Action Opportunities for Parent Leaders

The development of state education standards and assessments is critical to the success of standards-based reform, but has been created in many cases without the involvement or knowledge of the community or parents. If standards-based reform is to increase student achievement, it is essential that the community and parents are informed about the standards, know what students should be expected to know and do academically, understand the testing system, provide the support necessary for all students to succeed, and hold policy makers accountable for providing the resources and tools necessary for all students to meet state expectations.

Major strategic opportunities are provided in this section for community-based organizations and parent leaders to engage in discussions, town meetings and conversations about the most effective ways of holding public schools accountable.

•
 Either work with your school district or work independently to provide parents information about your state standards. Parents and students should be informed about state expectations, what students will be required to know and be tested on, what the consequences for not passing the assessments and what the community and parents can do to support the instructional program and the state’s academic expectations.
•
 Discuss with parents the school district’s responsibility for informing them about how the state standards relate to the school curriculum, teacher qualifications, state assessments and AYP status (See Action Brief on AYP). Conduct meetings with parents to discuss the district and school’s assessment program, when tests are administered, and the consequences if students do not meet state expectations. Parents should know that test scores only provide a limited picture of what each child is learning, and that additional information should be received through report cards, parent teacher conferences, and through notes home. This information should be in a language and a format that parents can understand.
•
 Prepare parents in asking questions: how does the material my child learns in class relate to the test? In what other ways does the school measure how well my child is doing? What tests are my child expected to take beyond the state assessment test and what do they mean? How does the teacher and my child’s school use test results to improve instruction? How should a parent interpret different results from the various different tests that a school district may administer beyond the state-required test?
•
 At the community level, develop with community leaders a community assessment team to oversee the impact of testing on students at the district level, and to assure the appropriate use of tests. Assure that the state assessments are aligned with the curriculum, and study the impact of testing on students, teachers and parents. At the school level, take the lead in creating a similar committee of parent, teachers and community members. This committee will assure that parents understand the technicalities of the testing system, and serve as a proxy for those parents who need additional information or help, monitor the impact of the assessment system on students and teachers, determine how much time as school spends on testing students, and serve as a voice for parents who are upset about the assessment system. Both committees need to make periodic reports at least annually to the school board and to the media.
•
 Be proactive. Get in front of the AYP results before the assessment and testing data are released by encouraging parents to work with community leaders and citizens in discussing the kinds of resources and the quality of education necessary for a school to meet the AYP expectations. Conduct an audit and analyses of each school based on such indicators as past student assessments; socio-economics status; the levels of parental involvement; quality and competency of teachers; special student needs such as health and social service support, instructional interventions such as preschool programs, before and after school offerings, tutorials, and expanded school day and school year opportunities.
•
 Hold policy makers and elected officials accountable for providing the sufficient resources necessary to assure that schools are succeeding and making their AYP goals.