Performing students to help prepare them for college. We read philosophical tests ranging and wrote revised College Level essays. At the same time i worked with the lowest performing students who had yet to pass the state tests of the with them we did mindless test prep. Even though i was really good at it getting 100 of those students to pass their exams in my final year doing it i was doing the students no favors. I think about a senior who could hardly write and struggled to read. Sure she passed the test but she was still ready, she was not ready for the Community College work she encountered that fall. When we focus efforts only helping struggling students jump over a hurd definitely mandated exams the learning an opportunity gap widens. My Current School harvest collegiate is a member of new york performing standard consortium of a group of 48 schools that offer more alternative model. We use more rigorous Testing Systems than state exams. Highstakes assessments are not on demand
Let me me before you keep thinking about your answer to do something else. To frame the question we are talking about questioning and accountability and that goes off into education and i have to refresh myself with 15 minutes even though ive been fooling about it for years. The federal government under no child left behind requires 17 standardized tests today to seven tests, seven in reading. Grade three through eight and once in high school. And then three tests in since i intend once in grades three through five and six through nine and once in high school there are 17 tests that must be used by the law as a primary means of determining the academic performance of the state. Florida reported that. There are 183 state and local tests in addition to the 17 federal tests and when this report they start to make a spotlight on the test is that maybe that is too many tests and they started getting fewer tests. So if we are talking about what kind of tests. Its whether whether it is the fe
Dollars are well spent. From the standpoint about the concerns of the services provided, we think when you allow states to weaken the standards, and we have seen again, how states have used waivers to, in effect, create a day facto weakening of standards standards. We are deeply concerned. Well, i understand the need for flexzblety. But if the only principle here is that the states can do whatever they want, then they should raise their entaxes to pay for it. Throwing billions of federal dollars at the states with no accountability for the states of how they spend taxpayer money is not what we were sent here to do. So, thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator warren. And i did welcome senator collins to the committee, which i should. Were delighted to have her back. She and senator cassidy are the only two members of the kmiet tee this year. Senator roberts. Number one, weve flipped the seating arrangement here. The lights are a little brighter, the heat is a little warme
Its very helpful to us as senate xxs. And i thank senator murray and the staffs for working and having presented all of those points of views. You all get an a for sticking to five minutes. Well see if the senators do, as well, as the time comes. Ill take my five minutes and senator murray and then after that, senator collins senator warren senator robert, senator bennett will be first four. Well go by first arrival and conclude by noon. My my view theres a clear federal role i have to refresh myself. So seven tests in matt, three for reading once in years three through eight and then once in high school. And then three tests in siensz once in three through five and once in grade 6 through nine and once in high school. And these are 17 tests that must be used by law, as the primary means of determining the yearly academic performance of the state and each School District and school in the state but those righthand turn the only tests that kids take. Thats one spot light we ought to put
Political party and a program that is another role for anothte constitution. Distinct asto as the constitution as being the rights protected by courts. Political parties should not speak of these matters. Leave it to the courts. It brought back the constitution is a popular document. And even made it be read on the houseof the representatives to the amazement of the previous speaker. There is a problem here as well. I think there is a deficient understanding of the constitution by the tea party. I think because some parts of it re themselves is so orientated towards the libertarian perspective, they imagine if libertarianism is good, the constitution should be libertarian. I think they undersell the role that government should play in a foreign realm, and may have onen dangerous views limitations of executive power in the foreign realm as well. The third a couple spent is to provide starts to the conservative movement. Starts to the fabric softener of the establishment. So you have thi