Dear candidate,
I am a concerned parent of Utah students. I got your contact information off of Utah.gov from the candidate filing spreadsheet. I’d like to find out where you stand in regards to the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) and membership in the testing arm Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). Are you in favor of severing ties with the CCSSI and SBAC, in favor of continuing Utah’s implementation of the CCSSI and SBAC, undecided , or uninformed?
I will use any information you provide to inform State Delegates and other citizens of Utah on your positions or concerns and would be happy to provide you with information if you so request.
Your prompt reply is much appreciated as the State Convention is rapidly approaching.
What a fabulous question! Thank you so much for your concern!
I am actually working on my Master of Secondary Education degree at Grand Canyon University with a specialty in Spanish and ESL. I have extensive education in this arena. I am absolutely against the adoption of the CCSSI and SBAC. Both of these options are just another No Child Left Behind in sheep's clothing. While setting high, specific, and challenging standards for our students is commendable, NCLB, CCSSI, and SBAC all attempt to fit every single child, no matter their strengths or weaknesses, into a single mold based upon age. History has proven that this system of setting a high standard, teaching to that standard, and then measuring success using high-stakes testing is an abysmal system and the entire reason that we are in such dire straights in the public education system. I advocate a system where all students can progress at their own speeds, excelling in their strengths and receiving constant support toward turning their weaknesses into strengths. I advocate a system where learning to learn well is rewarded instead of learning to say the right thing at the right time. I advocate a truly individualized, locally administered system where each student could progress at his or her own pace, always being encouraged to try new things and progress through failure, instead of being tied to other children of the same age. I attended a school such as this prior to the 4th grade, when my family moved from Missouri to Utah. In the 4th grade, I was in 9th grade reading, 8th grade writing, 8th grade science, 6th grade math, and 6th grade social studies. When we moved to Utah, I was just in 4th grade. I stopped learning how to learn and progress, which haunted me for many years. If we allowed local school boards to make the important decisions involved in measuring success through an open enrollment system that allowed students of any age to attend the class that challenges them to improve from their current level, our education system would surpass nearly any private or public school in the country and it would not require a single dime more money. Teachers would be better able to reach students who are achieving success, rather than trying to teach the most advanced and the most behind students in the same class, while typically forgetting those in between and never successfully reaching everyone. I am an advocate of local schools making the decisions which involve the parents, teachers, administrators, and school boards. I am an advocate of creativity and rewarding those who help their students achieve success and learn how to achieve future success.
Thank you,
Chelsea Woodruff
Candidate Utah Senate District 1
https://chumly.com/n/126d4a7
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