Superintendent terminates creative learning

Colorado parent Julie Blehm gave the following address to the Greeley-Evans Board of Education. She has a fourth grader and Kindergartener attending Meeker Elementary.

"I believe CSAP is the culprit for many of the problems that parents like me are having with the district right now. I understand that there has to be a system for testing whether the schools are performing in accordance to the district and state levels. This is what CSAP is supposed to be measuring. We do need a way to figure out the effectiveness of each school in the state.

Unfortunately, that is not how the data is being used. The district is taking these results and punishing the teachers, as well as the students for not performing at top levels. Teachers are being rigorously trained to teach a curriculum that does not support individual teaching technique. Brilliant teachers are being reduced to scripted programs.

The entire focus of our school system is centered on the results of one moment, in one day of a child’s life. It is a snapshot. Surely anyone can see the flaw here; an upset stomach, needing a potty break, thirst, hunger, bad sleep, a runny nose. I could go on and on. The point is, there is way too much emphasis on a test that doesn’t accurately measure any child.

When Friday Fun got removed, it was just another blow to the confidence I had in the school. My child scored well in all three categories on CSAP, and yet, she was told that because the whole school didn’t perform as well as the district wanted, ALL students will suffer the consequence. How can you possibly justify this!

Friday Fun was a reward for doing great the entire week. She could choose to learn a foreign language, explore her creativity in art, and learn how to play chess. This was a 25 minute chunk of time in school that she had completely earned and very much deserved! It was a time that was not contingent on test scores. Friday Fun was available for every student, no matter if you scored well on CSAP or not.

When Friday Fun was discontinued because of CSAP, that is when I realized that the only worth my child had to the district was her score. I don’t think they care if my child is enjoying learning or being introduced to new and exciting things, if it can’t be measured on CSAP, it has no importance to the district. Instead of caring if my child is getting an enriching education, the district wants to know if something is being done to increase my child’s reading score.

I never cared for the CSAP testing before this happened, but I also understood the need for it. When my child actually got Friday Fun taken away, punished for a test that shouldn’t even impact her life, I knew I needed to change my position.

CSAP is a necessary test that should be used for better understanding the effectiveness of each school. It should not be used as a measure of a child and it certainly should not become leverage against a program whose sole purpose was to enrichment our children’s lives.

I’m opting out of a testing program that has been detrimental to my child’s school experience. It has created an unhealthy environment for our teachers and children."