School comes easily to my second-grade child. My older child is dyslexic, so I also managed the IEP process. Maybe he’s not the best person to take the test. I look at the issue from both sides.

Thank you for sharing this. This represents many of the reasons why I left the classroom.

I was a big champion of ed reform when it came out and I really believed in that promise. I was known as the MCAS guru in my building.

We hear so often that there will be no standards and that is simply not true. Standards are a big part of education reform. Investment in financial resources was a big part of that and then this evaluation piece. We cannot claim that these standards are not an integral part of this.

As an educator, these standards guide everything I have to do. My lesson plans need to be created according to these standards. We buy the curriculum (because) Massachusetts standards are built into the curriculum. You literally write your lesson plan using curriculum that the district purchases with standards from Massachusetts frameworks. We have standards-based report cards. Every year, even 25 years later, when I get evaluated every year, it’s a really rigorous evaluation process, it’s done to these standards.

When I meet with my administrators, I need to show them how my lesson plans and assessments meet standards.

You are not currently teaching.

I left the classroom to become vice president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. I was using my voice for over a decade because I truly believed in it. Over time, major risks arose; It’s basically a system of rank and shame and accountability that comes at the students’ expense. I started to see a lot of damage.

My parents, who have 10-year-old children, were coming up to me and expressing their concerns and concerns. Families did not want their children to take the exam. I came across a really difficult situation where a student lost a parent. He was an A student. My mother did not want him to take the exam, but since he was an A student, the administrator was trying to give him advice about taking the exam.

I had another student on the spectrum. My mother didn’t want him to take the exam. Even though it was 12 years ago, I remember the day the supervisor said, “He hasn’t taken a step on this problem for two hours.”

And I said, “I know. And there’s probably something wrong with the question. “You don’t understand his learning style and you’re causing harm.”

As I saw the harm it was doing to students, and the more parents were vocal about that harm, that’s when we started talking about: Why are we giving a test to these students, especially students with dyslexia?

It is designed based on the next best answer in multiple choice questions. My dyslexic students will miss the word “not.” The first thing they do is make their choice. And when people say “we don’t teach it on the test” that’s not true because you have to teach them those strategies.

Your dyslexic student is very excited. They know the context, they see the answer, they pass it on, and then you realize they didn’t see the word “not.”

I have students who are natural mathematicians. They manipulate data. They create data. The question then tells them to write three to four paragraphs explaining how they arrived at the answer. They are scored based on a rubric on a topic sentence, three talking points, and a closing. They lose points because they are not the strongest writer but the strongest math student in your class.

One last thing about this, and I promise I’ll stop: We don’t get MCAS scores until students move on to the next grade. The data about the student is not good.

Even if they’re not the strongest writer, there are fixed scores for how they’ll respond; But most kids do well, right?

This isn’t that difficult unless you’re a student learning a second or third language. You are a student on an IEP. You are a student or a student with dyslexia in a community where schools are not fully funded and fully resourced. We know this… While most who initially fail will retake and pass, 85% of those who never pass are English language learners and students with disabilities. As an educator, I need to differentiate my assessment and instruction, and we do not differentiate that measurement.

But many say there is no other statewide standard.

Remember, standards aren’t going anywhere. Last year a student from Hull was accepted to Harvard. Someone from Weymouth was accepted to Harvard. One from Wellesley was accepted to Harvard; Not because of the MCAS score, not because they don’t want that score, but based on their GPA based on rigorous course paths.

People say there will be no harmony. There is alignment. We ensure that these challenging courses are aligned because they are up to standard. The number one reason for this (schools in Massachusetts) has nothing to do with a snapshot, a one-time assessment. This has to do with the fact that educators in Massachusetts are not only required to be licensed. They need to get their masters. They must recertify every five years and earn 120 professional development points. They are evaluated every year. There is consistency in every area.

We hear from teachers who feel that studying for a test causes distraction and anxiety, taking away time from being able to teach effectively. If you are already providing training to standards and MCAS reflects that, what changes?

As educators, we want to educate the whole child. What is evaluated are not actually indicators that are important in the 21st century. But when we blame teachers, I will say this once again: Teachers are not the problem. We are not the ones demanding the focus be on the results of the score. This is also not fair at all because trusteeship has been resorted to in some of these areas. . .

A parent may not know what this means.

This means that the school committee has no control over the schools; The state appoints a trustee to come and take control.

Regions are placed under trusteeship based on their MCAS scores. If only you could hear the teachers who left these districts talk about the students they left behind: But they can’t work in a district that only teaches to the test because they’re trying to get out of trusteeship.

All MCAS measures is a zip code. This is just heartbreaking: For the student whose diploma is rejected, especially the newcomers. Can you imagine learning a second or third language, being an A student, and now you are given an exam for a language you are just trying to learn, and you will spend a year here? ? These are the students we harmed.

What is the solution? The biggest reaction I’ve heard is that there can be no uniform measurement without MCAS. There is no harmony. What other academic standards are available to parents easily? What can we look for without MCAS?

A one-time metric is just a one-time metric. You look at what’s going on at school. You have the framework; You have course choices. Nowadays, parents can go directly to the portal and see the lesson plan. They may receive notes that should be published within a week. There are so many responsibilities.

I guess here’s the thing: Where’s the accountability?

Everything is fine. But I will say this. I can’t believe how harsh the criticism is around some parents, especially educators, when I leave the classroom.

Everyone believes that I am skilled enough to be the first line of defense in case of an intruder. No one challenged my competence in teaching in a moldy classroom. No one questioned whether I was professional or competent enough to return to a building in the middle of a pandemic when we didn’t have proper ventilation systems.

But for some reason, when I say in coalition with 117,000 other educators that we know better and that we need to do better for all students, we have a hard time.

It is also emotional. What do you think about the fact that Massachusetts? is one of the few states Doesn’t require a special course for graduation? We are an outlier. Why isn’t MassCore necessary?

Many districts need this. In regions where MassCore is not available, this is an equity issue. They can’t afford a foreign language teacher. I have listened to superintendents who say this is not in their budget, so it is an unfunded mandate and those who are being denied are students in under-resourced communities.

Hopefully, when this legislation passes or is passed on November 5th, people will begin to look at this unfunded instruction and begin to ensure rigorous equity of course opportunities for all students.

Kara Baskin can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @kcbaskin.