Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Academics Testing Learningloss topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers, community members urge board to limit testing and include high schoolers in learning-loss plans
Summary
Multiple public commenters asked the school board to reconsider heavy testing in early grades, to preserve student engagement and to include high school grades in plans addressing learning loss.
Three community speakers used the board’s public-comment period to urge attention to classroom instruction and student well-being, focusing on the volume of testing in early grades and the need to address learning loss among high school students. Aaron Reed, vice president of the Lynchburg Education Association and a 28-year teacher at E.C. Glass High School, said the board’s declared focus on academic rigor should not yield to “educational fads and for-profit players” and warned that excessive testing harms students and classroom instruction. Reed listed assessments required of kindergarten students — repeated vowels assessments, VKRP, reading-series benchmarks, foundations/phonics checks, ESGI assessments and nine-week assessments — and asked the board to consider the balance between instruction time and time spent testing. Robert Flood, a community member who said he has worked with youth for about 30 years, raised concerns about disciplinary consistency and about perceived leniency for adults compared with long suspensions for students. Flood urged the board to examine disciplinary decisions and consider whether children are being disproportionately suspended or excluded for minor conduct. Kimberly Dykes Harshley, a community member, urged the board and new superintendent to include ninth through 12th grades in any plan to address learning loss, attendance and recovery. She noted the length of time high-school-aged students have suffered instructional disruptions over the past five years and argued that leaving them out of recovery plans risks long-term consequences. Board chair Doctor Gupta read aloud the district’s public-participation policy (policy BDDH) at the start of the comment period and did not respond to speakers during the meeting, consistent with the policy. The board did not take action on any of the items raised during public comment at the meeting; members did acknowledge the points and thanked speakers for participating.
