Lee school board member opting his kids out of standardized testing (FLORIDA)

www.nbc-2.com ^ | Jul 31, 2014 | Christy Andrews

[dontreadthis]

LEE COUNTY, FL - A Lee County School board member wants to opt his children out of standardized testing. Don Armstrong announced the decision at a board meeting on Tuesday night.

Armstrong has been a school board member for four year. He’s also a father of twin fourth graders at North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts. He said the stress of standardized testing is already too much.

“This one test is going to tell me where my kids are at? I don't think so,” Armstrong said.

Now, Armstrong wants to opt his children out from taking the tests and take a stance against them.

”We're telling these kids what to think. We're not letting them do their own thinking,” Armstrong said.

According to Florida Law, students can opt out of standardizing testing. In order to do that, the school will look at a portfolio of the students’ work and classroom assessments to determine if the student can move to the next grade level.

Armstrong plans to take paperwork to the principal at the beginning of the school year.

“I'm in full right as a parent that I will be opting my kids out,” Armstrong said.

[dontreadthis]

Common Core ping, if there is one yet. Sorry that this is a little late, I just found out about it. Florida will take back the education of its children one district at a time.

[latina4dubya]

Lee Schools tested 99 percent of third graders last year. The state requires 95 percent be tested.

if parents have the right to opt out of testing, how can the state require 95 percent of students to be tested? what if every parent rightfully opted out of testing?

[dontreadthis]

I believe that the 95% requirement is tied to district funding. If less than 95% test, the district loses funding. The testing companies make big bucks on the testing, and the 95% requirement imposed by the State is the stick.

[AppyPappy]

“This one test is going to tell me where my kids are at?”

Do you know where they be at now?

[i_robot73]

And there’s the rub when ‘(to opt out)...the school will look at a portfolio of the students’ work and classroom assessments to determine if the student can move to the next grade level.’ Can’t NOT have that $$ streaming in now, can we?!

Much like anything gov’t begins as ‘voluntary’, soon becomes ‘mandatory’

[BwanaNdege]

"I think two plus two is five."

"I think I will play in the mud in my dress up clothes."

"I think I will bite Billy's finger because he stuck out his tongue at me."

"I think mustard & ketchup will look really cool squirted on the living room rug."

"I think My Little Pony's cousin, the Unicorn, told me to get Daddy's keys and drive the car to see Grandma."

”We're telling these kids what to think. We're not letting them do their own thinking,” Armstrong said.

It is called "education" and "raising a child properly".

(BTW, this is NOT an endorsement of Common Core.)