Letter from State PTA to Delaware Legislators asking Them to Support House Bill 50 Veto Override

Good Morning Everyone,

Happy New Year. As you begin the new legislative session,  I would like to share the number one thing that is weighing on parent’s minds this year; the ability for a parent’s right to choose to opt out of the state assessment, SBAC.

Delaware PTA is very aware that the way the law reads now they can opt out however, they do so with a fear of repercussions and penalties for their children and their children’s schools.  They do so with no protection from threats. They do so with no guarantee of constructive instruction while other students test. Parents want to exercise choices when it comes to their children’s education. Our membership of over 8000  finds no value in SBAC. We appreciate the assessment inventory task force however, did you know there is no PTA representative on this task force. There is no representation solely of parents. How can this be permitted? So we, as parents, turn to you to make this right.

As an aside, Delaware PTA is not opposed to assessments. We understand they are necessary to measure the progress of our children. However, SBAC is not a valid growth measure, does not inform instruction, and the results are received by parents after their child begins a new school year and is promoted. These are just a few reasons we do not support the use of SBAC.

Parents want the choice of opting their children out of the the state assessment. This is something you all voted on and it was passed by a majority vote in The House last Spring. That was the  democratic process at work. The Senate then voted to pass the bill. The veto by Governor Markell was disrespectful to the democratic process. The people spoke, but the Governor did not listen. When HB#50 passed there were hundreds of your constituents all thrilled that you listened to their voices.Thank you for that. Now it is time to listen to them again. Please make this right by voting to override the Governor’s veto of HB#50

With all due respect to Governor Markell, he ignored the voice of the parents, and quite frankly of the General Assembly. It is wrong on so many levels. I am confident you will make this right. We are asking all of you to vote in favor for first, suspending the rules and second , in favor of an override of the veto of HB#50.

Delaware PTA will be presenting a petition signed by hundreds of parents from up and down Delaware this Thursday Jan 14, 2016. We would like to invite each of to join us at a rally on the steps of Legislative Hall at 1 pm that same day. We invite you to listen to the voices of parents and to speak if you so choose on this issue.

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to making a difference together.

Best Regards,
Yvonne Johnson
National PTA Board of Directors
Immediate Past President Delaware PTA
VP for Advocacy Delaware PTA
Region VP for Red Clay ( acting)
State President’s Club Secretary/Treasurer
T- 302-753-7107
yjohnson@delawarepta.org

johnsonyvonneb@gmail.com

yjohnson@pta.org

Why does the state continue to insist on punishing schools?

I have to say that I am very disappointed that the state may not take the recommendations of the Accountability Framework Working Group who met for over a year and a half. Instead, they are doing exactly what Donna Johnson with the State Board and the Governor’s Office wanted which was stronger penalties for schools who fell below the 95% Smarter Balanced state assessment participation rate.

I was at the last two meetings of the AFWG and I heard first hand what the Governor’s Office wanted; stronger penalties to be placed on our schools. Donna Johnson stated that the State Board was probably not going to approve the final recommendations that the group made. She indicated that the State Board would want stronger penalties as well. Really, how did the State Board come to that conclusion because they were not at the meetings. How would Donna know that they would not agree with these recommendations because the group just decided on the recommendations?

The AFWG recommended that if a school fell below 95 percent it would be required to submit a report explaining why that happened and how to improve participation and that school could not be named a reward school. The group decided on this penalty because it would cause the least amount of damage to a school. The group would have preferred not to put any penalties in place, but the state told the group it was mandated by the feds.

The group members consisted of school administrators from charter and traditional schools, the Delaware PTA , the Delaware State Education Association, and the State Board. The entire group, except for one, did not want to punish schools because the administrators at a school have no control as to whether or not a student takes the state assessment. If a parent wishes to opt their child out of the state assessment, a school has no control over that, so why does the state want to punish that school for something a school has no control over?

In an effort to ensure as many students as possible are taking the state standardized test, the state Department of Education is recommending schools lose points on a new “scorecard” if fewer students than expected take the exam.

That’s a harsher penalty for schools with low participation rates than a panel of administrators and teacher and parent advocates recommended.

Their plan, which the Working Group had previously rejected, would multiply a school’s score by its participation rate if that rate fell below 95 percent.

“The state feels this is a fair proposal that takes into consideration participation, crediting schools that work to ensure every child’s learning growth is considered,” May wrote.

Click here to read the entire Delaware Online article.