Featured Letter: Opting out of CRTs is misguided

This letter is in response to Mark and Lori Russell's efforts to encourage parents to opt their children out of the annual Criterion Reference Testing that defines whether Polson meets the AYP (adequate yearly progress) threshold for this school year.

While their frustrations are understandable, and we share them, we believe that opting out of the CRTs is misguided, counterproductive and punitive to a district the Russells purport to support and value. Moreover, CRTs are an internal yardstick for teachers to assess what concepts and topics are being learned and what might require a different educational approach.

Ideally, these tests constitute a profile, identifying students in need of support as well as those exceeding the proficiency standard. This profile will not be accurate unless all students participate in the testing process. Many people agree that No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration iteration of the long standing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), while well intentioned, is fundamentally flawed in its punitive orientation. It is nonetheless the law of the land.

A CRT profile that misrepresents our student body, particularly if those most likely to be proficient are absent from the profile, potentially penalizes the district unnecessarily.

The Russells argue that teachers are not being supported, and they identify the 4th grade class as particularly problematic and in need of intervention. We agree. That said, surely they are aware of the painful community discussions that took place last spring as the administration and board grappled with diminished revenue from the previous year accompanied by increased energy and personnel costs. We are grateful that the recommendation by the superintendent to non-renew 14 teachers and paraprofessionals as a budget cutting mechanism – personnel who deliver instruction – who interface directly with students, did not pass. The message from at least some of us on the board was this: we request a more critical analysis of budget priorities and a collaborative approach on the part of the entire administration for cutting costs that impact the classroom the least.

We are aware of an increase in discipline problems throughout schools in our district. This is why Trustee Lindsey requested that discipline indicators be provided for each school monthly, so that the board may be apprised regularly with reliable data of what we now only hear anecdotally – deteriorating discipline trends in our schools. This is why we have pushed for a climate survey, first of our staff and then hopefully of our parents and the broader community - to learn their thoughts, both positive and negative. There was resistance to the request for discipline indicators, and there has been resistance to the climate survey, and yet the board can't have an honest discussion without reliable information.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell have not attended any board meetings to discuss their concerns. While this letter represents the opinions of the two of us, it would be useful for the Russells to bring these issues before the entire board for discussion. They and other parents have every right to be concerned and to insist on a better, safer and educationally more conducive environment for their children. But please — we ask that they do so in a constructive way that helps us to find and acknowledge common ground, not exacerbate smoldering differences in a way that hurts our district and its children.

Budget discussions will resume soon — come to the board meetings and make known your concerns as well as your suggested solutions and priorities.