OPT OUT: Colorado teachers union joins fight against high-stakes testing
I write to you specifically to inform you of recent action taken at the Colorado Education Association's delegate assembly. This past Tuesday, April 22nd, Pat Kennedy and I met here at my office at UNC to discuss what had recently transpired at the Colorado Education Association's delegate assembly held earlier this month. The CEA adopted a new business item which reads as follows:
"CEA shall join in coalition with other organizations demanding the withdrawal of Colorado from the PARCC assessment and will place a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized tests."
At long last the CEA is willing to take action. Pat, who was a delegate at the assembly, was encouraged by the possibilities of such a new business item. She will take the names of organizations which have been created to resist the invasion of high stakes standardized testing which has so devastated public education. Pat will supply this information to the Communications Department and CEA executive offices including the office of President Kerrie Dallman.
Over 500 delegates (public school educators from across the state of Colorado) directed CEA to join in coalitions with other organizations to take the next steps to withdraw Colorado from the PARCC and seek a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized tests. Colleagues, let's give this new business item some teeth. Please write to Pat (pkennedy1950@msn.com) and inform her of the details of your organizations. This will be a point of strength and a point of departure as the CEA makes demands on the Colorado Department of Education. We know what is pedagogically sound. We know what malpractice looks like. Let's continue to speak from strength and demand truly humane policies that dignify the autonomy of our children and their professionals in the classroom.
In solidarity,
Don Perl
http://www.thecbe.org
Department of Hispanic Studies
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, Colorado 80639
don.perl@unco.edu
970-351-2746
