Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 1K views

    Massachusetts Parent Letter Refusing MCAS

    Uploaded by

    Writepeg
    The parents wrote to clarify that they did not request an exemption or opt-out from MCAS testing for their children, but rather refused to allow their children to participate. They expect the children to be given an alternate educational activity instead of the tests, as previously instructed. The parents also ask several questions of the Dr, wondering if they have experienced the negative impacts of high-stakes testing that the parents have witnessed with their own children, such as losing passion for writing or feeling that school is only about passing tests. They reiterate their refusal to allow their children to participate in MCAS testing due to the harm it is causing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Massachusetts Parent Letter Refusing MCAS

    Uploaded by

    Writepeg
    1K views1 page
    The parents wrote to clarify that they did not request an exemption or opt-out from MCAS testing for their children, but rather refused to allow their children to participate. They expect the children to be given an alternate educational activity instead of the tests, as previously instructed. The parents also ask several questions of the Dr, wondering if they have experienced the negative impacts of high-stakes testing that the parents have witnessed with their own children, such as losing passion for writing or feeling that school is only about passing tests. They reiterate their refusal to allow their children to participate in MCAS testing due to the harm it is causing.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The parents wrote to clarify that they did not request an exemption or opt-out from MCAS testing for their children, but rather refused to allow their children to participate. They expect the children to be given an alternate educational activity instead of the tests, as previously instructed. The parents also ask several questions of the Dr, wondering if they have experienced the negative impacts of high-stakes testing that the parents have witnessed with their own children, such as losing passion for writing or feeling that school is only about passing tests. They reiterate their refusal to allow their children to participate in MCAS testing due to the harm it is causing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    1K views1 page

    Massachusetts Parent Letter Refusing MCAS

    Uploaded by

    Writepeg
    The parents wrote to clarify that they did not request an exemption or opt-out from MCAS testing for their children, but rather refused to allow their children to participate. They expect the children to be given an alternate educational activity instead of the tests, as previously instructed. The parents also ask several questions of the Dr, wondering if they have experienced the negative impacts of high-stakes testing that the parents have witnessed with their own children, such as losing passion for writing or feeling that school is only about passing tests. They reiterate their refusal to allow their children to participate in MCAS testing due to the harm it is causing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    Good Evening Dr.

    [blank],

    We received your response to our refusal letters for [blank] and [blank] and
    appreciate you taking the time to address them. However, we would just like to clarify
    a few things. You wrote, there are no exceptions or parent opt-outs permitted. We
    would like to clarify that we did not "request" that our children be opted-out of the
    MCAS testing. We did not request an "exemption." We stated that we, as [blank] and
    [blank]'s parents, refuse to allow our children to participate in the tests. The only
    thing we requested was a form of alternative assessment, which you have stated you
    will not grant us. As you are unwilling to do this, we expect them to be given an
    alternate educational activity, as Commissioner Chester stated was to be done for
    students who refuse. Since both you and your DESE resource, Mr. [blank], are not
    familiar with these instructions, the original letter can be found here. Please let us
    know as soon as possible, and in writing, what the procedure will be.

    Furthermore, Dr. [blank], wed like to ask you a few questions. We know from our
    meeting last June, that you have children. Have you ever had to convince one of them
    to continue to go to school when they come home begging to not have to return? Have
    you ever had one of your children come home on an MCAS day with a fever, only to
    find out he was sent to the nurse, and then sent back to his classroom (with fever), so
    that he could finish the test? Have you ever had one of your children, a child who
    previously had a passion for becoming a writer, tell you that he now hates to write?
    We also wonder, Dr. [blank], have you ever sat at the dinner table with one of your
    children talking about school, as we did tonight, and have him say to you, They don't
    really teach you stuff so you can learn anymore, they teach you so you don't fail on
    the MCAS. Do you have any clue what it is like to be a public school parent in this
    age of high-stakes testing and an incessant focus on data and academic "rigor"?
    Because we do, we have experienced all of the above. We have consoled our son as
    he cried the night before MCAS testing because all his teacher did the day before was
    make him practice Open Responses over and over again. We have had to answer
    questions such as Why doesnt this school teach Science and Social Studies? We
    have had to find ways to teach it ourselves, because we want our children to have a
    well-rounded education. The high-stakes testing system that is currently in place
    harms our childrens schooling experience and therefore we refuse to allow them to
    participate in it. We would also like to ask you, again, to think about your role in this.

    If you have any further questions, please let us know. If not, we look forward to the
    information on the procedures that will take place on the day of the tests and what
    type of alternate educational activity our children will be given, so that we will have
    an opportunity to review.

    Thank you,

    [blank] & [blank]

    You might also like