There's been no talk of local parents looking to opt-out their children from state standardized testing this week, three school administrators said.
A Pittsburgh mother did just that, and she's called for other parents to follow suit if they also take issue with standardized exams like the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests and the newly adopted Keystone Exams. If her call to action does gain traction, two administrators believe it would eventually spread to the coal region.
"If there's a grass roots movement, it will take hold," said Mount Carmel Area Superintendent Bernie Stellar.
"It's not out of the question that in the future you'll see more and more people opting out of it," said Shamokin Area Middle/High School Principal Chris Venna.
Both men and Paul Caputo, superintendent of Southern Columbia Area, all said Sunday they've heard no chatter locally of any parents pursuing the option of having their children opt-out. All three, though, are familiar with the actions of Kathy Newman and the growing frustrations of parents regarding the influence that standardized testing implemented under the federal No Child Left Behind Act has gained in the public education curriculum.
"I know a lot of parents are concerned that a lot of schools just take the assessments as a guiding force of what they do," Stellar said. "I just think it's a lot of pent-up frustration from the parents and you're starting to see a couple of them stand up now."
Stellar doesn't foresee standardized tests going away anytime soon.
System 'needs' change
The PSSAs will continue to be taken by students from grades three through eight. The Keystones will be end-of-course subject tests taken by high school students upon completion of certain core subjects.
PSSA results will soon be used as part of a evaluation of both teachers and administrators, and the Keystone Exams will eventually count toward student graduation.
Like Stellar, Venna agrees accountability in education is important, but he said "the kids are getting tested and tested and tested."
"We're just focusing on the tests. The kids are getting stressed out about it. It's a lot of testing. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know the current system needs to be changed," Venna said.
Venna said his own anxiety level will rise when PSSAs are used for the evaluations. That could lead to a "real big push" for change by educators, he said.
Venna said added frustration comes when the state sets a plan for the standardized exams only to make subsequent changes. He said science had long been said to be a subject that would count toward Adequate Yearly Progress measured by the PSSA exams. To date, that hasn't happened.
Caputo expressed much the same about the state making changes.
"Over the past few years there has been constant change in which tests will be mandated of all students. We were recently informed that the Class of 2020, currently fifth-grade students, will be required to pass five Keystone Exams in order to graduate," Caputo wrote in an email to The News-Item.
"In addition to algebra I, biology and literature, they will also be required to pass composition and civics and government. Schools have been told these assessments will take place subject to available funding. We have been told this before only to have the rollout of the test delayed. Every one of these changes will create a great deal of curricular work and realignment of courses, so it's important that the state stick to a game plan once they announce it," he wrote.
There are also concerns about the lag in the turnaround of test scores.
A benefit, too
But the standardized tests have done good, Caputo said, particularly for special needs students. He said the tests had pushed teachers to raise their efforts to teach special needs students the same as their regular needs classmates.
"I think No Child Left Behind has done some good. It has raised the bar for special needs," he said.
Although some teachers believe the curriculum surrounding preparation for the tests is too restrictive, saying, "It's taken some of the fun out of teaching," he doesn't believe it stifles creativity.
"They can still teach standards and prepare students for the test by engaging them in creative activities," he said. "The trick is maintaining a diverse curriculum."