This week, Mile High Newspapers (Jefferson County) feature a front page article on my effort to reform the ineffective and inefficient CSAP testing program in Colorado.
I think you will find the following article balanced and quite informative.
Link: The CSAP Divide | Emily Hois/Mile High Newspapers
Excerpt:
Her sixth-grade peers endure their second hour of proficiency testing while Hannah Chandler tours Stephany's Chocolates, sampling truffles and observing the handcraft of candy making.
The educational field trip was one of several Hannah and her father, Dave, embarked on while the first week of Colorado Student Assessment Program tests began at Thomson Elementary School in Arvada. The two learn how Stephany's Chocolates must import truffles from Switzerland where the altitude is comparable because the candies "explode" when shipped from sea level.
"Even if you're not learning things that are academic, there's other things you can learn about," said Dave, who first opted Hannah out of CSAPs last year.
The parent of two has taken a rare but symbolic stand against the test that debuted in 1997. While some parents may disagree with CSAPs, few defy school policy. Others feel the test is a necessary tool to measure student achievement and whether schools and its teachers are accomplishing their educational goals. ...
A stay-at-home father, Dave said his situation is unique because it lets him spend time with Hannah while her peers are testing. Students whose working parents might opt them out would likely remain on campus, busying themselves with other activities and risk feeling exiled.
The most common reaction Hannah experiences from peers is jealously and disbelief.
"All the kids think I'm amazing," she said. "The think I'm so lucky. I tell them they can opt out too but they don't believe me." ...
The first year Dave opted Hannah out of CSAPs, he said Thomson Elementary Principal Paula Lindenberger requested a conference to discuss his opposition.
"She said, 'Funding is tied to this. Children need to be a team and do this and you may not like it, but it's for the good of the school,'" Dave recalled.
The conversation hasn't swayed the Dave's viewpoint or prevented him from distributing anti-CSAP fliers.
Angela Engel, a former Douglas County teacher who is writing a book on the CSAP controversy said the test is misused to measure schools while it's designed to evaluate students. "The thing that people don't understand about CSAP is that the schools pay for it. It negatively impacts the school and can jeopardize funding," Engel said.
The state legislature last week killed a bill that would have ended the practice of docking a school's score if a student opts out of the test.
"This really means parents don't have a choice when it comes to the Colorado Student Assessment," Engel said.
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