School Committee on PARCC

O'Connell: rights of our parents, students
time properly spent on doing well on school
serves primarily the benefit of a for profit
suggest it is not appropriate for us to do so
time to help students to do better academic
allow parents to opt their students out of the test
suggests that we write a similar letter to Norfolk's
"we value instruction first and foremost"
draft a letter modeled on Norfolk

My statement is here

Foley: understand the movement towards a national standardized test
"don't understand why we're looking at two different standardized test"
support field testing
"when I read the legal department's legal opinion on this, I found it less than weak; I found it inconsistent"
"it is not a statewide assessment program"
"is incorrect"
support the motion that's made
reserve the option for parents
"this is not MCAS...this is research"
"we should have an opt out provision for our parents and for our students"

Biancheria: credit to my colleagues for bringing it up a number of times
support having the parents having the opportunity to opt their children out
"it's field testing and we're looking at options and how it's going to work"
"will take time and money away from our district, which is unfortunate"

Petty: support field test

motion for protocol passes
Monfredo: "I understand the possibility of parents option"
"find out what the test is all about"

letter passes