Progressive News, Opinion, and Analysis
Public school teachers from around Rhode Island spoke out against their boss – embattled Education Commissioner Deborah Gist – at a public forum at Cranston High West today. They came to implore the state Board of Education not to renew Gist’s contract, a discussion that begins on Thursday night.
Here’s the highlights of the teachers’ concerns that was able to capture before my iPhone battery died. I’ll post more as I process it:
With public school teachers organizing to Dump Gist (they meet today at 4:30 at Cranston West High School) as her continued employment is debated later this week, students from Providence are applying some pressure as well. Following up on the Providence Student Union‘s high-profile action in which adults took the NECAP test, they now want to debate the issue with the adult behind the high stakes testing regime.
After meeting with Gist last week, they sent her a letter asking her to discuss the same issues in public.
“Students appreciated meeting with her behind closed doors, but believe that the discussion needs to happen in the public,” said Aaron Regunberg, an organizer of the student group.
Here’s the letter they sent:
Dear Commissioner Gist,
In the name of open discussion and the free exchange of ideas, we, the members of the Providence Student Union, respectfully request that you participate with us in a public debate regarding Rhode Island’s new high-stakes standardized testing graduation requirement. We suggest the following terms:
– We agree on a neutral setting
– We agree on a neutral moderator.
– We agree on a neutral format (our suggestion is to copy the debate done by Leadership Rhode Island for and against the resolution, “The Rhode Island Department of Education should reverse its decision to make NECAP scores a high school graduation requirement,” using some variation of the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues’ public debate format).We believe this will be a great opportunity for the people of Rhode Island to hear both sides of this important issue. We would like to propose June 8th as a possible date for the debate, although we are very willing to be flexible as we know you are busy. We sincerely hope you will take us up on this offer. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Providence Student Union
With all the fuss about high stakes testing, the biggest shame is that the Department of Education is telling us that the measure is the answer. A ruler never helped anyone grow an inch.
Something other than the test needs to be looked at when 64 percent of the Hispanic or Latino population will not meet the present requirements to graduate. Something needs to be looked at when the same percentage of black students will meet the same fate. In the city of Providence it is much worse for these two populations (71% and 69%).
Statewide, 58% of economically disadvantaged students are in danger of not graduating high school.
90 percent of Limited English Proficiency students are at risk; and 97 percent in Providence. 83 percent of I.E.P. students did not achieve proficiency on the math NECAPs. An even more staggering 94% of Providence kids will not pass the same measure. In East Greenwich, a district that does well on standardized tests, 73% of the district’s I.E.P. students are in danger.
Minorities, special needs, Limited English Learners and the poor – sounds a bit alarming to me. Wasn’t the intent of those so-called reforms to help these guys? Just what are we ‘racing to the top’ of? It looks like a volcano to me.
