At 10 p.m. Tuesday, a group called “United to Counter the Core” posted on Facebook: “Over 90,000 with 31% of districts reporting; an estimated 208 of 227 will not make 95% participation. (According to news reports, superintendents, principals, BOE members, and teachers).”Many parents also posted pictures of their children wearing T-shirts proudly declaring their decision to “opt out.” One Long Island student, who displayed a huge smile and gave a thumbs-up, wore a lime-green shirt that said: “I love my teachers. My school’s the best. But I have to REFUSE this state test.”
These numbers are of course estimations and they are fluid - as more information comes in, they may be adjusted.
But one thing is clear from the first day of the state Common Core exams in New York:
Many parents and children have sent a message to Governor Cuomo, Regents Chancellor Tisch, NYSED and the education reform movement:
They REFUSE this state test.
NOT ONE PEEP ABOUT OPTING OUT ON UFT WEBSITE
ReplyDeleteHEY MULGREW WHERE YOU HIDING?
I have seen the LI numbers and they are stunning. I would not be surprised if as many as 400,000 kids opt out statewide. The media and the different opt out groups are using ridiculously incomplete figures.
ReplyDeleteEd reformy Bflo News is using the term "thousands" since it's just too painful to admit how dead ass wrong they have been about ed reform since Day One.
DeleteWon't be 400k. Will likely be in the high 1s, which is still awesome, but expect nysed to say something about how many kids took the test, and that the opt outers didn't meet their goals - why i didn't like 250k number getting thrown around.
ReplyDeleteLong Island numbers are awesome, will likely wind up about 65k. NYC numbers won't be so strong, and this is really the first year for pockets to form in many upstate areas. The cities is where the biggest amount of growth has to happen - either before the math test or before next year - to really show that people across all lines (politicial, gender, socioeconomic) hate these tests.
Three Suffolk districts alone produced more than 9,500. Six districts produced 14,750. Will be much higher than you think.
DeleteRockland Co., where teachers were gagged, has over 5000 students opting out.
DeleteTeachers may be gagged in the school in which they work. But we have kids of our own as well as neighbors, friends and family with kids. That's how we spread the word and help to grow the opt out movement.
DeleteUpdate: Long Island now on page for 73k (66k reported, it was around 50 or 55k when I posted before; 10% of last year's opt out numbers haven't reported, that's how I calculated it). I'm hopeful the total number of opt-outs for ELA cracks 200k. It all depends on the cities.
DeleteThe only way math won't go way over 200k is if there are so many children exempted from the test. I can't see any way that happens.
I honestly don't think people in my area in the South Bronx even knew this was an option. It appears the less money you have the less likely your are to know about this.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I get my T shirt? United to Counter the Core should be getting them out there to fund PR.
ReplyDelete