Hosted by Educators and Parents Against Testing Abuse (EPATA)

Summary of Discussion

Facilitator:  Joseph Lucido,
                   Fifth Grade Teacher and Science Lead
                   Co-Founder EPATA

1.  Power Point Presentation: Marion Brady

     Standardized Tests vs. Higher Order Thinking

* We cannot (yet) measure higher order thinking 
* Standardized Tests are measuring only what a student remembers about what the test writer thought 
* Standardized test processes are de-humanizing
* Concerned Citizens need to speak out and dispel myths about the current testing practices

Marion Brady
Retired Teacher, Teacher Trainer, Education Columnist,
Cocoa, Florida
 http://www.marionbrady.com/

2.  Review of Gerald Bracey's article "Challenging Arne Duncan or Obama
     to Public Debates"

* Media attention needed
* Organize simultaneous protests in public places with advance notice to public
* Encourage a diverse presence
* Present information to interested targets (parents/guardians of school-age children or who have children about to enter school)
* Support people who carry gravitas; e.g. Dianne Ravitch sympathetic to cause
* Do not waste time with Unions

Gerald Bracey
           Associate of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, a fellow at the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University and a fellow at the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

 
3. Introductions of Attendees (in alphabetical order)

1. Marc Barlow - Retired Teacher/School Psychologist, Gilroy, CA.

2. Jo Behm - State and Federal Public Policy Consultant, San Rafael, CA.

3. Linda Caffejian - CSU Fresno, EPATA, Fresno, CA.

4. Glenn DeVoogd - CSU Fresno, Dept. Chair Literacy and Early Education,  EPATA, Fresno, CA.

5. Kathy Emery - CSU San Francisco, SF Freedom Summer School, San Fransisco, CA.

6. Rich Gibson - CSU San Diego, Professor Emeritus, Rouge Forum, San Diego, CA.

7. Amber Goslee - Teacher, Rouge Forum, San Diego, CA.

8. Nancy Goodwin - Elementary Teacher, Fresno, CA.,  EPATA

10. Susan Harman - Founder- California Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education (CalCare ), Oakland, Ca.

11. Stephen Krashen - Professor Emeritus, USC, Los Angeles

12. Joe Lucido - Teacher, Science Lead, Fresno, CA., EPATA

13. Rog Lucido- Retired Teacher, Heald College, Fresno, EPATA

14. Rosemary Lee- Trinational Coalition for the Defense of Public Education (UTLA), Los Angeles, CA.

15. Sue Mock - Teacher, Truckee, CA.

16. Susan Schmale- Retired Teacher, Fresno, CA., EPATA

17. Lynn Stoddard- Educating for Human Greatness, Farmington, Utah

18. Kaia Tollefoson- California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, California

19. Mat Taylor- United Teachers of Los Angeles ( UTLA ), Los Angeles, CA.

20. Sally Sommer-Retired Teacher, Oakland, CA.

21. Amy Valens- Retired Teacher, Educational Documentarian, Marin County, CA.

4. Uniting as an Association

   
* Create a clear and concise message and mission statement (Krashen)

* Create a name for the organization:

                              People for the Ethical Treatment of Children (PETC)
                              (J. Lucido/Consensus)

* Focus on short term goals: The National Standardized Test (Krashen)

* Appoint a contact person for media (Krashen)

* Use one website (Susan Ohanian's site suggested) as the center for all communication. She currently has approximately 1000 readers; needs 100,000 to become really effective (Krashen)

* Create subgroups (Emery, Harmon,)
           Media Organization
           Legal Pursuits
           Community Organization
           Legislative Pursuits

* Utilize Facebook and Twitter to communicate (Krashen, J. Lucido, R. Lucido, Valens, Emery)

* Cooperate (Krashen)

* Create an association that employs minimum organization and maximum action (Krashen)

* Shit and get off the pot (Krashen)

5. Ideas for a Clear, Concise, United Statement

"We are opposed to the use of high stakes standardized testing" (Behm)

"I will not collaborate with a system that treats my child as less than a full human being"
                                                        or
"I will only collaborate with a system that treats my child as a full human being"  (presented as an affirmation)  *(J. Lucido)

Replace the term "Standard" with "Ideal" when creating statements regarding what we propose (DeVoogd)

"Reason and Equality Against Regimentation" (Gibson)

6. Defining and Presenting Ideas for Direct Action

Definitions of Direct Action:

Direct Action means choosing an action that dramatizes the injustice you want to change in a way that gets the bystanders to want to go do something and then offering them "something" they can do that will hurt the power structure economically; e.g. boycott (Emery) *I had her write this down and I am copying her words verbatim.

A strategy, a plan, something proactive and not just reactive (Lee, Taylor)

Intention, face to face dialogue (Somer, Stoddard)

A project; e.g. connecting people to organizations (Gibson)

Ideas for Direct Action

* Inform people of the abuse at the site, district and legislative levels (R. Lucido, Schmale)

* Dramatize the injustice by presenting facts; e.g. standards are LOW, not too high (R. Lucido)

* Provide a forum where teachers can speak freely on an ongoing and regular basis; e.g. TGIF meetings (Mock, Goslee, J. Lucido, Schmale, Tollefoson)

* Create a Legal Defense for Teachers fighting the system (Goslee, Barlow, Hammond)

* Create a Blog to be used as a discussion board (Gibson)

* Host open, public conferences, publicized through PTA's, inviting School Board Members and set up a voter registration booth (DeVoogd, Lee)

* Track policy and then mobilize people to FAX (not email), providing templates and using one central website (Behm, Krashen, Caffejian, Lucido, Valen)

* Find Co-Sponsers for Baca such as Rep. Robert Bishop and Senator Rob Bennett (Stoddard)

* Flood newspapers, magazines, etc... with Op Eds (Behm, Krashen, DeVoogd, J. Lucido, R. Lucido, Harman, Caffejian)

* Consider Class Action suits (Stoddard, Barlow, Hammond, Stoddard, Harman)

* Meet face to face with legislators and use the term "positive human diversity" to describe respect for students (Stoddard, Somer)

* Utilize projects that are nurturing and not projects that set us apart from groups (Valens)

* Continue trying to gain support from union (Valens)

* Emphasize the positive, presenting solutions (Valens, Schmale, Caffejian, Lee)

* Present information to school boards, as a group, emphasizing policies that can be changed (DeVoogd)

* Organize "Listing Campaigns" (Lee)

* Organize Burma Shave (*spelling?) signs with catchy phrases or slogans (Krashen, Emery, Harman, Tollefoson)

* Organize Boycotts (Taylor)

* Use Theatrical Presentations and literature that speaks to varying and diverse groups (DeVoogd, Harmon)

* Organize ongoing pickets in front of courts (Harmon)

* Create postcards with clear messages that can be easily passed out (J. Lucido, Harmon, Bracey article)

* Organize protests across the state or nation, coordinating time (Bracey article)

Additional Resource Information Recommended

Association for Supervision and Curricular Development  (ASCD)
"The Whole Child"
(Valens)

(POPHAM)
"Why Tests Don't Work"
(Emery)

(PICO)
Providing one on one teacher training on more effective conversations with parents
(Emery)

Volunteers:

Stephen Krashen volunteered to consider any role suggested

Glenn and Amy will coordinate Facebook Instructions

Items in Handout Not Covered in Discussion

Krashen's Remarks on Race to the Top (Krashen)

Educating for Human Greatness (Stoddard)
              
Misc. Thoughts

Merit Pay and Charter School Promotion might be "Red Herrings" in this Debate (Krashen)

Seeing Government as an Ally is a mistake (Gibson)

Injury to one, is injury to all (Gibson)

You are what you do (Gibson)

Skinner is winning (Krashen)

Reflection

Lack of diversity present at meeting (specifically, people of color)
(Emery)

This meeting has provided a greater sense of confidence to go back and speak out at staff meetings
(Mock, Goslee)

We should have given more time to hear Dr. Krashen speak
(DeVoogd)

We need to stop using language that alienates conservatives from our audience when we speak and write; e.g. generalized remarks about an assumed position on education or social issues (Hammond)

Contributors and Supporters:

Coalition for Better Education, Educators and Parents Against Test Abuse, California Coalition For Assessment Reform in Education, Trinational U.S., Susan Ohanian.org, AERO, Californians for Justice, Parent Empowerment Network, Schools Matter, Parents for United Responsible Education, The Orion Society, Time Out From Testing, and Education for Human Greatness