RYH Statement | ISBE Monthly Meeting 6.16.21
CPS parent and RYH Advocacy Director, Naoma Nagahawatte, addressed the IL State Board of Education (ISBE) at their monthly meeting. Her prepared statement is below. ISBE has delayed a vote on spending $227M+ over the next 10 years on a state-mandated testing program that increases high-stakes tests for students. ISBE will meet again on August 18.
Good morning, Superintendent Ayala and members of the Board. My name is Naoma Nagahawatte, I am an Illinois public school parent and Advocacy Director for Illinois Raise Your Hand. I am here today in support of the students, families and educators across Illinois that do not want the Illinois Assessment for Readiness replaced with high stakes interim testing in this rushed manner. Instead of spending $227 million dollars on interim testing for 3rd to 8th graders, I urge you to meaningfully engage the public to develop solutions that truly meet the needs of Illinois students.
Interim testing means increased test preparation time, which means decreased class time for meaningful, inquiry-based learning. In addition, interim testing does not provide precise information on student skills in any given area, there is a lot of room for error as students can have both “good” and “bad” testing days. Also, allowing individual districts to determine which standards are assessed on each test muddies the prospect of effectively tracking student progress.
Students emerging from a global pandemic don’t benefit from the added anxiety of high stakes testing. Illinois students have been greatly impacted by COVID-19, especially those in underserved communities. Funds should go towards supporting our students in ways that make a positive difference, such as more clinicians and smaller class sizes.
Let me be plain, $227 million dollar interim testing for 3rd to 8th graders is not what Illinois families are asking for. They are asking to be included in the decision making processes that affect their children. Our students are more than test scores. We can and must do better.
I urge ISBE to engage the public, ask communities what a state assessment plan could look like if we dropped status quo testing and sought to truly support student needs. Ask families, students and educators to work with you in figuring out how we can provide students with the resources they need to thrive.
Community participation in this process can only create richer and more robust solutions to bolster our children and help them to academically succeed. I urge you to ask and listen, let school communities tell you what they need. Thank you for your time.
Chicago Tribune: Parents slam state board’s proposal to triple number of annual standardized assessments for students: ‘We must keep testing at the absolute minimum’
For more on this issue:
Watch this webinar: Reimagining Assessment in IL: Taking a Closer Look at ISBE’s Vision for Mandatory State Testing
On the delay in the vote, read this article from Chicago Tribune: More standardized tests in Illinois schools? Vote delayed as educators raise alarms: ‘Our students and teachers are exhausted’