OPT OUT OF TESTS— KIDS WILL SUFFER
THE recent budget deal in Albany contains significant changes to how teachers in New York state will be graded. This is a big win for kids and for great teaching. But some folks — namely, the president of New York State United Teachers, Karen Magee, her members and their supporters— are livid.
And instead of trying to make the deal work for the benefit of the kids and union members, they’ve decided to try to break the accountability system altogether. How? By urging parents to have their children optout of state exams, which are scheduled to be given to students beginning this week.
Fact is, annual testing has helped level the playing field for millions of kids — in particular, lowincome children of color, whose failures are often ignored or swept under the rug by the status quo.
To borrow from “The Wire,” many cities and states historically have “juked the stats,” allowing the chronic failure of these students to go unchecked for many years. By the time anyone knew that these kids were lagging, it was too late to do anything about it.
A world without the objective feedback that test scores provide is one that does the neediest kids the most disservice. Without rigorous, independent measures of student performance, millions of lowincome, academically needy African American and Hispanic kids can’t get the additional help they need and deserve.
On the other hand, annual testing sends up instant red flags about kids who need help, and it offers confirmation that the higherscoring kids have learned the material they’re expected to know.
Put it this way: Would you opt out of getting a physical — or of having your child get one — merely because you fear the results? Or because the doctor does?
Sure, going for a physical can be stressful, even perhaps frightening for some. But wouldn’t you rather know about the state of your health, and what you could do if there are problems— while you have a chance to do something about it, instead of just hoping you’re OK?
Test scores also provide information about the performance of teachers and their schools. They tell administrators and higherups where there are trouble spots in the system. They signal to principals which teachers might need help, which deserve praise and rewards— and which may be beyond help and need to be removed.
The data is essential to how we organize efforts to make sure every child gets a fair shot at an excellent education and a great teacher.
President Magee and her supporters prefer to look the other way when teachers underperform. They don’t like the results we’ve been getting lately. And they can’t abide the fact that the test scores will play a role in grading teachers.
So instead of attacking the problem — recognizing that teaching is hard, that results matter, that some kids need extra help — they prefer to shoot the messenger: the tests.
They’ve asked parents across the state to opt out of the annual exams. Their goal: To make parents and teachers just as afraid of the testing process as they are.
Not only is this selfserving — it’s selfdestructive.
Let’s be clear: Kids are never harmed by taking tests.
Unfortunately, the unions are powerful. They have sympathizers. And they are motivated by an effort to protect their members, regardless of the consequences for the school system— and the kids.
This is an effort to pull the wool over parents’ eyes, to make them think testing is bad for their kids. Don’t believe it. If you have your child opt out, you may be doing him or her a grave disservice. In fact, you may be doing other kids a disservice, too — because if weak teachers don’t get help and those beyond help aren’t removed, other students may be cheated out of the education they deserve.
Parents should resist these efforts to sabotage accountability. The unions may be better off with parents kept in the dark about student achievement, but our kids certainly won’t be.
Would you opt out of getting a physical . . . merely because you fear the results?’