ICE PAC Updates

Middle school families: Opt out? Opt in?

ICE, like all public schools, is required to offer the state English Language Arts test (beginning April 11) and the math test (this year in May) to its 6th-8th graders. But students are not required to take them. In fact, for the last several years, well over 80% of students at our school have refused ("opted out" of) the exams. 

If you are wondering why so many ICE families have made the decision to refuse in the past, check out the informative email an ICE PAC parent in your grade sent recently. (You should have received this by the time you get this newsletter.) Already decided that you want your kid to refuse? We now have a super easy way for you to make that happen: a simple form on our website. (En Español) After you fill out the form and hit SUBMIT, you'll  see a screen confirming that your wish to opt out has been recorded and that notification of your refusal has been emailed to administration.

All families: Poor Substitute for Justice video clips now consolidated

In the last newsletter we shared some links to the video coverage of our Feb 7 event, A Standardized Test is a Poor Substitute for Justice. We've now got most of the links up together on one page of the ICE website, which should make viewing easier. Watch to get an idea of what lies behind test-focused education (hint: it's not good) and what harms it continues to inflict. Parts 4a and 4b feature an ICE teacher and student respectively and provide great insight into our school's educational philosophy. Here's some feedback from one parent who saw the video, "This is so great!!...I shared the link to my family and friends via snap chat  because it was really inspiring." 

Contact ICE PAC.