Some brave teachers, who are also Moms & Dads, have made the difficult choice to defy their district administration and the TN Department of Education.  These teachers have REFUSED testing for their OWN children.  Teachers are required by the state and district to administer the tests to students in their classes.  However, the state and district cannot trump their parental rights to do what is best for their own children.


Why did they do it?  One teacher tells why...
As a teacher, I made a decision for my own children, as their parent. I am most fortunate to be very involved in my children's education. I'm sure most parents feel the exact same way. Unless you are a teacher, you really aren't as involved as you think you are. I teach for the same system my children are educated in. I know things that I'm grateful to know, but at the same time the wind is often knocked clean out of me because of what I know. Because of what I know, I chose to opt my children out of unnecessary testing.

• I chose to opt my children out of computerized testing as a means of determining intervention needs.
• I opted my children out of tests that contain material they haven't been taught yet according to the curriculum maps teachers follow.
• I opted my children out of tests written for the sole purpose of assisting the developers of PARCC test which will replace TCAP next school year.
• I opted my children out of feelings of failure when material is placed in front of them that they haven't been exposed to yet, in the form of a test. I opted their teachers out of feelings of betrayal because that's how we feel when we do this to the children we teach.
• I opted my children out of the DEA, given three times per year as a predictive measure to determine how they might perform on TCAP. The DEA is also full of skills not introduced according to the curriculum maps. Test A - 18 of 32 skills not introduced yet. Test B - 19 of 32 skills not introduced yet.  
• I opted my children out of the CRA which is an assessment used for the sole purpose of assisting the developers of PARCC, and is written in a form that children are not capable of being successful on.
• I opted my children out the practice writing assessment for the practice writing assessment which I opted them out of too. Really? Practice for practice? Not to mention, it is computerized and children as young as 8 are expected to sit at a computer for two hours to analyze informational texts and write an essay through typing their responses. Our children do not know how to type.
• I opted my children out of IStation computerized testing to determine if they have a need for intervention.
• I opted my children out of all computerized programs designed to determine their needs. I chose to leave that up to their highly qualified teachers. 

As a teacher, I must endure the guilt and shame I feel each time I test my students on material they haven't been yet exposed. As a parent, I will not tolerate such with my children.
- A teacher and mother in Shelby County
 

How did they do it?
It is simple.  These brave parents simply sent letters and emails of refusal  to their sons' and daughters' teachers and principals stating that they will not allow their child to take the tests. (Note the wording says "refusal" and not "opt-out" since TN does not have an "opt-out" law, yet, and the attorney general seems to be forcing parents into testing their children against their wishes by saying it is not "legal" to "opt-out")

Some states have laws and policies that allow parents to opt their children out.  Tennessee does not.  Yet...  
There is currently a Bill in the Legislature that, if it passes, would allow parents to legally Opt-Out of testing for their children without penalties (HB 1841 / SB 2221) .  The Bill's sponsor, Rep. Gloria Johnson, is also a teacher.  (Unfortunately, a half a BILLION dollar fiscal note has been attached to the bill, and the bill has been rolled to the final calendar to prevent it from passing.  Contact Governor Haslam if you're not happy about that.  His phone # is 615-741-2001 and his email is: bill.haslam@tn.gov). 

What are the repercussions of REFUSING tests?
In TN, refusing or opting a child out of the TCAP test counts as a zero on the child's final report card (state mandated 15%-25%).  In some districts, this means that 10% of a child's final English grade will be a zero, and 10% of a child's final Math grade will be a zero.  (Check with your local school district to find out).  Despite the lower report card grades, having to keep their children at home on testing days, and having unexcused absences on their child's records, parents feel strongly enough that the tests are inappropriate for their children to REFUSE the tests for their children.  
(This could work: Parents in other states have gotten around the testing by un-enrolling their children from school to "homeschool" before the mandated test and then re-enrolling them after the testing window is completed.  This method works to avoid hurting the child's report card grade and attendance, but, gosh, it sure is a hassle!)
 

Links to Opt-Out testing websites & groups:
United Opt-Out website
United Opt-Out in Tennessee website
Stop TN Testing website
Stop TN Testing Madness facebook group
Stop TN Testing facebook page
Knox County Parents Against Testing facebook page
Williamson County Parents Concerned about Common Core & Testing facebook group

 
These brave teachers and parents are sending a clear message that they do not agree with the tests and that their child is more than a test score.

 

Dear Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville & Representative Mark White from Memphis,

We are asking that you please, pretty please, include these:

• Educator Respect and Accountability Act of 2014 (HB 2263 / SB 2047) 
• Repeal Common Core bill (HB 2332 / SB 2405)

on the House Education sub-committee and committee schedules very soon.  Teachers and parents are eager to see these become Law this year.  

As Chairmen of these committees, you have the responsibility of scheduling when Bills are heard and voted upon.  Surely you wouldn't do anything underhanded like delaying those bills until the end of the Legislative Session so the Governor can veto them after all the Legislators have all gone home and cannot over-ride it, now would you, Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville and Representative Mark White from Memphis???  That would not only be selfish, but it would be an abuse of power by committee chairs.  

We know Governor Haslam isn't happy with these bills, but his job isn't tied to volatile test scores of children using a secret mathematical equation that nobody can explain (His job, like yours, is tied to the ballots cast by us voters, which everyone clearly understands).  And his own children aren't forced to do unproven, untested, developmentally inappropriate standards (Because private schools are wisely not adopting Common Core).  

Representative Brooks from Knoxville, even though you may not agree with the bill to support and respect our children's teachers, 77 of 99  Representatives agree with it strongly enough that they have signed on to the Bill as co-sponsors.  So, it shouldn't take long at all to pass it through your House Education Committee and on to the House Floor so our Representatives can vote on it.  Surely you can squeeze it on your House Education Committee Agenda in the next few weeks, can't you?

Representative White from Memphis, even though your own children aren't affected by Common Core, ours are.  Tennessee parents want this bill heard in a timely manner because a year in our children's lives is too long to wait while we elect new leaders to get rid of Common Core.  Surely you can include this bill in your sub-committee agenda on the March 4th agenda as was originally planned?

We know you're stuck in a difficult situation by the Governor.  In times like these, it is especially important to remember who it is that you have been elected to serve.
 
Sincerely,
Tennessee Parents 

SENATE BILL 2405 
By Beavers 
HOUSE BILL 2332 
By Womick 
 
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, 
Chapter 1; Title 49, Chapter 10; Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to common core state standards. 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: 
 SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-302, is amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated subsection: 
 On July 1, 2014, the state board and the department of education shall discontinue the use of the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Beginning on July 1, 2014, the standards for English language arts and mathematics adopted by the state board that were in use prior to the adoption of the common core state standards shall become the standards for use by LEAs and schools 
until the state board develops and adopts new Tennessee specific standards for English language arts and mathematics. 
 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. 

These TN teachers, under the safety of anonymity, tell what they really think:

• All we do is test, test, test. There is not enough time to Teach, Teach, Teach. 
• The reason I became a teacher more and more fades away. My love for students and their love for learning leaves because of the stress placed upon everyone involved. Teaching is not about students anymore. They are seen more as data and statistics rather than a personal child.
• I work at school until 5:00 PM everyday and spend hours working at home, because I love my students. Is this fair to my 10 year old and 4 year old? 
• Common Core is a bad idea being pushed through without support materials. You have the cart before the horse.
• There is too much testing. We are teaching kids to hate learning. 
• Teacher effectiveness scores do not correlate with true "teacher effectiveness" at my school. 
• Our curriculum (Pearson) is NOT common core. It says it is… it is not. CC is less standards but should delve deeper. That is not what Pearson Math or Reading does!
• I went into this job as a lifelong dream. I love my kids, I love my parents, and I love teaching and seeing my kids grow and learn; HOWEVER, I have found the things I love are being taken away. We test too much and are way too stressed as teachers...it is not right.
• Too much testing ‐‐ let us teach!
• Common Core is not Kindergarten developmentally appropriate
• I truly love being an educator, but have spent more time away from my family, in tears, and sick due to stress. This is not okay!  My students need more from this district and it begins with respecting us as educators.
• I feel my school is so micromanaged that I am limited to complete the needed things that I know my kids need. PLC's at our school feel forced and counter productive. The students are tested WAY too much and don't have time for authentic learning opportunities.
• I feel as teachers, no one is listening to how stressed, overworked, and underpaid we truly are for the job you are expecting us to perform. 
• Testing is ridiculous. Teachers are wasting too much time collecting data (numbers of no value). 30 to 35 days out of the school year is wasted for testing. Wasted time.
• Educators are not "human capital!" We could be excellent partners in making our school district a truly exceptional one, if allowed the opportunity!
• Assessments are excessive. Students in K‐2 should not be expected to participate in high stakes testing. They are not developmentally ready for this and it is pitiful to watch them take these tests. Our decision‐making as teachers has been reduced and we are not allowed to make decisions about what benefits our kids.
• CBM, TCAP, Discovery Ed, Module Test, SAT 10, CARE, summative test, formative tests … How much testing/assessment needs to be done to determine where a child is? What exactly are we assessing? Something is wrong when students are excited to simply watch an educational video at recess to "take a break."
• Teachers are overworked, putting in 60+ hours a week, at the expense of time with their own families. The students are as stressed as the teachers!
• Our children are over‐tested! Politicians think this is necessary. Educators need to stand up and let the politicians know this. Everyone working for a school district needs to be an educator, not a politician.
• Evaluation scores should not be 50% on how your class did on one test!
• I am expected to be a professional without being treated as one.
• I was told with the transition to CCSS that there would be less standards to cover with the intention of more times to go deeper with the material and reach a higher level of mastery … when will that happen? We still have to cover the same amount!
• The pacing that we are driving our K‐2 students is overwhelming. Students are moving at such a rapid pace they are loosing the enjoyment of learning. Many students that are already struggling feel defeated. As teachers without many extra hands, we feel overwhelmed with a task that seems out of reach. Please give more support staff.
• The overall morale of our school has greatly decreased in the past few year due to the evaluation model and implementation of Common Core.
• Too much focus on data and not enough focus on what really is good for children. We already know who needs help.
• I wish we were respected more and our pay reflected what we did for our societies future generations.
• Certain aspects of Common Core are acceptable, but others are not. For example, the selling point for CCSS, was that we would teach less standards more in‐depth. We haven't seen the "less" yet. More and more keeps getting added to our plates.
• Teachers aren't allowed to use their own judgment in making decisions for their classrooms. The district has put more value on data and numbers and have forgotten that we are teaching children who have human characteristics and problems. We are teaching to the test and students aren't truly learning for life. That is why we have to spend time reteaching the same skills every year.
• Some CC skills are not developmentally appropriate.
• My biggest concern at this time is the SAT 10 for kindergarten. I do not agree with putting the kids through 4 days of 1‐2 hours each day of sitting still and attending to a test. They cry, get frustrated, have belly aches, and talk throughout the test. The scores you receive from these tests are not a good picture of what they know. The kids would be better served if we kept portfolios, narratives, and running records.
• Our elementary kids are crying about coming to school because of all the testing. WHY DO WE NEED THAT MUCH TESTING???
• The common core standards, plus the rigid adherence to class subject schedules in elementary schools, have taken away the art and individualization with teaching
• Common Core and NGSS are a complete intrusion on teacher autonomy of the student learning process. Not to mention a massive waste of funds that could be used where they belong ‐‐ hiring qualified individuals and giving them a competitive and fair salary
• The acronym "TEAM" is a misnomer. All these evaluations undermine the wonderful team we had in place for decades. Now a demoralized staff that should be focused on individual students has to worry about demonstrating a plethora of good traits every day. Our personal commitment to our students is sabotaged by concern over personal ratings.
• It seems as if the adoption of common Core has now reached the most severely disabled students and their assessment for the next year is not in the best interest of the students, but only the company who is selling it. We no longer look at kids individually, but as the same.
• Please listen to the teachers who have expressed some serious issues with the evaluation process and common core standards. If so many people perceive problems ‐‐ there are problems!

Click HERE to read THOUSANDS of recent comments from Teachers in Knox County, TN.

You can also see more teacher comments on Twitter: #KnoxTeacherQuotes

Knox County teachers, like many other teachers in Tennessee, have valid concerns.  In the past few months, Knox County teachers have bravely spoken at their public school board meetings, even though they risked their jobs by doing so.  These teachers are committed to quality education and their students.

Their requests are fair, logical, and benefit their students:

• A validation system that respects teachers as professionals; provides useful content-specific feedback for growth; and does not detract from the educational process.
• An end to the excessive standardized testing that takes up valuable instructional time, restricts the curriculum, and treats children as data points.
• A redistribution of financial and other resources AWAY from corporate interests and back into our children's classrooms.
• An educational decision-making process that includes students, parents, and teachers as valid and valuable contributors and equal partners.

"A teacher's license is their most valuable possession, worth more than their house, land, or car combined. They spent years in college qualifying for it, spent a career improving it. But most importantly, a license allows a teacher to do what they love - and that is to teach.  You better have an ironclad reason to take that license away.  And there is nothing about a statistical estimate (TVAAS) of what students are supposed to do on tests that remotely sounds fair to killing a teaching career." - TN Rep. Matthew Hill

Tennessee parents applaud Representative Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough) for vowing to create a bill to reverse the state board’s decision and “put once and for all into code that we will not use a statistical estimate to determine whether or not a teacher gets to keep their license.” (Click HERE to read more) 

We also applaud Representative John Forgety (R-Athens) for sponsoring and filing HB1375 to prohibit the TN Department of Education from revoking or non-renewing an individual's license based solely on data from TVAAS, some other comparable measure of student growth, or any other single criterion.  (Click HERE to see the bill and HERE to track the bill)
 

THIS WAS ABSURDLY WRONG:

August 2013:
As if to demonstrate their utter contempt for teachers, the Tennessee State Board of Education changed the licensure rules on a telephone conference call that was open to the public.

The vote was 6-3. Some board members said the change should be delayed because the changes were not well understood by the board.

Not all the board members agreed with voting to adopt a plan that had elements that concerned them, even with the delayed implementation.

Dr. Jean Anne Rogers of Murfreesboro suggested voting the proposal down and studying the issues “piece by piece” rather than implementing something that board members did not fully understand.

“I just have such serious concerns with a couple of the issues,” she said.

A dog was heard barking in the background of the call, although maybe it was a teacher howling in despair about the board’s unending attacks on teachers.

As a result of the changes approved by telephone meeting, teachers’ licenses will be tied to student test scores.

This is a strategy that has not produced better education anywhere but is guaranteed to produce teaching to the test and a narrowing of the curriculum.

It is not clear what will happen to the licenses of teachers and other staff who do not teach tested subjects.

Perhaps Tennessee will invest tens of millions to test everything.

We know who benefits. Not teachers or students. Testing corporations do.

The change in licensing rules was warmly endorsed by the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ group Democrats for Education Reform. Their members take home millions of dollars in income every year, but they don’t see why teachers need to earn more than $40,000 a year unless they raise test scores. Teachers in Tennessee earn less than the secretaries of most board members of DFER.

The above comments were written by Diane Ravitch, whose book, Reign of Error, reached the New York Times Bestseller List in 2013.  Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education.  
 

Tennessee Parents do not like what the TN Board of Education has done and continues to do.  Though they use the buzz-word, "accountability," quite often in regards to our teachers, the appointed State Board of Education and the TN Commissioner of Education are not held accountable to the voters.

We wholeheartedly support legislators who support our children's teachers and, thereby, support our children.

Tennessee parents trust teachers.
We do not trust TVAAS.
We do not trust TCAP.
We do not trust the TNBOE.

We will begin this month with a practice writing assessment for a practice writing assessment in February. The practice writing assessment for the practice writing assessment which will not count towards student's grades nor count towards school/district scores will not count for anything. Get that? We are to spend the entire month of January teaching our students to take a practice writing assessment to take the actual practice writing assessment in February which is intended to be practice for the actual PARCC writing assessment NEXT year. 

The students will take the practice writing assessment online. Each student is to be given two hours with at least one 15 minute break. I have five computers in my room, but I will have access to a cart of 20 laptops. Sounds good, right? Many of the laptops will only hold a charge for about an hour. What then? Many of the laptops are missing keys. Missing keys are going to be a huge problem for children who have only been exposed to a computer at school and for the most part, they are only familiar with the mouse and poking a few numbers and letters here and there. We are asking them to type an essay and they have not been exposed to typing nor should they be as their little hands are not ready! We will also be expecting them to use the split screen function, highlighting, cut/copy and paste functions. There isn't a spell check option, yet we have abandoned spelling this year to prepare for Common Core Standards to be put into place next year. 

Also during the month of January, 3rd grade students will be taking the DEA which is a practice test for TCAP. This assessment is used to "predict" how they might do on TCAP. In February, 3rd grade students will be administered another CRA which is a pilot test to see how students might do on the PARCC assessment NEXT year! I have to abandon the curriculum I am supposed to teach which happens to be aligned with TCAP which my evaluation and pay will be tied to. For what? To see how my students might or might not do next year? I can tell you how they are going to do... very, very poorly! Because I have spent so much time this year practicing for tests that may or may not be administered next year. 

The directions for the practice writing assessment for the practice writing assessment instruct students to write an "essay" after reading two complex texts. They are to compare and contrast and use key details from the text and they are to remember to follow the conventions of standard written English. 

(Shared anonymously to protect this 3rd grade teacher in Shelby County)
 

Tennessee parents do not like this.  Stop the incessant focus on testing.  Let teachers teach, let students enjoy learning.  

Legislators:  Fund our schools so teachers and students have what they need to succeed.

School board members:  Stop spending scarce resources on test-prep materials.

TN BOE members:  Stop mandating these excessive and inappropriate tests.

Place a moratorium on testing until it is determined how Common Core will (or will not) be implemented.  Otherwise, students are denied valuable instruction time just to collect data.  Our children are over tested!


CHALLENGE:  Tennessee parents want to see our legislators & school board members take some of these tests our children are forced to take.  How about it???  Maybe a 5th grade TCAP, CRA, or pilot of the PARCC?

"I have done nothing but test kids for the last 3 weeks. I administered a DEA (Pearson test), a Common Core test on Informational texts, and now I am giving exams. I wasn't able to teach any stories that open up students' imaginations and tap into their creativity. I apologize to students when I have to give these tests. There are so many of them now. Students just groan. I feel sorry for students these days."
 
"I teach by the block, which means that I only see students every other day. In 15 school days, I will see my students 7-8 days. Three tests take up the whole time! My exam includes Common Core Standards. I try my best to keep classes interesting, but test prep is not interesting."

(This was posted anonymously, with permission, from this teacher in Metro Nashville schools)


Testing doesn't teach students, TEACHING does.  
Let teachers teach.
 
Thank you, legislators, for reading our emails.  We assure you, we are not affiliated with any political organizations or unions.  We are not paid for writing these, nor will we accept money for doing so.  We are a strong group of parents from across TN who are genuinely concerned about our children and our public schools.  We do not have a leader, we are working collaboratively to bring you the truth of what is really happening.  To protect the anonymity of the voices we share, we will not reveal our names.  You can see the many voices we represent and what we believe in at our website: 
  www.tnparents.org 

"My 3rd grade team gave our students a sample writing test from the TN CORE website. It was a paper test, not on the computer as they will have in February. I could only give them 45 minutes for each, not the two total hours they will have in February. My poor kids were so distraught, and I felt like the Grinch making them suffer through this long writing task two days before Winter Break."
"One of my little boys was so upset, he told me he was sick and then proceeded to FORCE himself to throw-up, hoping I would call his mom!!!! Why are we doing this to our students? This is not developmentally appropriate and as a matter of fact, when I googled "compare and contrast two texts" to get some ideas of how best to prepare them, do you know what came up in my search? "Tenth grade, tenth grade, tenth grade.....""

(This was posted anonymously, with permission, from this teacher in Memphis)

TN CORE's website has sample test questions to prepare students for the new PARCC test that will be forced on students in spring of 2015.  The PARCC test was given to students in New York state last year and 70% of students failed it. Parents in New York are outraged!


...but they are not outraged at their children for failing the PARCC,


...and they are not outraged at the teachers for not preparing their children.


Parents are angry at the STATE of New York for giving the inappropriate test.


And they are angry at PEARSON Publishing, too, who was paid millions of their tax dollars for the PARCC test. Even more outrageous, Pearson included brand name products embedded in the PARCC test questions!


Parents in NY are so upset that tens of thousands of them have already opted their children out of state testing, even if it hurts their child's grades.
 
Tennessee parents are watching New York closely. We hope our legislators are watching, too.
  

Our music teacher is has a new evaluation process which includes a lengthy portfolio process. Since she only sees our students once every rotation, there is not time for her to have them practice holiday songs. Also, it is frowned upon for us to miss "teaching time" for anything at all. Award programs were cut this year, too.

This isn't right... even jails have fairly elaborate Christmas programs for the inmates! We are becoming more of an institution than actual institutions. We are taking all of the fun out of learning, out of life. Everything we do has to be tied to a "tested objective." I am really becoming ashamed to be a part of teaching. We used to have freedom to make learning fun, now we don't. We are strictly limited to what we can and cannot do.

Since there are so many components that have to be completed by a certain deadline, our music teacher can't stop to practice holiday songs. Basically, it sounds like what has happened with classroom teachers. If we can't tie the activity to an actual tested objective, we can't do it.
 
For example, this week my students are participating in short plays for reading. There is a wealth of research showing that practicing the scripts over and over through repetition helps build reading fluency and comprehension. However, to fully put on one of these short plays, technically called "readers' theaters," I have to give the students a small amount of time to decorate their scenes, work on simple props etc. Since drawing the background for the play is not assessing a tested objective, we aren't supposed to do it at school. It doesn't fit into our evaluation model. However, I cheated today and gave my students about 30 minutes to create their props for their performances tomorrow. Everything we do, and now our music and art teachers do, must be tied to an assessed skill. Since there isn't a music portion on TCAP, yet, our teacher has to turn in portfolios showing the different skills she is teaching the students. Apparently it is extremely rigorous, and she can't miss a single day of teaching what the state deems important to stop and actually sing in class.  
 
We have CC standards that guide our instruction. Supposedly the PARCC test will test these standards. We have always had some sort of standards to guide our instruction. The actual standards are not the main problem. It's all the strings that come with them. I wouldn't focus only on them. It's some of the ways the skills are taught and questionable materials used to teach them. Right now we have tight schedules that squelch teachable moments and creativity.

At this point, they have developed portfolio evaluations along with the regular ones for art and Music teachers. PE teachers are next. I just wish they would leave us all alone to teach.
 
(This was posted anonymously, with permission, to protect the employment of these teachers in TN.  This teacher does not have the freedom to reveal her school district without the possibility of retribution.)