Re: Need a favor - For Sue Allison and MAHST folks in Maryland

[ShopMathEdu@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 11/30/2002 3:42:01 PM Central Standard Time, 
sueallison@COMCAST.NET writes:

> If you are so moved, would you please officially endorse that statement?  


<< We believe that the HSA program is a dangerous and unconscionable school 
accountability scheme.  Under this program, Maryland students will be 
exploited as vulnerable pawns in an unjust system based on academic double 
jeopardy.  Students who have successfully completed all required coursework 
will be denied a high school diploma for failing to pass any one of a series 
of state HSA exit assessments.  Given that all Maryland educators must meet 
professional standards to teach in our classrooms, we find the HSA program to 
be at the very least a wasteful and inappropriate duplication of assessment 
efforts that will cost Marylanders millions in scarce education tax dollars.  
At worst, this state mandated assessment program will be an unforgivable 
violation of the parent, student, teacher relationship that could literally 
ruin the lives of our students.  >>


Dear Marylanders Against High Stakes Testing:

I am pleased to learn about your efforts to defend student-centered education 
in Maryland.  Your statement cautions that high stakes testing can literally 
ruin the lives of students.  We have seen this happen in our city where 522 
students were pushed out of high school prior to the administration of 
standardized tests.  This did literally ruin the educational careers of 522 
young people, catastrophically impacting their lives, that of their families, 
and our community.  With high stakes testing, the test scores become the 
object and the needs of the students become secondary.

Steve Orel
adult education instructor
Coordinator, World of Opportunity
Birmingham, Alabama
<A HREF="http://school.al.com/school/worldofopportunity";>World of Opportunity</A> 
<A HREF="http://school.al.com/school/worldofopportunity";>http://school.al.com/school/worldofopportunity</A>

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