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The Creative Way a ‘Furious’ Teacher Is Directing Her ‘Outrage’ Toward Common Core

A New York teacher who is fed up with the Common Core curriculum says she is venting her outrage through art — specifically painting images that aim to show “how ridiculous and nonsensical” she says the standards are.

Medina High School art teacher Jennifer Ohar Scott explained her unique form of protest to WGRZ-TV.

“As I’m painting, I’m furious,” she said. “I’m almost attacking the canvass with the brush because I’m so angry about what’s going on to these students.”

“I do what I do best,” she added. “I paint.”

The art produced, she explained, is inspired from her outrage with the Common Core standards.

“All of these paintings are put together based on images from the outrage of Common Core and how ridiculous and nonsensical it is,” she told WGRZ.

High school teacher Jennifer Ohar Scott is protesting the Common Core curriculum through art. (Image source: Screen grab via WGRZ-TV)

One depicts a class full of children with a man staring in through a window.

“I wanted almost to paint it like a doll house and the kids were in the school room and the school room is very small and he’s peering through the window of the doll house, kind of enjoying himself seeing the anxiety and frustration the children are going through.”

High school teacher Jennifer Ohar Scott is protesting the Common Core curriculum through art. (Image source: Screen grab via WGRZ-TV)

Another shows a man, not facing the viewer.

“To portray he’s not listening to people. He keep saying that Common Core and everyone likes it, but I don’t think that’s the general consensus. I think I was the most aggravated when I painted it,” she told WGRZ.

Ohar Scott told WGRZ that she thinks students are over tested as it is. She added that she feels the current system places too much pressure on individualized testing and suggested students be tested in groups to alleviate some pressure.

Nevertheless, New York State Education Department commissioner John B. King told WGRZ that the current testing is needed to assess students.

Ohar Scott’s art gallery will be on display in Buffalo’s 464 gallery through June 18.

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Parents Thought They Were Meeting With the School Principal to Complain About State Testing — Instead, They Were Greeted by a Cop

Two Georgia parents who are refusing to allow their children to participate in the state’s standardized tests were confronted by a police officer and told they were trespassing on school grounds when they attempted to meet with administrators and express their opposition to the exams last week.

Mary and Tracy Finney oppose their children taking the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and had initially sent an email to administrators asking if they could opt out.

“To my knowledge, there is not an opt-out option for the CRCT since these tests are mandated by state law,” West Side Elementary School principal Karen Smits wrote back in an email, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. “I have forwarded your email to our Superintendent, Dr. Lembeck, and Associate Superintendent Dayton Hibbs for further guidance. Someone will be in touch soon.”

Tracy and Macy Finney. 

That email did not quell the Finneys’ concerns.

“With all due respect, we never requested to opt out,” Tracy Finney wrote in response. “We are REFUSING the CRCTs.”

Jack, Ian and Macy Finney. 

The parents then scheduled a meeting with the school principal Wednesday morning. The meeting was confirmed at 6:40 p.m. the night before, but later canceled via email by Smits at 9:04 p.m.

The Finneys claim they didn’t receive notice of the cancellation and showed up at the school in the morning. They were greeted by a police officer.

According to the Journal, the Finneys said the officer was kind, but told them being on school property while actively opposed to the test was “kind of a trespassing thing.” Further, the Finneys claim, they were told their kids weren’t permitted on school grounds if they were not participating in the state exams.

The police officer’s report confirmed the parents were told they and their children would be trespassing if they remained at the school, the Journal reported.

Tracy Finney told TheBlaze he was “shocked” when the officer greeted him and his wife.

“[W]e were not there to fight,” he said. “We were there to ensure our children were not forced to sit in the class during the test and told to stay quiet.”

It was not clear why the officer was at the scene and a spokesperson for the school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheBlaze. Tracy Finney, however, told TheBlaze he thinks the officer’s presence was “pre-planned” because he was there “prior to the meeting.”

Mary and Macy Finney. (Image courtesy of the Finney family)

After the incident, school officials contacted Tracy Finney and ultimately resolved the matter.

“We received an email from our assistant superintendent telling us that if our children return to school, they would be welcomed,” he told TheBlaze. “The teachers were notified that our children were not to be presented the CRCT Standardized Test, and that our documented refusal of the test would serve as evidence that we had refused the test and that our wishes would be upheld.”

“They stated that we have been made aware of the consequences of our decision. The consequences are that we would meet with the [principal] and teachers to go over our children’s academic portfolio to determine their placement for the next school year. This, in our opinion, is a MUCH better solution to placing our children than a snapshot type test,” Tracy Finney added.

He said his family is “very satisfied with this response.”

Superintendent Menlove’s Letter on Opting Out

Superintendent Menlove issued the following letter to schools just over a week ago.

http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Meetings/Summary/materials/Opting-outofstatetesting.aspx

Utah State Office of Education

April 7, 2014

OPTING-OUT OF STATE TESTING

There continues to be some confusion about students and/or parents opting-out of end-of level (SAGE and DWA) or other state-wide testing. Please be aware of the following as you have conversations with parents about opting-out of testing and in the development of opt-out forms.
1. Parents have the right to opt their children out of any testing required by or facilitated through the Utah State Board of Education. This includes all SAGE tests, Direct Writing Assessments, ACT (complete battery), ASAVB, NAEP, ACCESS testing for English Language Learners and UAA testing for Students with Disabilities.
2. When a student over 18 years old, or a parent or guardian opts-out of a state-level test, there is no requirement for an optional or alternative test to be given. For example, opting-out of a test taken on a computer does not necessitate that a “paper-pencil” test be offered as a replacement.
3. When a student over 18 years old, or parent or guardian opts-out of a state-level test, no academic penalty shall result for the student. If teachers/schools use any of these tests for grading/promotion decisions, some alternative assessment will need to be provided.
4. Opting-out of end-of-level testing, and participating in end-of-level testing, both result in de-identified and aggregated individual student data being reported to the federal government. The difference in the data shared on all public school students as required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is that the proficiency level for a student who opts out will not be reported while a tested student’s proficiency level will be reported as the proficiency level (1 – 4) determined by the testing.
5. Any student who is in school and not participating in testing should be engaged in a meaningful educational activity. Students not participating in any testing should not be singled out in any negative way nor should the student or the class be administratively punished in any way because a student opts out of testing. Items #6 and #7 address potential consequences for teachers and schools as a result of opting-out.
6. As per action taken by the Utah State Board of Education on April 4, 2014, a student who opts-out of testing will not receive a proficiency score, and for State purposes will not be counted against participation rates. However, these students will be reported as non-participants on federal reports and accountability and this may impact an LEA’s qualification for and the receiving of certain federal dollars.
7. As per current Utah State Office of Education Policy, a student who has not opted-out and is absent from school, and therefore does not participate in testing, is counted as a non-participant (both State and federal reporting) and may impact the school’s participation score which is included in the calculation for the school’s letter grade. An absent student is not included in calculating proficiency for a class, grade, or school.

Loni Schneider says:

April 18, 2014 at 7:43 am

So, let me get this straight. The state, the school districts, the schools, the administrations and the teachers are not allowed to punish the children in any way for not taking these tests. However, the Feds, who are not legally allowed to be involved in education, can punish the schools. Interesting.