Please take ten seconds to let Governor Christie and NJ Education Commissioner Hespe know that the commission they are creating to review testing in New Jersey must include public school parents concerned about high-stakes testing, and that the commission must hold public hearings across the state. action.saveourschoolsnj.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14522 The commission will be appointed soon and we want the Governor and Commissioner to know that the people of New Jersey are watching! BACKGROUND: Instead of agreeing to sign A3081/S2154, the anti high-stakes testing legislation that has overwhelming bipartisan support from the people of New Jersey and their legislators, Governor Christie issued an executive order that creates a commission to study the use of standardized tests in New Jersey. Unlike the legislation, the executive order is very limited in its scope - it only requires a brief review of standardized testing. The legislation, on the other hand, requires a thorough examination by independent experts, of alternatives to high-stakes standardized testing; student data privacy concerns; implementation and cost of the new PARCC test and Common Core; and teacher evaluation. The legislation also freezes for at least two years all the punishments associated with the PARCC test, for students, teachers and public schools. Unlike the legislation, the executive order gives the Governor complete control over who serves on the commission and does not require that they be experts or that the process include any public input. Please let Governor Christie know that the people of New Jersey are watching and expect the commission he is appointing to hold statewide public hearings to enable commission members to hear from New Jersey residents; and that the commission must include public school parents. Your energy and passion are why the S2154/A3081 legislation moved so quickly and with so much bipartisan support. This is only the first step in a broader effort to stop high-stakes standardized testing. Please stay tuned!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 12:04:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015