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I don’t care about #ayp.

January 4, 2013 By 6 Comments

I don’t care about AYP. Does the school have an art room with supplies?

I don’t care about AYP. How many field trips does the school offer?

I don’t care about AYP. Will my child experience a rich music class?

I don’t care about AYP. Does the school value physical health?

I don’t care about AYP. Is there a committed and caring school counselor in the building?

I don’t care about AYP. Is there a full time librarian in the school?

I don’t care about AYP. Will my child get to engage with rich literature?

I don’t care about AYP. Do the teachers have the time to wipe my daughter’s tears?

I don’t care about AYP. Is my child considered a human being in need of human care?

I don’t care about AYP. I don’t care about AYP. I don’t care about AYP.

Therefore I will OPT OUT until…

my school has an art room with supplies.

my school takes field trips.

my child gets to experience a rich music class.

the school values physical health.

there’s a committed and caring school counselor in the building.

there’s a full time librarian in the school.

my child gets to engage with rich literature.

teachers have the time to wipe my daughter’s tears..

my child is considered a human being in need of human care.

Follow Timothy D. Slekar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/slekar

Filed Under: TIM SLEKAR: Someone Has to Say It!
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Comments

  1. educationalchemy says:
    January 4, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    AYP is wrung from the sweat and tears of children-High stakes testing USES children-it does not help them-if we wanted to HELP kids we would provide them with everything that Chalkface just outlined-its not rocket science-its painfully clear-and sad as well

    Reply
  2. Phillip Cantor says:
    January 4, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    All the issues brought up in the song are valid, but AYP is not just a neutral measure of academic progress as many people think. AYP is based on an arbitrary cut-off on state tests which are often very badly written by private companies that make a profit off all this testing. AYP has little meaning when states can dumb down their test and change cut-offs. AYP has little meaning when no independent agency is reviewing tests for validity and reliability, AYP has no meaning when tests are culturally biased – disproportionally harming low income and minority kids. AYP is a joke. I care very much about AYP because it is driving all the problems that this poem brings up. I agree that Opting Out may be a way to change the paradigm… but the paradigm to change isn’t just the narrowing of curriculum and the lack of support in schools… it’s also they whole concept of AYP.

    Reply
  3. Peggy Rios says:
    January 4, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    I think you bring an important counter perspective to the heavily leaning test craziness. I wish for the day that we can all care about the many things you mentioned AND AYP. We should never have to choose one or the other.

    Reply
  4. Sean Black says:
    January 4, 2013 at 6:52 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Frequently Asked Questions About Opting Out | More than a Score Chicago says:
    January 21, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    [...] By next year, every single school in this country will be labeled a “failure” under AYP. Some of our great public schools have already been labeled failures, including those in some of the wealthiest areas of Southwest Pennsylvania such as Mt. Lebanon. Obviously we want families to choose public education and to stick with our neighborhood schools – this is especially true in urban areas that have been fighting white flight. Clearly we need to continue working together to counter the lies and misconceptions about public education being spread by the corporate-reform-movement that would have us believe that AYP scores actually describe what is happening inside our school buildings. We need to be clear that we care deeply about the racial achievement gap and equity, but that AYP and high-stakes-testing are not addressing these issues. We care about real learning for all students. [For more inspiration on this point, please see @theChalkFace, “I Don’t Care About AYP.”] [...]

    Reply
  2. Opt Out FAQs | Yinzercation says:
    January 9, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    [...] By next year, every single school in this country will be labeled a “failure” under AYP. Some of our great public schools have already been labeled failures, including those in some of the wealthiest areas of Southwest Pennsylvania such as Mt. Lebanon. Obviously we want families to choose public education and to stick with our neighborhood schools – this is especially true in urban areas that have been fighting white flight. Clearly we need to continue working together to counter the lies and misconceptions about public education being spread by the corporate-reform-movement that would have us believe that AYP scores actually describe what is happening inside our school buildings. We need to be clear that we care deeply about the racial achievement gap and equity, but that AYP and high-stakes-testing are not addressing these issues. We care about real learning for all students. [For more inspiration on this point, please see @theChalkFace, “I Don’t Care About AYP.”] [...]

    Reply

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