California Teacher: "Get out of my way, I have some laws to change, and no one's stopping me."

This post appeared in Stop Common Core in California Facebook on May 6, 2016. It was shared by California teacher, Dawn Nikisher Kelly, with her permission:

(GW NOTE: It may be of interest to know that, unlike Arizona, California law allows a parent or guardian to excuse a child from all or parts of the statewide assessment. Not many parents do, however. See 60615 of EDUCATION CODE SECTION 60604-60618.)

"Today I watched third graders take the performance task part of the CAASPP (SBAC)* test. It’s funny to me that this week, Teacher Appreciation Week, is one that is so stressful for our teachers who have to administer such awful tests to their students. These tests are developmentally inappropriate in so many ways, starting with the length of time spent on testing, to the complexity of the questions the students are required to answer. If you want a true assessment of a child, what is an inappropriate test going to show you? Nothing. On top of the stress of testing is rhetoric that is thrown in your face when you express an educated opinion that this test is not appropriate. My opinion is backed by 20+ years in the classroom. Please don’t tell me the public wants these tests to evaluate how their tax dollars are spent. Please don’t tell me we need tests to know how our students are progressing from year to year. And the biggest lie? Students will take tests like this all their lives, so it’s best they learn how to take tests. My head spins when I hear such nonsense. I’ve lost respect for people who believe we need to administer such tests to children. CHILDREN. Not teens, not adults. CHILDREN. I’m so over explaining why 8-year-olds shouldn’t dissect and analyze text, and site sources. It’s just ridiculous, and I’m ANGRY. There is NOTHING you can say that will change my opinion about testing third graders. NOTHING. So save your breath, and get out of my way. I have some laws to change, and no one is stopping me." ?#‎OptOut? ?#‎SBAC? ?#‎CAASPP?

*See AzMerit/PARCC/SBAC – What’s the Difference?