Opt Out Meetings and Book Readings in Seattle

The Seattle Opt Out Group will meet on February 10th at the Beacon Hill Library at 6pm to hear from educator Rachel Eells.

Ms. Eells is a teacher at Garfield High School who is involved with a group of educators who traveled to New York to learn about how the New York Performance Standards Consortium implements and manages performance-based assessments for students.  This is a viable alternative to high stakes standardized testing.

As Monty Neill, Executive Director for FairTest, wrote in More Than a Score:“If the movement only rolls back the tests without winning better alternatives, proponents of testing will use the vacuum to reassert the primacy of standardized exams.  NCLB destroyed many promising assessment initiatives, but there are US and international examples, such as the New York Performance Standards Consortium.  Activists can use them to counter the false claim that standardized tests are the only way to let the public know about or improve school quality.  As the movement gains in strength, opportunities to overhaul assessment will open up.  The movement must be ready with well-developed options.”

Join us on Feb. 10 to begin to develop our options in Seattle, with Rachel informing our discussion.

Here is the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-Opt-Out/430265387124998

Other dates and events to note:

Jan. 26 (Mon.) Nathan Hale High School forum on testing at 7:00 pm.

A moving letter from Jill Hudson, Principal, here: http://halehs.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1708872/File/Testing_Dr.Hudson.2014.pdf?sessionid=2330a13c853e48fbb55fa1580105fe57

Jan. 28 (Wed.)  More Than a Score bookgroups, various locations: https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/more-than-a-score-reading-groups/

Feb. 5 (Th.)  Parents and Friends of Tacoma Public Schools Opt-Out information night, 6pm, University of Puget Sound: https://www.facebook.com/events/1561528077421741/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Feb. 10 (Tues.)  Seattle Opt Out Group meeting, Beacon Hill Library, 6pm, discussion about the NY Performance Standards Consortium

Feb. 16 (Mon.)  Washington BATS (BadAssTeachers) Rally in Olympia.

Feb. 25 (Wed.) Common Core State Standards presentation with educator J. Wilson, Northgate Library, 6pm: https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/an-outstanding-presentation-on-the-common-core-standards-in-seattle/

For further information, you can send an email to seattled@icloud.com.