In a letter sent to all states in America, the United States Department of Education is pulling the lever towards federal funding cuts to states who have participation rates below 95% on state assessments two years in a row.
If a State with participation rates below 95% in the 2014−2015 school year fails to assess at least 95% of
its students on the statewide assessment in the 2015−2016 school year, ED will take one or more of the
following actions: (1) withhold Title I, Part A State administrative funds; (2) place the State’s Title I,
Part A grant on high-risk status and direct the State to use a portion of its Title I State administrative
funds to address low participation rates; or (3) withhold or redirect Title VI State assessment funds.
Yes, they are actually doing it. I would go with option number 3 for Delaware. We don’t want your stupid state assessment funds. Go ahead. I dare you to do this US DOE. You are nothing but bullies, flexing your muscles in direct opposition to parental rights. You are complete idiots if you think parents are going to take this lying down. We challenge you. Miss Ann Whalen, “delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education”. Who gave you this authority? The departing Arne Duncan or the incoming John King? You still don’t get it, do you? Schools cannot and should not be punished for parents exercising their God-given, fundamental and constitutional rights for their children when it comes to education. Yes, all schools are required to make sure students participate in the test. That means the schools can’t tell parents to opt out. There is nothing in your insane, ridiculous, mind-boggling, hateful, punitive, and disrespectful law about parents exercising their rights. You are twisting the knife in public education. America is tired of your high-stakes assessments meant to punish schools and feed the wallets of corporate education reformers. You have sold your soul to Wall Street.
President Obama, you are a lame-duck. Are you really going to have this be your education legacy? Choosing business over children? Cutting funds to schools where standardized testing doesn’t mean a damn thing to students whose lives have not improved under your presidency? You disrespect parents. You disrespect minorities. You disrespect students with disabilities. You disrespect teachers. You disrespect schools. You disrespect state rights. You disrespect those in low-income or poverty. I disrespect you if this is really the route you want to take. If this is something you are okay with, if this is something you allow, you should be prepared to take the heat for it. I invite every single parent of a child in public school in America to call you now, until this mandate is GONE, and voice their vehement opposition to this totalitarian rule from the federal government on education. Call today. The phone number for the White House is 202-456-1111. You can email President Obama here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact and tweet him at @WhiteHouse or you can comment on every single article the White House puts out here: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/timeline. Tell the President your child is not his child. Your child is not the property of the United States Department of Education. Tell him your child is YOUR CHILD. And you know what is best for them in determining YOUR CHILD’S education.
To read the US DOE’s ultimate bully letter to the states, please see below:
The Season Of Myths 
That is complete insanity. Seems like an empty threat because there will be quite a few states that will not have the participation rates no matter how much you threaten the parents. He really needs to get a grip and realize he cannot control people through idle threats.
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Reblogged this on We Are More and commented:
This needs to be litigated. Students have a right to either Opt-Out or refuse to take a standardized assessment. This is an exemplar for dictatorship.
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Don’t let it stop you from opting your child out. Opt your child out and let Gov. Carney and our congressional delegation fight with Hillary over funding.
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I completely agree Mike!
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Reblogged this on stopcommoncorenys.
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The letter mentions nothing about which assessment needs to be administered. How ’bout we get a test that actually informs teachers and students of their progress and proficiency instead of one that just targets teachers for not teaching to the test? I’d have no problem complying with this if we had an assessment that actually assessed student proficiency.
Until then, let them be known as the administration that threatens to take school funding right out from under students’ feet. We should work toward reducing or eliminating the need for Fed money for schools. Then give them a giant middle finger.
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As we move toward weighted funding, where schools are forced to fill social and developmental needs caused by economic forces, we should reserve all local funds for instruction (and thus control), while insisting that the Feds heavily subsidize social services delivered as part of the local education budget.
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Best idea ever (sarcasm level reaching over 9000). But really, punishing the state over a few kids is going too far. We need better people to be president, like lisa cooley from fb. Obama has used too much power, and he will barely be affected even if impeached since his term is almost over. With the candidates, its basically pick your poison, how do you want to die? Obama is intentionally screwing over the smarter kids who opt out.
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Gee aren’t you so happy that Alexander returned control to the states. LIAR LIAR LIAR
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The state got us into this mess the state can figure out how to handle the huge numbers of parents that will OPT OUT. figure it out smarty pants. I hope the feds take away all the states money. Then we can REALLY take back education.
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