9th Grader Starts White House Petition To Reduce Standardized Testing

A 9th grader has started a petition for President Obama to reduce standardized testing.  He is sick of the endless hours of test prep and the devaluation of actual grades and achievements.  He is tired of one test score determining your retention or ability to graduate.  He is 4th in his class.  Please go to the below link and get this petition to it’s 100,000 mark!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/reduce-standardized-testing-public-schools-across-america/8S1wmvbW

The Full Title 14 Subchapter Which Exposes The Delaware DOE As Liars To Parents

Delaware DOE, Please pay attention.  This is the law for education.  It’s called Title 14.  I’ve been telling you this since December.  Please read this subchapter and don’t just refer to paragraph 173.  I bolded the parts to make it easier.  This subchapter defines individuals for this subchapter.  The definitions provided in clear writing give exact meaning to the “individuals” WHO ARE NOT PARENTS!!!!

TITLE 14

Education

Free Public Schools

CHAPTER 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Subchapter IV. State Assessment System Security and Violations

§ 170 Definitions.

For purposes of this subchapter only, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

(1) ”Assessment administration” means the range of activities from the initial procurement of secure assessment materials including those delivered via the computer through testing and the return of secure assessment materials to the Department or its agents;

(2) ”Assessment site” means the physical location of the assessment administration, including a computer lab, classroom, or other room;

(3) ”Department” means the Delaware Department of Education;

(4) ”Individual” means a student, teacher, administrator, local or state school board member, or other employee, agent or contractor employed by the Delaware public school system whether local or at the state level, and including an employee, agent or contractor of a charter school;

(5) ”Log-in” means the process of accessing the assessment website;

(6) ”School district” means any school district, special school or charter school created pursuant to the provisions

of this title;

(7) ”Secure browser” means the computer browser that prevents the student from accessing functions of the computer that are not allowed during assessment;

(8) ”State Assessment System” means the assessment program established pursuant to subchapter III of this chapter, including the assessments administered pursuant thereto; and

(9) ”Student identification number” means the unique identification number assigned to each student in the State under which his or her student records are maintained.

73 Del. Laws, c. 81, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 78 Del. Laws, c. 53, §§ 23-25.;

§ 171 Security and data procedures.

(a) The Department shall promulgate rules regulations to ensure the security of the assessment administration, training of personnel and collection and reporting of assessment data.

(b) The Department’s rules and regulations shall provide for:

(1) The security of the printed materials during assessment administration and the storage under lock and key of all secure assessment materials, including answer documents, before and after assessment administration;

(2) Procedures to safeguard computer access information and use of the secure browser, including the printing of assessment content;

(3) The proper administration of assessments and the monitoring of assessment administrations by school district personnel; and

(4) Procedures for the accurate and timely collection, storage and retrieval of state assessment system materials and data.

73 Del. Laws, c. 81, § 1; 78 Del. Laws, c. 53, §§ 26-30.;

§ 172 Assessment behavior violations.

It is an assessment security violation for an individual to fail to follow state assessment system administration procedures promulgated by the Department, and no individual shall:

(1) Give any examinee access to secure assessment items or materials except in the regular course of an authorized administration of the state assessment;

(2) Give unauthorized individuals or other persons access to secure assessment items or materials;

(3) Copy, reproduce, use, or otherwise disclose in any manner inconsistent with assessment security regulations and procedures any portion of the secure assessment materials;

(4) Provide answers during the assessment administration either orally, in writing, or by any other means to an examinee;

(5) Coach any examinee during assessment administration by giving the examinee answers to secure assessment questions or otherwise directing or guiding a response or by altering or interfering with the examinee’s response in any way;

(6) Fail to follow security regulations and procedures for the storage, distribution, collection and return of secure assessment materials or fail to account for all secure assessment materials before, during and after assessment administration;

(7) Fail to properly monitor assessment administration, including permitting inappropriate collaboration between or among individuals; fail to remove or cover nonallowable resources from the assessment site during the assessment administration; or fail to destroy scratch paper used by students during the assessment administration;

(8) Fail to prohibit students from accessing or using electronic equipment (e.g., cellular phones, personal digital assistant devices, iPods, electronic translators), other than those authorized for use by the Department for the assessment administration;

(9) Fail to confirm proper identification of students being administered the assessment or intentionally give a student the wrong student identification number during the log-in, causing any student to log in and take the assessment under another student’s records;

(10) Fail to collect and destroy any materials bearing student identification number(s) and student name(s) used to provide student(s) with this information during the assessment administration;

(11) Produce unauthorized copies of assessment content from the computer website; fail to properly destroy authorized copies; or allow copies to be taken outside the assessment site;

(12) Allow assessment administration by unauthorized personnel or personnel who have not received assessment administration certification;

(13) Administer secure assessments on dates other than those authorized by the Department;

(14) Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist, encourage or fail to report any of the acts prohibited in this subchapter; or

(15) Refuse to disclose to the Department information regarding assessment security violations; or

(16) Refuse to cooperate in the investigation of a suspected breach of assessment security, whether such investigation is conducted by a school district or the Department. The investigation shall include a review of mitigating circumstances, if applicable.

73 Del. Laws, c. 81, § 1; 78 Del. Laws, c. 53, §§ 31-41.;

§ 173 Data reporting violations.

School districts and individuals shall not:

(1) Fail to report assessment scores, numbers of students administered the assessments any other data element required to be reported to the Department;

(2) Report incorrect or otherwise inaccurate assessment scores, numbers of students administered the assessments or any other data element required to be reported to the Department;

(3) Exclude a student from participation in the state assessment except in accordance with the regulations of the Department;

(4) Refuse to disclose to the Department information concerning a violation of the foregoing data reporting requirements; or

(5) Refuse to cooperate in the investigation of a suspected data reporting violation, whether such investigation is conducted by a school district or the Department. The investigation shall include a review of mitigating circumstances, if applicable.

73 Del. Laws, c. 81, § 1; 78 Del. Laws, c. 53, §§ 42, 43.;

§ 174 Civil sanctions for violations.

(a) A student who violates any of the provisions of § 172 of this title shall be subject to the following:

(1) At the discretion of the Department, the assessment score of such student may be invalidated and the student may be declared ineligible to retake the assessment until the next official testing opportunity; and

(2) Such disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the student’s school district.

(b) An individual other than a student who knowingly violates any of the provisions of this subchapter shall be subject to the following:

(1) Such personnel sanctions as might otherwise be imposed by the individual’s employer for an act of misconduct;

(2) A hearing conducted by the Professional Standards Board to determine revocation of any license issued to such individual pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 12 of this title; and

(3) Payment of any costs incurred by the State or Department as a result of the violation.

73 Del. Laws, c. 81, § 1; 78 Del. Laws, c. 53, § 44.;

Since you folks put the link on threat letter #2, I’ll give it to all my readers: http://delcode.delaware.gov/title14/c001/sc04/index.shtml

Just stop.  You are embarrassing yourselves at this point.  The heat is on, and if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Delaware DOE Twisting The Opt Out Screws To Parents With Threat Of Funding Cuts Now, Getting Desperate…

In a document released yesterday by the Delaware Department of Education from the Office of Assessment, it appears the DOE is coming up with more threatening language for parents opting their child out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment.  They are still sticking to this paragraph 173 which states schools and individuals can’t opt students out.  The rest is what the schools have to do, not anything about the parents.  I will say it one more time DOE before I go to the Attorney General with this tomorrow.  The “individuals” you write about is defined in the state code and parents aren’t a part of that!  It is not relevant.  You have been informed about this.  Stop with the bullying!  It is illegal to apply state code to a different part of the population the law does NOT apply to!  Read the latest Delaware DOE threat statement here:

Just stop with the pathetic “funding cuts” language. Half the states bagged out of this crap, and I don’t see them getting those cuts.  I don’t see New York and New Jersey where the vast majority of the population of parents want to opt out getting these cuts. Let’s cross that bridge when it comes to it.  Cause the US DOE has punked you into getting this stuff out there.  But don’t bark at to Delaware parents.  We will bite back…

Furthermore, you’ve been out of compliance with the Office of Special Education Programs for years, but I don’t see any IDEA funding cuts to Delaware.  Here’s what “may” happen.  You’ll get a warning the first year, second year you go on watch, and by then America will have come to it’s senses and banned both common core and this turd of a test.  So take your public punches and stop trying to bully and intimidate parents.

Tony Allen’s Letter To Wilmington Citizens re: Mark Murphy, DOE, Priority Schools, WEAC and Christina School District

Tony Allen, the chair of the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee wrote a letter in response to the letter from Secretary of Education Mark Murphy to the Christina School District about the three priority schools.  Many people were confused about the DOE letter since it gave the options to close, revert to charter, or give the schools to a management company.  But embedded in the letter was also a recommendation to work with the DOE based on the recommendations of WEAC to redistrict Wilmington and take the Christina schools in the city and give them to Red Clay Consolidated.  Please read the letter from Tony Allen:

Parent Opt Out Movement Gaining Steam In Delaware, Another Parent Opts Child Out At Capital Board Meeting

As the Smarter Balanced Assessment draws closer, more parents are catching on to the opt out movement.  Tonight at the Capital Board meeting, a parent read a brief public comment she was opting her son out and gave a letter to the board.  Later on in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution to support the House Bill to allow Parent Opt Out but wanted to add language concerning school protections.  Superintendent Dr. Michael Thomas was concerned, and rightly so in my opinion, about the implications this could have on teachers and principals at the schools.  I actually advised the board at this point the bill was submitted today with new language to add certain protections for schools.

The bill will be released tomorrow with a House Bill number as per Delaware State Rep. John Kowalko. From there, it will go to the House Education Committee.  If it moves on from there, it would be voted on by the House, and would then go to the Senate if approved.  If it passes, it would go to Governor Markell to sign into law.  This is where it could get tricky.  If enough parents are behind this, Markell would have a public relations nightmare if he refused to sign this.  But he is a lame-duck and firmly in the pockets of the corporate education reformers.  Which is why parents need to make a lot of noise about this NOW!

Board member Matthew Lindell said the bill has the same type of language in Capital’s resolution from October which passed.  The Capital resolution stated there would be no penalty against students if they were opted out of the state assessment.  Board President Kay Dietz-Sass said she has personally had about 70 inquiries into opt out by concerned parents.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment testing window begins March 10th, and ends on June 4th.  Parents have 20 days to opt their child out of this test.  We need many more with the brave courage of the parents who have already done this.  We also need a count, so if you have opted your child out, let me know.  If you would prefer privacy, you can shoot me an email at kevino3670@yahoo.com If you are a special needs parent, and you are still on the fence about this, just be prepared for hell to be unleashed once this test starts.  You can stop that from happening.