Teacher says no to testing

Teacher refuses to give end of grade test to his students with severe disabilities due to the unfairness of it and it being an invalid test.

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/2008/05...

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/2008/05...

http://www.thesylvaherald.com/2008/06...

(a radio interview I did)
http://www.educatorroundtable.org/roo...

• Category

  Education

[dug1111dug]

****UPDATE***** After being fired (contract not renewed), I ended up in Asheville at Artspace charter school. It is a long trip (61 miles one way), but it is worth it-a much more positive and open setting!!!!

[ladybugg1122]

while i applaud your passion for doing what is best for your students, what do you think posting this video to youtube has accomplished? Your students will now have to be administered this test by someone who may not be familiar to them, causing them unnecessary stress. They still have to take the test, even though you have "just said no". Would you not have accomplished more by contacting those federal officials for whom you have so much disdain and asking them to make changes to the system?

[dug1111dug]

I tried the 'write your congressmen' route with both state and federal officials. But only response was from someone running for senate who lost in primary, so that was a dead end.

[dug1111dug]

Update: I was suspended with pay this afternoon and had to clear out all my stuff. Basically, I have a couple days to resign or else I will be terminated....insubordanation and something about being a disruptive influence in school. No hard feelings with school or school district, I knew what was coming!

[Jackyboyu]

Im Paul Gross in the eighth grade at CVS. It's a shame that patient, understanding guy has to get fired for standing up for what he beleives in. You make great points in the video, especially about the sprituality part. Good luck in your future Doug. Nice shirt by the way, "why can't we be, what we wanna be?". Peace.

[favoritefoods]

Go Doug!!!! You inspire.

Yvonne Siu-Runyan, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita

[plagrl68]

My daughter is in 5th grade and 11 years old. I have been battling her school (lumpkin county Georgia) for 2 months to get her tested for disabilities and it has been the worst experience ever!! They have refused me the permission forms for testing over 5 times! She has failed and been placed to the next grade every single grade since first. She is 11 and still has trouble remembering her abc's and reads only 40 words per minute. Yet I have still not been able to get the forms to have her teste

[Mary Anne Vogel]

WAY TO GO DUG! Finally, someone has the guts to tell it like it is. It just doesn't make sense to expect that of (us) Special Educators....next thing you know, we will be held responsible for the way the students arrive at our classroom doors. Silly? Watch for it!

[D'Laine Barton]

I can't post this site because youtube won't let me, so I've giving you code...

h**p (and the stuff after it) wh (period) gov (period) forward slash krE

sign it....I need 25,000 signatures by Feb 29 2012

[maestramars]

Doug, I invite you to write about this for Rethinking Schools magazine. Thanks for your commitment to education.

[Elin48]

you are absolutely correct.

[Elin48]

Thank you Doug. You've hit the nail on it's head. I teach in California, and here all children these days are mainstreamed unless they are of the group of children you were working with the children with Autism and other differences from those children who would be included in a regular ed classroom. I want to thank you for being the first of teachers to just say no. I'm not in the financial position to do this or I would. Thanks again for posting this video. I'm proud of your integrity.

[LG901]

This one, unknown teacher is the everyman special ed teacher who just wants to have the freedom to do his job as best as he can without being crippled by absurd mandates. Bravo.

[MONIQUEIJ]

RIGHT ON DUDE