Opt-Out House Party Plan - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I_qceG8nFxOmj5A0SA...

OPT - OUT of High Stakes Testing

Purpose of Opt-Out House Parties ● Educate and empower families to have a voice in the direction of their child’s education. ● Provide information and support to opt-out their children from high-stakes testing. ● Encourage participants to hold additional house parties to further influence the outcome of eliminating high-stakes testing.

House Party Format/Ideas Ice Breaker/Introductions Gather in a comfortable setting and have participants introduce themselves, share info about their students and the schools they attend. Ask them what motivated them to attend the meeting. The Schools Our Children Deserve 1. Activity: Hand out pens/markers and post-it notes. Ask parents to write down the opportunities they want for their children in their schools, i.e. What are the schools our children deserve? What types of programs, curriculum, support services, before/after school activities, class size, etc... Write ideas on sticky notes and post them someplace visible (a door, a blank wall, or a TV screen work well). Put duplicates together. Briefly discuss the responses. What do they believe is standing in the way of our students receiving what they deserve? Discuss 2. Discussion: Clarify what they understand about “high-stakes” testing and what is currently happening in their specific schools (# of tests taken yearly, time given to test prep, if curriculum has changed to focus on tests, etc...) Discuss: How is this affecting their children - both intellectually and emotionally Have they thought about opting-out of the high stakes testing? If so, what is holding them back? Share resources/information about the difference between “high-stakes” testing and assessment/evaluation. Key points: Testing tied to school performance/ratings, teacher evaluations, data collection on students and if failing, possible receivership (state or private company).

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9/6/14 10:01 AM

Opt-Out House Party Plan - Google Docs

2 of 2

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I_qceG8nFxOmj5A0SA...

9/6/14 10:01 AM