Under 50º and wearing shorts? Recess denied!

I would not do well as a Lincoln Elementary parent. In their latest newsletter,

Recess Temperature Reminder 

As we have entered the spring weather season, we want to remind our students about what they need to wear during outdoor recess. Anytime the temperature dips below 50ºF, students MUST wear a jacket (of some type) outside. Students that choose to wear shorts will not be permitted outside for recess if the temperature is below 50ºF. It is a family decision, but we would suggest that students not wear shorts on days when temperatures are forecasted to be below 50ºF. If the thermometer dips even lower (let's hope it doesn't), students should be prepared to wear hats and gloves during outside recess. We typically check AccuWeather and The Weather Channel apps for the current local temperature at approximately 11:55 am.

What about girls wearing skirts or dresses? Are they denied recess, as well?

Are girls allowed to wear skirts and dresses throughout the year? Must girls wear long pants during the winter? Is there outside recess in the fall and winter? I'm just trying to understand the rules. I never experienced this when my kids were in school.

I also see why parents are starting to opt out of PSSA testing. Talk about high stakes testing!

PSSA Testing Information The 2015 PSSA testing window continues this week. Our students in Grades 3-5 will take the PSSA MATH tests on April 20-22, 2015. Grade 4 students will complete the PSSA SCIENCE tests on April 28- 29, 2015. Please understand that during the testing window, preapproved absences will not be granted for students in Grades 3-5. 

Though we have been exceedingly diligent with our instruction and interventions since school started, and we are confident in our students' abilities, these tests still bring a heightened level of anxiety to everyone. Teachers are anxious for students to do their best. Students are worried that the tests will be too hard. Administration is anxious that we will not do as well as we have in the past. All of this anxiety is certainly understandable, but more importantly, it can be minimized. Here are some easy ways you can help us to be at our best during the PSSA test window: 

• Be sure your student(s) get a good night's sleep. 

• Insist on a good breakfast before school. 

• Send your student(s) off to school on time. 

• Instill a sense of confidence and a desire for your student(s) to do their best no matter how hard the tests may be. Let them know how proud you are of their abilities and their effort.

What easy ways are recommended for teachers and Administration to minimize anxiety?

Time is running out UPDATED

I have been asked to let parents know that if you want to opt-out your child from the PSSAs, time is running out. This is how it was explained to me:

"Parents have very limited time to “opt-out” of the PSSAs that begin on Monday. If you are thinking about it, start writing your email after reading this blog post.

If you aren’t sure you want to opt-out of the PSSAs, then a longer blog post about the topic might appeal to you. But for those of you that are on the fence, see this local blog written and managed by Jessie Ramey, Ph.D. for more information. Her blog has more than one entry regarding PSSAs as well as links to FAQ and other organizations, including one entirely devoted to opting-out.

Yinzercation: Your Cheat Sheet for the Test (In)

In Mt Lebanon, opting out may require slightly different responsibilities depending on your school principal. At the very least, you need to send an email indicating that you would like to opt your child out of the testing for “religious reasons." You may want to CC the superintendent. At the elementary level, CC your child’s teacher and Mary Beth Irvin. 

Some principals may state that the PDE requires you come into the building to review the materials, even if you state that you have opted out before and that seeing the materials will not influence you to change your mind. Other principals state that you do not have to come into the school. 

What your child gets to do in his/her free time away from the testing is also variable. Some students stay home during the testing period but for working parents this is not necessarily a desirable option. Students who go to school may spend time in the library. The testing hours are very long as the students get older. Things like band practice are scheduled for after school hours because of the time devoted to testing. 

You might wonder why parents want to opt-out…in brief, let’s just say that if the test requires a “throw-up” protocol that involves salvaging the answers that have already been answered by the stressed out student by a team of school employees, maybe the test and the hours/curriculum/expense/corporate development/school climate/pressure associated with it are questionable."

Update April 9, 2015 9:56 AM Email to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission  concerning bagging tests due to blood or vomit, and other observations during the PSSA testing window.

Update April 10, 2015 8:50 AM Look beyond just test scores when choosing district 

“Ultimately, our view was that we don’t want to be in a school district that is completely driven by test scores,” said Iriti, a faculty fellow in the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center. “That type of reading and math does not equate to a person being ready to be out in the world. Those tests measure a slice, but not all of the most important things.”

PSSAs - No pressure here

Not only is it budget time, but PSSA testing is next week. Eleanor Chute and Mary Niederberger had this article, Opinion story on opting out of PSSA exams hits nerve with parents in today's PG.

In Mt. Lebanon there also is a small increase in the number of parents opting out of the PSSAs. At Lincoln Elementary, one of the district's seven elementary schools, six students were opted out of the tests for religious reasons, said district spokeswoman Cissy Bowman.

Religious reasons are the only reasons for opting out under state law.

Ask your kids if they see posters like, "Rock the PSSAs" or "Be a Star Test taker!" Parents, did you get an email from your child's school like this one?

       From: Mellon Middle School <noreply@mtlsd.net>

       Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:30:14 -0400

       To: Mellon Middle School Parent

       Subject: PSSA Testing next Week!

[Attachments to this email can be found by clicking on the links at the bottom]

Hello Mellon Parents/Guardians:

I'm just writing to remind everyone that next week is the Reading and Mathematics PSSA testing. This is one of the more important testing sessions for us in terms of our building showing what our students can do and ultimately achieving "Adequate Yearly Progress" as determined by the PA Dept. of Education.

As always, a good nights sleep and a good breakfast have always shown to help our students do better on these exams. A snack will be provided for students during the testing.

See the attached flyer on our Physical Education Department's program "Get Pumped for PSSA's!" This is a chance for students to participate in some physical activity the morning of the tests. Research has shown that physical activity and exercise helps to get the brain going.

As always, if you have any questions regarding PSSA testing, contact our guidance office or principal's office.


Attachment: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw4HgUhOxt4KT2RSU3g0TDNieXM/edit?usp=sharing

Why do you suppose the kids are being given snacks and asked to join the games and activities in the AM? The poster says that these tests are important. For whom? The students? Nope. Check this out.

http://www.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/1215934/mt_lebanon_sd_pdf_(2)

There it is in black and white:

The performance on the PSSAs are the primary metrics used by the
Superintendent and Board to evaulate how the principals leadership has impacted student achievement.

The PSSA scores are important to the principals and my guess, our super Super because that is what puts food on their tables. High stakes testing are harming teachers, students, and schools.

According to the PG article, there will be an event in Washington, DC tomorrow

for

the Occupy the Department of Education 2.0, an event which is connected to an effort called "United Opt Out National."
Its website describes the organization this way: "We opt out of high stakes testing and we resist all market-based reforms that seek to privatize and destroy public education."

Is it too late to opt out? For how to opt out, click Had enough with PSSA testing? UPDATED

PA Department of Education's rebuttal

Since I posted Kathy Newman's letter to the editor, Why I won't let my son take the PSSA, I thought I would pass on the PED's rebuttal. Needless to say, Tim Eller is taking a beating from the PG online comments.  

After the indictment of the Atlanta Superintendent for racketeering in a huge cheating scandal, PSSA or high stakes testing has been a hot topic.

PSSAs are valid

April 2, 2013 12:10 am

Before addressing the flaws of Kathy M. Newman's thinking ("Why I Won't Let My Son Take the PSSA," Forum, March 31), a correction is necessary: Gov. Tom Corbett didn't cut $1 billion from education. Since taking office, the governor has increased state support of public schools by $1.25 billion.

The writer's critique of the PSSAs is quite disturbing. Expecting educators to be held accountable for student performance is unacceptable? Expecting students to graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in life is unheard of?

I think Ms. Newman is a bit off the mark. The PSSAs have been in place for more than a decade and now that they will be used, in part, to evaluate educators, now is the time to opt students out?

As a taxpayer with two children in public schools, I want to know if my taxes are being used to educate not only my kids but all students since one day they will take the reins of this country and it's imperative to ensure their success.

My kids complain about taking the PSSAs, but they also complain about quizzes, unit tests and projects. Should we abolish all forms of assessment?

The writer forgot to mention that the Department of Education applied for a waiver to provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind law. Once approved, adequate yearly progress will no longer be measured. In fact, under the waiver application, it would not be used for this year's assessments.

Public schools must be held accountable to students, parents and taxpayers. If not the PSSAs or some other assessment, how else would Ms. Newman suggest we ensure that the $27 billion -- local, state and federal taxes -- Pennsylvania taxpayers put into K-12 public education is being used to educate our kids?

TIM ELLER
Press Secretary
Pa. Department of Education
Harrisburg


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/pssas-are-valid-681759/#ixzz2PLFsa8iG

Why I won't let my son take the PSSA

March 31, 2013 12:10 am

By Kathy M. Newman / 

I am an English professor. So you can imagine how my pride was hurt when my 9-year-old son Jacob started bringing home low scores on his practice reading tests for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

My husband and I have been helping Jacob with his test-prep reading homework every weeknight this year, and it has been a grim slog. At times I have found myself getting angry when Jacob has fidgeted, or when he has had trouble focusing. Sometimes I have gotten angry when he simply hasn't been able to answer the questions.

Then one day this March it dawned on me. I am getting angry at my son about a test. A test that I do not like. A "high-stakes" test that will put so much pressure on Jacob that it probably will not reflect his true abilities. I also realized something else: Jacob does not love to read.

After doing some research and talking with other parents, my husband and I decided to "opt out" Jacob from the PSSA tests. We are opting him out because we do not like what high-stakes tests are doing to Jacob, to our family, to his teachers, to his school and, ultimately, to our entire education system.

High-stakes tests like the PSSAs are used to evaluate, close and punish public schools, including my son's school, Pittsburgh Linden, a K-5 magnet school in Point Breeze. Linden's Adequate Yearly Progress score is bound to Linden's PSSA test results. According to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, every public school in the United States must be 100 percent proficient in reading and math (based on test scores) by 2014.

Last year, Linden did not make AYP. In fact, only six Pittsburgh Public Schools did. A neighboring school, Colfax, which is one of the best schools in the East End, has been labeled "low-achieving" and is currently under something called "Corrective Action II." Under this label, a school can be reconstituted, chartered or privatized.

High-stakes tests also warp the educational environment. This March, as Linden is gearing up for the PSSAs, the hallways were stripped bare as per state law. Artwork, motivational slogans, student-made posters, the Women's History display my kids helped to make, my daughter's picture of herself as a "writer" when she grows up, the "dream" statements everyone filled out in January with the large cutout of Martin Luther King -- all of it has come down. During testing season, access to Linden's new iPads -- for which I helped to write the grant that allowed us to acquire them -- will also be curtailed.

The curriculum at Linden is narrowing, too. As testing has ratcheted up, and as Gov. Tom Corbett's billion-dollar cut to Pennsylvania's K-12 education budget have kicked in, schools across the state are dropping programs that are not measured by tests.

Last year at Linden the third-grade band program was cut, dozens of hours of music instruction were cut, our science programming was reduced, and we were slated to lose our art teacher (fortunately we were able to save her). We lost dozens of hours of library instruction, and children are allowed access to the library only once every two weeks. Ironically, the loss of our library hours will hurt the students more when it comes to testing. A recent study found that "[w]ith a full-time librarian, students are more likely to score 'Advanced' and less likely to score 'Below Basic' on reading and writing tests."

Also, there is the stress. Jacob, only a third-grader, has cried, gotten dejected and thrown fits over his test-prep requirements, both at home and at school. Sixth graders in our district will take 23 different tests this year -- up from nine the previous year.

During the tests, students are treated like prisoners, with limited bathroom breaks and constant monitoring. These conditions are especially hard for special-needs children and children with Individual Education Plans.

Teachers are also stressed. My son's third-grade teacher has been working so hard this year that he arrives many days as early as 6 a.m. and stays for hours after school, sometimes as late as 9 p.m. From around the district I am hearing stories about teachers crying in the hall -- devastated by the harm they believe the tests are inflicting.

Let me be clear. I believe in evaluation as a tool -- I use quizzes and other testing techniques in my college classroom. But high-stakes tests, tests used to label schools, teachers and students as failures, are damaging our nation's educational system.

Here in Pittsburgh and across southwestern Pennsylvania, the movement to opt out of standardized testing is taking root. In the Pittsburgh Public Schools there are parents at Colfax, Greenfield, Liberty, Linden, Montessori and Phillips who are opting their children out of the PSSAs. Across the region, some parents in Mt. Lebanon, Somerset County and Westmoreland County are doing so as well. In Mt. Lebanon, a group of parents opted out when their children's school cut back on recess, extended the length of the school day and reduced other school services, such as counseling and nursing -- all to make way for more testing.
The opt-out movement is also swelling nationwide. Earlier this year, teachers in several Seattle high schools refused to administer a high-stakes test called the MAP. In Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; and Denver, Colo., students themselves have been leading the charge against the tests. Just last month in Texas, more than 10,000 parents rallied against an increase in testing and decrease in funding for Texas public schools. Some of these actions are coming under the banner of United Opt Out National (unitedoptout.com).

Next month, while Jacob's classmates are nervously sharpening their pencils and getting hushed by their teachers, Jacob is going to be in the Linden library, reading for pleasure -- a pastime I have encouraged and rewarded since I realized that Jacob isn't keen on reading.

With this act of civil disobedience, our family will contribute to the revolt against the standardized testing that is hurting students, schools and the quality of education. I want my children to learn, but also to love to learn. Don't you?

Kathy M. Newman is an associate professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University (kn4@andrew.cmu.edu).

First Published March 31, 2013 12:00 am
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/why-i-wont-let-my-son-take-the-pssa-681537/

Had enough with PSSA testing? UPDATED

Perhaps it is because I don't have any kids in school, but I was not aware that parents and children have the right to opt out of PSSA testing. There is so much emphasis on PSSAs, that teachers seem to be teaching to the test. Our school board doesn't want to listen to parents who have concerns over the TERC Investigations math program.  Based on some reports that parents have shared with me, the school board won't even consider changing anything unless the PSSA math scores go down.  It seems as though that is all MTLSD cares about.

I found some websites that may be helpful to parents who are not aware of their rights. Here is a How-to on Opting Out in Pennsylvania.

So before March Madness (PSSA testing) begins please take some time to seriously consider the future of your child’s education. Remember, our children only get one chance at a quality education. The PSSAs and the culture of high stakes testing have denied a generation of children a quality education. It is time to put an end to this punitive system. It’s time to allow our teachers to get back to what they do best—teach. It’s time to demand that our public schools be given back to us. It’s time to make sure our children receive the education they deserve. It’s time to OPT OUT!

Sample Letter

         To: TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net        

         Dear Dr. Steinhauer,

Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child excused from any State standardized testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.

Are there any repercussions for Opting Out?  Quite the contrary according to Timothy Slekar. Timothy D. Slekar is an Associate Professor of teacher education and Head of the Division of Education, Human Development, and Family Studies at Penn State Altoona.

Dr. Slekar began his career in education as a 2nd grade teacher in Williamsburg, VA. He also taught 5th grade in York, PA. Dr. Slekar attended the University of Maryland at College Park where he earned his Ph. D. in social studies education. During his studies Dr. Slekar worked with 7th and 8th grade teachers in the city of Baltimore. Dr. Slekar has published research in some of the top educational research journals (Teacher Education Quarterly, Theory and Research in Social Education, Journal of Thought). Dr. Slekar also co-hosts a local talk radio show in central PA (Tuesdays at 11:00 am eastern on WRTA 1240 am). The show is devoted to teachers and teaching in public schools. Dr Slekar and Dr. Shaun Johnson also host At The Chalk Face (BlogTalkRadio) Progressive Education Talk. Contact Tim at tds12@psu.edu or 412-735-9720.

Dr. Slekar is one of the administrators of unitedoptout.com.

ABOUT US

Members of this site are parents, educators, students and social activists who are dedicated to the elimination of high stakes testing in public education. We use this site to collaborate, exchange ideas, support one another, share information and initiate collective local and national actions to end the reign of fear and terror promoted by the high stakes testing agenda.

Pine-Richland School District offers Frequently Asked Questions about the PSSA on their website and may be helpful to the concerned Mt. Lebanon parents who don't want their children's scores that their $$ and extra work with tutoring might have influenced.  If the School District won't work with you, consider opting out of the PSSA. It is your right.

Update February 6, 2013 3:15 PM  There is a Rally For Public Education this weekend featuring Dr. Tim Slekar.  Find out WHY you would opt out and what these high stakes tests are doing to public education.

Rally for Public Education! by YinzerThing One year ago over 250 people Rallied for Public Education in the middle of a February snowstorm. This year we will do it again -- even bigger, but inside where it's warmer. Remember these fabulous students who spoke about the effects of budget cuts on their schools? They helped spark an entire grassroots movement. Tia Torres speaks at the 2012 Rally for Public Education Students from the Arts Greenhouse program speak at the 2012 Rally for Public Education. Our public schools are still staggering under massive state budget cuts. Students in Pennsylvania have lost almost 20,000 of their teachers in the past two years. Our kids have lost music, art, library, languages, tutoring programs, full-day Kindergarten and more. Here in Southwest PA, our children are sitting in classes with 35 and even 39 students. And this year they will take even more high-stakes, standardized tests, spending several months of the school year on nothing but test prep and test taking. Enough is enough! Come RALLY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION on Sunday, February 10, 2013. 3PM at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (5941 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206). This is about equity, social justice, and a great public education for all our children. Join hundreds of other volunteer parents, students, teachers, and concerned community members who have been making a real difference in the grassroots movement for our public schools as we: Celebrate what we've achieved this past year working together Respond to Gov. Corbett's new budget proposal (which he will announce on Feb. 5th) Issue an urgent Call to Action for our public schools Featuring: Performances by student groups, Anne Feeney, the Squirrel Hillbillies, and more! Community conversation with Dr. Tim Slekar (head of the education department at Penn State Altoona, host of the education radio program At the Chalkface, and a national leader of United Opt Out) Special free showing of the new pro-public education documentary, "Brooklyn Castle," under special arrangement with the producers We already have confirmation from local legislators who are planning to come as well as key community leaders. For example, we are honored to learn that civil rights leader Carl Redwood will be joining us. The media is invited and this is going to be big. Please mark your calendars now and help us spread the word: go to our Facebook event page to RSVP and use the “invite friends” button to reach out to your networks. Let’s see if we can make our invitation list grow to over 1,000. We can do it! And I can’t wait to Rally with you. YinzerThing | January 28, 2013 at 12:23 pm | Categories: advocacy event: Take Action!, Pennsylvania State Budget, Public Education | URL: http://wp.me/p288Ox-ox Comment    See all comments