Check out CAPE member Larry Lewin's recent letter to the Register-Guard
on funding of public education.
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
3 Easy Steps To Opt Out of State Testing
Have You and Your Kids Had Enough Testing?
You don't have to take state tests! House Bill 2655 permits parents to annually opt-out of Oregon's statewide summative tests.
In fact, the Springfield School Board has urged parents to opt-out of these unfair and unnecessary tests.
Opting out is easy:
1. Download the Opt-Out form from the Department of Education (it's the 2nd page of the pdf linked):
www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Documents/Opt-Out%20Form%202017-18.pdf
2. Fill out & sign the form.
3. Return the form to your child's school! They can be sent with the children, or you are welcome to bring in the forms yourself.
That's it! You're done. There is no deadline to submit the form - you can still opt-out even after the testing period has started!
You have to submit this form once per year, so make a note to download the new form next year and resubmit.
Why should we opt-out?
1. The average student takes 112 mandated standardized tests by 12th grade
2. They take 2-6 weeks of instruction time and are unnecessarily stressful for young students.
3. Schools are pressured to teach to the test and to minimize untested subjects.
4. Smarter Balanced test reports arrive too late for teachers to even use them.
5. Many studies show these tests aren’t fair or valid measures of student learning.
It’s time to say, “Enough!”
Join the Movement to Opt-Out.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Check Out Satirical Eugene Weekly Newsarticle by Bob Keefer
Facebook Buys Eugene School District
‘It’s time to make education pay for itself,’ Zuckerberg says
https://eugeneweekly.com/2018/03/29/facebook-buys-eugene-school-district/
.... Schools will be rebranded as “advanced data centers,” he said, reflecting their more-functional status in the global economy.
Zuckerberg canceled previously announced plans to buy the University of Oregon after discovering the institution is already privately owned....
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Check out CAPE's latest Democracy in Education column in Eugene Weekly
Read our 7-point vision for what our public schools should be
https://eugeneweekly.com/2018/03/15/democracy-in-education-the-schools-we-want/
Monday, March 5, 2018
Check out Rachel's outstanding letter to the Register Guard
Adults need to step up, sans guns
My cousin and another child were killed at the Thurston shooting. As a teacher, I improvised bandages, pressed arteries and reassured the dozens wounded. My colleague was in a different school shooting, and my friend’s granddaughter was in another.
Since being at Thurston, my stepdaughter and her friends are haunted by fears for their own children’s safety. My grandson has hidden in a cubbyhole for three lockdowns so far. And after active shooter drills, the kids talk about death. That’s no way to grow up.
We adults need to step up. Cut gun deaths in half through better reporting, background checks, training and licensing, as Connecticut did. Lock up your guns and ammunition. Listen to your kids. Share the video “Evan” about shooter warning signs. And demand Congress change laws — call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
But don’t arm teachers. During training, officers hit bystander images 18 percent of the time. Now imagine teachers firing into a panicked crowd. Or being mistaken for the “bad guy.” Or being tackled for their guns. Instead, provide trained police, counselors (most schools have none or caseloads of 500 or more) and smaller classes, all to keep a better eye on kids. Aren’t they worth it?
RACHEL RICH
Eugene
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)