Ruth M. Suyenaga
35 New Boston Road, Royalston, MA. 01368
(968) 249-9901
Testimony to the Education Committee about MCAS - June 20, 2001

Chairman Antonioni and members of the Education Committee, my name is Ruth
Suyenaga and I am a parent whose son is in the Athol-Royalston Regional
School District. I urge you to support bills S255, H2482, and H3073, which
repeal the use of the MCAS as a graduation requirement and supports a system
of accountability based on multiple forms of assessment.

I am from a rural area where moose and bear live around the corner. It is
an area rich in culture but economically disadvantaged, not usually
represented in the anti-MCAS movement, which is erroneously characterized, I
think, as made up of "those wealthy suburbanites". Indeed, it is now a
statewide movement where parents are waking up and are very much concerned
about what the MCAS will do to their children's futures.

I came here today because I do not want to look into the eyes of my
neighbors' children in 2003 who do not graduate because we in 2001 did not
change a flawed public policy that in human terms will create a life-long
tragedy for the 54-64 % of 10th grade students in my son's school that now
fail the math portion of the MCAS. These students have not been taught what
is being tested. How so? Because the curriculum standards were formulated
4-5 years ago and the curriculum aligned to it 3-4 years ago. Education is
a cumulative process. Present 10th graders have missed 7 years of the
foundation necessary to learn the higher math, like geometry, which they
would need to pass the 10th grade math MCAS. Those 7 years cannot be made
up in tutorials or test-prep. It is too soon to count the MCAS toward
graduation, especially as the sole criteria.

MCAS is an equity issue. The ACLU compares 65% in low income districts but
only 12% of students in affluent towns failing a portion of the test. It
will take more than 7 years to correct the inequities created over a
century. If you are going to test, give us in poorer communities resources
to give our children the chance to succeed. Instead of more resources
coming to our community to improve the quality of education, funding is
being diverted to teaching to the test.

I dread what I see coming down the pike. Picture this scenario in 2003:
- failure to get a diploma by high percentages of urban and rural youth
- a proliferation of litigation by many families against the state, class
action suits by vocational, special ed and disabled students as well as A
students who failed the MCAS.
- drop out rates increase by students too frustrated and humiliated to stay
in school.

I urge you who have the power to change things now, before the suits fly in
2003. Let us restore the promise of the early days of ed reform, of a rich
educational environment rather than skill and drill, of in-depth critical
thinking rather than teachers forced to toss out the units they are most
passionate about to cover a multitude of topics an inch deep. Let us not
betray our youth. 

Thank you.