What if they held the MCAS and nobody came? This year, because state education officials have refused to seek a waiver from federal testing obligations, opting students out of high-stakes testing makes more sense than ever.
Sara Dion, an elementary school teacher in Medford, explained why she was holding an anti-MCAS sign at a protest outside Department of Elementary and Secondary Education headquarters in Malden on March 25. "After we’ve been remote or hybrid the whole year, kids are struggling to be connected to school," she said. "This isn’t a time to be throwing a standardized test at them."
Ricardo Rosa, an associate professor at UMass Dartmouth and a member of the New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools, said that parents become receptive to the opt-out message when they learn that there will be no negative consequences for students, educators or schools this year.
"Parents need to feel that what they are doing is in the norm," he said. "In Massachusetts, there is a history of civil disobedience that is very powerful to talk about."
Members of Rosa’s group, along with a statewide coalition of education justice organizations, held three parent forums, one entirely in Spanish. In New Bedford, they talked to hundreds of families through door-to-door canvassing and have planted about 150 signs in front yards. They are also holding weekly meetings with other assessment reform activists to provide parents with opt-out information and support one another’s efforts, including a standout in Bourne.
Some locals are acting on their own. Cambridge Education Association members produced an opt-out flier in several different languages and an anti-MCAS button with the words "conscientious objector" on it. They also asked the School Committee to pass an anti-MCAS resolution — and on April 9, they walked into school together in a show of solidarity.
Members of the South Shore Education Justice Alliance held a powerful forum on March 4 featuring testimonials from two mothers whose children suffered emotional harm from being judged by a standardized test. For many, the MCAS is a racial justice issue. One educator who sees it that way is Sarah McLaughlin, a middle school teacher in Melrose and a member of MTA ALANA (African, Latino, Asian and Native American) Educators.
"MCAS testing does not value multiculturalism or the antiracist movement," McLaughlin said. "MCAS has not increased our knowledge or changed the alleged ‘achievement gap.’ Instead, it has further divided groups and created a system of oppression."
While MTA members can inform parents of their opt-out rights, it is up to parents to decide whether to act. Amanda Ceide, speaking at the Malden rally, explained why she believes that this year, in particular, the tests are too narrow to capture what has been important.
"Our children have lost a lot more than what can be shown with that MCAS score, but they also have gained a lot more," she said. She said that her oldest son has spent more time practicing his guitar this past year, and both of her children learned about the responsibility of owning a "COVID puppy."
"These skills could not be captured by the MCAS, which is why I am encouraging families and educators to take a stand together to tell DESE that our kids are not numbers on a piece of paper," Ceide said. "This is not the year to be giving a standardized test that we know causes harm. Continuing to traumatize kids during a pandemic is not something our society should allow."
For more information on #CancelMCAS efforts, please visit massteacher.org/testing.
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