A few days ago, the Senate rejected a measure to ESEA that would protect parents’ right to Opt Out of state standardized testing. Though I appreciate the efforts of Utah Republican Mike Lee, I do not need the government’s permission to protect my children from harmful testing. That is my right as a parent.
Wait a minute, you may be thinking, you sound an awful lot like an anti-vaxxer! You might think this if you are brain addled or being funded by the Gates foundation.
The fact of the matter is that the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations has a broad scientific consensus. They have been tested and peer reviewed and approved by the FDA.
This is not true for state required standardized tests. They have not been shown effective in closing the achievement gap or improving student achievement. In fact, there is good reason to believe that they are harmful.
Parents and teachers do not even receive the results from PARCC testing until 6 months after the test. Long after such results would be useful. So who does find these tests useful?
You might also consider that the major players behind the Pro Testing movement from Bill Gates, Arne Duncan and Campbell Brown have opted their kids out of PARCC. They have done this by sending their children to private schools.
