HomePodcastBe Brave and refuse the test. Kathleen Jasper February 27, 2015 2 Comments 2 Responses Steph Breske March 2, 2015 This email came from our superintendent of Orange County yesterday – my question is – does any FSA allow my child to opt out? thank you! Steph Breske (Orange County, FL) Starting tomorrow, students in fourth through 10th grades will begin taking the writing portion of the new Florida Standards Assessments. This and upcoming tests replace the former FCAT, based on the new Florida Standards. Remember these tests are mandated by Florida law for all public school students, and there is no provision for opting out of testing. Please refer to the Commissioner of Education’s letter on our web site which includes potential penalties for non-compliance. While some districts are making plans to remove students from class if they don’t take the test, we have no such plans in OCPS. I certainly encourage parents to continue to advocate with the appropriate officials regarding education issues, as we will do the same. I hope we can avoid placing undue burden on children and their academic future in the process. Our teachers have been instructing the new standards and our students are showing progress. We want to lead them to success. Here’s how you can help: make sure children get enough sleep the night before tests; eat a healthy breakfast and arrive on time to school. Most importantly, stay positive. Let’s encourage our students to do their best on the tests. You can visit our Parents page at http://www.OCPS.net for more information. Sincerely, Barbara M. Jenkins, Ed.D. Superintendent Reply Sandy Stenoff April 21, 2015 Steph, Here is a response from an OCPS teacher: “Our Principal forwarded (Commissioner) Pam Stewart’s memo to our faculty, per instruction from the District. One teacher asked me about it. Here is my response to my colleague: Not only does it suck, this letter is filled with lies. I already e-mailed the list of legislators on education committees in Tallahassee in response to it. Opting Out has never been an option, and it is still not an “option”. It’s always been a parent’s and a student’s RIGHT to do so. No parent or student has “asked” to opt out. Parents and students can still make that choice, regardless of this memo. And why? Because the score of NR2 still exists, and it MUST exist. The NR2 simply means that there are not enough answered items to score a student’s knowledge. So, if a student signs in to the test, and answers no question, the student HAS INDEED participated in the statewide standardized testing program as defined by state statute. The student simply did not provide enough data to determine a knowledge base. That student has NOT failed the test. There IS a score for failing – It’s a 1. –>> THEREFORE, the score of NR2 is proof that this memo is an attempt to bully students and parents, and it is an attempt to threaten teachers for being educated and informed. –>> I will duly ignore this memo. The students have every right to ignore this memo as well. This memo is wrong. Pam Stewart is wrong. And our district is wrong for sharing it and threatening us with it. I will not lie to my students when it comes to offering them choices of their educational path. They can use ACT, SAT, and PERT concordant scores to meet all their high school requirements. They do not NEED the statewide standardized testing program.” For more information, Feel free to join us at Opt Out Orlando. Yes, you can still opt out of the FSA. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OptOutOrlando/ Sandy Stenoff OptOutOrlando.wordpress.com Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Steph Breske March 2, 2015 This email came from our superintendent of Orange County yesterday – my question is – does any FSA allow my child to opt out? thank you! Steph Breske (Orange County, FL) Starting tomorrow, students in fourth through 10th grades will begin taking the writing portion of the new Florida Standards Assessments. This and upcoming tests replace the former FCAT, based on the new Florida Standards. Remember these tests are mandated by Florida law for all public school students, and there is no provision for opting out of testing. Please refer to the Commissioner of Education’s letter on our web site which includes potential penalties for non-compliance. While some districts are making plans to remove students from class if they don’t take the test, we have no such plans in OCPS. I certainly encourage parents to continue to advocate with the appropriate officials regarding education issues, as we will do the same. I hope we can avoid placing undue burden on children and their academic future in the process. Our teachers have been instructing the new standards and our students are showing progress. We want to lead them to success. Here’s how you can help: make sure children get enough sleep the night before tests; eat a healthy breakfast and arrive on time to school. Most importantly, stay positive. Let’s encourage our students to do their best on the tests. You can visit our Parents page at http://www.OCPS.net for more information. Sincerely, Barbara M. Jenkins, Ed.D. Superintendent Reply
Sandy Stenoff April 21, 2015 Steph, Here is a response from an OCPS teacher: “Our Principal forwarded (Commissioner) Pam Stewart’s memo to our faculty, per instruction from the District. One teacher asked me about it. Here is my response to my colleague: Not only does it suck, this letter is filled with lies. I already e-mailed the list of legislators on education committees in Tallahassee in response to it. Opting Out has never been an option, and it is still not an “option”. It’s always been a parent’s and a student’s RIGHT to do so. No parent or student has “asked” to opt out. Parents and students can still make that choice, regardless of this memo. And why? Because the score of NR2 still exists, and it MUST exist. The NR2 simply means that there are not enough answered items to score a student’s knowledge. So, if a student signs in to the test, and answers no question, the student HAS INDEED participated in the statewide standardized testing program as defined by state statute. The student simply did not provide enough data to determine a knowledge base. That student has NOT failed the test. There IS a score for failing – It’s a 1. –>> THEREFORE, the score of NR2 is proof that this memo is an attempt to bully students and parents, and it is an attempt to threaten teachers for being educated and informed. –>> I will duly ignore this memo. The students have every right to ignore this memo as well. This memo is wrong. Pam Stewart is wrong. And our district is wrong for sharing it and threatening us with it. I will not lie to my students when it comes to offering them choices of their educational path. They can use ACT, SAT, and PERT concordant scores to meet all their high school requirements. They do not NEED the statewide standardized testing program.” For more information, Feel free to join us at Opt Out Orlando. Yes, you can still opt out of the FSA. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OptOutOrlando/ Sandy Stenoff OptOutOrlando.wordpress.com Reply
