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Suzie Nestico

Father: Why I didn't let my son take standardized tests - The Answer Sheet - The Washin... - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...ABkgICTB_blog.html

edu_news administrator all_teachers curriculum education reform education standardized tests standardized testing

shared by Suzie Nestico on 27 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • My wife and I had Luke “opt out” of No Child Left Behind standardized testing (here in Pennsylvania known as the Pennsylvania System of School Achievement, or PSSAs).
  • Last week I did just that. I looked at the test and determined that it violated my religion. How, you might ask? That’s an entirely different blog, but I can quickly say that my religion does not allow for or tolerate the act of torture and I determined that making Luke sit for over 10 hours filling in bubble sheets would have been a form of mental and physical torture, given that we could give him no good reason as to why he needs to take this test.
  • ch a reason for opting out of the PSSA testing will negatively affect the school’s participation rate and could POTENTIALLY have a negative impact on the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress under the rules of No Child Left Behind.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • The point was to give Luke some experience in how to conduct planned civil disobedience in a lawful manner.
  • This time, instead of having Luke sit through another meeting, he researched the Japanese earthquake and tsunami as a current events project.
  • I asked Luke what he thought about it all. He just smiled. I also asked him what some of his friends were saying. According to Luke, they did not believe that NCLB and PSSAs were going to be used to evaluate the school. They didn’t know about AYP and the sanctions that came with it. Luke’s friends just thought the tests, “were used to make sure our teachers are teaching us the right stuff.” My guess is that is what most parents believe. Why wouldn’t they believe it? They’ve been told for nine years that we are raising standards, holding teachers accountable, and leaving no children behind. Who wouldn’t support that?
  • That, of course, is the real problem. NCLB and the standards movement is a political bait and switch. Sold as one thing (positive) to the public and then in practice, something radically different (punitive). This is probably one of the biggest reasons I decided to do the boycott—to make my community aware and to try and enlighten them of the real issues.
  • My answer is that the government is not listening. Teachers, principals, teacher educators, child development specialists, and educational researchers have been trying to get this message out for years. No one will listen.
  • Civil disobedience is the only option left. It’s my scream in a dark cave for light. I want teachers to teach again. I want principals to lead again. I want my school to be a place of deep learning and a deeper love of teaching. I want children exposed to history, science, art, music, physical education, and current events—the same experience President Obama is providing his own children.
  • Maybe civil disobedience will be contagious. Maybe parents will join us in reclaiming our schools and demand that teachers and administrators hands be untied and allow them to do their jobs—engage students in a rich curriculum designed to promote deep learning and critical thinking.
  • Suzie Nestico on 27 Mar 11
     
    Another PA parent opts his child out of PSSA standardized testing as a measure of civil disobedience.  Word of caution:  This can very much hurt a school's Adequate Yearly Progress and ultimately the school may suffer.  But, what if this movement spread amongst parents?  What then?  Would the government take over the school?  Change is hard.
Suzie Nestico

Are We Over-Testing Our Students? - Santa Cruz, CA Patch - 0 views

santacruz.patch.com/...e-we-over-testing-our-students

students standardized testing common core standards education education reform civics democracy current events

shared by Suzie Nestico on 27 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Every single reporting period, I have to remind parents that this assessment is just a snapshot of their child: one hour, one day.
  • Our students are children, for goodness sakes. It troubles me that my students know the acronyms, such as STAR, CAT and MARS, for certain tests and assessments, yet they can’t remember their times-tables or the order of the planets.
  • As adults, we make silly mistakes like this all the time—yet, we’re expecting second- and third-graders to do this four times a year to show us how they’re  progressing in a certain subject.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Perhaps, reducing the amount of testing and data collection would reduce the panic for everyone—and these children can stop worrying. 
  • Suzie Nestico on 27 Mar 11
     
    Reminder from a teacher that a test is a simple snapshot of what a child may be able to do.
Suzie Nestico

Twitter-It's Not Just What's For Breakfast... - 0 views

web20classroom.blogspot.com/...er-its-not-just-whats-for.html

education social_studies twitter current events

shared by Suzie Nestico on 12 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Suzie Nestico on 12 Mar 11
     
    Introduction to Twitter for my students and my school.  Includes explanatory videos and helps to show the value of Twitter for personal and social learning.
Suzie Nestico

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News - 0 views

www.cnn.com

news cnn media education social_studies current events

shared by Suzie Nestico on 12 Mar 11 - Cached
  • Suzie Nestico on 12 Mar 11
     
    Primary source utilized in Current Events class
Suzie Nestico

Local H.S. teacher uses Twitter to teach students - WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, We... - 1 views

www.wkrn.com/...uses-twitter-to-teach-students

twitter education social_studies

shared by Suzie Nestico on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Suzie Nestico on 10 Mar 11
     
    Using Twitter to facilitate class discussions
Suzie Nestico

Earthquake in japan - Video Footage - 0 views

www.google.com/search

earthquake japan education tsunami social_studies current events

shared by Suzie Nestico on 11 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Suzie Nestico on 11 Mar 11
     
    Powerful video of earthquake and tsunami in Japan
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Corey N on 17 Mar 11
     
    People say what happened in Japan isn't natural, yet its nothing but natural. What do you think when the Mammoths roamed the earth and the ice age happened. There was nothing they could do, and that leads me to the earthquake in Japan. Yes, it was high for normal numbers these days but the worlds axis rotating which is natural.
  • Kristen D. on 17 Mar 11
     
    I think its awesome to see how countries come together at a time like this. This should make the United States feel better about themselves also. By helping others, it will give us a good impact and if we are in need of help someone will be there for us.
  • Suzie Nestico on 21 Mar 11
     
    Absolutely, Kristen. It is very devastating, too, and unfortunate. Most people don't realize that it is in every country's best interest to do so. In this day and age, our economies are much more interdependent and like throwing a pebble into the pond, there will be some ripple effects that will surface within our own economy as a result of the Japanese events.
Suzie Nestico

Earthquake in Japan - Images - 0 views

www.google.com/images

earthquake japan social_studies education tsunami

shared by Suzie Nestico on 11 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Suzie Nestico on 11 Mar 11
     
    Powerful images of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
mikael h

Burden of College Loans on Graduates Grows - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...12college.html

current events mcahs college loans graduates

shared by mikael h on 12 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • mikael h on 12 Apr 11
     
    Student loans debt surpassed credit card debt for the first time ever in 2010. It is predicted that the debt will top a trillion dollars this year. In 2008 two-thirds of students who graduated with a bachelor's degree were in debt after school. The average amount of debt for students in college for the 2011 school year was $24,000. There have been many predictions that the debt will increase because of budget-slashing. Economists say "while debt may be a bad thing it is a healthy investment."
john c.

9 Year-old saves 2 Year-old sister using CPR - 2 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html

CPR

shared by john c. on 21 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • john c. on 21 Apr 11
     
    Arizona, 9 year old Tristin Saghin saves his 2 year-old sister's life using CPR. The baby went missing and apparently fell into the family's pool. While the rest of the family panicked, Tristin stayed calm, cool, and collective.
  • Corey N on 26 Apr 11
     
    At-least someone pays attention in health class. Its a good thing that schools are still teaching this but there's actually people in the government who wont to get ride of education like this.
ryan p

Boy saves little sister. - 0 views

www.abc15.com/...-boy-tells-how-he-saved-sister

mcahs current events

shared by ryan p on 19 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • ryan p on 19 Apr 11
     
    A nine year old boy named Tristin saves his two year old sister from drowning in a swimming pool in Mesa, Arizona. The fire department said that the girl fell into the swimming pool and the Mom came out and seen her daughter floating in the pool. The young boy rushed outside and gave her CPR. He said he learned CPR from watching t.v
  • ...3 more comments...
  • brittany v on 19 Apr 11
     
    Sometimes television can be educational its interesting how thats how he learned.
  • luke h on 19 Apr 11
     
    Wow cool good for him and what with him being still little himself not really that much older.
  • Stephanie A on 19 Apr 11
     
    I think its school for Tristan to save his little sister like that. I would have done the same thing if that happened to me. And it amazing how he learned CPR on t.v.
  • brett p on 19 Apr 11
     
    Tristin must be a really smart kid by learning CPR from tv. I wonder if the mother knew how to perform it.
  • Robert k on 26 Apr 11
     
    He has to be good at learning if he learned CPR from tv.
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