This is the final draft of what I said at the APS Public School Board meeting this evening. Thank you to those of you who signed my petition! The Board took a copy of my requests and I also sent them an e-mail follow up with the same information. As I watched district officials grapple with continued teacher shortage it was clear to me that the budget shortfall that our district is enduring will have long term detrimental affects if it is not stopped soon. There are many students (especially Special Education) without teachers, long term subs are teaching classes that they are unqualified for, and classrooms are full to bursting. We have big issues, and we need to be asking questions. Greetings Superintendent Winter and honorable School Board Members My Name is Wendy Small and I am the mother of 3 students in the APS system. Not long ago I stood in front of you to ask you to issue in writing a letter answering concerns about the standardized testing practices going on in our schools. Today I do this again, and to my request I have added a petition signed by parents and community members who request the same. News about NEA filed law suits and the district wide opt out of the Colorado Springs School board has raised concerns about what is happening in our local schools. To answer these concerns we request that you issue a WRITTEN letter to every APS student that contains information about the following: 1) The number of school hours required for the administration of each test 2) How testing benefits the education of our students. 3) Who is mandating the testing. 4) The cost to tax payers for the administration of tests including the cost per test, and the cost of the technology required for test administration. 5) Inform us of the option to opt out, and protect students who do so in addition to protecting their teachers and schools. 6) We, the parents of students in the APS system, request that you authorize the teachers in our schools to discuss standardized testing practices with parents. Remove the threat of punitive actions that haunts our professional educators and affirm their integrity, ask them to be honest with us. We deserve the truth. You are accountable to this community and to the constituents who elected you. We expect you to address our concerns directly and to keep us informed of how our students will be spending their school days.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 01:05:29 +0000
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