Teacher refuses to administer standardized test.

[elleng]

"A Seattle middle school science teacher has been suspended for two weeks without pay for refusing to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in his classroom.

Union officials and education leaders say Carl Chew of Nathan Eckstein Middle School may be the first teacher in Washington to be suspended for refusing to give his students the high-stakes test.

Chew says he has been teaching for about eight years and has felt bad every time he administered the WASL. He decided to take a stand this year. Chew says the WASL disrupts learning, harms students and doesn't help schools do a better job of educating the state's young people.

Chew says this act of civil disobedience will cost him about $1,000 in pay, but not the job he loves. He has received messages of support from parents and teachers from around the state."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_wasl_refuser.html

[villager]

1. God, I hope this is the "Rosa Parks" moment in standing up to this crap!

As a parent, I can only say "bravo!"

[Bonobo]

2. It's not the test as much as it is the time they waste preparing for the damn things!

It takes away from already severely limited time.

[pleah]

3. I have always wondered why teachers haven't taken a stand over these

state tests.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. good on him !

What's his address? He needs a support card or soemthing.

[nilram]

7. Chew's address

Carl Chew teaches at Nathan Eckstein Middle School. I suppose if you sent something to him c/o the school that it would get to him.

Nathan Eckstein Middle School
3003 NE 75th Street
Seattle, WA 98115

http://www.eckstein.seattleschools.org/

For that matter, the principal is identified as "K. Whitworth". Whitworth's email is available on the website -- click on "Staff", then "Sort by Position" under "administration and support". Add "@seattleschools.org" to the email name.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. ty for address- I sent email

urging Principal to support his teacher, mentioning that I attended Seattle schools and University there.

appreciate your searching for the e-mail for us.

[BobTheSubgenius]

5. Reading the full article...

...only made me like and respect him even more.

If teachers don't know if a student can read and write by the time graduation rolls around without this oh-so-important test, the educational system is in far more trouble than we even suspected.

[lostnfound]

6. He's a hero. But isn't it odd how in this free country, these tests spread like wildfire

across the whole country, even though most parents and teachers think they are useless, or worse?

Why do the bad ideas get implemented nationwide in short order?

[HooptieWagon]

8. I don't know elsewhere

but here in fla it was Jeb's buddies who all started school-testing businesses when he steered it through the state legislature. Also, more of his buddies started private schools when the voucher program started. many were later found to be fraudulant (to no-ones surprise).

[elleng]

9. Politics

.

[FlyingSquirrel]

10. I had my daughter in Alternative School #1 in Seattle

They encouraged parents to opt their child out of the WASL, and I did so until 4th grade.

The only reason I let her do it in 4th grade was because she wanted to. The WASL sucks. Period. I wish I could have kept her in that school but I had to move to Everett. It's ridiculous that kids should be standardized. I mean really. Is it necessary for all kids to know the exact same thing and be at the exact same level in everything, Math, English, Science, etc?

My daughter learned JAPANESE in that school. 2 years of it, from grade 3-4 and would probably have continued because she really liked it. Kids should be able to follow their inclinations and do what they really want to do. Sure, there should be some minimum requirements in the basics, but we don't need to be trying to create these uniform kids.