school assembly to address the issue of gang violence. They brainstormed ideas, decided to hold an assembly with a guest speaker, wrote a proposal to the principal detailing the assembly plans, contacted community members to speak, and arranged for San Diego Chargers wide receiver Sean Coffey to discuss gang prevention at their school on May 22, 2014.
The document outlines a pledge to use more thoughtful and caring language by trying to eliminate gossip, replacing hurtful words with encouraging words, and continuing to work on word choice without discouragement, as improving communication takes continuous effort.
The document discusses the negative effects of gossip and bullying among teenagers. It defines gossip and notes that gossip can be a form of bullying that hurts people's self-esteem. The document outlines how gossip spreads in social groups and cliques and how indirect bullying through rumors can isolate and depress teens. It examines why people gossip and lists alternatives to gossiping like journaling or speaking up. The summary provides background on a presentation developed to address this issue and prevent gossip among students.
Greensview Elementary School - Relational Aggression (Anti-Bullying)OCLRE
The document proposes creating a P.R.I.D.E. Team at Greensview Elementary to address relational aggression. The team would be made up of 7-14 student members chosen for their problem-solving and leadership skills. In its first year, the team would work with the school counselor to create a program educating students about friendship and relational aggression. In subsequent years, team members would undergo mediation training to help peers resolve conflicts.
Greensview Elementary School - Relational Aggression (Anti-Bullying)OCLRE
The fourth grade class at Greensview Elementary conducted a project called "Friend or Foe" to address the issue of relational aggression or bullying. They researched the topic, surveyed students and teachers, and found it to be a problem. Their solution is to form a P.R.I.D.E. team of students who will educate others about friendship, work with the counselor, and help mediate peer problems. They designed materials to support the program and surveys to measure its effectiveness over time. The students improved their research, public speaking, and problem solving skills through this project.
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TASK O•NE . EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM (001!Ttl.JUED).
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8 What disagreements, if any, are there in your community about
this ~oblem and the way it is being handled?
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1 O For each individual, group, or organization you identify, answer the following questions.
Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers,
" What is their position on the problem?
«> Why are they interested?
«> What are the advantages of their position?
• What are the disadvantages of their position?
., How are they trying to influence government to adopt their view?
11 What level of government or government agency is responsible
for 9ealing with this problem? W,hy_?
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12 What is the government doing about the problem?
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4. ·,·.{ 78.. , _
TASK O•NE . EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM (001!Ttl.JUED).
(
7
8 What disagreements, if any, are there in your community about
this ~oblem and the way it is being handled?
e- G O-
1 O For each individual, group, or organization you identify, answer the following questions.
Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers,
" What is their position on the problem?
«> Why are they interested?
«> What are the advantages of their position?
• What are the disadvantages of their position?
., How are they trying to influence government to adopt their view?
11 What level of government or government agency is responsible
for 9ealing with this problem? W,hy_?
e
12 What is the government doing about the problem?
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6. 4/1312015 PAR CC Is unfair to special needs students I West Miiford HelJIÄtt Nevioundland NJ I Letters to the Editor
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. Io LE-am More
· Ciiek He're · ·
Cnll for Spr.•clr1ls!
behalf of the student to learn something new.
The common difficulties students with disabilities face daily have not been taken into account with the
PARCC testing. These difficulties are: speaking, reading, comprehension, processing, memory, executive
Tho does the PARCC testing hurt the most? The students who are most vulnerable.
e .• bg1lEhlRVJ~ltWJ~"¥t~1~iª11flf~,~~¡',JlW~--S.î~
. . These students are expected to sit and d(ï110ÎlÍiÎÎg'fu'rt ecturatlon of the testing. 'l11e "sit
and stare" iolicy i~ a direct punitive action that will negatively impact the special education populatlon,I
BØ ·.'i., ··~~~~_Jl'g"ff" . , the sit and stare policy will just increase the anxiety.
I implore school districts not to utilize suc 1gmatizing tactic. Offer the students who have parent refusals
for the PARCC an nlternative activity.
Mary Laumbach-Perez is a volunteer educational advocate for students with special needs. Professionally she
is a nationally certified Employment Services Provider with 10 years of experience working with the
developmental disabilities and special education population. She has 15 years experience studying Hidden
Disabilities: Learning and Developmental. Laumbach-Perez is also the founder of a non-profit special
education coalition. Through the coalition., she has partnered with professionals to offer special education
workshops to New Jersey parent groups. The opinions expressed in this article are her own and do not
express the opinions of her employer or other professionals she has partnered with.
,.
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9. Many critics say the questions
are too confusing and the
format is too complex,
especially for younger students.
Lila said she wanted to take the
PARCC exams, despite her
mother's concerns, until she
took a practice test at school.
She was confused by a question
asking about the underlying
teme of a sentence in a story,
she said. Another question
directed her to select the best
answer when she thought none
of the answers were great, she
recalled.
An "opt our: shirt worn by Mrntclair parent Colleen Martine, at the New
Jersey Board of Education meeting (!'dam Clark I NJ Aívance ~dta
for NJ.com)
"Notonlywas it hard, the questions were reallycomplicated and they were, like,
deceiving,"said Lila,13. "Eventually,once I had deciphered what they wanted, I had to
rush to he able to finish it."
Lilanowagrees with her mom thatshe shouldn't take the test. In addition to findingit
confusing,she says practice tests are taking awayfrom instructional time.
"Wehave alwaystold her, 'We are goingto do what wcthink is hest foryou,' "Evans
said. "I do not think taking the PARCCis hest for her."
In Montclair, parents have urged the schoolhoard to adopt a policyallowingstudents
whowant to skip the test to receive other learning opportunities during testing periods.
A vote is expected at Monday's school board meeting.
No state policy
In California,state law has long given parents the right to opt students out of tests, said
BohSchaeffer,public education director for FairTest/the National Center for Fair
and Open Testing (http://www.fairtest.org1 a national advocacygroup.
Butthe issue is so new that most states, likeNewJersey, have no legalor regulatory
guidance on how to handle a student refusing to take a test for nonreligious reasons, he
said.
"In most cases, it is unplowed ground," Schaeffersaid.
A memo Hespe sent to schools in October suggestingthatthey consult their disciplinary
policieswas widelyinterpreted hy opt-out advocatesas advising schoolsto punish
students who cometo school but refuse to take the test.
Hespe later clarifiedthe state's stance in January, saying not everyrefusal to take the
tests should he considered a disciplinary problem.
"Certainlyif a student comes in and they arc disruptive, you should applyyour own
disciplinary policy,"Hespe said. "If they are not disruptive, you should havea policyon
what you do with that child."
The BloomfieldBoard of Education passed a resolution in October sayingthe district
won't punish students who skip the tests and willprovide alternatives, when possible.
"Wethought it was necessary to have an idea in mind early in the schoolyear ofwhat
wcwere goingto do," hoard President DanielAnderson said. "Weare not promoting it
or condoning it, hut the reality is some parents maywant to have their child refusethe
test."
Becauseadministering the tests is required under law,districts must tell students that
the tests are mandatory, regardless of howthey plan to handle those who refuse to take
them, said Richard Bozza,executivedirector ofthe NewJersey Association of School
Administrators.
10. 4/15/2015 The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PARCC Test I Sae Our Schools NJ
I~e 12 Rea!tflns We Opp()sethe}'.ARCC Te~t
.Just in time for Christmas, we bring you ...
The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PARCC Test
1. PARCC is poorly designed & confusing
Why?
J.Kf4t~1eg~1&~~îtN§!'.§tz[£~:r:ª~l~'lJ~f~.~J.!~.w~~¿f~J(.@);'.~;t},1&~1Y(multiple-choice and EBSR). These item types
are most appropriate for testing very low-level skills ( e.g., recall of factual detail). However, on
these tests, such item formats are pressed into a kind of service for which they are, generally,
>[¡¡Jlk11'ifi'· ~,· ,-,· '"f;~î,ø~Ínot appropriate. , ·,~{~ · -é, o .,,
¡tl~~~¥fd@l§i~E~~'1$<',.Ü ,. se: .. :n;~.¥!'!
$01 the questions are supposed to deal with higher-order thinking, and
. i :""'' 1 ·•fli'Wtfil!~t~~á'~WtTØ,nsI;.eJl'aFtl'tí}15eif:ffíTexth;:ro:tdlt· ...- y,, ., ··-~ .., ... .u.-£if.Mtf!.·~~~u.1;0,.;.¡~.¡'x~.i'l.~;;.~~~~t~.::d:..~·
· rtf,,,1§.r · ,?, all because the "experts" who designed these tests didn't understand the
most basic stuff about creating assessments-that objective question formats are generally not
great for testing higher-order thinking, for example." i
3. PARCCis diagnostically & instructionally useless
"Many kinds of assessment-diagnostic assessment, formative assessment, performative
assessment, some classroom summative assessment-has instructional value. They can be used
to inform instruction and/or are themselves instructive.
The results of [the PARCC]tests are not broken down in any way that is of diagnostic or
instructional use.
http:/lwNN.sa1ÆOurschool snj .org/2014/12/23/th~ 12-reasons-~-oppos~ the-parce-test/ 1/4
11. 4/1512015 The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PAR CC Test I Sa1.e our Schools NJ
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questions of those kinds, and the time spent on reporting, data analysis, data chats, proctoring,
and other test housekeeping." i
S. PARCCwill further distori: curricula and teaching
"The tests drive how and what people teach, and they drive much of what is created by
curriculum developers ...Those distortions are grave. In U.S. curriculum development today, the
tail is wagging the dog." i
6. PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests undermine students' creativity and
desire to learn
The research on motivation and creativity is very clear: externally imposed punishment and
reward systems, like those associated with high-stakes standardized testing, suppress our
intrinsic motivation, dramatically undermining creativity and love of learning.
High-stakes standardized tests also suppress motivation and creativity because the endless test
preparation narrows the curriculum and creates a boring learning environment, filled with anxiety
and fear.
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1: PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests have an enormous financial cost
"qfffl~-2'0'1~Ø'k''1far~Wi~~~f1Q.~íllf&l!tôº'-ll'ä'tfé'if5får*f'å'füiz'ê~~:t_e;siii'm'~'ôîfb" With the Comm on
Core State Standards tests, this cost increases substantially.
ïftß:ê}_ë.AJ?¡l@~§:~B~t~r:ª~@b'~-~¡f'g~flv!'fg.@6f:tf1Yö.&r~.lfEqz!3iJ1J~[ll~.9mläf to th e Pearson [Corpo rat ion l i n th e
first three years, and you have to add the cost of [the Smarter Balanced Common Core
Assessment] and the other state tests (another billion and a half?), to that.
~JWB'V.'·~"9.~l~~Xlf"';,t.trä~:f~~tl@tW~f'·rn~T~lfe~1~~~"-:··-· 7
·· • · ~ ·. · te .u rades that:·wil~·
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1ffl1ï{1~~:rn~m~~Y2!.~.âJi:cQQ1-m.1:)~~.i?.:.lt§E1,~B.nP:tYJflbåf.~mattef$.rOn making sure that poor kids have eye
exams and warm clothes and food in their bellies, on making sure that libraries are open and that
schools have nurses on duty to keep kids from dying. How many dead kids is all this testing
worth, given that it is, again, of no instructional value?
IF THE ANSWER TO THAT IS NOT OBVIOUS TO YOU, YOU SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE
NEAR A SCHOOL OR AN EDUCATIONAL POLICY-MAKING DESK." i I
~-
8. PARCC is completely experimental. lt has not been validated as accurate & yet it will
be used to evaluate students, schools and teachers
http:/fwN>N. sa1.eOurscl1ool snj .org /2014/12/23/the--12-reasons-we-oppose- the-par cc- testi 2/4
12. 4/1512015 The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PAR CC Test I Sa1.e Our Schools NJ
, , both generally and specifically (that is, with regard to specific
materials and/or skills being tested).
9. PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests are abusive to our children
· , '.,::../;,;-;~:· · ' ·· ·· '·..~,-,,, .:·JfctJzed<fä.$ts:~6r,;Jnflict.Lng::ih.ªr:JiLí~I
'-•' •_.,,.· .J ¿,g;. .~
10. PARCCwill worsen the achievement and gender gaps
. ",,,..·,:»·· ,''ëîit~·fí_ël~fj¡¡':êl'ñ'd ë'rf!H~~Yp'."§"1i'nt~Hú'èfäíti'ótral'iaertøt11)1çl1jfC"ê'.fäif'g~Íå'f~g•:.,,èWiV0d'êl~för'&J... ,.,. . ' ~ . -~ ·-· • /,:¡_._:· .. -.J~~·:;f.::,,_ ..,_~.;:>::.;-:.: ;;, .... ,, -·· . . . .., ..·.. ,. . .... ;,.
, and these tests and the curricula and pedagogical strategies tied to them are
extremely demotivating. They create new expectations and new hurdles that will widen existing
gaps, not close them."
· tr:0tñ¡êr'~'®b~miS*~6i1'eió'í?ei'i;~~'ämg¡.wa¥r1Je·~tfftlr.ë1{re·g'irW'ê'ti't~fl'8Wt~¥i'tí~'§t:á;-rn'ru·a~finiz·afü~m~,,
..., which will further turn off kids already turned off by school, causing more to tune out
and drop out." i
11. High-stakes standardized tests fail to improve educational outcomes
"We have had more than a decade, now, of standards-and-testing-based accountability under
[No Child Left Behind]. We have seen only miniscule increases in outcomes, and those are well
within the margin of error of the calculations. Simply from the ,,;~;~'-Ætë'; 7;.;...,.,..fä, ,·qy:¡ç1_~i~'ª-','ril
- , fÏJ:~&~l~.~ili11' And that[$.~ú~l~-~t~~fäj'.fü~tft~{!fü~;§:~tnx:rL -- K.:..~:;f , , '~--,¿¿:, -,~::.;;" '-- ,· ..··~,-~·-·
,• ,.. ,, ""·"" ; ~~·. :., which is consistent with what we know about the demotivational effects of extrinsic
punishment and reward systems. It's the height of stupidity to look at a clearly failed approach
and to say, 'Gee, we should do a lot more of them."' i
12. PARCCand Smarter Balanced Common Core aligned tests are designed to brand the
majority of our children as failures
•.. '.lf,.. ~~4t1Q_.·:·"·:.'5. ·îm.Ja'i/if.....~.Æß.~Îi~.·-1'..~.·~.;r~.'~~.:z.mf_~t®:'. . ....·~-~r,.·.Jb.:'.'6··..m.:.'fu.·..P'"'..·"'''..···..- .-. ·
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13. 4/15/2015 The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PAR CC Test I Sa1.e Our schoos NJ
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The PARCC test will set its cut scores next summer, but it is very likely to follow the same
pattern, creating a false narrative of failure and causing great harm to our children and our public
schools.
Source: http://dianeravitch.net/ .. ./bob-shepherd-why-parcc-testing-i .. ./
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Source: httn..;.L.Lwww.edweek.orgLJ;warticles/2014/11/17 /13sbac.h34.html
Iii Source: bltn..;.L/dianeravitch. net/ ... /how-pearsons-common-core-tests..:.a,d
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3 Responses to The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PARCC Test
Pingback: New }ersev Blogger Mel Katz Gives All The Reasons For Opt-Out To Superintendent!!! I Exceptional Delaware
Pingback: .12 Reasons to Refuse PARCCI Diane Ravltch's blog
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@ 2015 - Save Our Schools NJ
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14. A reporting project of
State Board of Education on Public Corrplalntsover PARCC Test J statenpæt Ohio4/1312015
OHIO
~
Eye 011 E.clucéltíon
member stations
State Board of Education on Public
Complaints over PARCC Test
MARCH11, 201514:28 PM
BY MARK URYCKI
Ohio public schools are in their third week
of issuing standardized teste; for students in
fourth throuqh sixth grades, eighth grade,
and high school.
The state legislature passed a law one year
ago that eliminates any ramifications for the
pupils in this first year of the test.
But that hasn't calmed down members of
the state board of education at their
.1eeting tbis week.
ABOUT STATEIMPACT OHIO
StatehnpactOhio is a collaboration among
WCPN,WKSU and WOSU. Reporters Amy
Hansen and Mark Urycki travel the state to
report on the state of education in Ohio, where
it's heading, and how it affects you. Readtheir
reports on this site and listen to them on public
racliostations across Ohio.
UrlYCKI
District 11 member Maryl~ose oakar of Cleveland
(foregrouncl)tellinI) Sen. PeggyLehner (hack)about
public complarnts over PAACCtost.
It's known as the PAf~CC test, which stands
for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.
Listen to the Radio Staty
lDNnlwJ
with few problems so far says Jim Wright of the Ohio Department of Education.
"Overall with the number of tests we have given right now there are over 850 thousand
tests that have been completed, 600 thousand in math and ELA [English Language Arts]
and over 250 thousand in science and social studies. So I think it shows that a lot of
schools and districts are doing successfully."
But Board of Education members aren't so sure. Mary Rose Oakar of Cleveland turned to
State Senator Peggy Lehner and said there must be some issues with the test rollout.
"Otherwise I wouldn't be getting boxes of test mania, letters from thoughtful parents,
students, teachers," Oakar said. "I mean, boxes."
"Yeah I know," Lehner said. "I have the same boxes. But I want to point out we've been
etling those for a couple months now."
Lehner, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, believes it's a vocal few who are
complaining and did so even before the exams were given. Some opposition to the
PARCC test comes from groups opposed to the Common Core standards that Ohio
Learn More» Support State Impact Ohio»
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DATA:2013-14 Ohio School District Report
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15. 4/1312015 State Board of Education on Public COOl)lalnts rn.er PARCC Test I StatelrTl)B.ct Ohio
educators adopted. Others just believe students take too many high stakes, standardized FUNDERS
tests.
Lehner asked that the board members allow the tests to run their course over the next two
weeks so officials can study how well they worked. But new board member Bob Hagan of Education reporting is supported by the
Youngstown said every time he goes to the grocery store he's accosted by upset parents, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its
American Graduate Initiative.
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students, and teachers.
"What you're dealing 1Nitl1 now is a test that they think can end their career and the morale
of teachers that is disintegrating right before our eyes."
But last year and again earlier this month, Senator Lehner pointed out, the state legislature
passed a law so this first-year test Nill not have ramifications on students' grades or their
ability to graduate.
Support for Statelmpact Ohio and its education
programming on 90.3 and online is provided by
the Nord Family Foundation and The
Nordsan Corporation Foundation.
"There are no implications for anyone at the school level, the teacher level or the students'
level from these exams this spring. There are none. So not taking the test only delays our
ability to find out whether it's a bad or a good test or whether its formulated well or not."
That's not entirely true. ln fact, the test Nill count toward teacher evaluations unless the
teacher works out a deal with the school district.
lt was conservative Repuolicans, like the late State Senator Gene Watts, who wanted strict
statewide standards and testing, going back to the 1990's. 'And sorne still back them.
One of the eight board members appointed by Governor Kasich, Melanie Bolender, of Mt
Vernon, expressed support for the exams.
"Accountability is important and testing is the way to hold people accountable. I think we
need to hold people accountable."
(
The Senate has formed a committee that includes board members, teachers, and
curriculum experts to investigate whether the PARCC test works for Ohio. They'll issue a
report in May.
After that the committee Nill look for ways to follow up on the State School
Superintendent's goal of cutting back by 20% all standardized tests in Ohio.
TOPICS
The ABC's of the Common Core in
Ohio
Influences PARCC
COMMENTS
11 Comments Statelmpact Ohio 8 Loqln «
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16. 4/13/2015 PAR CC Is unfair to special needs students I West Milford Hewtt NewfoundlandNJ I Lettersto theEditor
Cartoons Columns Letters to the Editor
PARCC is unfair to special needs
students
PARCCis unfair to special neecls students
PUBLISHED FEB 13, 2015 AT 6:01 AM (UPDATED FEB 13, 2015)
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There are many parent concerns, echoed throughout the state of New .Iersey, regarding the upcoming PARCC
assessment. The PARCC test aligns with the New .lersey Common Core curriculum.
;~
. However,
they will he able to utilize the accommodations built into the computerized version of the test. This sounds, on
paper, as appropriate accommodations for the special needs students. However, in actuality, the PARCC
testing and Common Core arc creating a population of students, 1(,to 2.0 percent in New Jersey, with a very
~&~~~¥iiî~~î~W~"'V
'J1Je Common Core curriculum and the PARCC testing fit the one-size-fits-
< ocsn't take into account the unique needs of our special education students
with an !EP or 504.
Hg·-, Some of the difficulties this population faces are reading comprehension,
written expression, and fluency. The accommodations on the PARCC test cannot meet the unique needs of the
student. The PARCC doesn't take into account that many language-based learning-dísa hied students read
below grade level. This is very apparent on previous years' standardized test reports.
There is a disparity between the partially proficient general education students and the special education
list of most siguificant common core key terms hy Bruce Taylor being given out hy schools that are
participating in PARCC. This document claims, if students elo not understand the meaning of these terms on
which PARCC prompts are based,
students learn differently than the general population. The standard visual test wou Id create an unfair
disadvantage to these specific leamers even with a reader or audio-component.
-~mt&.1i~'.~i.i~.~~Æ~~1ªRAt~~~ØJ.w~- . _ .These students
are often below gracie level as well. Many parents arc concerned in this group of learners. · · 1 1 1 . ,a· ,
f'a,Ji:W¡~~Øft[~clt-·11iis can adversely affect a child';s:~lf
esteem. Standardized testing for one with a neurological condition is penalizing those students.
••
Most: Rend Commented Emniled
04/09/201?
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04/09/2015
District's Wechling retiring
04/08/2015
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years of service
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upgrade
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04/07/2015
Anthony Christopher Neglia
04/08/2015
BASF to sponsor two free lectures
by Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle
Tm: WEEK'S MOSTDISCI:SSEI>STOR!l·~~
Dining Guide
2014
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17. 4/1312015 PAR CC Is unfair to special needs students I West Miiford HelJIÄtt Nevioundland NJ I Letters to the Editor
..
(
. Io LE-am More
· Ciiek He're · ·
Cnll for Spr.•clr1ls!
behalf of the student to learn something new.
The common difficulties students with disabilities face daily have not been taken into account with the
PARCC testing. These difficulties are: speaking, reading, comprehension, processing, memory, executive
Tho does the PARCC testing hurt the most? The students who are most vulnerable.
e .• bg1lEhlRVJ~ltWJ~"¥t~1~iª11flf~,~~¡',JlW~--S.î~
. . These students are expected to sit and d(ï110ÎlÍiÎÎg'fu'rt ecturatlon of the testing. 'l11e "sit
and stare" iolicy i~ a direct punitive action that will negatively impact the special education populatlon,I
BØ ·.'i., ··~~~~_Jl'g"ff" . , the sit and stare policy will just increase the anxiety.
I implore school districts not to utilize suc 1gmatizing tactic. Offer the students who have parent refusals
for the PARCC an nlternative activity.
Mary Laumbach-Perez is a volunteer educational advocate for students with special needs. Professionally she
is a nationally certified Employment Services Provider with 10 years of experience working with the
developmental disabilities and special education population. She has 15 years experience studying Hidden
Disabilities: Learning and Developmental. Laumbach-Perez is also the founder of a non-profit special
education coalition. Through the coalition., she has partnered with professionals to offer special education
workshops to New Jersey parent groups. The opinions expressed in this article are her own and do not
express the opinions of her employer or other professionals she has partnered with.
,.
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18.
19. Parent? Student? leacher? NO
Wh~t~~~~%,~z~~·;~:r~~e~~1 :~1Y1~l~t~~;~iew ~
in our school: PARCC. SŒCll
lt Hl
Overtesting strips us of ow love of lc<H ning.
Hig1 stakes tc-stir.g .lmits ocr exptomttcn of
ourwodd, our teacher's t:rnativity, and our school's
1thilit.yto Improve education
Yoy.are.more .Hu1n.ø.:;core.
Wonl.m.9r.dnf2Ui91l>Julp;//ßl1~q-~_b•i:tfll~.~-"'·m.~
For the alternative policies some that we have mentioned are giving individuals the option
to opt out of taking the test instead of making everyone take the test. Yes this is already an
option but we've decided to mention it because many parents do not know about it here.
This is a good alternative to the people but not to the school because the people will be
happy with choosing which test but the schools will be having to pay for two tests.
The second alternative is to go back to regular standardized testing (OAA). This will
be hard to decide because some people like the new
test. Although many at this particular school dislike the
PARCC tests some school districts do enjoy the new
computer based testing. So this will get a lot of
controversy among Ohio. The state governor could
choose to not allow PAR CC tests at all so we have to
be careful of what we ask so we keep everyone i n mind
when we make the final decision.
The third alternative is to allow schools to
decide which test to take and not the state of Ohio. This would be good because some
VOU CAN ...
• Refuse the PARCC
• Take Control of
Your Education
• Make a Stand
schools may like it and some may not. Many states are doing PARCC by state not by
school district so it would be a good solution to one of the problems. Also many students
have chosen to opt out of the test so instead of having vast numbers of students opt out the
entire school can just opt out. This will help because once a child opts out you'll have to get
a new test for them to take so if vast amount of people opt out it would be smart for the
entire school to opt out as well.
20. PARCC Testing: Some Ohio
· parents opting out
Department of Education issues warning
BY: Julie O'Neill (mailto:joneill@wcpo.com)
LOVELAND,Ohio - Are you in or out?
9 On Your Side has found that a growing number ofparents are considering opting their kids
out of next week's new standardized testing for Ohio in spite ofwarnings from the
Department of Education about possible consequences.
Many parents are taking their concerns to social media. And even a local superintendent is
expressing reservations about it.
Loveland parents like AmyBroermann are sounding offon the private "Learn Loveland"
Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023711754310780/).
Ohio is among 13 states in the consortium called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness
for Collegeand Careers (PARCC),(http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing-old/Ohio-s-
State-Tests/Partnership-for-Assessment-of-Readiness-for..,Co-1)which developed Ohio's new
grades 3-12 English language arts and mathematics state tests.
Broermann has spent the last fewdays conferring with other parents concerned about PARCC
testing, and she says the math doesn't add up.
"The number of days that teachers spent preparing for it. The number of days that school will
be disrupted so that kids can take the tests ... It's gone too far," she said.
"I hear about teachers complaining that they spend as much time and energy on paperwork
and prepping for tests as they do actually teaching the kids.
"The money and time that is being spent with all the standardized testing is not most
benefiting our kids and Ijust worry that we are traveling in the totally wrong direction as to
how we can best help our kids and help our teachers educate our kids."
21. Loveland Superintendent Chad Hilliker understands her concern and has shared his on his
blog. (http://www.lovelandschools.org/protected/ ArticleView.aspx?iid=5IU2B2&dasi=3IU2)
"My concern isn't about the testing. It's about the number of days that we're going to be ( -,
testing," he told 9 On Your Side.
"We used to test two days a year for reading and for math. Now we're testing in eight
sessions, which changes the schedule for eight days."
The grassroots organization Opt Out Ohio
(http://ohioansagainstcommoncore.com/ optoutohiochallenge-your-childs-safe-harbor /) said
the opt-out form on its site has been downloaded 24,000 times since they posted it two weeks
ago.
Hilliker says only a minority are opting out in Loveland.
"We have some people who have opted out but not a vast majority of people are doing that.
Most people want their children to take the test because we need to see the results. We kind
of need to see what it's like after the first year before we really make a determination about
what that really means for our students," he said.
(
The Ohio Department of Education has a warning on its website
(https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing-old/News/Guidance-on-Testing-Refusal-Cases-
Offered) about possible consequences for students, teachers, schools and districts when
students don't take state tests.
Broermann believes this first year is the best year to opt out to minimize negative
consequences such as affecting her district's report card or funding.
She is opting out.
"Onlybecause I think that sends the strongest message," she said.
Parents have been sounding offon this issue on WCPO'sFacebookpage.
(https://www.facebook.com/WCP09/posts/10152832985863445) We'd like to hear from you
with this testing beginning Feb. 16.
22. Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms - The Washi... Page 1 of 5
~he ttlttøbittgtontJoøt
Answer Sheet
Elementary school teachers: How PARCCtesting is
affecting our classrooms
By Valerie Strauss March 23
With the spring standardized testing season under way, we are hearing from a growing number of
teachers, principals and even superintendents who are speaking out about the negative effects of high-
stakes testing on teaching and learning. For example, Steve Kramer, superintendent of Madeira City
Schools in Ohio, recently wrote an open letter about why he is "profoundly concerned" about new
Common Core testing. The following post is an open letter signed by 20 teachers at Barbieri Elementary
School in Framingham, Massachusetts, who detail how Common Core testing is affecting their
classrooms.
Here's the open letter:
We are teachers at Barbieri Elementary School who want to make clear what is happening
in your children's classrooms as a result of decisions made in offices far away.
This year, 3rd-8th graders in Framingham Public Schools will be taking the test known as
PARCC,which will be replacing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
(MCAS).
PARCCwas created by the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers, one of two multi-state consortia given $360 million in federal funds to design
new standardized tests to hold students, schools and teachers "accountable."
As teachers we cannot stay silent as PARCCmakes its way into our classrooms.
In the words of Soujourner Truth at the 1851 Women's Convention, "Where there is so
much racket there must be something out of kilter." Nationally, we're hearing a racket
about the problem of standardized tests driving instruction, knocking the process of
education clearly out of kilter. Here are a few reasons why:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/23/elementary-school-teac... 4/8/2015
23. Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms -The Washi... Page 2 of 5
1. Test Prep takes time awayft•om REAL Reading, W1·iting and Math
Instruction. (
For example, leading up to the PARCCexam, regular instruction is suspended in reading
and writing classes in order to prepare our students for the kind of passages and
questions they will encounter. On average we will cancel six weeks of reading and writing
instruction to prepare for the tests. The time for independent reading, read-alouds and
word study is replaced with repeated practice answering multiple choice questions and
writing multi-paragraph essays in less time than they will ever be asked to do in high
school or college. This does not even account for the instruction time lost to actually
taking the PARCCtests. This year students will lose seven additional learning days in
Grade Three, eight days in Grade Four and nine days in Grade Five, while the children
take the PARCCexam (in addition to science MCASin fifth grade). Some say that because
students will only be allowed 75 minutes to complete the test, there will still be plenty of
time for regular instruction. However, it will take at least an additional 40 minutes to get
students appropriately seated, hand out the materials and read the lengthy directions.
This also does not account for the fact that some students are allowed up to the entire
school day to complete the tests, and we cannot introduce new concepts with part of the
class still testing. Furthermore, PARCCis only one of many state and district mandated
tests that your children have to take each year.
2. Test Prep Negatively Affects Children's Love ofLearninq
We became elementary school teachers because we wanted to help foster a love of
learning. We teach our students that reading can bring joy and that math is magical. But
that message is nullified when we start to prepare our students for standardized tests. We
tell our students that they can no longer talk with their friends to puzzle out a math
solution, or consult the word wall to help them understand unfamiliar words. We tell our
students that they need to read quickly because on testing days they will have a mere 75
minutes to read two or three stories, answer multiple choice questions and write an essay.
As we completely undermine what we have spent so much time building, our students
begin to lose their passion for reading and math. If wc extinguish the passion to learn at
such a young age, how are we preparing them for "college and careers?"
3. Standardized Tests Punish English Language Learners, Students with
Special Needs and Students with Anxiety
http:!/www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/23/elementary-school-teac... 4/8/2015
24. Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms - The Washi ... Page 3 of 5
As teachers, wc constantly strive to meet the individual needs of our students by
differentiating instruction so that everyone can access the curriculum. But that is not the
message during testing time. For the first time in the school year, all students arc
expected to read independently at their given grade level. Students with special needs and
those whose first language is not English arc likely to struggle. Every year, children who
are anxious about school freeze up, become ill, and/or are reduced to tears by these types
of tests. Russ Walsh, a literacy expe1t, recentlydetermined that the majority of passages
and questions on the sample PARCCtests arc two years beyond the expected reading level
for the grade. He summarized his findings by saying that the tests will provide very
limited information for parents and teachers, and a tremendous amount of frustration for
students.
4. PARCC= Failing our Teachers and Students
The results of the PAR.CC tests will no doubt feed into the education reform mantra that
our kids, teachers and schools are failing. Each year, there are wholesale changes to
curriculum because the goal of education has become "passing the test." We have to
scramble to create lesson plans for these constantly changing expectations. How can we
do our best work if we are not properly trained in the curriculum? A new lesson requires
time for teachers to understand the concept deeply and determine how best to present it.
It requires time to think about how to engage students in the lesson, how to accommodate
for individual student needs, and to gather the necessary materials. We need time to
create visual supports, and to consider how to assess students' understanding of what is
taught. Multiply that time by four or more subjects in a day, and you can sec how it
becomes impossible for teachers to be effective when curriculum is changed every year to
fit a test.
Excellent teaching is aligned to the individual learning needs of students, and it is out of
kilter to have to teach to the expectations of a standardized test. These sterile tests and
the accompanying weeks of artificial test-prep stand in stark contrast to the rich and
varied learning experiences we strive for in the classroom. By way of this testing, we see
the curriculum narrowing, a false definition of educational success expanding, and the
appreciation of school and life-long learning vanishing.
Pat Kryzak, 3rd Grade Teacher
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/23/elementary-school-teac... 4/8/2015
25. Elementary school teachers: How PARCC testing is affecting our classrooms - The Washi... Page 4 of 5
Antonella D'Eramo, 3rd Grade Teacher
/
Laura Molina Camarasa, 3rd Grade Teacher
Sarah Pogson, 3rd Grade Teacher
Rebecca Lally, 3rdGrade Teacher
Jocelynne Mackay, 3rdGrade Teacher
Megan Gage, 3rdGrade Teacher
Jean Mulcahey, 3rdGrade Teacher
Lisie Haustein, 4th Grade Teacher
Katy Shander-Reynolds, 4th Grade Teacher
Monica Viteri-Harutunian, 4th Grade Teacher
Ned Sawyer, 4th Grade Teacher
Kirstin Veeder, 4th Grade Teacher
Ann Croatti, 4th Grade Teacher
Susan Quemere, 4th Grade Teacher
Tamar Szmuilowicz, 5th Grade Teacher
Laura Goldman, 5th Grade Teacher
Susan Rosser, 5th Grade Teacher
Teresa Burke, 5th Grade Teacher
Cristina Sandza-Donovan, 5th Grade Teacher
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answcr-shect/wp/2015/03/23/elcmcntary-school-teac... 4/8/2015
26. • Takes up less time
• Has easier questions
• Get grants to pay for the assessments
• Take it all one day
• Gets more class time
• You'll know the content of the text
These are some advantages of going back to paper state testing
better known as OAA 's. Some advantages of going back are it takes
less time and and you can finish all tests in a week time frame. Since it
takes up less time you'll have more class time and time for your
teachers to teach you things you may need to know on these tests.
Disadvantages on going back to the OAA 's
• Its not as challenging as PARCC
• We won't know how to operate the computers for other things
• Its not eco friendly
These are some disagreements on our alternative policy which is
going back to the OAA 's. Some of the things we came up with are the
PARCC is not as challenging as the OAAs, so we could be preparing for
the next grade up. Also its not eco friendly and you would be using a lot
of paper when we could be taking the online tests. Although there are
some disadvantages these things can be fixed besides the paper issue
so I still think we should go back to regular paper testing OAA 's.
27. stares reconsmer common core tests
By Adrienne Lu February 20, 2014
Beginning in March,-mti.~~DJÆ~;¡<l'è<]ff
tlCß.!!!i4l~:!l.M; a set of standards adopted by almost every state that map out what students should know and be
able to do in each grade.
.-·-m~•ifd~Jmm:~~~,
~~g¡~~to increase academic rigor for all students and to allow states to better evaluate their
students and compare them with those in other states.
The testing that will take place starting in March wi11 serve as a dry run for the two groups of states that have , ,
u .'
banded together to develop Common Core tests, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership'
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. In most states, the real Common Core tests will
· ·,,gin in 2015.
·y
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But as controversy over the Common Core has challenged some states' commitment to the standards,_.,
~d~il!Im..--1,, · · raising questions
about the cost of the tests and the long-term viability ofthe multi-state testing groups, which~~
ŒØIJJmJJml· . ·. The federal grants will end this fall, and it is unclear whether the testing
groups will continue past that point.
"What gets tested is what gets taught," said Joan Herman, co-director emeritus ofthe National Center for Research
on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing at UCLA. "To the extent that the assessments well represent the spirit
l meaning of the standards, the spirit and meaning ofthe standards will get taught. Where the assessments fall
snott, curriculum, instruction and teaching willlikely fall short as well."
28. Dropping the tests
~~~Crlticsfromb~hends~fuepoliticd
spectrum cited a variety of complaints, including the fear of federal control over education, questions about whethe(
Common Core is superior to previous state standards and worries about .the implementation ofthe standards, ·
including the cost to states and school districts .
.~):[ft;)T'°%:tfi ~?(ç':,:¡'.{1P:hJ:;.n'(~ ·~··mt--rhfä~·;~·(I {pikir~ í, d:qi 'g~î. K.ahITTta }fff~. tú~ ~ïiY~ Ilii o.:!, • ~l .O , º º o t º- (! fd)ij'!) • , • • , , • ,
- ., --. : - .- • - • ,..~·«, ·,. _- ->;:·¿·..~(F}_::)~i,·{~:-{--rt>:'_-'.~~z)~-·:,}.~.TY~~,~,:,...._~ --~····~· ~-~-- - ',.~/ -~,_~'.?-:/':(li~l?i(
,;f~~~~~s·_¡r..~L~Ji:i;fo:~,~1v¡¡t1o;(~·:~p.rJ~F:iiï~~miiif.~;·.~ifü~;_'.rnr'i;ùit;~{L:;-iéfuî~·..~~-fü ··füt~r~ ";,'tf' ~ · ·t.··fü~~)
..J.>~-.~~~j¡~i¡i~{~j)fü~~,i'~~~~' .....
...
only the English standards). But
WJW!?or~'Ja'wl,!.!~.~
opting instead to commission tests from the
. • and instead
Pennsylvania has said it will use its own tests.
- about the median its member states now pay for standardized tests;
····and
than current standardized test costs in two-thirds of the member states.
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Herman said both PARCCand Smarter Balanced are breaking new ground in developing student tests.
'~~ii1f'"1d;£{1Jñ~imlmfûJIS~l)@p,!gif~@mltllB~ŒØ," Herman sait·
"No doubt some folks don't think they're far enough, but in my mind, they're definitely an important step forward
and will~~~tm1r~m¥ï1lf@.îfçííi'§!filri'ft.rd~~X!§.¡,JJm~t~lm}~t~~,,
29. <tbc ttlíl!lbington¡Jost
'nions
Want your kids to opt out of standardized tests? The
Constitution may be with you.
Correction: An earlier version of this story attributed a.finding - that pre-kindergarten through ieth grade
students take 113 tests - to the wrong education organization. The version below has been corrected.
By Anya Kamenetz January 9
Anya Kamenetz writes about education for NPR. This essayis adapted from her book "The Test: WhyOur
Schools Are Obsessed With Standardized Testing - but You Don't Haveto Be."
When Jeanette Deutermann's older son began third grade, he started crying and begging not to go to school. He
developed stomachaches that a doctor said were stress-related. Deutermann, a stay-at-home mom in Nassau
County, Long Island, was mystified. "In kindergarten, first, second grade, he wasn't a kid who was like, 'Please let
go to school,'" she recalled. "But he didn't have issues."
She eventually realized what was stressing him out: ~~J.ï11(Wfi@l"l.11J.!lg,IîJif]!¡~ßœ~Ø
On top of state-mandated annual exams, her school and district had imposed many more diagnostic, benchmark
and practice tests. For Deutermann, the last straw came in February 2013, during her son's fourth-grade year, when
he brought home a notide that he'd been "selected" for something called "Sunrise Academy." Based on their scores
on the NWEA, a benchmark test, some fourth-graders - gifted as well as struggling kids - were asked to come in at
7:30 a.m. two mornings a week to prep for the state exam. "For me it was a-~ota.I red flag," peutermann recalled, "I
start asking: 'What happens ifhe doesn't do well? WiU he be put on a lower track? What is the consequence?'" She
was told the test would measure the school's performance, not her son's.
But Deutermann had had enough. So she founded a Facebook group, Long Island Opt-out Info, that February and
started organizing other parents. the next spring, , !'§}~'l)]l!zSJiritr,!Lt§i~}ñîï'[Çl§f.@.~-;;jlrâñcflîW"d~t~
.l.-
30. (,_ u ·-vv-~u~,·.v~~·.v~•·.···-~c,v>~~---,-~-.~·--~-.w~ •• ~-~~-----•--·•~----~=~~~~~--~~~-·~·~-~ --~-~·~-~ ..,-.,~,•n·v,--'-~--~~
~~~~- determined to reclaim local control and opposed to market-based
reforms, school closures and cutbacks - fiJ.mñ'gt"tliê.ir:mit:i~ltJlJ§fäffffi._HiiJg.it~&J Designed to assess
students and hold teachers, schools, districts and states accountable for their performance, high-stakes exams have
come to define education for many kids. The Council ofthe Great CitySchools has reported that
~"".®1í®!til~!t1ll!l!!1ifil!'eíi'à'li'iliil'!filmil1Bf]lfülI!lli!fïl~Il~áLILt.- ~"û· . íW§ffll
The new national resistance holds that these exams do not provide useful or timely information; that they are unfair
to minorities and other disadvantaged grnups; and that tests and prep are crowding out arts, science, social studies
and zrst-century skills. Officialsare pushing back. Yet parents are finding constitutional arguments to support their
approach, and in many cases they'r~~vVinni11g.
There are no hard numbers. But starting in 2013, changes to teacher evaluations related to Race to the Top, a
federal incentive program, as well as the adoption of the Common Core standards, triggered a new wave of opt-out
protests and boycotts led by parent groups and teachers unions.Qi•ør~JJ:~1~11m}nfti~iliiiwí:Jil,W~:"" :
f:~~'î§ilftll_... f¡. Organizers in Denver and Chicago also recruited many defectors during the 2014 testing .
legendar
Histofy..,," historian William J. Reese tells the story ofwhat happened in 1845 in Boston, when reformers, led by the
. ···,·· · . , ,í : ·culnsT.ftñfis'ª"i$~,r.,,rytegtnñ'¡i)1fv..1;·c.r1:;·1fg'ffii2·;;lf&fü§.fU:ä~lf Pi'~r~êfJ~lfffà.dê'r'Yf:¡¡.,.;:;r¡:· ,.,..,,,., ~,, .,•.t!hJ,..·.(·~1¡'1):',~,!:,l-1-.:·:·.~~.../:t!:l-'- • lt 1):,¡~!t. · .,.~.·R~......,.....~,~·-- · ru~·~,-,Y.~..~- · .. . 8•.:.<~">~
, that the test narrowed the curriculum and deprofessionalized teachers.
But, as Reese writes, "once written tests entered the schools, they were never going to leave."
Still, most students complied. The opt-out is a relatively new phenomenon - a response to the age ofuniversal,
high-stakes testing. · ·· .' ,~ ,, ··1~~ff1~'@lllmwª_Ps_: ~-g~-~~~f_W,t1Ø
r1·~~.~~,¡~·~·âh~:;~cf:t~1··~:: '.~Hf~:Í·/;~ ~:l. aw.:~~vyy.2t.,,..,,....~ .. ,~§=.@ ~L .. ,,,....,:X.Æ..~1 . J
. The state commissioner of education scolded the affluent district in an
officialletter the following fall, ordering school officialsto punish students if they repeated the stunt.
I
alarm about "Obamacore," while teachers unions are asking for more professional autonomy. High-stakes testing
31. H ·st · 11 ~~,:i:~:'¥.~î:;e"~."s'Mt~a·,:,;¡;·1î1X~èlt.JW~~''e:;,sr't~s1'~~'l,a·;·,_:,:i;-~+'A'Q;'i'c,"Bil,·'8"mt;l'l~P~""'a-··.-.···1"e"··1P''e)7JW)ll'.r-c.1~=-]:l;r.f~Wa""'~~"1i·e-~"ª:i-·.¡;~ffi..1~'·"'fm -1~~~1·
1~ one~ y, ~~i,:g¡.1. ll!;!.W..il.,~~t :n Y-e.,tM.w.r~¥~~:fü·i,·.~,W.1,,~l,l,,.1X..•J;~g._~~.y;,_S_M __.::;.J:¡,!i._1;;?.~t:t~~"..til,~Y.11i:s.i.e..~P~ll!Ul!@S't
and don't reflect a great depth oflearning, said James Pellegrino, co-director of Learning Sciences Research
Institut~ at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a leading expert.on student assessment.
Pellegrino said that because every child is now tested every year from third through eighth grades and once in high
~hoo~~~dbecauæ, ,~;..~,Yv~
'
Pellegrino warned. "If we have shallow tests
§Øi._1l.:œJ'· -~~~
" Pellegrino said. "As a consequence, they won't teach to the standards - they'll teach to
"Youget into a mode of mass production, and mass production doesn't alwaysget tuned to the highest levels of
quality," Pellegrino said. "It's not like you couldn't do it, but it's very costly to produce high-quality assessments on
an ongoing basis with the sort of scope and scale" used in the United States.
the test."
Assessing complex skills
tmlmf' or groups of test questions designed around a common theme and
On the end-of-year exams, King said high school students might be asked to imagine being a staff member in a
congressman's office.The congressman has asked the staffer to write a short memo explaining the pros and cons of
nuclear power and provide a recommendation on what position the congressman should take, including the
justification for the recommendation. The student would be given background materials to read and would need to
evaluate the credibility of the background materials before constructing a cogent, concise argument.
David Connerty-Marin, a spokesman for PARCC,said
. They will, for example,~9,')_Y~, ...
, . t . , . They also will evaluate reading and writing scores at every grade (currently, few states
u.st writing at every grade level) and gauge whether students are on track to be "collegeready" when they graduate
from high school.
32. •bepth of knowledge'
In Michigan, which has seen its share of controversy over the Common Core, Joseph Martineau, the deputy
superintendent for accountability services, said ·~im~~Ft'~iJ'la~mfill$.m.ii~ (
, the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, or MEAP.Smarter Balanced wi11 '
.: .... ~êisfß.··n:·,~.. ~. m. ~~~~~!t.ll'IJ!m.
. , they can also be administered over a longer period,
whereas the previous state tests had to be administered on a single day to prevent cheating.
Martineau said th
'
"We would not have been able to afford to develop the kind of quality that was developed t~rough the consortium.f
•' ._. ;. .
he said. '.
- Stateline.org
34. su~~o~te~s a~d a~~o~e~ts
Our PARCC movement has appealed to many people. Not
only do we have many supporters we also so have Opponents.
We are planning to appeal to the ones opposing our
alternative for PARCC in by part taking in civil disobedients.
We are planning to protest against their opinion in hopes to
persuade them that PARCC is not in the best assessment to
prove what the students have learned throughout the year ..
PARCC also affects the way teachers are rated and this
assessment is unfairly bring rates down.
Some of the group of people we have supporting us are mainly our peers.
Most of our teacher, our Principle, and many groups of students all across the
districts. We don't have many upper executive supporters yet, but we are hoping to
appeal to the State Board of Education. The State Board of education will give us
the power we need to carry out our Alternative policy of going back to the OAA state
assessment. We will need to influence them to make a change in their state testing
system.
Although, we have a great amount of supporters we also have many opponents we
need to influence. Some of these groups consist of many of our peers, many teachers, and
and the people of the district. We have to influence the teacher that this assessment is
failing them. Teachers are evaluated by three things, which consist of Teacher
performance, Alternative Component, and Student Growth. If our students are not prepared
for this assessment, and don't meet the standards of this test how can a teacher be rated
on their growth. If the student are failing the test, because teachers didn't have to resources
to prepare them for the assessment, how can you tell if the teacher is doing his/her job or
not. The assessment is unfairly failing both the students and teachers, which also makes
our school as a whole look bad.
Refuse the Te$t
OPT OUT OF
PAR CC
CommonCoroForum.<>rg
[i] Common Core Sorum
The State Government is this biggest opponent our group needs to influence. The
State Government agrees with the idea of PARCC "Challenging the student", and PARCC
being the "New and Improved". We would need to influence them to have an open mind.
We are hoping they would see our views and consider our policy. Other than the State
Government, There are many supporters in that field. There are not many others we may
need to influence, but if needed we will do so.
35. Basically we are going to be taking all the evidence we have received so far in our project
and making a video of it. The evidence we have all come from reliable sources and surveys.
Every website we used to find information is listed in each of the panels bibliography. We'll have
a table of content in the beginning of our binder so you know where to find everything in the
binder. We have dividers in the binder labeled as the panel numbers and more.
Our information we gathered is very helpful to us because we needed some type of proof
to prove to them a lot of people dislike the PARCC tests. Keep in mind when you see our
surveys that they are from all kinds of different people they could be 7th or 8th graders men or
women and even adults. Our surveys really have no limit of whos taking it because we want our
evidence to be very distinctive so as long as you have some connection with PARCC you can
take it whether it be you are taking it or you're giving the test or even your children are taking it.
Also even though you may think that everyone in the United States has to take the test
they don't PAR CC is ran by state so if your state governor says its a good idea to take PARCC
tests every public school has to do so unless you or your school opt out. Some states may not
want you to opt out though because it will cause a lot of stress and hectic moments in the mean
time of getting some sort of test in place instead of the PARCC.
PARCC States http://www.parcconline .org/
1• ·~·'· .
• Il
36. ou~ ActltM Pan
We are going to be making a video to present to the Board of Education and maybe even
the state. We decided to make a video so we can share our results and information to inform
everyonewhy we don't like PARCC. Most people have many differentviews on state testing and
whether or not PARCC should be in place. We will also be interviewingadministrators like
teachers, the principal, board members and more.
We will start by getting questions in order to ask our different groups of teachers we'll be
writing our questions in a journal along with the responses. We are going to be emailing teachers
and asking them when the best time to interview them is and keeping note of when and where.
We'll be recording clips of the interviews to put in the video and be asking them to record a short
entry so that we can insert that as well. The video will mainly focus on differentviews on the
PARCC but we will also give a lot of background information on PARCC and OAA's.
This is what we will be doing as our step to get rid of PARCC. Mer we gather all the
information, video clips, and interviews we will be editing it and turning it into this great
inspirationalvideo. We basically just want PARCC removed from our school and to allow us to
pick what WE want to take. Think about it would you be trying your absolute best on a test you
dread taking? I don't think so. So why not allow us to pick so you can have the best test score
results for the district? Exactly there is no point.
Parccïnu
AT ANY. TllVlliE
N<> iPCl rc:·c::=
T·~s.t-i 111 g :Ze> ri te-
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37. Menu
(http://www.nj.com/)
Subscnbe
Slgn ln Search
PARCC: What happens if students 'opt out?•
few Jersey schools am pmparir1gtor how to handle students w 110 refuse lo take the new PARCC ex urts. (Express Tirn:~s file
photo)
n lhttp://conncct.nj.com/staffladamclark/index.htmn ByAdam Clark I NJ Advance Medla for
g NJ.com lhttp://connect.nl,com/staff/adamctarklp.l!filliJllrn!l
· Email the author I Follow on Twitter lhttps://twitter.com/rcalAdamClarkl
on January 25, 2015 at 7:41 AM, updated January 25, 2015 at 9:40 AM
NewJersey students in grades 3 to 11 willtake
the state's new standardized tests this March. But
LilaLofving,a seventh-grader at Montclair's
Mount Hebron Middle School,won't be ciné of
them, her mother says.
Martha Evans says she will refuse to allow Lila,a
straight-A student, to take the Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers (http://www.parcconline.org)
exam, whichshe thinks is unnecessarily difficult,
among other concerns.
"I think it's a horrible test," Evanssaid. "I don't
think it has any assessment value, and I don't
want her taking it."
AcrossNewJersey, districts arc preparing for
how they will respond to students like Lila,part
of a building "opt-out" movement aimed at the
PARCCexams, computerized tests designed to he
more challenging than their predecessors.
The state says it has no policyaddressing
whether students can opt out of standardized
tests, but the Department of Education has
advised districts that the tests are mandatory ane!
that schoolsshould consult their discipline ane!
attendance policiesif students refuse to take
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38. them. See more comments»
(http://www.nj.com/interact/)
Superintendents say they are followingthat state (http://ads.nj.com/RealMedia/ads/click lx.ads/www.nj.com/cducation/2015/01/what
directive,whileat the same time concedingtheycan't force a student to take a test.
The state has also advised schoolofficialsto steer the conversation awayfrom whether
students can refuse the PARCCtests and toward the benefit of taking the exams, which
focuson criticalthinking and strategy more so than content.
"ThePARCCexams, unlike anything elsewchave ever done in the state, willprovide
much more robust information about your child's education, howthe schoolscan help
them, howyou as a parent can help them," Education Commissioner DavidHespesaid,
Students arc not required to take the PARCCtests to moveto the next grade level.And
unlike the HighSchoolProficiencyAssessment,which had been givento rith-graders,
PARCCwillnot he a graduation requirement, at least not until 2018.
A fewdistricts have been proactiveabout clarifyingfor parents whether students who
refusethe test willhe offered alternative learning activities,whichthe state says
districts are not required to do. But others haveso far remained mum unless
specificallyasked.
Someparents fear students couldbe forcedto "sit and stare," an approach certain
schoolsacross the country have adopted in response to opts outs. Sarah Tepper Blaine
of Montclair, an education bloggerwhosaysher daughter will refuse the fourth-grade
test, said the lackof a universal policyhas left parents unsure what to expectiftheir
students refuse to take the PARCCon test clay.
"I don't think it's clear to anyone at this point," Blainesaid.
Opt-out movement grows
NewJersey is one of 11 states, along with the Districtof Columbia,in the PARCC
consortium that developedthe common set oftests in math and language arts. More
than 20 states were originallyinvolvedhut the number continues to drop as support
wanes.The tests are aligned with the newstandards introduced in classrooms last year,
called Common Core íltttp://www.c01·estandards.org).
With the debut of the PARCC tests loomingin NewJersey, the localopt-out movement
is experiencinga groundswell,said Jean McTavish,a member of United Opt Out-NJ, a
branch of a national organization that promotes opting out as a wayfor parents to get a
seat at the table with decision makers in education.
"It is explodingin NewJersey," MeTavishsaid.
That was evidencedat January's state Boardof Education meeting, where nearly 100
people signed up for public testimony.
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Parents, some holding "NO PARCCING" signs or wearing "Opt-out" shirts
íblln://www.nj.com/education/2015/ollpa1·cc exams blasted by parents teacher students at open fomm.html),
calledfor the state to abandon the PARCCtests. Somestudents said they wouldrefuse
to take them.
McTavish,a NewYorkCityschoolprincipal whose children attend RidgewoodPublic
Schools,said NewJersey is followingin the footsteps of NewYork,where thousands of
students reportedly skipped schoollast spring rather than show up to take their annual
state tests.
Educators agree the movement is spreading, though it's unclear to what degree.
Opposition is vocalin some communities, like Montclair,hut superintendents in some
others saythey have barely heard a peep.
PARCC supporters, who count the state's PTAand association ofschool administrators
among them, have said they believemuch of the opposition stems from a general dislike
of the CommonCore.
Opponents, however,say their concerns nm deeper.
39. Many critics say the questions
are too confusing and the
format is too complex,
especially for younger students.
Lila said she wanted to take the
PARCC exams, despite her
mother's concerns, until she
took a practice test at school.
She was confused by a question
asking about the underlying
teme of a sentence in a story,
she said. Another question
directed her to select the best
answer when she thought none
of the answers were great, she
recalled.
An "opt our: shirt worn by Mrntclair parent Colleen Martine, at the New
Jersey Board of Education meeting (!'dam Clark I NJ Aívance ~dta
for NJ.com)
"Notonlywas it hard, the questions were reallycomplicated and they were, like,
deceiving,"said Lila,13. "Eventually,once I had deciphered what they wanted, I had to
rush to he able to finish it."
Lilanowagrees with her mom thatshe shouldn't take the test. In addition to findingit
confusing,she says practice tests are taking awayfrom instructional time.
"Wehave alwaystold her, 'We are goingto do what wcthink is hest foryou,' "Evans
said. "I do not think taking the PARCCis hest for her."
In Montclair, parents have urged the schoolhoard to adopt a policyallowingstudents
whowant to skip the test to receive other learning opportunities during testing periods.
A vote is expected at Monday's school board meeting.
No state policy
In California,state law has long given parents the right to opt students out of tests, said
BohSchaeffer,public education director for FairTest/the National Center for Fair
and Open Testing (http://www.fairtest.org1 a national advocacygroup.
Butthe issue is so new that most states, likeNewJersey, have no legalor regulatory
guidance on how to handle a student refusing to take a test for nonreligious reasons, he
said.
"In most cases, it is unplowed ground," Schaeffersaid.
A memo Hespe sent to schools in October suggestingthatthey consult their disciplinary
policieswas widelyinterpreted hy opt-out advocatesas advising schoolsto punish
students who cometo school but refuse to take the test.
Hespe later clarifiedthe state's stance in January, saying not everyrefusal to take the
tests should he considered a disciplinary problem.
"Certainlyif a student comes in and they arc disruptive, you should applyyour own
disciplinary policy,"Hespe said. "If they are not disruptive, you should havea policyon
what you do with that child."
The BloomfieldBoard of Education passed a resolution in October sayingthe district
won't punish students who skip the tests and willprovide alternatives, when possible.
"Wethought it was necessary to have an idea in mind early in the schoolyear ofwhat
wcwere goingto do," hoard President DanielAnderson said. "Weare not promoting it
or condoning it, hut the reality is some parents maywant to have their child refusethe
test."
Becauseadministering the tests is required under law,districts must tell students that
the tests are mandatory, regardless of howthey plan to handle those who refuse to take
them, said Richard Bozza,executivedirector ofthe NewJersey Association of School
Administrators.
40. "A district has no authority to say you may opt out," Bazza said. "What they can say is if
children aren't participating we will provide another academic setting."
Yet some districts are reticent to do even that, especially since federal law requires 95
percent of a school's student body to take a state's annual standardized test.
North Brunswick Township, where more than 500 students piloted the PARCCtests
last year, has had only a fewparents indicate they don't want their children to take
them again, district Superintendent BrianZychowskisaid.
(
Zychowskisaid he will inform parents at an upcoming information session that
students who refuse the exams must stay in their classroomwhiletheir classmates test
but willbe allowedto read.
MillburnTownship PublicSchoolswillalso make students whorefusethe test stay in
the classroom, though it hasn't determined what exactlythose students willdo,
Superintendent James Crisfieldsaid. Students willreceivean excusedabsence iftheir
parents keep them home from school,he said.
At Kenilworthpublic schools,Superintendent ScottTaylorhasn't publicizedhis plan to
advisestudents whowant to opt out ofthe tests to simplystay home.And, so far, he
hasn't had any parents contact him, he said.
"Theless I advertise this protocol,the more likelyI will not have that issue,"Taylor
said. "I am really playingthis lowkey."
Adam Clark muy be reachedat adam clark(á1niadvancemedia.com
(mailto:adam clark@niadvancemedia.com). Followhim on tioitter at
@realAdamClark(https:f/hvitter.com/realAdamÇlm•k). Find NJ.com on
Facebook Ozttps:f/www.facebook.com/NJ.com).
Lessons are learned and memories are made in U1e classroom, band room. gymnasium and cafeteria, on
tile walk to school or during the ride on U1e bus. Gallery compiled l1y Greg Hatala I The Star-Ledger
Greg Hatala I The Star-Ledger (bttp:llconnect.ni.com/userO,atalaqlphotos.htm/1
1/27
FORRENT
Clark. NJ
FORRENT
upper Sadulø Riw.r. NJ
nrrJersey
Real Estate
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41.
42. QG
Do you believe the PARCC test is
beneficial?
Answered: 91 Skipped: O
sun.eyMonkey Analyze - State Testing sur'Æy
ves
90% 100%
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Hes pons es
Answer 010,ces
ves
70,33%
No 91
lotnl
Q5
Do you feel tired after taking the tests?
Answered: 90 Skipped: l
0% 10% 20% 30% 50% 60% 70% 90% 1()()%80%40%
19
11
rotnl 90
43. Q3
Do you feel that you should take the
PARCC?
Answered: 91 Skipped: O
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 80% 90"/o 100%
Answer cnoices
Yes 18.68% 17
No
Totf.11 91
SureyMonkey Analyze - State Testing sur1.ey
No
Yes
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% lO"!o 80% 90% 100%
Answer 010ices
Yes
No
rotnl
90
44. Ql
Do you like taking the PARCC?
Answorod: 91 Skippod: O
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% b0% 60% 7ffi'o 80% 90% 100%
B
83
9J.
101£11
Q2
How has it effected your grades?
Answered: 91 Skipped: O
Posltvely
Negatively
Notatall
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Answer Choices
Positvcly
Negatively
Not at all
91
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