A statement given at a press conference with Drummond teachers who boycotted the ISAT: More Than a Score by Cassie Cresswell/ UPDATE: ISAT BOYCOTT SPREADS TO 74 SCHOOLS

I am speaking on behalf of More Than a Score, a coalition of Chicago parents, teachers, and students fighting against the misuse and overuse of standardized testing in the Chicago Public Schools. 

We are here in support of the teachers here at Drummond and at Saucedo school who have refused to administer the ISAT. We fully encourage any parents who wish to opt their students out of the test to do so. However, we are also here because we are very concerned about the ethical treatment of children and families who have opted out of the ISAT. 

A webinar went to all CPS principals yesterday telling them to place the test in front of all children and read test directions verbatim to all children, even if their parents have opted them out of this test. This comes after CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett sent two letters to parents telling them they have the right to opt out, and after years of CPS allowing children to opt out of the ISAT with no such treatment. 

It is unclear where directives are coming from regarding this move, but pushing a policy of forcing children to refuse a test is wrong. Putting children in a position that requires disobeying their teacher—the adult that their parents entrust them into the care of every school day—is wrongheaded and abusive. Pressuring children, some as young as eight years old, to participate in activities against their parent or guardian’s wishes is unethical and immoral. 

The argument that schools must administer the test because it is the law does not trump a parents’ decision of what’s best for their child. There has been a law in Illinois that children in elementary schools should get daily PE classes, but that law has been ignored by CPS officials for decades. There are federal laws that are supposed to protect kids who require medical or special education services at school, and there are children in this district who are not getting those services. 

CPS has said that the district may risk losing Title I funding due to testing opt outs. There is no evidence that this is the case. We have reviewed the US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations and found no references to automatic funding cuts for failure to make Adequate Yearly Progress. This district has not made AYP since at least 2005. Only 64 CPS schools made AYP last year. If there were any cuts, they’ve happened already. CPS is wrong when it says that it is the law to put a test in front of a child whose parent or legal guardian has refused the test on their behalf. 

During the ISAT testing window, we fully expect principals and teachers–the adults whom we entrust our children’s care to every day of the school year—to treat our children with kindness, to allow them to engage in alternative quiet activities during the test, and to respect our wishes as parents and guardians to direct our children’s education. 

All parents should demand nothing less. 

This article is from OPT OUT NEWS:Explosion of resistance to ISAT testing program grows as Drummond Elementary teachers vote to boycott the testing program that begins Monday by Sharon Schmidt - March 01, 2014

IFT support from Drummond, Saucedo

 

From Progress Illinois:

The Illinois Federation of Teachers has also voiced their support for educators who refuse to administer the ISAT, including the more than 40 teachers at Saucedo that voted unanimously against giving their students the test. 

"Facing the threat of discipline or termination, these brave teachers are standing up for what they believe is best for their students, no matter the personal consequences. It is nothing short of a profile in courage,” said President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers Dan Montgomery in a statement. “The preparation and administration of this test brings teaching to a halt and robs students of valuable time to learn. The ISAT is not appropriately aligned to curriculum and forces educators to teach to an unnecessary test that is defunct and has absolutely no practical use. This is merely testing for testing’s sake, and we encourage parents to work with their teachers to opt out. We also strongly encourage CPS to reconsider their plans to punish teachers for doing the right thing. IFT members around the state salute and stand with these teachers and parents as they stand up for their students.”

This excerpt is from Battle Brewing Between CPS, Teachers Over ISAT Boycott 

 

ISAT BOYCOTT SPREADS TO 74 SCHOOLS

Parents choose education over indoctrination by opting their children out

CHICAGO – Despite repeated threats and miscommunication from the school district, parents at 74 Chicago Public Schools are opting their children out of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Teachers at two schools, Saucedo and Drummond, said they intend to boycott the low-stakes test when it is to be formerly administered on Tuesday. (Source: More Than A Score: http://morethanascorechicago.org/).

Via robo calls and other scare tactics, CPS officials are telling parents that that if too many parents have their children opt out, the district faces losing state and federal funding. Catalyst Chicago, an independent publication dedicated to education, says: “Loss of such funding is unprecedented and at most it could trigger reallocating funds, but even that is highly unlikely….”

Students are not legally obligated to take the ISAT and parents have the legal right to “direct the upbringing and education of their children.”

 

Disney II Elementary Magnet School

Chopin School

Burley Elementary School

Pritzker School

Manierre Elementary School

Garvey Elementary School

Ray Elementary School

Addams Elementary School

Saucedo Scholastic Academy

Grimes School

Mount Greenwood Elementary School

Drummond Montessori

Mayer Magnet School

Nettelhorst Elementary School

Thorp (OA) Scholastic Academy

Coonley Elementary School

Belding Elementary School

Bell Elementary School

Ogden Elementary School

Franklin Fine Arts Center

Blaine Elementary School

Burr Elementary School

Byrne Elementary School

Clissold Elementary School

Galileo Elementary School

Goethe Elementary School

Inter-American Elementary Magnet School

Kenwood Academy High School

Lane Technical High School

Morrill Math & Science School

Mitchell Elementary School

Sheridan Math & Science Academy

Stone Scholastic Academy

Telpochcalli Elementary School

Taft High School

Whitney M Young Magnet High School

Otis Elementary School

Ella Flagg Young Elementary School

Hefferan Elementary School

Alcott Elementary School

Smyser Elementary School

Waters School

Ravenswood Elementary School

Gallistel Language Academy

South Loop Elementary School

Suder Montessori Magnet School

Clay Elementary School

Jungman Elementary School

Leland Elementary School

Thorp (James) Elementary School

Taylor Elementary School

Ruiz Elementary School

Azuela Elementary School

Gunsaulus Elementary Scholastic Academy

Mireles Academy

Ninos Heros School

Zapata Academy

Murphy Elementary School

Peirce Public School

Jamieson Elementary School

Pasteur Elementary School

Edison Regional Gifted Center

Lindblom Math & Science Academy

Murray School

Peterson Elementary School

Salazar Bilingual Center

Sauganash Elementary School

Sutherland Elementary School

Ebinger Elementary School

Eberhart Elementary School

Prescott Elementary School

McPherson Elementary School

Dever Elementary

LaSalle Language Academy