Rhode Island Opt Out Guide July 2014

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.
com

This is not a legal document. it is for informational purposes only.
Template revised 6.16.14

Testing Opt-Out/Refusal Guide for RHODE ISLAND
Form completed by Wendy Holmes, Sheila Resseger, and
United Opt Out Administrator (MM)
Contact information (email): Wendy Holmes wbholmes2@verizon.net
Sheila Resseger sress2001@yahoo.com
The Rhode Island Department of Education has created a Comprehensive Assessment System,
a coordinated plan for monitoring the academic achievement of public school students from Pre-
Kindergarten through Grade 12. This system is meant to increase student learning by producing
actionable data, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and ensure that all students are making
progress toward achieving learning goals.
Rhode Islands new statewide assessment, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC), which is aligned with the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS), will be implemented during the 2014-2015 school year in grades 3 to 11. In this
transitional year the PARCC will be used to test English Language Arts ELA/Literacy and
Mathematics but not Science. Please note that the Science grade level expectations (GSE) are
still in effect and the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) in Science will
take place as scheduled in May 2015 (see below).
Until June 2014, when the Rhode Island General Assembly voted for a three-year moratorium on
the high-stakes high school exit tests, the NECAP was scheduled to serve that purpose for the
2014-2015 school year. Tentatively, 11th and 12
th
graders will still take the Reading and
Mathematics NECAP in the fall and 11
th
graders will take the Science NECAP in the spring.
Neither of these tests, however, nor the PARCC, will have a bearing on high school graduation
for the classes of 2014, 2015 or 2016.
According to RIDE, mandated PARCC and NECAP tests are required of all students enrolled in
R.I. schools except for 1.) students who qualify for the alternate assessments; 2.) recently-
arrived Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students (who may be excused from Reading and
Writing tests but may be required to take some tests in Mathematics); and 3.) students who have
state-approved special considerations.

In Rhode Island, state-approved special considerations (SASC) are for cases involving medical
issues, a personal crisis, a family emergency, or alternate assessment students enrolling after the
alternate assessment registration deadline. Special consideration request forms are available on
State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com


the RIDE website and must be completed and submitted by the district Superintendents office.
Details about the process for applying for special considerations for exemption from testing are
explained in the document entitled, State-Approved Special Considerations for Statewide
Assessments: Guidelines & Forms, which can be found on the RIDE website.

List of Assessments
PARCC SCHEDULE
Testing times will vary according to school start dates. The performance-based component will
be administered after about 75% of instruction time and the end of year component will take
place after about 90% of instruction time. Details of administration have yet to be finalized.
Under PARCC Assessment on the RIDE site: As Rhode Island transitions to the PARCC
assessment we will provide updates on this process through this website, field memos, and
informational sessions.
ELA/Literacy:
Grades Tested: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Mathematics:
Grades Tested: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, High School

Administration Dates: Block Schedule Administration, Dec. 2014 - Feb. 2015
Administration Dates: 1
st
Operational Administration, Feb. June, 2015

NECAP SCHEDULE
Reading, Mathematics
Grades Tested: 11, 12
Administration Dates: Sept.29-Oct.9 2014 (tentative).

Science
Grades Tested: 4, 8, 11
Administration Dates: May 4 - 28, 2015

Additional Tests
In addition to the PARCC and NECAP, Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) supports
the administration of a number of other specific assessments, including:
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)


Its major goals are to measure student achievement and report change in performance over time.
NAEP provides results for states and the nation as a whole but does not provide scores for
individual students or schools. Participation in NAEP mathematics and reading in grades 4 and 8
is mandatory for states and districts receiving Title I funds, pursuant to federal law. Most
elementary and all middle schools in our state participate in NAEP.
Reading, Mathematics, Science,
Grades Tested: 4, 8 Administration Dates: Jan.26-30, 2015 / Mar.2 Mar.6, 2015
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) measures students' reading accuracy, fluency,
and comprehension. DRA may be given to students in Kindergarten, 1
st
grade, or 2
nd
grade
(depending on which of the three is the highest grade in any particular early childhood school)
during the month of May 2015.
Rhode Island Alternate Assessment (RIAA) and the National Center and State
Consortium (NCSC)
The RIAA assesses content knowledge through a series of Structured Performance Tasks. These
tasks also incorporate and promote enhanced capacities and integrated life opportunities for
students with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities.
The RIAA assesses content knowledge in Science and includes three collection periods: 1.)
Sept.29 Nov. 14, 2014, 2.) Jan. 5 Feb. 6, 2015 3.) Mar. 2 Apr. 3, 2015. This test will be
given to grades 4, 8, and 11.
The NCSC, which is aligned with CCSS, assesses English Language Arts (reading and writing)
and Mathematics. NCSC Pilot Test 1 was given in spring 2014. NCSC Pilot Test 2 will be
administered Oct.20 Nov.14, 2014. The NCSC Operational Test will be given spring 2015,
exact dates TBA. Grades 3 8, and 11 will be tested.
ACCESS for English Language Learners
Rhode Island requires that the English language proficiency (ELP) of all English language
learners (ELLs) be measured annually with the ACCESS for ELLs. 2014-2015 ACCESS tests
will be administered between Jan. 14 and Feb. 18, 2015 (tentative)
Technology Literacy Assessment
The 21st Century Skills Assessment, is given to 8
th
graders. It is a blend of interactive,
performance-based questions and multiple choice, knowledge-based questions. It will be
administered in the Fall, Nov.24 Dec.24 and in the Spring, Mar. 2 Mar
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement examinations are taken each spring at the end of year-long courses that are
designed to provide college-level curricula. Many colleges and universities grant credits and/or


advanced placement based on AP scores. Rhode Island public school students enrolled in
Advanced Placement courses who qualify for free/reduced lunch also qualify for the AP Exam
Fee Waiver Program, allowing qualifying students to take AP Exams at no cost.

Special considerations for the above assessments:
In Rhode Island, student growth and achievement is measured in two ways: 1.) statewide testing,
beginning in the 2014-2015 school year using the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC), which is aligned with the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) and replaces the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) and 2.)
Student Learning Objectives (SLO), which are decided on by school districts and can vary by
classroom.
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics were not
developed by the states, as often claimed. They were developed behind closed doors primarily by
employees of Achieve, Inc. and the College Board, experts in creating standardized tests. No K-
12 classroom teachers were included in the drafting of the standards, nor were any early
childhood professionals, teachers of English language learners, or special education
experts included. It has been widely reported that the standards are inappropriate for the
youngest learners. From the start, students progress with the standards was intended to be
assessed by standardized tests, tests which will be taken on computers, multiple times throughout
the school year at great financial cost to school districts. The testing will result in massive
amounts of data. Students personally identifiable data will be collected and shared with the
federal Department of Education and (thanks to a watering down of FERPA, the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act, by Arne Duncans Department of Education), also with
researchers and vendors of educational products. There is a great chance of inadvertent or even
purposeful abuse of this data.
Although the federal government is prohibited by federal law from promulgating a national
curriculum, the CCSS will obviously give rise to a national curriculum, since they are to be
assessed by one of two national testing consortia. The curricula will be aligned to the
assessments, which are aligned to the standards. The CCSS are a copyrighted document which,
once accepted, cannot be modified. Many teachers who have begun implementing the standards
find that they are unreasonable and inflexible. The pacing is fixed and disregards the needs of
non-standard learners. The education of non-standard learners, in particular children with special
needs, English language learners, and children living in high-poverty neighborhoods, will suffer
irreparably from these poorly devised standards and the incessant testing.
As a member of the CCSS aligned PARCC Consortium, Rhode Island adheres to its policies,
providing all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, English learners


with disabilities, and underserved populations with equitable access to twenty-first century
assessments. For detailed information on how the tests may be modified for individuals see the
PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manuel (Second Edition, Fall 2013)

http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCC%20Accessibility%20Features%20and%20
Accommodations%20Manual%20November%202013.pdf
According to the PARCC manual, accommodations are available to:
.Students with disabilities who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP);
.Students with a Section 504 plan who have a physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits one or more major life activities, have a record of such an impairment, or are
regarded as having such an impairment, but who do not qualify for special education services;
.Students who are English learners;
.Students who are English learners and with disabilities who have an IEP or 504 plan. These
students are eligible for both accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners.
Students who are English learners in their first year in a U.S. school are exempt from PARCC
testing. I n subsequent years they must take PARCC End-of-Year and Performance-Based
assessments in ELA/literacy and mathematics.
For details on applying for alternate assessments see Alternate Assessments: 2014-2015
Guidance on Eligibility for I .E.P. Teams
http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCC%20Accessibility%20Features%20and%20
Accommodations%20Manual%20November%202013.pdf
The rules governing exemptions for the NECAP tests, which are being phased out in Rhode
Island but will still be administered to some grades in the 2014-2015 school year, are similar to
those for the PARCC given above. Students identified as English language learners (ELL) are
exempt from taking the NECAP Reading/Writing assessments in the first year of attendance at a
U.S. school. They are not exempt from the NECAP Mathematics and NECAP Science
assessments, which they must take regardless of when they entered the U.S. In addition, ELL
students must also participate in the ACCESS for ELLs test (RIs English language proficiency
test).
All non-exempt students who do not have a RIDE-approved special consideration request form
must take an applicable NECAP test if the student is attending school during the testing window
(Sept. 29 - Oct. 9, 2014 for NECAP Reading, Writing, and Math and May 4 - 28, 2015 for
NECAP Science). Mandatory participation applies to the make-up testing periods as well.
Procedures for Opt-out/Refusal


Write a letter of refusal to take the test to be submitted to your local school administrators, citing
that high stakes testing questions your beliefs or practices in morality or religion.
Submit this letter at the beginning of the school year if possible.
UOO has a sample opt out letter grounded in ethical (non religious) concerns. We also have a
sample letter using religious principles.
All students enrolled in a public school district, including students with disabilities and students
who are English language learners (ELL), are expected to take part in Rhode Islands statewide
academic assessment program in one of the following ways:
1. Participate in the statewide Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers/ New England Common Assessment Program (PARCC/NECAP)
assessments without accommodations;
2. Participate in the statewide Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers/ New England Common Assessment Program (PARCC/NECAP)
assessments with accommodations;
3. Participate in the Rhode Island Alternate Assessment and National Center and
State Consortium ((RIAA/NCSC) available only for students with Individualized
Education Programs (IEP) who meet specific criteria.
The only students exempted from testing are those who are eligible for exemption/special
consideration based on state-approved reasons or State-Approved Special Considerations
(SASC), which fall within four broad areas:
Medical Reasons;
Personal Crisis;
Family Emergency;
RIAA qualified after RIAA enrollment window closes.
In all cases, the exemptions must be approved by the Director of Instruction, Assessment, and
Curriculum at the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
(RIDE). All SASC requests, which must be submitted online via eRIDE by the superintendents
office, will be acknowledged with an email receipt to the superintendent. For requesting student
exemption from state testing via the eRIDE system, please see Guidance on How to Request
Exemption from NECAP or RIAA via eRIDE [PDF, 547KB].
Please refer to the State-Approved Special Considerations for Statewide Assessments:
Guidelines & Forms document (on the Guidance and Forms tab, and also on the eRIDE site)
for details.


State Approved Special Considerations can be found at:
https://www.eride.ri.gov/eride2k5/SASC/docs/Special%20Consideration%20and%20Exemption
%20Requests%20for%20Statewide%20Assessments_2012-
2013%20Guidelines%20and%20Forms.pdf
Important Dates for Special Consideration (SASC)/Exemption available at:
https://www.eride.ri.gov/eride2k5/SASC/docs/Special%20Consideration%20and%20Exemption
%20Requests%20for%20Statewide%20Assessments_2012-
2013%20Guidelines%20and%20Forms.pdf

Conditions that DO NOT qualify for exemption:
Medical Fragility All medically fragile students are expected to participate in statewide
assessment unless a significant and documented medical emergency exists in addition to medical
fragility
District-provided home-based educational programs (student remains enrolled in district)
Pregnancy
Students with acute, short-term minor illnesses or injuries
Students placed in correctional facilities
Students receiving educational services at an out-placement facility
Student or Parent refusal to test
Mental health conditions that permit students to receive instruction
In General:
High Stakes Testing
Is not scientifically-based and fails to follow the U.S. Government's own data on
learning.
Fosters test driven education that is not meeting the individual/intellectual needs of
students.
Presents a racial and economic bias that is beneficial to white middle/upper class students
and detrimental to second language students, impoverished students, and students of
color.


Is in opposition to the corrective action in gaps in opportunity and resources sanctioned
by the Fiscal Fairness Act.
Supports complicity of corporate interests rather than democracy based on public
concerns.
Fosters coercion over cooperation with regards to federal funding for public education.
Promotes a culture of lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school community.
Has used the achievement gap to foster a de facto segregation that has resulted in
separate and unequal education for minorities.
Additionally, data collection of student's private information cannot be guaranteed
security or that it will not be abused in some way by third party entities.

Low/poor test scores, which are likely to occur with more frequency with Common Core and
PARCC will be used to fire teachers, create more online learning scenarios even in elementary
schools, and close more public schools to be replaced with for profit charter schools.
See teachers comments on the administration of the PARCC field tests in Spring 2014 and
problems with the tests: http://testingtalk.org/responses/?s=&region=ri&test=parcc-
pilot&content_area=&category=&grade=

Sample Language to Include in Opt-Out/Refusal
The RIDE policy does not allow exemptions based on a refusal to test. Therefore no exemption
will be granted on these terms. Parents/student will have to state that they are REFUSING the
test rather than requesting an exemption.
See this ACLU report for opt out language and talking points: .
http://www.riaclu.org/issues/issue/high-stakes-testing The Rhode Island ACLU has devoted
most attention to criticizing the NECAP as a graduation requirement but many aspects of its
arguments apply to standardized testing in general. Before the recent action of the General
Assembly, the consequence of a low score on the 11
th
grade test was no diploma.
Although some Rhode Island parents refused the PARCC field tests, administered last year,
without punitive consequences, that was not mandated in the way that the actual PARCC
assessment is and it is not clear what the consequences of refusal may be.


Use language of the Constitution to ground your case, citing the following:
Supreme Court Decisions and Parental Rights
Parental rights, especially in the area of education, are broadly protected by United States
Supreme Court decisions. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly held that parents have the
fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children.
In Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 535 (1925), the U.S. Supreme Court declared that,
The child is not the mere creature of the State: those who nurture him and direct his destiny
have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional
obligations.;
In recognition of both the right and responsibility of parents to control their childrens education,
the U.S. Supreme Court has further stated, It is cardinal with us that the custody, care, and
nurture of the child reside first in the parents, whose primary function and freedom include
preparation for obligations the State can neither supply nor hinder. Prince v. Massachusetts, 321
U.S. 158, 166 (1944);
The U.S. Supreme Court has also recognized that the right of parents to raise their children free
from unreasonable state interferences is one of the unwritten liberties protected by the due
process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and criticized a state
legislature for trying to interfere with the power of parents to control the education of their
own. Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 401 (1923).
Sample Opt Out Letter
Dear _____ Administrators,
My child ____ is in XXX grade for the _____ school year at _______ School. I am writing to
inform you that I refuse to have my children take part in the NECAPs, DIBELS, PARCC, or any
other forms of high stakes standardized testing I have been advised that religious or even a
medical or psychological concern meets the criteria for honoring my request. In lieu of the high
stakes standardized tests I request that my child be given alternative forms of assessment to
include but not limited to teacher made assessments, projects, and portfolio, to be determined at
the discretion of _____s teacher.
Ten years of research and analysis by academic experts working at universities from Penn State
to Harvard conclusively prove that high stakes like the MSA testing harms children, undermines
and restricts curriculums, and punishes schools that serve the most vulnerable members of our
society kids with special needs and kids in poverty. There are mountains of documentation
out there.


I find such testing morally and spiritually unethical, based on the following facts. High stakes
testing:
Is not scientifically-based and fails to follow the U.S. Governments own data on learning.
Fosters test driven education that is not meeting the individual/intellectual needs of students.
Presents a racial and economic bias that is beneficial to white middle/upper class students and
detrimental to second language students, impoverished students, and students of color.
Is in opposition to the corrective action in gaps in opportunity and resources sanctioned by the
Fiscal Fairness Act.
Supports complicity of corporate interests rather than democracy based on public concerns.
Fosters coercion over cooperation with regards to federal funding for public education.
Promotes a culture of lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school community.
Has used the achievement gap to foster a de facto segregation that has resulted in separate and
unequal education for minorities.
Additionally, participating in these tests 1) negatively affects my child social-emotional well
being, 2) kills his or her curiosity and love for learning, 3) places developmentally inappropriate
and undue and unhealthy stress on him, 4) reduces his or her capacity for attaining new
knowledge, 5) replaces his or her higher order thinking with drill and kill curriculum, 6)
diminishes opportunities for socialization, and 7) diverts funding that could go to fund programs
in my childs school to testing companies and publishing companies.
According to the U.S Constitution, specifically the 14th Amendment, I am protected by my
rights to religious/spiritual freedom and this federal law supersedes state in regard to parental
control over ones child. Under the law, you cannot deny my request.
Parental rights are broadly protected by Supreme Court decisions (Meyer and Pierce), especially
in the area of education. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that parents posses the
fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Furthermore, the
Court declared that the child is not the mere creature of the State: those who nurture him and
direct his destiny have the right coupled with the high duty to recognize and prepare him for
additional obligations. (Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 534-35) The Supreme Court
criticized a state legislature for trying to interfere with the power of parents to control the
education of their own. (Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 402.) In Meyer, the Supreme Court
held that the right of parents to raise their children free from unreasonable state interferences is
one of the unwritten liberties protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment. (262 U.S. 399). In recognition of both the right and responsibility of parents to


control their childrens education, the Court has stated, It is cardinal with us that the custody,
care and nurture of the child reside first in the parents, whose primary function and freedom
include preparation for the obligations the State can neither supply nor hinder. (Prince v.
Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158)
(Sample-Additional religious opt out clause optional) Under the law you must get 95% of kids
tested. But its wrong. It is all based on lies and deceit and greed and corruption. My faith
demands that we must fight against this. But to continue to participate in this corrupt farce is to
undermine the very core of public education. Those pushing for ever increasing testing and
accountability have made their agenda crystal clear: school closings, vouchers and eventually
privatization, turning over education to for-profit companies. Private schools run by the Catholic
Church and the Friends Council on Education are not for profit; they do not participate in this
testing; their students receive a great education. For-profit schools run by large Educational
Management Organizations (EMOs) have a dismal record, but that is the next step as more and
more schools fail to meet AYP as we approach 2014. Eventually all schools will be closed down,
reorganized and ultimately turned over to private for-profit EMOs. We are told that private for-
profit companies can do a better job than you and others who are committed to public education
because of the free market. The free market resulted in scandals ranging from Halliburton and
Blackwater in Iraq, to the Enron debacle, to the recent outrage in our own backyard with private
for-profit prisons for kids. When our tax dollars are involved, greed and corruption run rampant
in the free market.
In summary, I believe high stakes tests are harmful to my child socially, emotionally and
physically, and diminish his or her opportunities to attend a public school where he has been
guaranteed the right to a quality education.
Please think about your role in this and if there is anything you can do to take a stand against the
Big Lie that is NCLB and RtTT and high-stakes standardized testing which threaten the future of
the children you serve.
Sincerely,
Jane and John Doe, Concerned Parents
Rhode Island Resources and Organizations
The Providence Student Union (see providencestudentunion.org), a group of well-organized high
school students, has been exceptionally effective in making the case that requiring a certain score
on the NEPAC as a condition of high school graduation is inappropriate and unfair. From
administering a version of the test to public figures, many of whom did quite poorly and said so,
to wearing ears and whiskers as protests of their status as guinea pigs in the present test-crazy
climate, they focused public attention on the issue. They also showed up en masse and gave
eloquent testimony at State House hearings and other public events. Their succinct Education


Platform expresses their interests in wider education issues that they may take up now that the
NECAP battle is won.
Parents Across Rhode Island is a volunteer grass-roots network created by parents. As they
describe their mission: Our goal is to stop the misuse and negative consequences of high-stakes
standardized testing in the State of Rhode Island and across the country. We believe that every
child deserves to be educated to the best of their abilities. The one-size-fits-all notion of
standardized testing prevents that from occurring. Our children deserve better.
www.parentsacrossri.org Maintained by Jean Ann Guliano, the site provides an excellent
compilation of education-related/test-related news and discussion. It is particularly concerned
with the plight of learning disabled students and English language learners in this era of
standardized testing.
Rhode Island ACLU: Executive Director, Steven Brown, has taken strong positions in
opposition to high-stakes testing, in opposition to the NECAP test as a graduation requirement,
in opposition to the inconsistent and poorly publicized waiver system devised by RIDE and
Commissioner Gist, and in opposition to the lack of public discussion of testing policies by the
state Board of Education. See http://www.riaclu.org/legislation for a summary of the ACLUs
successful legal actions against the board.
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT: rikidscount.org Supported by the Rhode Island Foundation, other
local and national foundations, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations, this group
consistently backs Commissioner Deborah Gist on educational issues and seems to be
enthusiastic about CCSS and standardized testing. The group collects and disseminates data on
the well being of Rhode Islands children and advocates for and facilitates the development of
responsive programs. The web site is useful for tracking R.I. legislation relating to child welfare
and education.
Coalition to Defend Public Education is a group of teachers, parents, and retired teachers, most
of whom live in Providence, opposed to high-stakes testing, the privitization of education, and
the strong corporate influence on local and national educational policy.
Rhode Island Badass Teachers (BATS) is an active group which subscribe to the mission
statement of the national organization: This is for every teacher who refuses to be blamed for
the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality and refuses to accept assessments,
tests, and evaluations imposed by those who have contempt for real teaching and learning.
Facebook groups of parents, teachers, and community members against the Common Core
State Standards Initiative and PARCC standardized testing:
Rhode Island Collapse the Core and Stop Common Core groups were founded by concerned
parents, some of whom refused the PARCC field tests in Spring 2014 and have expressed the
intention of refusing the tests proper when they are administered for the first time during the


2014-2015 school year. The big question is what punitive consequence will follow from such
refusals.
The Smithfield group is taking up the possibility of the town schools rejecting the CCSS with its
local Board of Education.
Collapse the Core (Cumberland, RI)
Collapse the Core (Smithfield, RI)
Collapse the Core (Pawtucket, RI)
Collapse the Core (Woonsocket, RI)
Stop Common Core in Rhode Island

State Specific Watch-List
Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist, Ed.D. is a founding member of Jeb
Bushs Chiefs for Change, which supports test-based accountability, charters, vouchers, and
other market-based strategies. She is a graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy and a
strong supporter of Secretary Duncans educational policies. She is on the executive committee
of PARCC. In 2012, she was a winner of a Brian Bennett Education Warrior Award from
Democrats for Education Reform, a supporter of corporate reform.
Eva Marie Mancuso is Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education. All board members, as
well as the position of chair, were appointed by Governor Chafee. A staunch supporter of
Commissioner Gist and her policies, Mancuso has been generally dismissive of teacher and
student groups. As the ACLU suits indicate, she seems uninterested in discussing education
issues with teachers, students, or the general public.
The Providence Journal: The editorial/op ed pages of the states only daily newspaper seem to
define teachers as union members and scold and denigrate them at every opportunity. Editor Ed
Achorns anti-union sentiments are well known. The Journal takes educational reform at face
value, responding, for example, to the General Assemblys recent moratorium on standardized
tests scores as high school graduation determinants with an editorial titled Undermining
educational reform. To its credit, the ProJo has published rebuttals to the self-serving writings
of reformers by opponents such as Rick Richards, Carole Marshall, and Ken Fish.
RI Future is a progressive political blog that strives to speak truth to power, stick up for the
oppressed and ignored and tell interesting and entertaining stories about the Ocean State. It
includes articles on education in the ocean state by well known figures like Providence
Coucilman Sam Zurier and ACLU Director Steven Brown as well as other lively and


independent writers. Discussion comments by regular readers are often interesting and extensive.
http://www.rifuture.org/about#sthash.fxS2SpKy.dpuf
Carole Marshalls Stubborn Hope is a book about her experiences as an urban teacher at Hope
High School in Providence. Focused on her students, this is a blessedly non-ideological
description of how the present testing regime can alienate the very students that it purports to
help. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/384330
http://www.amazon.com/Stubborn-Hope-Memoir-Urban-
Teacher/dp/1495353206/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404500858&sr=1-
1&keywords=stubborn+hope

Representative Gregg Amore submitted a bill (2014- H-7095) creating a commission to study
and evaluate the department of education's standardized testing based on common core
curriculum, which will advise and make recommendations to the governor and the general
assembly as to the adequacy and efficiency of such standardized testing. Further, the department
of education shall not administer any assessment developed by the assessment of readiness for
college and careers, or any similar assessment, prior to the submission of the final report by the
commission to the governor and the general assembly. Co-sponsoring the bill in the House were
Representatives John J. DeSimone, William W. OBrien, Eileen S. Naughton and Grace Diaz.
The companion bill in the Senate is 2014 Senate Bill - 2135. The sponsors were Senators Adam
Satchell, Catherine Cool Rumsey, William J. Conley, Jr., Harold M. Metts, and Gayle Goldin.
This bill did not pass in the recently ended legislative session. Hopefully it will be resubmitted in
the next session.

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