Your Opinion: Standardized tests will dilute local control

Dear Editor:

I am a retired teacher with 31 years of experience and I feel compelled to share this information.

Amendment 3 is on the November ballot. This amendment negatively changes the constitution of the state of Missouri forever. Here are a few reasons how it would do so:

• Requires teachers to give multiple standardized tests that must be approved by the state. This takes local control away from the district and hands it over to the state. If a school district doesn't get approval from the state, it could lose funding.

• Teacher evaluations would be based almost solely on these new state-mandated standardized-tests. This means the state ultimately controls staffing decisions at schools because they would be in charge of the standardized tests.

• Gives districts only seven months to comply with the changes at the cost of millions of dollars. Even if it is said that taxes will not be raised the money to implement these changes must come from somewhere. That means the money will have to be taken away from operating costs, new teachers, equipment, materials and programs that would have benefited the students.

• Does not allow teachers to organize or use collective bargaining regarding how teacher evaluations are designed or implemented. Teachers wouldn't even have a say in how these new state-mandated standardized tests are written or implemented.

I challenge you to read the actual wording to see for yourself what the amendment says. Teachers will only have time to teach the material from the state approved tests. There will be no critical thinking taught, no individualization given, no teachable moments to expand upon because education will now be "one-size-fits-all.'

Please vote no on Amendment 3 and volunteer to help spread this information.