It's Official: My kids will NOT take the test

After multiple days and hours of witnessing standardized test taking this year, I've had enough.  Misa and John-Pio spent 4 days taking the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test after being in school for just 4 weeks.  Starting next week, which will be 10 weeks from the beginning of the year, they are scheduled to take the Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination (WKCE) test that will last for 4 days.  I'm sure y'all can infer my reasons for opting them out, and my top 5 reasons are in no way exhaustive, but here's the deal . . .

1) As a professional educator, I know first-hand that it takes away from teaching primary academic subjects. 

2) The timing of standardized tests - what sense does it make to spend the majority of first quarter testing students? 

3) Knowing the test items, it's clear to me that a student who is an English Language Learner is clearly  at a disadvantage.  That's only a piece of the equity issue - ask any teacher in my building how a student of color or one with economic pressures rate to the majority and those with economic stability, and they will tell you that the results of the test on a school-wide scale confirm the inequity issue.  

4) The assessment itself sucks.  And we don't even get the results of the test until next year so it's not helpful for student learning or to even guide instruction. 

5) I get enough data from Misa and John-Pio's Friday Folders to know that they're learning and challenged.  

I also know that they're happy and engaged and I know this because they're fired up and curious before school, at school, and after school.  It helps that their teachers are amazing dedicated professionals, too. 

So that's that - enough is enough.  I said no.