Group Launches Petition Drive on Superintendent Search

Among the input provided the Fayette County Board of Education in their search for a new superintendent is an online petition. A new group calling itself the Fayette Advocates for Balance in the Classroom™ (FayetteABC™) has launched a petition drive in hopes of influencing the board in their choice of superintendent.

FayetteABC was founded by Erik and Cheryl Myrup and other Fayette County Public School parents "concerned that test-driven instruction could compromise the quality of education in our public schools." They note that no FayetteABC founding members have ever been employees of Fayette County Public Schools.

We are residents of Fayette County, Kentucky who are concerned that our public schools have become too focused on standardized testing at the expense of Kentucky's broader educational goals, which include preparing students for future employment and adult life.

Our petition asks the Fayette County Board of Education to keep these concerns in mind as they choose a new superintendent and pursue their own goals as a board.

FayetteABC describes their core beliefs saying:

• Public education should have the broad goal of preparing students to be successful in future employment and adult life.

• Standardized tests provide useful but incomplete measures of how well schools are preparing students to meet these goals.
• When classroom instruction focuses primarily on tested content and mimics standardized test formats, it deprives students of many of the most rigorous, lasting, and inspiring learning opportunities.

The FayetteABC website provides answers to frequently asked questions, information about relevant Kentucky data and laws, and related research and reading. Here's the FayetteABC Facebook page.

Here's the petition:

To: Fayette County Board of Education

We are concerned that our schools have become too focused on standardized testing at the expense of Kentucky's broader educational goals, which include preparing students for future employment and adult life. Please keep this concern in mind as you choose a new superintendent and pursue your own goals as a board.

We urge you to take a balanced approach to meeting educational goals. This approach should be informed by data from mandated standardized tests, but should focus squarely on ensuring that students have access to rigorous, relevant, rich instruction.

What are some signs of a system that is out of balance?

* Students spend too much time taking standardized tests and practicing skills in a testing format

* Teachers report less time for teaching students to apply concepts, solve problems, and think critically and creatively

* Teachers and principals are under more pressure to raise scores on standardized tests than they are to use teaching methods likely to promote deep understanding and love of learning; teachers committed to such methods may be frustrated and demoralized

* Standardized test achievement is considered the goal of learning

* Subjects not tested for state and federal accountability systems receive inadequate attention

Superintendents, board members, and school personnel may all be feeling more pressure to demonstrate success on standardized tests than to monitor the unintended consequences of a test-driven system. That is why we are making our concerns known. We acknowledge and thank the many Fayette County teachers, administrators, and board members who work hard every day to ensure that our children do have rigorous, engaging, and varied learning opportunities beyond what is necessary for success on standardized tests. We realize that these efforts are not always recognized publicly, but they are preparing our children to be successful in life.

We believe that all of us truly want what is best for our children, and we expect our elected officials and our next superintendent to have the courage and the vision necessary to take a balanced approach...

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Those inclined can join the drive and add their names here.