1.
The
Governor of Utah has signed Utah on as a governing member of Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium (SBAC)( http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/phase2-applications/appendixes/utah.pdf
- see page 301) whose assessments include psychometric attribute testing of our
children.
·
Psychometric testing is “any test used to quantify a particular aspect of a person's mental
abilities or mindset–eg, aptitude, intelligence, mental abilities and
personality. See IQ test, Personality testing,
Psychological testing.”( http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/psychometric+test)
EVIDENCE: Psychometric testing is a violation of Utah
law per code section 53A-302. (http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE53A/htm/53A13_030200.htm)
EVIDENCE: Utah is “committed to implement a plan to
identify any existing barriers in state law, statute, regulation, or policy to
implementing the proposed assessment system and to addressing any such barriers
prior to full implementation of the summative assessment components of the
system” – (http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Smarter-Balanced-Governance.pdf)
2.
Membership
in SBAC obligates us to work in consensus with 30 other states thus eliminating
local control of Utah education.
EVIDENCE: (http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/rtta2010smarterbalanced.pdf
- pg. 26)
3.
There are only two organizations, SBAC and PARCC
(Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of
College and Careers), creating assessments for the standards and those
groups were funded by the Federal Government.
4.
Utah, along with other states didn’t officially
adopt Common Core until being incentivized through the Federal Race to the Top
(RTTT) grant process.
EVIDENCE: The Whiteboard advisors said, “…the effort
gained a great deal of momentum when the Obama Administration included
participation in the Common Core as an eligibility criterion for many of the
programs created out of the $110 billion stimulus funds. Programs such as Race
to the Top rewarded states that not only participated in developing the Common
Core, but also adopted them.” (From Education Insider: Common Core Standards
and Assessment Coalitions: Whiteboard Advisors)( http://www.commoncoresolutions.com/PDF/education_brief.pdf
- pg. 7)
EVIDENCE: States were given more points for “raising
standards” and also for joining a group of states to create assessments.
·
Membership in the assessment groups then required states to adopt Common
Core Standards (http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Smarter-Balanced-Governance.pdf)
– pg. 3
5.
Nearly at
the same time as the above RTTT, the Federal Government announced additional
incentives with the Race to the Top for Assessments (RTTTA) Funds requiring
states to join with other states and create common assessments and standards to
receive the prize.
EVIDENCE: “To be eligible to receive the award an eligible
applicant must include a minimum of 15 states.”
(http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/rtta2010smarterbalanced.pdf
- pg.12)
EVIDENCE: “…an eligible applicant must submit
assurances from each State that the State will adopt a common set of …
standards” (pg. 15)
6.
The Utah
State School Board was given a weekend to sign an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
which;
a.
Authorized the creation of Common Core Sate
Standards
b.
Gave the Federal Government permission to “provide
key financial support for this effort in developing a common core of state
standards and in moving toward common assessments, such as through the Race to
the Top Fund. (http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/phase1-applications/appendixes/utah.pdf-
pg. 90)
EVIDENCE: Dr. Hales presented the information about
developing Common Standards to the Board on May 1, 2009 and “Indicated that
they would like us to sign a MOU on Monday [May 4th] if we are going
to participate.”
(http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Minutes/2009/090501.aspx
- pg. -18068-)
7.
The Utah State School Board recognized Common
Core Standards as National Standards from the beginning as is noted in the
State School Board Minutes from April 2009.
EVIDENCE: “WestEd
which is an arm of the US Department of Education has asked for some that
are in that [American Diploma Project ADP] to
come together to create some common standards. All is coming to a peak moment with the
stimulus package for national common standards.
On April 17 Board Leadership has
approved her [Superintendent Harrington] travel to visit with CCSSO and the
expectation is that Utah might sign a Memorandum of Understanding that we might
begin the dialogue. It will not commit
her [Superintendent Harrington] or the Board but would add Utah to the states
that are interested in understanding on how we might develop common
standards.
It was clarified that the national standards would focus around
language arts and math.”
(http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Minutes/2009/090403.aspx
- pg. -18048-)
8.
The Utah
State School Board hastily and negligently signed our state up for the Common
Core Initiative which included SBAC in an effort to receive money from a
Federal grant.
EVIDENCE: “Part of our Race to the Top Application was
participation in a Common Assessment Consortium - Associate Superintendent Judy
Park reported that states are scrambling
to see who they want to align themselves with or partner with. Because the federal government required we
declare what consortium you were in we
were under an impossible deadline.
To make it work we all agreed we would do a Non-binding MOU’s into a
Consortium. Utah along with many other
states signed on to multiple consortiums.”
State School Board Meeting Feb. 2010
(http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Minutes/2010/02-05-10.aspx - pg. -18257-)
·
Three of
the consortiums joined together forming SBAC and we later signed a binding MOU
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