CHICAGO – Teachers in two Chicago schools – Drummond Thomas Montessori School and Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy – have announced their refusal to administer the state-mandated Illinois Standards Achievement Test this year.

Many parents of students across the city have reportedly joined the boycott and will not allow their children to take the test.

The teachers argue that the test is outdated, irrelevant and a waste of time. They say students would benefit more by skipping the test and having more instructional time.

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The teachers know this is the last year the test will be given. They also know that the state of Illinois could lose millions of dollars in federal education assistance if too many students skip the exam.

They just don’t care.

One local union leader called the boycott “an act of civil disobedience,” as if it even came close to rising to the level of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat. Another called it “nothing short of a profile in courage.”

Rhonda Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, issued a statement Monday in support of this irresponsible boycott:

“Parents at Maria Saucedo Elementary Scholastic Academy and Thomas Drummond Elementary School are understandably frustrated by the fact that the Illinois Standards Achievement Test is unnecessary and irrelevant. The test is being administered only to fulfill a No Child Left Behind requirement, which more than half of states have sought waivers from such requirements. The test won’t inform instruction or assess student or teacher performance. It is not relevant to the current curriculum. It’s a meaningless hoop to jump through that benefits no one. So, why subject kids to it?

“Courageous teachers have voted to join the parent-led boycott of this test, and the AFT stands with the parents, students and teachers at these schools and across Chicago. Our nation’s fixation on testing is harming students. Over-testing diverts time and resources from teaching and learning. It narrows curriculum and deprives our students of art and music. And, perhaps most important, it does not improve student achievement.”

Teachers are wrong in several ways

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There are a couple of major problems with the boycott, as well as Weingarten’s logic.

The first is the idea that the ISAT test has no value. In an editorial published earlier this week, the Chicago Tribune disagrees:

“The state has raised cut scores for students, making the test a more genuine assessment. This year’s ISAT is more geared toward the rigorous Common Core curriculum standards rolling out across the state now. The test should show students how well prepared they are and where they need to improve. It will help teachers shape their lesson plans. And it will show parents if their students are gaining ground.”

Then there are other important considerations.

Teachers in Chicago are not in charge of their buildings or the school district, as much as they would clearly like to be. They were not hired to determine if a test is “unnecessary or irrelevant.” If they want to make policy, they should run for governor, the state legislature, or mayor.

Teachers are paid to do as they are told. By refusing, they are guilty of insubordination, which should not be tolerated by school district, city or state officials.

We fully support the district’s threat to revoke the certification of teachers who refuse to give the test. We hope they have the courage to follow through, if necessary.

The second problem is teacher accountability. Public school teachers and their unions throughout the nation have been fighting against standardized tests in recent years, largely because many new teacher evaluation laws use the results to help measure teacher effectiveness.

Are the kids learning? Tests are one tool that help answer that question. And if the students are not learning, should their teacher receive assistance to improve, or be removed from the payroll?

Teachers and the unions hate that kind of accountability. They want us to believe that all teachers are competent, and if their students struggle, it’s because they are just bad students, or have bad parents.

Sorry, folks. That’s not good enough. Education is too important to leave in the hands of incompetent teachers. And there are incompetent teachers out there. The tests help us identify them.

The third, and perhaps the biggest problem, is the message that the teachers and Weingarten are sending to students: If you don’t like a rule, simply refuse to follow it. Label it a courageous act of civil disobedience and make a play for public sympathy. You might just get away with it.

In other words, act like a spoiled jerk who creates a stink when he or she doesn’t want to do something.

Imagine a society where everyone refused to follow rules they don’t care for. We would have mass chaos. The students of Chicago need to learn that responsible citizens adhere to laws, even those they don’t agree with. They are free to protest against the laws, and lobby their elected leaders to change them. But they have no right to simply ignore laws they don’t like.

The future of our society depends on the continued existence of responsible, law-abiding citizens. Don’t you agree, Ms. Weingarten?

The Tribune summed up the situation this way:

“… State law requires that the test be given to elementary school children in the state. All Children. No exceptions. State law doesn’t say that teachers can opt out based on their demand for standardized testing, or this particular test.

“A school is not a democracy. Teachers can’t unilaterally decide to scrap a test and defy state law any more than students can veto a quiz because they forgot to study. These teachers set a terrible example for the school’s 1,260 students and the entire district’s 403,000 students.

“Teachers, you’ve made your point. Now set an example for your students and obey the law.”