"We are punished over high stakes tests that do not augment our kids’ educations but only give the state more control over local funds. This is all about power and the market forces at play with high stakes testing companies, forces that did not exist before No Child Left Behind [2001].”
--- Maria Rundle, Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee member and mother of three students in the New Marlborough Elementary School
The Southern Berkshire Regional School District (SBRSD) School Committee resolves that neither parent who chooses to opt their children out of the PARCC, MCAS, MCAS 2.0, or any other high stakes standardized test nor students will not be subject to any negative consequences from the SBRSD administration or the SBRSD School Committee.
The threat that school districts face, and the fear which is driving some communication with districts and parents, is that of the possibility of state sanctions for low test participation rates.
On the eve of the MCAS testing season there is growing concern among Berkshire educators and parents that the culture of standardized testing is crippling public education by stifling effective and engaging teaching practices. One avenue of protest is for parents to have their children opt out of taking the test.