They won’t be opting out of Florida’s testing, but the Palm Beach County School Board members sure would like to see it change – and they didn’t keep their sentiments brief.
Here’s a sampling from each board member:
Board Chairman Chuck Shaw relayed what happened at the Florida School Boards Association meeting in Vero Beach where members started with several proposals and tabled them all because of ‘politics.’ They needed to go back and see where their boards were on the matter. “What was clear was everybody was opposed to the testing.”
Frank Barbieri: I think parents should be involved in a committee that we put together and goes to Tallahassee and meets with education committees up there and says this is how these tests affect our children. .. The people in Tallahassee don’t live it everyday.
Marcia Andrews: We’re not going to tolerate the over testing of our children. (She requested that one of the three community meetings be held in the Glades.)
Debra Robinson: I have been saying for a long time that these high stakes tests are detrimental… they do not improve the quality of education, they just beat and flog the adults and the children… I am really glad to hear we are now willing to take a stand against the high stakes portion of the test. And I’m curious… to see how many of these diagnostics and other tests would fall by the wayside if adults and children were not going to be punished with the end of year… standardized tests.
Karen Brill: The whole state is pulling together so I feel very positive our voices are going to be heard.…Without the legislature all of this is talk. (Supports taking bus loads of parents to Tallahassee to influence legislators.)
Jennifer Prior Brown: I would like to hear from the Superintendent whether you all in looking at the testing calendar, are there tests that we could eliminate, that we should eliminate? That we can point to and say, ‘This is not in the best interest of children.’? We have all committed to what’s in the best interest of children.
Mike Murgio: This is one issue that I’m totally opposed to the speed and the manner that the state is imposing this on school districts and children. … It’s not going to change unless pressure, and extreme pressure is put on our legislators.
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