Martinez and Skandera challenged to take the PARCC test

"On the heels of student protests against a new standardized test, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez has challenged Gov. Susana Martinez and Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera to take the high-profile exam", Journal link.

What if the Governor and her Education Secretary had to take the test they're cramming down everyone else' throats?

The question resonates, but not because the answer is germane to the discussion.  It is not, not in even the smallest measure.

Whether the governor and education secretary can "pass" the test has nothing to do with whether students should take the test.  The concepts are utterly unrelated.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez would like to know whether Martinez and Skandera could pass the PARCC.  Why?

By what reasoning is it important to know whether the Governor and Education Secretary can pass the test, and by which it is not important to know if the Senate Majority Leader can pass it?

Has Sanchez ever passed a bill regarding testing and licensure?  Can he pass all the tests he voted to require others to pass?

I hate it when politicians and public servants respond to allegations by characterizing the allegation rather than addressing it head on.  But when the Governor's spokesman Enrique Knell brushed off the challenge as “yet another ridiculous political stunt” he hit the nail squarely on its head.

I will take issue with a claim Knell made regarding "... the thousands of teachers who worked on designing the PARCC exam".  I find that extraordinarily hard to believe.  I doubt Knell can cite documentation to support his unlikely claim.

The PED found it “disappointing” that the students protesting the PARCC were not in class during the middle of a school day.  It has been alleged (on talk radio) that teachers and parents might have played a part in stirring up students and encouraging various mutinies.

If true, that would be a shame.




photos Mark Bralley