Today, March 9th, 2014 is Opt Out Day. This means you need to opt your child out of the Delaware state standardized test, the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Many of us have done so already. We recognize this is a parental right, and we don’t need permission. We don’t need a superintendent to sign off on it, we don’t need an okay from a teacher, and we certainly don’t need anyone from the DOE to tell us what the consequences are, because there are none.
In order to do this, I would walk into your child’s school, give them a letter stating you do not want your child to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment. You can write why if you choose, but it really doesn’t matter. You are exercising your Constitutional rights as a parent looking out for the best interests of your child. I have been advising you of these rights for months now. I do this, because unlike the Delaware Department of Education, I know this test is very dangerous. I belong to no group or organization that would benefit from your child opting out. I make no money from this blog, and I am not on retainer to write this information. I write because I care. I care about what happens to students in our state, and I have to believe our children are more than test scores.
Do not let the DOE or the politicians fool you. They have and continue to make tons of money off these tests. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is predicted to make over $65 million dollars from your child taking this test. This is just in Delaware. The scores, which you won’t even find out about until well after the school year is over, will be used to judge schools and teachers. They will tell you the numbers “don’t count” this year, and possibly next. But trust me, they are using this data to plot and scheme.
If your child’s school forces your child to take this test, tell your child to call you. If the school attempts to keep your child there, call the police. Call the media. If your child is not educated while the other students are taking the test, raise hell. If you care about your child, based on the solemn promise you made when you first became a parent and swore to do the best you can for your child, do not let them take this test.
A couple days ago, blogger Diane Ravitch wrote an article stating that economists predict only 47% of jobs will be available in the future due to technological advances. Computers and robots will replace the jobs many of us survive on. The US Government knows this. Which is why they are performing their high-stakes assessment survival of the fittest games. This test is designed over the long-term to weed out the weak and advance the strongest. Do not let your child be a part of this agenda. Be the parent that says I will determine what is best for my child. Opt your child out today.
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