Idaho's Bias and Sensitivity Committee Created to Review SBAC

Idaho recently announced the formation of a committee to review the SBAC exam given to Idaho students.  I had applied and was accepted to be a part of this group before withdrawing my name for several reasons.  First, the legislature called for this committee to be formed  during their last session, ending in the spring.  Why did the State Department of Education wait until THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS to bring this committee together?  This is a highly inconvenient time for parents to be away from families and teachers to be out of the classroom. At the least, it was very frustrating to me.  I was willing to spend the time to be on this committee, but not at the expense of sacrificing this week of children's Christmas recitals, parties, and other holiday events. 
   Second,  Idaho is a member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.  We have somewhat of a voice in this consortium (I say somewhat because as I understand it, we signed up in the consortium through Washington state), but we are just one of many states receiving the SBAC exam.  If the Biased and Sensitivity Committee finds questions they want tossed from the test, will Idaho be given a separate exam from other states?  But wait, isn't that the whole point of Common Core?  That everyone will be instructed using the same standards and tested with the same exam?  Doesn't the fact that Idaho has formed this committee in the first place imply there is a problem with bias and sensitivity?  This committee was formed in response to parents' and teachers' complaints over the field test administered last spring.  This is Idaho's way of dealing with the issue and I commend the legislature for taking some action.  But I think we are being deceived to think that Idaho has the power to control the SBAC.  If there are any test items flagged,  what guarantee do we have that these will be removed?  Isn't the test continually updated by SBAC with new and improved questions? If Idaho wants control of our testing, we must leave the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.   
  Can you see why I didn't feel spending a week in Boise away from my family during the best time of the year not seem worth it? I hope my instincts are wrong, but I predict when this committee has finished reviewing the test (and we won't hear anything from them because they were required to sign a confidentiality agreement before participating), the propaganda will continue oozing from the SDOE that Idaho Core Standards (Common Core) are the best we can do  for our students and the ISAT 2.0 (SBAC) is the best way to measure those standards.  And I will still disagree.

Big Events in Idaho This Weekend for Common Core

There are three events scheduled this weekend across the state to bring awareness to Common Core and how we can fight it.  Please spread the word and make plans to attend at least one of these evnets.  All events are free admission thanks to donations from generous Idahoans!

Just Scared Parents?

  I heard about a recent comment on Facebook from a local teacher that the resistance to Common Core was spurred by "scared parents."  At first I took offense to that.  I don't consider myself hysterical.  If I had to pick a word to describe me it would be informed or concerned.  I had my hackles up ready to defend why I  oppose the Common Core State Standards, and it certainly wasn't driven by fear, in my mind.  But as I sat down to organize my thoughts, I realized maybe scared is an accurate description.  I am scared about what is happening to education.  I am scared of the effects high-stakes testing will have on my children and the other children in our community, state, and country.  I am also scared that good teachers will leave education as a result of so-called reform.  I'm scared Common Core will extinguish a love of learning that is naturally present in children when they are allowed to grow and learn in developmentally appropriate environments.  I am scared of what will happen with the data that is mined and shared with whomever claims to have an interest in education.  I am scared that data won't be protected (data breeches are occurring continually in our digital world).  I am scared data will be used to market and make millions  billions for corporations who claim to care about education, but ultimately are salivating at the potential bottom line. I am scared students will be labeled at an early age as to who is college-worthy; that careers and futures will be determined at early grade-levels, as is done in many European countries.  Fear also enters my heart when I read the 10th Amendment and wonder what has happened to states' rights when so many guidelines, restrictions, and mandates are coming down the pike from the Federal government, which our state so readily signs.  I am scared that there aren't enough people in our state willing to educate themselves about Common Core and take a stand.  I am scared that people won't realize that Common Core isn't just about standards.  It's signing on to the testing, the data mining/sharing, and will influence teachers' evaluations and schools' ratings. Is the opposition to Common Core driven by scared parents?  Maybe.  And I don't think that's so bad. 

State School Board Meeting

  It's been a while since I've posted, but please know I have not been idle in fighting Common Core in Idaho.  Tuesday, August 12, we had a great meeting in Twin Falls/Jerome educating more parents and trustees about why we should be fighting Common Core.  On August 14, I, along with 5 other moms, was able to address the State Board of Education about my concerns with CCSS and specifically the SBAC/ISAT.2.0.  That's right.  The state has renamed the SBAC the ISAT 2.0, a deceptive move in my opinion, that implies Idaho is out of the consortium, which is not the case.  Here are my comments to the board:

"I have many concerns about the origin, funding, and lack of transparency that has accompanied the Common Core Standards, but will focus my comments to you today about my concerns with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.  I chose to not have my children take the SBAC test this past spring.  I started seeing and hearing rumors and decided to do my own research and try to find the truth. 

   Before opting my children out, I asked if I could sit with them and look over the tests as they took them.  This was refused.  I was told sample tests were available, but I wanted to see the actual exam my students were taking since so many rumors had been circulating about questions irrelevant to a student’s knowledge or those of a data-seeking nature being asked.  And I don’t think those particular questions would appear on a sample test.

I have read the talking points and sample letter you encourage administrators to send to noncomplying parents who have concerns with the SBAC.  I understand that the state does not have an opt-out policy for testing.  And I understand federal and state guidelines require 95% of students to be tested to receive funding and prevent lowering of a school’s star rating.  But my tax dollars help to provide that funding and my parental authority trumps all of that.  I am not alone in my concerns in our state and other states throughout the nation.  A national movement has started to boycott high-stakes testing next year, whether the state has a policy in place or not. 

Because there have been so many concerns voiced by parents and teachers, I have been told that a group of Idaho educators and parents is being organized to review questions on the SBAC.  I feel this is another attempt to placate those who are questioning the test.  Is Idaho going to be given a separate test from the rest of the consortium? Who ultimately determines what questions will be on the test, even after receiving input from parents and teachers?  If we are going to insist on using high-stakes testing to measure our students’ success, and our teachers’ and schools’ performances,  then I want Idaho’s educators, Idaho’s parents, and Idaho’s leaders to develop, write, and approve the standards and tests.  Being in a consortium with other states prevents us from having the flexibility to adjust and adapt the testing for the needs of Idaho’s students. 

 Renaming the SBAC the ISAT-2.0 is really quite deceptive; it gives the impression that we have left the consortium and Idaho is once again in control of its testing, which is not the case.

I don’t want a “re-name”.  I want a repeal.  Please do the right thing and choose to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium as a first step to repealing Common Core in Idaho."

 

The Momentum is Building!

 Here in the Magic Valley, we are mobilizing our efforts to expose Common Core as not just a set of mediocre standards, but as a federal intrusion into public education, stripping the rights of parents, teachers, and local administrators.  We are hosting two community informational meetings in the upcoming weeks.  In the Mini-Cassia area, we will gather July 31 at Sweetheart Manor in Burley at 7 PM.  In the Jerome/Twin Falls area, we will meet August 12 at the Comfort Inn conference room at the Crossroads Point, across from Flying J also @ 7 PM.  Both evenings will be a casual discussion of some concerns we have with Common Core and a plan of action to fight it.  Jennifer Bond of Jerome and Lynda Detweiler of Twin Falls will join me at both events.  Invite your family and friends and come get informed.  We have been researching Common Core for months and definitely have opinions on it.  We encourage you to do your own research and find out for yourselves if Common Core is the best thing for Idaho's future and Idaho's greatest asset:  our children.

Radio Program Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be on AM 1230 @ noon with Scott Yeats talking about why we should be fighting Common Core and our plan of action. Please spread the word!

We Will Not Conform Event

Tonight I was able to attend Glenn Beck's "We Will Not Conform" event in a Twin Falls, ID, theater.  This event was broadcast live to over 700 theaters nation-wide.  It was motivating to feel that we are not alone in this fight.  More than anything, we have to connect.  We have to combine our efforts to fight this, especially in Idaho where so many (parents, educators, and leaders) still don't know all that Common Core entails.  Please spread the word!  And please plan to opt your kids out of the SBAC test next spring.  When this is done in large numbers, state and local administrators will have to recognize that Common Core is NOT what we want! But we have to join together. We want local control and we will fight until we win!  Please ask to join the Facebook group "Mini-Cassia Citizens Against Common Core" even if you don't live in Minidoka or Cassia counties.  We are all Idahoans!