In this issue:
- Thank you to all of the participants of the United Opt Out Conference
- Over a decade of high stakes testing = more at risk students and higher college remediation rates
- Sign the petition – Ask Congress to remove testing mandates
- Tom Poetter for Congress – Send an education leader to the White House
Challenging the fear:
http://kdvr.com/2014/03/27/parents-protest-against-standardized-testing-by-opting-kids-out
The data to prove it!
Corporate Reform and high-stakes testing was sold on two premises: “We need to close the achievement gap and better prepare students for college.” A decade and a half later the facts are in: the number of at-risk students and college remediation rates has DOUBLED! It has never been about kids, it has always been about making more MONEY.
Risking Students, Raising Test Scores:
In 2000 163,052 children were identified as at-risk
In 2013 305,261 children are identified as at-risk
There was a 55% increase in the proportion of at-risk students in the student population.
Shading bubbles—Poor Preparation for College, Career, and Citizenry
The classes of 2011 were third graders when NCLB was implemented .They are the first graduating class to have been completely educated under a model of standardization and high-stakes testing. These students are less prepared for college than any generation before them:
In 2000, 28 % of entering freshmen enrolled in at least one remedial reading, writing, or mathematics course.
In 2011 the percentage of freshmen placed into a college remediation course increased by 11 % from the previous year. According to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education,
Nearly 60 percent of all adult students require remediation in at least one subject.
Sign the petition:
http://wh.gov/lV7q7
“The human race is about to enter a totally data mined existence, and it’s gonna be really fun to watch…The world in 30 yrs is gonna be unrecognizably data mined, so what does that mean for education? Well, education happens to be today the world’s most data minable industry by far…education beats everything else hands down.” ~ Jose Ferreira, CEO of Knewton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr7Z7ysDluQ#t=196
Featured Education Leader:
Tom Poetter for Congress
Tom Poetter is a 17-year native of Oxford, Ohio and professor at Miami University in the College of Education, Health, and Society.
An award-winning teacher and author, he has published 14 books and over 50 articles and book chapters in the field of education. From 2001-2011, Tom directed school/university partnerships for Miami in the region, and opened the university’s Partnership Office as its first director in 2005.
We can get a real education leader in Congress. Please make a donation. All amounts make a difference. http://www.poetterforcongress.com/contribute/
