Monthly Archives: March 2016

Car Signs: A Simple & Free Way to Inform Parents of Their Right To Opt Their Children Out of High Stakes Tests

High Stakes Tests, Opt Out of Tests, Series: The SBAC Snake

This is one way to show you care about all children.  We can opt our own children out of high stakes tests.  We are informed.  How do we inform others?

Most of us grassroots activists don’t have the millions of dollars to lobby legislators like the Corporate Driven Education Reformers do.

Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools.

What we do have is heart.

What we do have is a voice.

What we do have are the brains to dig and learn and understand what is happening to our public schools.

Are you willing to spread the word in a free and simple way?

Consider printing out a sign to place on the inside back window of your car.

Prickly over high stakes tests?

Prickly over the common core standards?

Do something about it.

We need millions of parents to send a clear message to Congress, State Legislatures, and the National Department of Education…

“We the people are not okay with flawed standards or the high stakes tests used to measure them.”

Period.

Here are the links to the car signs I made:

  1. (Doc) car sign 1
  2. (PDF) car sign 1
  3. Black Background 1
  4. Black Background 2

I glued the sign on to a piece of scrapbook paper for a colored border.

Easy Peasy.

BE COURAGEOUS.

BE DIVERGENT.

Our children are more than a score.  Our children are individuals with unique gifts and talents and need not be contained to a set of standards or test scores.

Passionately Submitted,

RAZ ON FIRE

Podcast: Protect Our Children… Opt Out and Refuse The Tests

Common Core Standards, High Stakes Tests, Opt Out of Tests

It is well worth your time to understand why the common core standards are limiting our children’s learning to a narrow box.  The tests only measure what is inside the box.  Opting your child out of the testing is the best thing you can do to send a clear message to your local school board, state legislature, and the federal government.  The current testing is not about learning.  It is about Testing. It is about Data Tracking.  It is about Profits.

Standardized Boxes Regular

Listening to the following Podcast will help you understand more about the ills of common core and why it is beneficial to your child to Opt Out and Refuse The Tests.

Go To: March 9, 2016 – Common Core – Part Two

Link:  Watchman Wednesday Podcast

Be Divergent.

Opt Out.

Passionately Submitted,

RAZ ON FIRE

Be Divergent! Opt Your Child Out of the Common Core Tests!

Common Core Standards, Developmental Appropriate Practice, High Stakes Tests, Opt Out of Tests

Are the affects of Common Core starting to impact your child?

Are you starting to question what the Common Core Standards are and who wrote them?

It is worth every ounce of your time to find out what is happening to the schools across our nation.  It is worth every ounce of your time to dig below the surface and research for yourself.  There is a lot of rhetoric out there.  Those with a lot of money pushing for the common core and the high stakes tests have the money to produce nice sound bites and videos to paint the common core and the tests in a good light.

Recently, Ready Washington, posted a contest to high school aged children to produce a video why they “Opt In”.  If their video wins they are awarded $500.00. The background music played, the filming professional, and…

I gagged.

Seriously?  The only way to be successful in the future is to take a test?  Not one student featured in the video said one thing about how taking the test enhanced their learning.

Common Core >< High Stakes Tests

Interconnected.

I often hear educators say, “I don’t have a problem with common core, it is the testing I am against.”

The two are not separate.

As more educators and parents learn of the link between the two, the light bulb goes on and the truth shines brighter.  This is a complete overhaul of the education system and the education profession. Those who have been big players in promoting it, pushing it into the schools on to other people’s children, opt their own children out.

Does this raise a red flag?

The Kings of Common Core

Common Core Standards put learning into a Box.

The Common Core Tests only measure what fits inside that same Box.

Imagination 3For me, I desire for our children to think outside The Box.  I promote the use of imagination, innovation, creativity, and curiosity.  These four words don’t fit inside any box.  These four words can not be measured by a test.

Think about it.

Do we want a society of standardized people who all think alike and can regurgitate text and facts all at the same time?

A cookie cutter society.

Or…

Do we want a society of individuals who are able to think outside the box?

Divergent Thinkers.

If it is the latter, opt your child out of the common core tests and send a clear message you will not subject them to The Box.

In order to counter the propaganda coming from Gates funded groups like Ready Washington, there are many of us without the billion dollar backing speaking out against common core and the high stakes tests.  It’s called, “We the people…”

The Grassroots Divergent Thinkers.

Imagination

Listen in as Cindy Ann Goodbrake, Idaho parent, and myself, Spokane, Washington educator and parent, speak courageously against common core and why Opting Out is the best thing you can do for your child and our schools.

Go To: March 9, 2016 – Common Core – Part Two

Watchman Wednesday Podcast

Be Divergent.

Opt Out.

Passionately Submitted,

RAZ ON FIRE

Imagination Quote

 

 

 

 

 

CALL GOVERNOR INSLEE. Ask him to: “VETO Charter Bill.” 1 (360) 902-4111

Charter Schools

I am astounded tonight.

The Washington State House just voted to save a handful of charter schools with 800-900 students state wide, and use public dollars from the lottery fund originally set up to fund public schools.

The public schools of Washington State serve 1,100,000 children.

An initiative (1351) for lowering class size passed in WA State a few years back.  Has the legislature figured out a way to ensure every child in Washington has a decent class size?

NOPE.

Has the Washington State Legislature figured out a way to fully fund public schools so they have the funding to innovate and be creative according to the McCleary Decision?

NOPE.

What many, many people do not understand is that the Charter Schools are an arm of the Common Core Initiative.  The word “choice” is used to draw the sheep in… but Common Core will be the standards still.  And testing?  Um.  They will have stricter testing expectations than the public schools.  And… interestingly… the same corporate billionaires who are funding common core, are the same exact corporate billionaires who are helping fund the charter school movement.  Hmmmm… why would this be?

Common Core > High Stakes Tests > Charter Schools.

What a nice and tidy chain.

One Legislator sent an email showing up in my inbox and espousing, “A Victory for Parents Today!”  Of course, they were one of the 58 “yea” votes to save the Charter Schools.  (This same legislator is opposed to common core and high stakes tests by the way… I’m scratching my head)

What parents won?

The parents of the Kindergartners in my high poverty public school in Spokane with 25 students in each classroom?  Let’s see.  I think there are at least five different languages spoken in one kinder class.  The social and emotional trauma they have experienced… through the roof.

Did the legislator mean the parents of the children in this class?  A class of 25 ELL students?  Was this decision a “Victory for Them”?

Currently, our legislature has been found in contempt of court for not adequately funding public schools and are being fined $100,000 a day.  To date (March 10, 2016), our legislature owes:

money

They still have not met the court ruling and their Paramount Duty to fully fund the public schools in Washington State governed by elected school boards.

Yet, they have been working “rigorously” to save the few charter schools this session.  Therefore, despite the funding issues in and for public schools and the legislature being found in contempt of court, they snubbed the Supreme Court’s decision and voted to take away money from public schools and give a portion of those dollars to the charter schools.

Bottom line: They just voted for the robbery of money from public schools to fund schools with no public oversight.

Interested in how your legislators voted?  E2SSB 6194

Charter School Fat Guy

Taxation without Representation.

Unconstitutional.

So I called Governor Inslee’s Office: 1 (360) 902-4111

A woman answered.

I asked, “Is this the line I call to leave a direct message for the Governor?”

She said, “Yes.”

I said, “Please pass this complete message onto the Governor.  I am an educator in the highest poverty elementary school in Spokane, WA.  I am also a mom of a 9 year old.  I would like the Governor to know my school is crowded and has kindergartens sitting at 25-26 students from high trauma situations and many are ELL.  Our schools need to be fully funded and our class sizes reduced.  The voters approved an initiative to lower class size.  The voters also approved the full funding of our PUBLIC schools.  Please ask Governor Inslee to V E T O the charter bill that passed through the house today.  It has been found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Washington State.  Our obligation is to the children in the public schools of Washington state FIRST.”

She replied, “I will pass this on to the Governor.”

It is unfair to the 1,100,000 students in schools throughout our state sitting in large class sizes, old technology, and other old equipment… for a self -governing school down the road, with no accountability to an elected school board, to be given all the bells and whistles.

charter schools stealing

TAKE ACTION AND MAKE A PHONE CALL TO GOVERNOR INSLEE’S OFFICE.

It took me a whole whoppin’ minute.

Passionately Submitted,

RAZ ON FIRE