Kyle and Jenriltet Massei March 20, 2l)lA Ms. Lisa cain, Principal Hillcrest Proiessional Development School waco independent school District Waco. Texas Dear Ms. Lisa Cairly This letter is to respectiully iniorm you that ourtounh grade child,-- will need to be excused lrom all mandated standardized testing te STAAR testi during the remainder oi the school year This is also to include classroom activities that are intended as STAAFI test preparation, such as practice tests and test>> taking training exercises. As we are morally and ethically opposed to these school activities, we are making this decision with recognition oi our parental rights and ooligations under the due process clause at the Fourteenth Amendment oi the united states constitution and the Texas Education code (Title 2, Subtitle E, "Students and Parents, Section 26, "Parental and Responsibilities"). we maintain that it is our parental rightto choose to opt our children out oi school activities that are harmlul to children as stated in the Texas Education code CHAPTER 25 PARENTAL RIGHTS AND Sec FROM A parent is entitled to remove the parent's child temporarily iiom a class or other school that conilicts with the parents religious or moral beliefs it the parent presents or delivers to the teacher of the parents child a written suternent authorizing the removal of the child from the class or other school activity, Please consider this letter to be out written statement of authorization we want our children to become critical and creative thinkers, not subservient test--t.-akers. Public education in this country has been the victim oi thirty years' worth oi neoliberal hegemonic attacks in the iorm oi political and economic policies. These corporate attacks have negatively altered the structures pedagogical practices, and intended democratic goals oi public education. As we rellect on the intended goals oi public schools in a lioeral democracy - to prepare citizens tor active civic parucipation, and indeed tor global citizenship, tor example - we oelieve it is morally wrong to put children through the ordeal oi standardized testing which has no berleiit to their personal education or development as citizens we do not want --or his teachers shackled to a taulty testing product such as the STAAR test, or any standardized test tor that matter. High-stakes standardized testing is not the education experience we want tor our children, and thus we are choosing to op-out oi all sTAAl=t testing activities, The tollowing summarizes some oi our reasons tor our celiei that the practice oi high stakes standardized testing is morally wrong a AFFECTS WELL-BEING This system 07 constant testing seems designed to produce anxiety and depression. Evidence has accumulated over the last iew decades oi the detrimental eflect oi ireouent testing on students' enioyment oi school, their willingness to learn, other than tor the purpose ol passing tese or examinations, and their understanding oi the process at learning A welldocumented direct impact oi testing regimes is that they induce test anxiety in young learners and that perceived low scores negatively atiect students' se|i--esteem and perceptions at themselves as learners Any negative impact on motivation icr learning is clearly highly undesirable, particularly at a time in a young persons lire when the importance oi learning to learn and litelong learning is widely embraced . KILLS AND LOVE OF l-iighstalxes standardized testing actually limits and reduces the amount or teaming experiences. Rather than iocusing on a chlId's natural curiosity, testing emphasizes (and drills in) isolated tacts limiting teacher's abilityto create environments that stimulate a child's imagination. - REDUCES A cAPAclTv FOR NEW ltchildren cannot actively make connections between topics oi study, they don't remember what they learn trorii day to day. Most standardized tests are still based on the recall at isolated lacts and narrow skills a REPLACES HIGHER ORDER WITH SKILL, AND Must tests include many topics that are not important, while many important areas are not included on standardized tests because they cannot be measured by such tests. Teaching to the test does not produce real and sustained gains on independent learning measures. - NARROWS THE CURRICULUM: The loss of a rich curriculum has been documented in research and in teacher testimony The use at high>>stakes tests is universally lound to be associated with teachers iocusing on the content at the tests administering repeated practice tests, training students in the answers to questions or types ol ouesiion, and adopting transmission styles or teaching. in such circumstances teachers make little use ol assessment lormatively to help the learning process High--stakes tests are inevitably designed to be as 'ob]ective' as possible, sincethere is a premium on reliable marking in the interests oi tairness This has the eitect reducing what is assessed to what can be readily and reliably marked, Generally this excludes many outcomes or education such as problem--solving and thinking. 0 REDUCES AS A CENTRAL CORE OF LEARING: The reduction at opportunities to learn to socialize through and collaborative classroom activities reduces children's opportunities to develop healthy social skills. Being seated alone at a desk taking a test all day, or tor a signiticant portion oi the day, isolates children irom learning how to develop community-based problem solving skills they will need as adults - WASTES VALUABLE EDUCATIONAL TIME SPENT TESTS. Texas Public Schools will spend one or every live days or nearly 20% ot the school year conducting tests. According to the Texas Education Agency, Texas public schools will spend 34 out or the 185 day long year conducting tests mandated by the state government This does not include the regular testing in schools such as six--weeks tests, quizzes, and linal exams - VIDLATES ALL RIGHTS To A FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION: Highstakes testing leads to under-serving or mis-serving all students, especially the most needy and vulnerable, thereby violating the principle or 'do no harm'. For example, students living in poverty, who already lack critical access to books and tree reading. are condemned to test prep instead ot having opportunities to read Monies desperately needed iorvital school resources such as clean drinking water, supplies and roots that don't leak are being spent on testing matehals Texas spends :44 billion per year on public education. oi that $1 billion is spent just on testing oaysl . THE EDUCATION DEclsloN-MAl