LAUSD parents are sick of testing!

They tell me that they are disgusted with the district and that they are sick of testing.

They arrive early for dismissal and see no classes on the playground for P.E. as there is too much academics to complete to take time to come outside.

They are tired of teachers being forced to gloss over skills in 2 or 3 days with no time for mastery or review.

They are sick of teaching to the test causing their children not to have a well rounded education like they did.

They are tired of the emphasis on the subjects that are tested and the de-emphasis on the other important subjects.

They want Art and Music, Library, and a little fun during the day for their children.

They want the return of Spelling tests.

They want 6th grade back in elementary school and wonder why parents were never consulted when the move was made.

They want Kindergarten to be about adapting to school, socializing, free time, left/right, fingerpainting, dancing and singing and reading for those that are ready, not about forcing 4 and 5 years to learn to read and testing.

What they really want is a return to those thrilling days of yesterday when education of all subjects not tests scores rode supreme; when the only tests in elementary schools were Spelling tests on Friday; when there was time for singing, dancing, performing, discussions, weekly art, and fun; when handwriting was taught and used; when there was time for teachable moments; when a lesson was not confined to a specific number of minutes; when a lesson could be stopped and continued another day if the class was not into it; when there were letter grades in elementary school; when field trips were more prevalent and you could watch educational movies even if they weren’t about the current subjects; when elementary classes went to Physical Education daily to learn the games, skills, and rules and to have fun; and when education was not API’s, not driven by test and textbook publishers, data and consultants, but by the need to prepare our children for their futures as leaders of the world.