| The educational needs of the “whole child” have
been tragically neglected as a result of our state and federal governments’
push toward standardized education. This report is a call to action to reverse
this dangerous trend of relentless testing and standardization by supporting
our public schools’ work to maximize the educational opportunities
provided to all of our children so that all may flourish and reach their
true potential. The Alliance for the Education of the Whole Child (formerly the Alliance for High Standards Not High Stakes) is a coalition of more than 45 education and civil rights organizations. We organized ourselves in 2000 as a reaction to the over-reliance on standardized testing in the public schools, with particular emphasis on promoting alternatives to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS. Prior to 2003, member organizations sought to abolish the use of MCAS as a condition of high school graduation. We continue to hold that it is unfair to judge the performance of students, teachers and schools primarily through MCAS results. Though MCAS tests could be helpful if used appropriately, as one part of a multifaceted system, their continued and expanded use as a high school graduation requirement (e.g., by adding science to the graduation requirement) disproportionately harms our most vulnerable students, namely special education, minority, English language learner and economically disadvantaged students. The Campaign for the Education of the Whole Child has been developed over several months with extensive input from Alliance members. The Alliance extends special thanks to Lisa Guisbond, a K-12 Assessment Reform Analyst with the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), for her work in writing and editing this report, and to The Schott Foundation for Public Education, FairTest and the Boston Teachers Union for their financial commitment to this project. In addition, the Alliance expresses its appreciation to the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action for its ongoing provision of office space and support for our work, and to Marilyn Segal, Director of Citizens for Public Schools, who has provided staff support for this project. Special thanks go, as well, to Kathleen Rhoades, for her careful and thoughtful editing and to Jackie Dee King for proofing this document. And we are grateful to the Mass English Plus Coalition and Lee Valentine for writing the ELL section of this report and laying out the entire report. Lastly, we would like to thank Jenifer Handy for her design concept for the cover of this report. |
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Ruth Kaplan, Chair |
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