FW: Brief report on hearings on HB 1 yesterday

[Sean Obrien <sobrien@COLUMBUS.RR.COM>]

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A mom from Toledo provided us with this summary of yesterday's proponent
testimony hearing on HB 1 in Ohio. It was an amazing meeting...several house
reps from both sides of the isle hammered the witnesses, four members of the
Guv's Commission on Student Success, for 2 and 1/2 hours. Even more amazing
were the comments elicited from the witnesses trying to peddle this bill!
Mary




Currently, the State Assembly in Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1 is being
asked to overhaul

the assessment system which has existed in Proficiency Tests in Ohio for the
last 10
years. They are also being asked to codify standards and implement mandatory
student
remediation plans which include punitive measures through criminal court for
parents who
do not force their children into these interventions. They are being asked
to have a two
tier system of assessment, Achievement Tests (to replace the Proficiency
Tests) AND newly
developed Diagnostic Tests. There's more but those pieces are the key
pieces. If you
haven't already, you can get the bill
from your legislator and read it for yourself.

Testimony at the House Education Committee on Tuesday, February 13,
indicates that both
legislators and Department of Education administrators and at least one
school
superintendent believe that the current proficiency tests are:

"Flawed." "Inhumane." Columbus School Superintendent Dr. Rose Smith

"We did not do this well when we implemented these tests." Associate State
Superintendent
Dr. Bob Bowers, ("The person in charge of proficiency tests"--his
self-introduction to the

committee.)

"Mistakes were made and students are the victims of the adult mistakes."
Representative
Bill Hartnett, Mansfield

"We are wasting everyone's time with these tests. Why do we not stop the
tests?"
Representative Kenneth Carano, Austintown

You would think that Representative Carano's question would make complete
sense.

After everyone, including the Department of Education, The Governor's
Commission on
Student Success (which included Dr. Bowers and Dr. Smith) and the State
Board of Education

admit that the tests are wrong, their reply to Rep. Carano's question was
effectively,
because we cannot stop them. Despite everyone's admission that the tests
are--to use Dr.
Smith's term "inhumane",
they have "helped us focus."

On Tuesday, February 20, at 4:00 there will be a joint session of the
Education Committees

of both the House and Senate. Dr. Susan Zelman, State Superintendent, will
speak, with the

intent of defending the proposal of continuing this system until they
implement the new
achievement tests and diagnostic tests.  (Contact your legislator for
information on
specific details.)

Tentatively, on Tuesday, February 27, opposition testimony will begin--again
contact your
legislator for details.

A rare opportunity may exist here to have parents and children heard. It
just may be that
the political will may be there to stop the treadmill of testing until
thinking people get

to figure it out. Those who want to pay attention to education policy that
will affect the

next whole generation of children should definitely pay attention to (and
attend hearings
on) HB/SB 1.

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