Open Letter to Ms. Wardle: Why I'm Opting-out My Kids From the SBAC

This is in response to a teacher's posting on her blog:  talesfrompubliceducation.BlogSpot.com. 

Dear Ms. Wardle,
I do not follow your blog, but have a mutual friend who commented on it, so I was able to read it via Facebook.  Since I am one of those crazy parents who “opted out” my children from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test this spring, I thought I would share with you my reasoning. 
I have spent the past several months researching the Common Core State Standards.  I have attended every meeting the school district and White Pine School has offered with regard to Common Core (with the exception of the SBAC practice night, but I had already viewed the sample tests online).  I have attended two meetings sponsored by the Tea Party, and although I am not affiliated with that group, I was curious about what their featured speakers had to say.  I have spent countless hours online reading op-eds, teachers’ blogs, and information from the Idaho State Department of Education.  I have obtained copies of the Idaho Core Standards from our school district and looked through them.   I watched the Idaho Legislature Forum held in January.   By no means do I consider myself an expert in these standards, but I have wanted to learn as much as I can to form an educated opinion for myself.  I have many concerns with the origin and funding of the Common Core State Standards, but will limit my comments to you at this time to the SBAC.
      You ask why I would opt-out?  I will list several reasons:
       First, this is not a test written by Idaho teachers/educators for Idaho students.  Although Superintendent Luna stated in the forum in January that Idaho teachers were part of writing the SBAC, I have not found the information to prove this.  You argue that I allow my students to take the SAT (and I will include ACT).  That is true, but that is not taken until the students are in high school. The SBAC begins in 3rd grade and continues every year. The SBAC uses a technique called “close reading.”  I’m sure you are familiar with that phrase, but for those who are reading who might not be, that means that the student is given “prompt(s)” or paragraph(s) of information and then must use only the information in the prompts for their writing.  This might mean that students will read information with which they don’t agree, or find morally or politically offensive and have to defend it because that is what was given in the prompt.  For example, a student in Utah was so amazed at a series of prompts and subsequent writing exam, that she used her phone to photograph the computer screen.  The subject of the prompts:  why playing video games was better than reading books. (Students will probably have to check their phones/iPods at the door now).  Some may argue that defending a position with which you don’t agree is good for you; it’s no different than what is required in debate club.  But what effect does that have on young minds that are developing morals and values?  Moreover, nowhere in life does one defend an opposing point of view but in debate club and the court room.  It is a skill that should be developed after a student is fundamentally grounded.
Another concern I have about the SBAC is lack of transparency.  Before opt-ing my students out, I asked if I could sit with my students and look over the tests as they took them.  Of course this was refused.  I know there are sample tests available, but I wanted to see the actual exam since so many rumors had been circulating about inappropriate questions being asked.  And of course those types of questions would not appear on a sample test.  For example, as reported to me by a mother, a student at Burley Junior High was asked a multiple choice question about what they would do if they found a wallet laying on the ground.  Giving the wallet back was not one of the choices!  What is a question like that doing on a standardized test? This is an example of the intrusive questions parents are concerned about.  And according to test administrating procedures, no teacher, administrator, or even test proctor can look at the screen, so how do we know what they are asking?
  On the “SBAC Fact vs. Fiction” page linked from the State Department of Education, the following statement is listed as fiction:  “These tests will result in the collection of intrusive and inappropriate data on children.”  And here is the listed fact.  “States will make all policy decisions with regard to the collection, storage, and use of student assessment data.  Smarter Balanced will adhere to all federal and state privacy laws, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  The Consortium will not share identifiable student level data with the federal government.  The Higher Education Opportunity ACT (HEOA) of 2008, NO Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Education Reform Sciences Act of 2002, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) all prohibit the creation of a federal database with students’ personally identifiable information.”  So I can feel good knowing the federal government is legally prevented from gathering and collecting personally identifying information about my children.  The state may collect it, the SBAC may have it, but at least the federal government can’t collect it.  But do they have access to it?  And nowhere in this paragraph does it address whether or not “intrusive and inappropriate data” will be collected through the SBAC.  This is concerning to me! 
     Which leads to my next concern:  What if there is a question a student finds offensive or inappropriate?  You mentioned an experience with a child at your school who was concerned there might be porn on the SBAC.  I felt bad you shared that experience because I know the family and the background behind that exchange, and it was a complete misunderstanding on the child’s part.  The parents were discussing a letter written by Senator Steven Thayn of Emmett released January 14, 2014.  He wrote this letter to Tom Luna’s office, the State Board of Education, Governor Otter, and the House and Senate Education Committees and committee members.  He listed several concerns with the SBAC, one being that “The Idaho State Department of Education is not able to guarantee that pornographic passages or agenda-driven questions will not be on the SBAC.”  Was it a good idea to discuss this in front of a highly anxious student?  The mother recognizes that obviously wasn’t a good idea, but please don’t mock her for having concerns!  You write that you “wouldn’t approve of a test given to your child where just anything can happen.”  You have no control!  I wish you did!  Teachers and administrators aren’t even allowed in the testing room.   The parents weren’t concerned about pornography popping up during the test.  The parents were discussing the possibility of there being questions considered pornographic in nature ON the test.  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is an approved text for the Idaho Core Standards in high school ELA curriculum.  It is a book about child pedophilia, among other things, and I quote a reader’s review: “… I felt dirty after reading it and certainly cannot recommend it to anyone but particularly not to impressionable 11th graders.  I am left asking this one question - What are our schools administrators thinking about forcing this garbage on to our kids?”  I have been assured by district staff that this book has not been approved for our district.  But because it is approved literature for the Common Core State Standards, is it not possible that students could be forced to read prompts from this book on the SBAC?  This also seems to be a concern with Senator Thayn, as he stated above that there is no guarantee that these types of things won’t be on the SBAC.
     Because Idaho is in a consortium with 20 other states, making changes to the SBAC is very difficult.  This is where I feel we have lost control of education in Idaho.  Is there not a better way to test our students?  Can’t we rewrite the ISAT to comply with Common Core Standards if we’re determined to keep them?  If our state’s teachers and schools are going to be rated and/or paid according to test scores, I feel we as a state should have more control of that testing than to be in a consortium held hostage to the majority.   Which leads to another question:  is it right to rate schools and determine teachers’ pay on the SBAC?
      Opting out was a way for me to show the school, district, and state that I do not agree with this test.  I didn’t opt out of the ISAT. But I am realizing now I should have been more aware and involved.  One of the best things about the implementation of Common Core standards is that parents are finally waking up to their kids’ education.  They are asking questions and seeking answers more than any other time.  We often accept things blindly without really understanding or questioning our State Department of Education.  I know I have been guilty of that for years, and have recently had a wakeup call.  I encourage parents and teachers to ask questions and get informed.  Following one of the meetings where I asked several questions about Common Core, a district teacher approached me and said, “Your questions about Common Core are valid.  Keep digging.”  I hope we can have open conversations about these issues.
     Opting my children out of the SBAC does not mean I am opting them out of life.  My children do hard things.  Anyone who knows me or my family knows my children know how to work hard.  We expect a lot out of our children.  More than anything, I want them to be “critical thinkers.”  Is Common Core the best vehicle for promoting that?  That’s another letter.  I believe an essential part of thinking critically is to assess a situation, seeking all the information you can gather, and then take a stand.  In opting my children out, I stand for what I believe to be right.  I don’t judge those who didn’t opt out.  I don’t feel like I’m a better mother than you because I did and you didn’t.  I’m just doing what I feel is right.  It’s hard to feel like the heretic.  I have served as the PTO president for two years and have donated hundreds of hours serving my children’s schools.  I don’t want to be labeled as the weird, psycho, paranoid mom that I’m sure I am.  But I can’t ignore the feelings in my heart.
     I appreciate your concern for the students in your classroom.  I know you grow to love them and want what is best for them.  But nobody loves my children more than I do as their mother.  The primary reason I opted my kids out of SBAC this year?  The gnawing feeling of concern inside me that wouldn’t go away.  Until I can have answers to my questions, my students will not take the SBAC.  You are right that I will not have the option to “opt-out” next year.  But I will have the right to refuse to let my children take it. The United States Supreme Court has broadly protected parents’ rights (Pierce v. Society of Sisters).  I will continue to gather information.  Maybe my concerns will be resolved, but until I feel differently, I cannot ignore these promptings.
      I don’t expect you to agree with my reasons for opting out, but I please ask you to understand and respect my rights as a parent.   I appreciate what you and all teachers are doing in the classroom. 
Sincerely,
A concerned and questioning parent,
Mandy Baker