We Have Another Red Alert; Get On The Horn!

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...and by "horn," I mean computer.

Friends, Romans...

There's another excellent bill pending in the House compliments of Linda Chapa LaVia. It has a hearing next Wednesday, March 20th, and as we've learned, it's really, really helpful to fill out a witness slip before a hearing.

The witness slip is your way of going on record during the hearing, which is sort of the most important time to go on record. When you fill out a witness slip, you can simply declare yourself as a proponent or an opponent, and doing so is infinitely better than doing nothing.

I'm going to show you the bill, show you how I would fill out the witness slip, show you how to take it one step further, and then beg you to move on this bill right now.

Here's the bill, HB5330.

The official synopsis:

Basically, it's a bill that requires "to create a permanent committee to review the nature and content of state-required tests, the effectiveness of the tests in achieving educational goals, the effects of poverty on test scores - a host of excellent questions," --- which is how the great Jim Broadway summarizes it. 

In this age of rampant over-testing, and test-bullying, and test worship, and horrifically wrong-headed narratives being spun out of test data, and whole bureaucracies built around a constant testing cycle, it's an excellent bill.  You should absolutely fill out a witness slip for it. 

Check out the text of the bill--- look who's on the permanent committee, according to the language.

1		AN ACT concerning education.
2		Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3		represented in the General Assembly:
4		Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
5		2-3.64c as follows:
6		(105 ILCS 5/2-3.64c new)
7		Sec. 2-3.64c. Test and assessment review committee. The
8		State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a committee to
9		review the tests administered by the State Board of Education
10		and national, statewide, and local assessments administered by
11		school districts. The committee shall consist of 3 parents; one
12		teacher appointed by the Illinois Federation of Teachers; one
13		teacher appointed by the Chicago Teachers Union; one teacher
14		appointed by the Illinois Education Association; one charter
15		school teacher appointed by the local collective bargaining
16		unit representing teachers; one early childhood teacher
17		appointed by an early childhood advocacy organization; 2 school
18		administrators appointed by the Illinois Association of School
19		Administrators; and 2 concerned citizens, one of whom is a
20		resident of a city having a population exceeding 500,000 and
21		one of whom is a resident of another region of this State. The
22		committee shall select one of its members as chairperson. The
23		committee shall meet on an ongoing basis to review the content

HB5330 - 2 - LRB098 15073 NHT 50862 b
1		and design of the tests and assessments (including whether the
2		requirements of subsection (a-5) of Section 2-3.64 have been
3		met); the time and money expended at the local and State levels
4		to prepare for and administer the tests and assessments; the
5		collective results of the tests and assessments as measured
6		against the stated purpose of testing student performance;
7		parent, student, and educator perceptions of the level and
8		intensity of testing; and other issues involving the tests and
9		assessments identified by the committee (including without
10		limitation technology access and the role that school poverty
11		levels play in test administration). The committee shall
12		annually report and make recommendations to the State
13		Superintendent and the General Assembly concerning the tests
14		and assessments. The reports must be posted on the State Board
15		of Education's Internet website and be available for public
16		review.

That's a bill that Illinois needs.  Here's me, filling out my actual witness slip for it, which you should also do immediately. It makes no sense to try to fill one out after the hearing. 

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So how do you submit written testimony? It's actually pretty easy. It's a two-step process. 1. Write your testimony  2. Fax your clearly labeled testimony to the House Committee Clerk at FAX # 217-557-2165 before the hearing. There is no clear deadline for submission, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Submit early. You can also mail or express mail your testimony to the same office:
                                               
                                                 House Clerk Committee
                                                 Illinois State House, Room 426
                                                 401 S. Second Street
                                                 Springfield, Illinois  62076

We have so, so many parents with detailed knowledge of the scourge of over-testing; it would be a shame if the committee didn't hear from you first hand. Because they're going to hear first hand from the lobbyists from Stand For Children, or Pearson, or Michelle Rhee's corrupt outfit, or the Steans family, or from whomever else,  about how fabulous testing is for everyone and about how your kids should just suck it up and fill in the bubbles all day, every day because of data and global something.

Remember, the legislators have a completely skewed understanding of all these issues. They get their information from Illinois Policy Institute and other lobbyists. They think you're thrilled with Race To The Top.

This is not a format for petitions or for pre-prepared texts. Write your own testimony; otherwise, it's a waste of time. Here's an example of what I would consider to be a clear label and an appropriate beginning.

Don't have a fax machine? Yes you do. If you're reading this on a computer, you have a fax.  Don't make me make a video about how to use it, because I will. I will. 

That's it! Please fill out a witness slip! Or even better, write down what you've seen and fax it in. We really can't expect Linda Chapa LaVia to carry this load by herself; let's give her some backup right now.