Opting Out – Testing Confusion in Central Schools

    The one thing I believe we can all agree on is that everyone in Central wants the best education for our children.  This week’s decision by families to “opt out” over 150 students from standardized testing, and the frustration this is causing the Central School System leadership, makes it clear that we are just not all on the same page.
    I won’t pretend to have all of the answers, but I have a few opinions and a few questions I believe we should all consider.
    I believe that schools should have consistent and proven teaching methods with the ability to test to ensure that students are learning.  I also never want to sacrifice the well-rounded education just to have them be able to score well on a test.  The question is: Is Central striking the correct balance between the importance of testing and the importance of producing well rounded graduates?
    I believe Superintendent Faulk knows what he is talking about when he says that this high “opt-out” rate will cause the Central School System to drop in the rankings.  I also believe that whether the state says Central is third or tenth in the state does not actually affect the quality of the education.  The question is: Does it matter to the future of the Central School System and the City of Central to maintain our reputation for great schools?
    School officials have the tough job of meeting the many mandated requirements and standards of the state while dealing with the reality of the 4,000 plus Central children that have been entrusted to them to educate.  The parents have the tough job of being ultimately responsible to prepare their children for life after mom & dad.  The question is: Can this community find a way to meet the requirements placed on both educators and parents, and do so with some sense of compromise and cooperation?
    The facts are: testing will not stop, the state will not stop ranking schools, parents will continue to have rights, and as a community we will all have to live with any fallout these conflicts cause.
    I believe this “opt-out” movement is a natural reaction to the helpless feeling people get when dictated to by state and federal standards that appear to ignore the education of their child.  I believe the school system leadership’s frustration is solely because they want to educate our children well and for the Central School System to be recognized for its excellence.
    This all obviously happened too fast for all parties to get on the same page, but let’s see if that process can start now.  Let’s all begin the discussion of what is truly in the best interests of this community and our children’s education.
    “Opt Out” parents, express your concerns to the school system and understand that playing by the state’s rules is not optional for our administrators.  Administration, help Central’s parents, who have shown for generations that they are committed to education, see that you will fight to do what is best for every child.  Let’s take up the challenge of getting everyone on the same page before the next round of testing.  That would be Good News for a Great City.