Seattle Schools Community Forum: Wear Red for Ed Day

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Wear Red for Ed Day:

Wear Red for Ed Day

by Melissa Westbrook

Don't forget to wear red today in support of teachers, parents and students against the MAP.   This is especially true if you are going to the Board meeting tonight.

Updates from yesterday at Garfield:

From Scrap the MAP:

A bunch of substitute teachers were called in this morning, to cover the many weeks of testing the 430+ ninth graders. Asst Principals came into the classrooms and tried to pull out students to take the MAP. Many of the students stared straight ahead and would not budge. Many classes had 100% opt-out support from the students' parents, with the counseling office receiving over 200 opt-out letters this morning. This is remarkable considering the District tried to sneak this in, by announcing just yesterday at 4pm, via robocall (who even listens to those?!), that today would be the start of MAP testing.

The library and two computer labs were closed off for MAP testing, today. Because of the support from Garfield families and students, these rooms had single digit numbers of students sitting at the computers, with many students refusing to log on. As a result of today's paltry test attendance, it has been announced that the library will be re-opened tomorrow, and only the computer labs will be booked. I'm guessing that within a day or two when all of the opt-out letters are received and recorded, most of the substitute teachers will be released and the testing will consolidate to one computer lab.

Classes with 100% opt-out were able to continue their lessons, as planned. Tomorrow students will be able to use the much used and needed library!

It was a very stressful day for EVERYONE at Garfield, with lots of unknowns, and lots of local news present. After a very full 10-hr day at school, the faculty went bowling together! They are united. The District is trying to take down the teachers, but did not take into account the Garfield students and families. Thank you ALL for your support! The nation is watching.


What Students Handed Out:

Here's what happened at Garfield today: Admins came into classrooms and tried to pull students out to take the MAP test in the library. Students stared straight ahead, and wouldn't budge.

In a library with about 60 computers stations set up for the MAP, there were single digit numbers of students sitting at computers. Of those, many sat at the computers and refused to press even a single button.

That's how that went.

From the Times:

School Board member Sherry Carr said she supported Banda’s decision, saying that teachers need to follow district policy while the task force does its work.

But the teachers said they can’t give a test that they feel has little, if any, value for teachers or students, especially when Banda has not addressed their concerns in detail.

On Tuesday, only 97 of the roughly 400 ninth-graders who were supposed to take the MAP reading test did so, said Garfield Principal Ted Howard. The other 300, he said, had their parents’ permission to be excused.

Phil Sherburne, president of Garfield’s PTSA, said he was sorry to see the debate turn into a power struggle, saying Banda’s decision to force the exam on Garfield “just escalated the conflict.”

About 80 teachers and staff at three other Seattle schools also are boycotting the exams, but Banda said Tuesday he will not take action at those schools until he has a chance to talk with them. 

KING-5 reported that Banda will not be issuing suspensions but is more likely to put letters of reprimand in the teachers' HR files.  

From the Times' Comment Section:

Go Bulldog teachers!
Abe Bergman
Class of '50

This event is getting a LOT of coverage nationally and has sparked debate at Education Week.