What my son's homework taught me.

                                                 September 18, 2013
Dear Parents,       
      I'd introduce myself and tell you my name but am somewhat of a wimp and not sure of any downfall my blog may face. I know that sounds cowardly and perhaps is but I have three children and my ultimate goal is to keep them safe from any damage my words may incite. On the other hand I also realize no one may read or even care about what I write and if that is the case I would also like to remain anonymous:) 
About Me
     I used to go by Mama but now that my children are getting older I am referred to as Mom or Maaaaaaa depending on the severity of the situation. I miss being called Mama but more then that I miss the time period that two syllable word brings me back to. A time before I had to yell "get your shoes!" ten times before 8:00 or the words "put your name on your paper!", "you can't wear that!" or "we are going to miss the bus!" ever came out of my mouth. I own, maintain and LOVE a Kindergartener, second-grader and 4th grader. Now that they are all school age I find myself really missing the days they were all mine. I miss the opportunity of being able to give them what they needed, when they needed it and watching them bloom as a result. But let me clarify, I do not miss those days because I loved every minute of having three kids under the age of 4. I do not miss changing dirty diapers in the back of my car, cleaning blueberries off my walls, waking up three times each night or being puked on by two kids at once. What I miss most is the secure feeling I had when I called the shots because I knew with complete confidence my children were getting exactly what they needed to be happy, healthy and strong minded.      They go to public school now and this is a problem. I am not confident they are getting what they really need, what is best for them in fact I am more and more convinced they aren't. Just like most parents I put my children on a bus each morning with homework done(sometimes freshly done), lunch packed(or money in hand), forms filled out(better late then never), a hug, a smile and a wave with hopes that in 12 to 15 years their attending public school will have done what I trusted it to...prepare my children to be productive members of society and be happy, BUT I worry that is not going to happen. As a parent of three impressionable, naive, capable children I am terribly concerned school today will do more harm then good to the babies that once called me Mama.

Homework
     My oldest was in third grade last year, the year I started to see school differently and worry for his future. I have always had complete confidence in the teachers, administrators and my district I wasn't given a reason not too and I never felt I needed to question the school, materials used or lessons taught. I live in a great district and although my children may struggle at times with various subjects the teachers made it clear as well as the school itself that they were there for the good of my child. As third grade progressed I found myself googling my sons math homework because I couldn't figure out the answer, only to find the same question had been googled by other parents also looking for help, I began to wonder. Then there was that night my husband and I got into a huge fight  and as a result he slept on the couch because a language arts question was interpreted completely different by both of us. We could not agree on the right answer, not a proud parenting moment but the frustration of not being able to help with homework can take its toll on the whole family! I couldn't figure out why homework seemed so hard, so confusing, so different then I remember. In time I became more aware of the materials that were being brought home, the gaps in my sons learning and the ridiculous pace at which concepts were being taught. His nightly homework started to included bubble sheets in which the answer had to be filled in after it was written. Why? At the time I didn't realize it but he was practicing for the test. He was introduced to division in February and by March was using it in algorithms or at least desperately trying too. He was able to read a math word problem put down the correct answer only to have me tell him it was right but it was wrong. He needed to draw and write out exactly how he got his answer or it would be marked incorrect. He often had to write in words how he got his answer or how did he know his answer was right, which he couldn't wrap his head around or come up with the answer. I would often send it back with the words "because it is" because that is exactly what he said and he was right. Homework time at my house began to lead to many power struggles, tears and a real downfall in the confidence of my son. I could see him beginning to doubt  his ability to do his homework correctly, independently and his own intelligence. As a result l was faced with a growing fear that I was not able to reinforce the lessons he learned in school and he was falling further behind. Then came the tests. 

The Tests
      Last April all children in grades 3-8 were required to take the NYS ELA and Math tests. These tests were given for 90 minutes over 3 consecutive days totaling 9 hours of testing for fifth graders. If you think about it nines hours of coloring, singing, playing legos or planting flowers would be a long time so imagine being tested for that amount of time! As parents we assume that if there is a test it in someway will help my child. Tests have been around for a long time and up until recently provided useful data to teachers, parents and students on progress and support needed for future growth. I have gotten many tests home and either high-fived and hugged my children or sat down and discussed what happened and how we could fix it. I am lucky enough to be one of the many parents that when asked the question "what did you do in school today?"  my children give the same answer every time...."nothing". I need and greatly appreciate any kind of feedback from school especially if it is a test, but these tests, these 9 hours of tests are different there is no feedback.  If I allowed my son to take those tests back in April I would know no more today about his strengths and weaknesses then I did then. 


Opt Out
     My son refused the tests. He went to school each test day but I picked him up right as the test started and then returned him 90 minutes later. I will never know how he would have scored but at this point who cares? Many of you don't know how your child did and it has been five months. If you are one of the few who have received this information you likely know one thing and that is a number. You won't see the test itself or even the bubble sheet. You will see a number a 1, 2, 3 or 4. Your child is a number, probably a 1 or a 2 like over 70% of the children in NYS. You will never see the exact questions your child got wrong and if you call the school to ask for this useful information you won't get it because they don't have it either. They only have a number too and nothing more, nothing useful. In fact, last years teacher will never know if the children in her class did better on one question or worse on another in order to alter her teaching methods. This years teacher won't know how many of her new students need more support understanding the setting of a story, inferencing or using details to expand their writing. This years teacher will know one thing about your child and that is their number.      What you need to know is these tests do NOT matter, make a difference or do anything to benefit your child! In fact, the tests do more harm then good in many ways. They force our children to sit for hours filling in bubbles, they teach them testing isn't important and scores don't matter, overwhelms them with questions on material which wasn't implemented correctly and as a result creates stress, self esteem issues and an overall dislike of school. I am grateful I don't have to tell my child he failed but is OK, I never want to justify failing and give the impression it is just fine. I am grateful I don't have to hide his score and change the subject if he asks how he did. You shouldn't either and perhaps this year will choose to refuse the test and avoid the pointless results which cause more emotional damage to our children because they remember those nine hours well and they failed. 

Common Core Standards
    I am so grateful for all of the teachers my children have this year. The are all gifted, nurturing, intuitive and strong teachers but all are faced with the same challenge and that is they are mandated to implement the common core. I won't go into a detailed description of common core now but it is important you know how it is being taught today in most districts. My children have all been given brand new, shiny, colorful textbooks which were bought with my tax dollars, A LOT of my tax dollars! In fact every child in the district gets a new textbook or two, three, four because they are a necessity if our district wants to remain in the Race to the Top. The reality is the purchase of these books had nothing to do with our kids because our kids weren't failing and in need of this drastic reform in the first place. In fact they were purchased before the test results were even released so to say the districts saw the need because of the scores would be wrong.The money spent on new textbooks was because the books include everything the state, not teachers, say your child should learn, how they should learn and when. Unfortunately with these textbooks and curriculum come very little time for review, mastery, variation in teaching strategies or hands on learning. Your child's entire class, which is around 25 since districts had to lay off teachers to buy books, will likely always be on the same page, at the same time whether your child mastered the previous lesson or not. The other materials that were typically used to enrich and expand your child's knowledge in a way the teacher knew was best will be left in a drawer since these books cover what is expected, when it is expected and that is all there is time for. This is the new one size fits all mentality that has taken over our schools and is mandated by the state. It will ultimately destroy most children's perception of school and themselves both emotionally and academically. It really is no different then telling all parents that their children must walk by the age of one and as any parent knows that is impossible, so ridiculously impossible it is funny. The implementation of the common core standards and the tests fail to recognize or rather blatantly ignore the fact that all children grow and develop differently and at different speeds. Children all learn in different ways and at different times but all children possess skills and qualities which can be used to their benefit and it is imperative those skills are focused on in order for the weaker skills to develop. 

APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review)

     If you are wondering why the test is given if it doesn't matter or why your district spent a huge chunk of its budget on common core materials the answer is simple. Teachers, administrators, schools and districts need them and are forced to give them. They need them in order to stay in the race, a race which none of them signed up for or even agreed on yet they are on the frontline and that directly affects your children. The tests make no difference in your child's curriculum, promotion or at this point intervention but their scores have a huge impact on the people who administer them. APPR is the teacher evaluation system adopted by NYS. I support teacher evaluations and see the need for them BUT not this way. After nine hours of testing and five months of waiting for the scores to be released teachers will be evaluated on students "numbers", your principal will be evaluated on teachers "numbers" and the district will be evaluated on the schools "numbers". The results of an evaluation then place teachers, principals and districts in a category of either highly effective, effective, developing or ineffective. The score can be used to fire teachers even if the group of students she had that year were below average, didn't speak english, didn't come from homes with support, enough food, heat or clothes. These numbers can be used to close an entire school building regardless of the different variables that building may face compared to other schools in the district or across the state. It is important to keep in mind all schools across NY are taking the same exact test, with the same exact questions asked to every child regardless of their background, home support, household income, special needs or class size. It is a one size fits all agenda and it is happening now. The most frightening piece to this puzzle is if the test scores remain low or if communities can't afford to pay for the mandates and materials that go with them we stand to lose our entire district as it is taken over and privatized. This means you, the parent, who once called the shots and invested so much time and energy into your child's growth will lose your voice when it comes to your child's education. 

The Problem
    There are so many layers to what our children are facing in school today and what our communities stand to lose.  I will leave you with my two concerns regarding my letter. My first concern is I worry this is the first many parents are hearing of this or anything like this. I worry you were led to believe that the change in schools, testing, new materials is a good thing and much needed. I worry you believe this is for the good of your child and they will benefit from it even if they struggle now. My second concern is my biggest and that is that I am completely right. I would love nothing more then to be called a crazy lady with crazy thoughts, another reason I choose to be anonymous. I want you to prove me wrong and help me understand how common core, high stakes testing and APPR are working for my children and that they will be OK. I would much rather walk away with my tail between my legs then deal with what seems to be a reality for our children. Please ask me questions, challenge my ideas and find anything you can to dispute my thoughts. I am desperate for the help of parents like you to correct me and if you can't please keep reading and join me as I fight to save our schools, teachers and future of our children's generation. 
Warmly,
A Hopeful Mom.