This document summarizes concerns about high-stakes standardized testing in New Mexico schools. It discusses how the state's waiver from No Child Left Behind led to tying school evaluations to test scores through a school grading system. It notes that teacher evaluations are also heavily based on student test performance. The document argues that standardized tests take away from learning, teach to the test, have developmentally harmful effects, and are an invalid way to evaluate students, teachers, and schools. It recommends that parents refuse to let their children take the tests to enact change in the system.

1. High-stakes Testing,
School Grades, and the
Common Core
NM REFUSE THE TEST
UNITED OPT OUT – NEW MEXICO
KRIS L. NIELSEN

2. Welcome!
http://nmrefuse.weebly.com
Facebook: NM Refuse the Tests
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http://passnm.wordpress.com
http://unitedoptout.com
Facebook: LCPS Stakeholders
http://atthechalkface.com

6. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
New Mexico’s Waiver approved February 2011
This means:
• No more AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)
• Tie school and educator evaluations together
• “Flexibility” with Federal funds
• Accountability for growth, as well as proficiency using test
scores

7. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
Three “principles” that guide PED:
Principle I: All students “college and career ready”
• Adopt college and career ready standards (CCR)
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
• NM standards since 1999, approved by USDOE
• Transitioning to CCSS
• Planning grant from Kellogg Foundation
• Alignment between NM and CCSS by WestEd
(private corporation run by “reformers”)

8. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
Three “principles” that guide PED:
Principle I: All students “college and career ready”
• By 2015, all grade levels will be aligned to CCSS and will
be testing on performance on new curriculum
• Including K – 3, which took new tests last spring
• Grades 4 – 12 will take new tests this spring
• Extra “support” for ELLs and students with special needs
• Translation: more math and ELA time, loss of electives,
longer school days

9. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
Three “principles” that guide PED:
Principle I: All students “college and career ready”
• Annual Statewide Assessments (PARCC)
• 2012: Dual alignment for K-3 (Bridge)
• 2013: Dual alignment for 4-12 (Bridge)
• 2014: PARCC fully implemented
• Standards, curriculum, assessment
• Lots, I mean LOTS, of assessment.

10. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
Three “principles” that guide PED:
Principle II: School Accountability
• School Grading System (A – F)
• Straight copy of Florida system: also used in OK, RI, IN
• Grade is 90% dependent on test scores (over 3 years)
• HS is 60% (comes to 85% after CCR measures)
• CCR measures for HS: taking a college-readiness exam,
e.g. SAT or ACT or COMPASS.
• 5% for participating; 10% for reaching benchmark

11. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver
Three “principles” that guide PED:
Principle III: Principal and Teacher Accountability
• Teacher evaluation: 50% test scores, 25% observation,
25% other stuff
• Principal evaluation: 50% school grade, 25% other stuff,
25% using the teacher eval with “fidelity.”

12. Why does this mean for my child(ren) and
the schools?

13. Let’s start with the tests
 NM Standards-Based Assessments (SBA)
 End-of-Course tests (EoC) (mainly used in high school)
 Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
 PED-approved “formative” assessments
 Discovery Education
 Riverside Testing (Houghton-Mifflin)
 NWEA MAP testing (no longer authorized by PED)

14. Why should I refuse?
1. Standardized Testing takes away approximately 25% of our children's academic school year.
2. Standardized Testing gives teachers incentives to "teach to the test" instead of nurturing higher
order thinking skills.
3. Standardized Testing teaches children that there is only one right answer in academics and in life.
4. Standardized Testing costs millions of dollars of taxpayer money to produce and thousands of
dollars of our school district's money to implement.
5. Standardized Testing encourages our best teachers to seek other careers where their expertise is
valued.
6. Standardized Testing is developmentally destructive for specific age groups.

15. Why should I refuse?
7. Standardized Testing is creating corruption among schools where school districts are
cheating on test scoring.
8. Standardized Testing is creating corruption among students where students are
purposely scoring poorly to negatively affect teachers that they don’t like.
9. Standardized Testing gives teachers incentive to care more about their teacher
evaluation than they do about children
10. Standardized Testing uses our children as tools to evaluate school districts, schools, and
teachers. Students do not even get a chance to learn from their mistakes. In fact, they
never see the test after they take it.

16. A. This is What Parents Want Their Children to Learn
B. This is What Determines if
Your Child’s School Gets Closed
ANY QUESTIONS?
Collaboration Life Skills Debating
Research Skills Public Speaking Enjoyment of Learning
Reading Out Loud Sociology 3-D Thinking
Critical Thinking Self-Awareness Historical Literature
Planning Skills Philosophy Current Literature
Art Morals Theater
Intrapersonal Skills Relationships Ethics
Self-Confidence Music History
Physical Activity Spatial Relations Naturalism
Work Ethics Self-Control Freedom
Playing Science Creativity
Psychology Technology Business
Government ELA Math
Flawed
ELA/Math
State Tests

17. School Grades
 90% based on standardized test scores
 Used in principal and some teacher evaluations
 Oversimplified method to describe complex scenarios
 Leave out important characteristics of schools
 Minimize importance of attempts to make learning
and environment meaningful

18. Teacher Evaluations
 Officially 50% based on test scores, but with growth
measures included, it’s more like 65%
 Other measures are minimized – observations,
opportunity to learn, professional reflection
 10% based on surveys (also junk science) and/or
teacher attendance
Teachers are allowed 10 sick days. If they were to
need those sick days, they would receive an
“ineffective” for that portion of the evaluation

19. Value-Added Measures
 Based on test scores
 Compare one class to two other classes (3-year average)
 Control for a small set of factors; ignore other important factors
 Only valid for 20% of teachers in any given study
 Even VAM experts call this “junk science” when applied to high-stakes
testing scenarios
 Reports to NM Legislative Finance Committee point to the limitations
of VAM, but PED is going forward regardless

20. Student Evaluation?
 SBA and EOCs do a terrible job of evaluating student capabilities
 There are simply too many factors that affect them and many essential skills and
abilities cannot be tested by these instruments
 EOCs and SBA are designed to evaluate teachers and schools, not students,
and even that designation is invalid
 This year (2014), high school students must pass EOCs in math, language
arts, science, and social studies in order to receive a diploma
 Regardless of other measures of high school academic performance
 Tests do not provide any reliable data about readiness for the next step

21. The Foundation: Common Core
 Designed by policy advisor and team of lawyers and assorted non-educators. Reviewed by
a panel, which included some content experts and one teacher. (Two of those experts are
currently touring the country speaking against CCSS.
 Funded heavily by corporate interests, who have little interest in student learning, and
vested, financial interest in outcomes.
 Never field-tested, not research-based, no evidence of efficacy, not internationally
benchmarked in any meaningful way.
 Designed to have national curriculum aligned, and to be tested nationally at all grade levels.
 No diversity in learning or culture, or in student differences and desires (background or
plans for the future).
 Goes against cognitive research over decades; has only utilitarian interests.
 Designed to separate the “cans” from the “can’ts.” Student ranking for future workforce.

22. What Should You Do?
 Learn what you can about this system – educate yourself and
others
 Ask teachers and principals what tests your child is taking and why
 Bookmark http://nmrefuse.weebly.com and visit very often
 Join the Facebook group NM Refuse the Tests and join the
conversation and ask questions
 Ask your school for the Parent Refusal form and turn it in
 The most important way to change this course is to boycott the
product that is hurting our kids – the tests!

23. Refuse the Tests, New Mexico!
It’s the only way to save our kids and their schools!