Tested+Out!

Our Education is in Danger.

 * Currently in Pennsylvania, the PSSA's are the only method used to compare and contrast public and private schools.
 * Students and teachers alike are put under immense amounts of pressure to do well in order to save their school.
 * The [|No Child Left Behind Act]t has required Pennsylvanian students to reach 100% proficiency by 2014. However rising expectations have made reaching this goal increasingly difficult.
 * Each year, many teachers lose their jobs because their students didn't reach AYP. Also, many schools are closed because they didn't "make the cut".

__**Is Anyone Doing Anything About This?**__ The answer is yes! All around Pennsylvania parents are getting fed up with the ridiculous amount of PSSA testing. Parents like [|Michele Gray], who decided to home-school her elementary-aged children to avoid subjecting them to the pressure of the PSSA's. Gray stated that she was enraged at the fact that her children's former school was put on the "warning list" after the special education students failed to reach the amount of progress the government requires on a yearly basis. The mother of two also commented that the PSSA's punish the schools for not "teaching to the test". In the Pennsylvania, education is becoming [|more and more restricted] due to the fact that students are being tested on narrower and narrower subjects. For instance, a middle school science teacher may be told that questions on the PSSA are mostly on the moon. Instead of exploring the entire solar system, that teacher will feel compelled to focus on the moon. The students will do well on the science portion of the test, however some of them may never learn all nine planets of the solar system. For a student who is particularly interested in space, it can be discouraging to not be able to further explore their interests. Basically, "teaching to the test" is forcing teachers to look at their students and say "I can't tell you more about it; it's not on the test."

media type="youtube" key="hSTzLILQx3c" height="390" width="480" A very informative YouTube video posted by BeTheChange.



What Can I do to Help?
 * **Write to your representatives**! Let the voice of the people be heard!
 * Allowing your future children to attend a school that **suppresses their natural desire to learn and explore** is irresponsible and immoral.
 * Your children deserve better than to spend 13 years under pressure to exceed all expectations on a **single test!**
 * A single letter can change everything. Be the voice of change today and **save the children!**