Testimony, September 9, 2003
Meg Robbins, Teacher, Northampton, MA

 

MCAS "pass" rates do not not take into account all the 7th and 8th and 9th and 10th graders who give up--who are disproportionately poor, of color, whose first language is not English. These children learn that they are failures at their first MCAS results and have that bitter knowledge hammered home with each additional round of testing. These are capable, smart, engaging children held to one measure of success, one class -biased strata of achievement-no matter what rich skills and interests  and prior knowledge they bring to their own learning.  Why should they persevere? Who cares if they drop out? They are among the thousands and thousands of the new "disappeared"--the  state's most vulnerable children, the ones education reform was touted to support.

 

                        Meg Robbins, teacher

                        Co-Chair Hampshire County CARE

                         Northampton, Mass.

                         megrobbins@comcast.net

                         413.657.3506