More Than A Score organizing 'Park the PARCC' meetings across Chicago
"More than a Score," a Chicago group critical of high-stakes so-called "standardized" testing programs, has been organizing a campaign called "Park The PARCC" with community meetings around Chicago. The next meeting is scheduled for October 29 on the far southwest side in the Beverly community.
"Two PARCC exams will be replacing the ISAT [Illinois State Achievement Tests] in elementary schools this year and will be added to the list of assessments for high schoolers," MTAS says on its website. "The PARCC is more expensive, is scheduled to take more than 10 hours for some children, and is designed to be far more difficult than the ISAT. You can try out sample PARCC exams yourself online. Learn more about the problems with PARCC in our coalition member Raise Your Hands position paper..."
Last year, More Than A Score worked with teachers and others on a citywide boycott of the ISAT examination, and while thousands of children were still forced to take the ISAT (although it was meaningless for Chicago), the opt out movement for children was the biggest in Chicago history. [Disclosure: the two sons of this reporter, both of whom are elementary students in Chicago, opted out of the ISAT during the 2013 - 2014 school year].
A number of events are planned or have recently taken place. In an email announcement on October 21, 2014, MTAS stated:
Our Park the PARCC webinar is this Thursday!
Cant make it to a meeting and want to learn more about why Raise Your Hand (and many districts around Illinois) are asking that our state to request a waiver to delay the PARCC? We have about 25 spots left for our webinar this Thursday 10/23 at 8pm.
Sign up here: Webinar
Read our Park the PARCC position paper
Sign our petition!
We'll also be hosting a forum on 11/18 at Blue 1647 in Pilsen to discuss high quality assessment and standardized teting. An event registration form will be sent out soon.
EVENTS
Tonight: Monday 10/20, 7pm-8:30pm
West Rogers Park Community Organization: Democracy In Chicago Education Forum:
"Why Chicago Needs An Elected School Board"
Will Guzzardi, Illinois State House Representative-elect for the 39th District
Roderick Wilson, Executive Director, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Wendy Katten, Raise Your Hand
Devon Bank Community Room
6445 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645
Wednesday 10/22: 5:30-7:30pm
DePaul College of Education: Principal Leadership; Principal Voice
Panelists include: Michael Beyer, Morrill Elementary School, Troy LaRaviere, Blaine Elementary School Tamara Witzl, Telpochcalli Elementary School Rita Raichoudhuri, Wells Community Academy H.S
DePaul Student Center Room 314
2250 N. Sheffield
Monday, 10/27 6-7:30pm
Community meeting: The state income tax temporary 5% rate is about to sunset in January 2015 to 3.75%
Can we afford more cuts?
Hosted by Greater Logan Square Early Learning Coalition
Old Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Church,
3062 W. Palmer (between Kedzie & Sacramento, across from park)
RYH co-sponsoring this event with LSNA and Voices for IL Children
Thursday 10/30, 6pm-8pm
Elected school board discussion: hosted by Parents4Teachers
Ben Joravsky of the Reader and Jesse Sharkey, CTU
Luther Memorial Church
2500 W. Wilson
