Chrissy, nobody is confused. Except perhaps you.

having had 3 of my 4 kids go through SV schools (except the oldest who went to Soquel high before SV opened) I know that SV schools cater and work best for those children that are self -directed, ambitious, and have no learning challenges. It doesn't mean anything about the teachers abilities necessarily, it is just where this town's resources are directed. If your kid is a sport's star....great!! If your kid is academically advanced.....great!! If your kid is challenged is any way.....not so great, or even "sorry we don't want your kind here"...

You confuse defensiveness with supportiveness. Public schools, as an institution, are vastly underfunded for the important mission they are intended to do, for all of us. They do a phenomenal job with the resources they are allocated, due in large part to the people (staff, parents, and students) who strive to make them work. Efforts to undermine them by ideological protests (such as skipping STAR tests) is both disrespectful and damaging. Those promoting such an idea need to reflect on whether the result of their actions actually align with their intent. This is NOT an effective way to create positive change, either in the schools nor in our society.

It's similar to university protests intended to seek lower fees but damage facilities in the process, and hence incur most costs to repair those facilities. Good intent, bad action. Not only does it not achieve its desired ends but it hardens a portion of the community against the group that needs support.

By the way, PCS is a public school. GBK and Waldorf have a focused curriculum that supports a niche demographic. They do a great job rounding out the educational offerings for the larger community. They are part of the system, not a substitute for public schools which serve the vast majority of kids.

Cough, spitting up my tea now. You think public schools place more kids in college? What kool aid have you been drinking?

Let's start with a comparison of, did you say SV or SLV?... with PCS. Or Ocean Grove. Or Georgiana Bruce Kirby. Or Waldorf. Or private homeschool.

Sorry, you lose.

The bigger issue, which you fail to see due to your defensiveness, is to get our failing public schools up to par with the private and independent offerings so profusely available in our community.

Private schools may have a benefit of smaller class sizes. But they don't have requirements for credentialed teachers nor are they compelled to adhere to the curriculum or rigorous student performance standards of the public sector, which are designed to prepare kids for college or for a non-college career. Private schools are promoting the warm and fuzzy -- very Santa Cruz --but provide little assurance of anything more.

Certainly there are quality private schools that focus on a specialty curriculum, or are imbued with a religous perspective. This might be a better fit for some kids. But a general exodus from the public school system, putting concerns over class size ahead of the demonstrated student achievement of the SV school system, would be a serious miscalculation.

Another viable option is to check out the wonderful private, independent homeschool and charter options in the valley. There are so many different opportunities, it would be a shame to focus just on the SLVUSD.

Lisa, I think you mean well but your proposed action is counterproductive. Nothing good comes from opting out, just as nothing good comes from choosing not to vote in an election just because you're upset with the nature of politics.

The whole protest against testing seems like a knee jerk reaction against accountability. The tests attempt to validate that the kids and the schools that teach them are covering the content that educational experts agree must be covered, based on grade level. Concepts such as "absorbing information, learning about the world around us, and creative expression" are fine but if you can't measure something then you'll never know if you've achieved it. And you won't be able to make adjustments to the curriculum to improve.

There are lots of opportunities in life for kids to learn; that's not reserved just for the time they are in school. As a publicly funded institutions, we need to have a means to measure our schools' performance. There are probably other and better measures. Maybe you can recommend some. But it's not OK with me to just let the measurement process slide altogether and just hope for the best. There's too much at stake.

You gain so much by opting your child out of STAR testing. You compel school officials and legislators to change bad educational policy. Unfortunately, kids are prepared to take these tests because instead of receiving a valuable education, they have been taught to the test so schools won’t have to face the consequences. Absorbing information, learning about the world around us and creative expression are dramatically more important than test-taking skills.

Parents, educators and school officials should avoid political and financial posturing at the expense of our children. Write to your legislator to change the Ed Code and federal involvement in education. In the meantime, be a great role model for your kids, show them how responsibility works and opt out of STAR testing.

You gain absolutely nothing by holding a kid out of STAR testing. But you do hurt the schools by causing a lower percentage test participation rate. The kids are well prepared to take these tests. And test-taking skills are an important part of their education. Parents should avoid political posturing when it comes to their kids education and our school's reputation. Write to your legislator if you want to change the Ed Code or federal involvement in education. In the meantime, be a good role model for your kids and ask them to shoulder this responsibility.

However, if you oppose the "No Child Left Behind" and "teach to the test" circus that pervades our local public schools and brings learning and creativity down, then submit a waiver to your school district which states:

We have decided to opt out of STAR testing this year. Please excuse (child's name). Thank you.