The Other PARCC - Parents Advocating Refusal on High-Stakes Testing

A video with the voices of parents by Michael Elliot from nLightn Media and many leading groups critical of high stakes testing as sponsors, many from New Jersey. Starring:

The PARCC Testing begins tomorrow, and the children of New Jersey and all over the country begin struggling through these assessments. The question must be asked by parents everywhere, how long will it take and how much damage will be done, before this ill fated reform agenda is defeated. How long?
Please watch the film, comment and like and share... Lets make our voices, the voices of parents, teachers and children, heard.

https://vimeo.com/120619448



Refuse the PARCC from nLightn Media


Synopsis:
Parents gathered from many different communities in New Jersey to make a short film to voice their concerns and share their stories about the effects that the implementation of CCSS and the PARCC tests were having on their children, teachers, schools and lives.
Link
https://vimeo.com/120619448 unlocks at 5pm EST
Filmmaker: Michael Elliot editme55@me.com
Grassroots support: Montclair Cares About Schools (MCAS) montclaircaresaboutschools@gmail.com
Michael Elliot is a New York film editor who started working with MCAS some months ago on the idea of doing a refusal piece borne from the NJ anti-testing movement.
The film, “The Other PARCC: Parents Advocating Refusal on High Stakes Testing,” is the result.
In just a few short minutes, Michael manages to present the continuum of concerns that move parents to Refuse high stakes testing.
This film truly was a labor of love.
All of Michael’s time, film and use of equipment were donated by him.
Filming was done in an MCAS member’s basement, and MCAS members
reached out to find the people who appear in the film.
Those people, parents and students, gave their time and shared their stories out of a deep need to speak the truth from both suburban and urban perspectives, from diverse ethnicities, genders and ages.
The resulting film is beautiful, informative and moving.
It has grown outside of it’s Jersey roots and speaks such a shared language that national groups and bloggers are joining NJ groups and bloggers and are quickly coming together in a plan to release the film at 5pm Sunday 3/1/15, after our premiere.
About Michael Elliot
Michael currently works as a film editor for FluidNY in advertising with 25 years of experience in commercials, feature narrative and documentaries. He has made films for Change the Stakes and Parent Voices NY.
His work for Montclair Cares About Schools (MCAS) was done as a result of his experiences with his own children and test refusal, and his belief that Test Refusal is the strongest way for parents to push back against Corporate Education Reform, and needs a strong presence in social media content.
Working with a borrowed camera and a few lights, he tries to help make the voices of Parents, Teachers and Activists heard.
About Montclair Cares About Schools
MCAS was founded by parents and community members in May 2013. Since that time, the work of MCAS has inspired 36 other Cares About Schools Groups and counting.
MCAS is dedicated to maintaining strong, integrated, equitable and excellent public schools, where excellence is achieved through an education that engenders creative thinking, in-depth understanding, and the questioning, independent spirit necessary for democracy.
MCAS is concerned with a number of issues that significantly impact Montclair students, schools and taxpayers, including:
the dangerous and growing emphasis on standardized state tests
the narrowing of curriculum in the service of raising test scores
the need for genuine and robust community dialogue about our schools
the need for transparency about district spending and policies
racial disparities in enrollment in advanced academic courses and special education
the need for reasonable class sizes at all grade levels
MCAS works to encourage and provide a platform for community dialogue about research, trends, and best practices for strengthening and maintaining public schools. All children benefit from schools with rich curriculums, collaborative school environments that engender trust among educators and parents, and project-based learning that goes beyond the narrow scope of standardized tests.
MCAS runs a popular Facebook page, holds public forums and parent meetings, and speaks regularly at Board of Education meetings to encourage policies that will benefit Montclair students and schools.