Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Education will ensure open space for kids to enjoy

Too many people, or too many poor choices?

This is in response to the letter by Susan Holtslander in the July 29 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times wherein she suggests that if "couples have three or more children ... the whole world will end up a pile of concrete and cut wood."

I think here we have to look back at history and lay blame where it should be. I don't think the disappearance of open space can be blamed solely on a "booming" population.

Our great-grandparents' generation commonly had at least three times that many children, and it wasn't given a second thought.

Our grandparents started having fewer, but it still was common to have five or six children to a family.

Our parent's generation (The "baby boomers" era) seemed to have fewer than that, with three or four children being average.

In my generation (nearing 30), my friends have one to two children. I know some have more, but not many. That doesn't mean we don't appreciate the parks or open spaces available for our children to play in or our families to camp in. That doesn't mean we are ignorant to the importance of open space in our cities.

I don't think telling people how many children to have (is this a communist society?) will solve the dilemma of open space disappearing. This problem is more of a result of adults making the decision that "concrete and wood" are more profitable than open space.

Instead of preaching the "consequences and seriousness of the overpopulation of the human race," as Ms. Holtslander suggests, I believe we need to continue and emphasize our efforts to educate our children on the importance of preserving our open spaces, environment and wildlife.

Seventy-five years ago, the open-space is what supported our great-grandparent's families. Fifty years ago, our grandparents weren't so lacking in open space either, and several were still making their livings off the land. Twenty-five years ago, our parents didn't see it as a problem as they were focusing on progress of technology. There was no such thing as "organized" environmental awareness.

Today, we need to focus on progress in all areas, technology and innovation, including preserving our open space for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to enjoy. No matter what, people will continue to procreate, and all those children will need places to run and play and enjoy their families.

Heather Nelson
Sunnyvale

STAR tests didn't tell us very much

The results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program have served the worthwhile purpose of focusing greater attention on the need for improvements in California schools. The STAR test scores, however, represent only a fuzzy snapshot of education that should not be mistaken for the big picture.

The STAR test told us how kids performed on a given day compared to other kids in the country. The more important test will determine how kids perform to established standards. The second type of test tells students: "Here's what we expect of you, and here's how you measure up to expectations." Standards-based testing can answer a full range of questions not addressed by STAR. Are students learning what they are being taught? Are achievement scores satisfactory? What kinds of changes in method or content are necessary to meet high standards? The results of standards-based testing can pinpoint areas for improvement. In addition, districts, teachers, parents and students can track progress from one year to the next.

Teachers objected to the STAR test because it was an expensive effort that did not test kids on the actual curriculum in their classrooms. Without such test scores, students can't be accountable. Schools can't be held accountable either, unless we can measure whether kids are learning what they are being taught.

Unfortunately, no matter how much we analyze the STAR scores, we cannot compensate for the missing information. Any similarities between the content cannot compensate for the missing information. Any similarities between the content of the STAR multiple-choice questions and classroom curriculum in California were purely coincidental. That should not be the case with the type of tests we can look forward to next year. With the work of the governor's Commission on Academic Content and Performance Standards, the state Board of Education and the California Legislature have set in motion a comprehensive approach that can succeed. It's not a quick fix.

New standards will be incorporated into tests that will provide a foundation for progress and the tools to build upon it.

While STAR test scores available in July are of no help to students, classroom assessments at the beginning of a school year can pinpoint the need for early intervention. Finally, a valid benchmark test will measure whether students are achieving goals for their grade levels. These scores will reveal more about the achievement of students; tell us which students and which schools need help; and suggest what kind of support will make a difference.

Mary Bergen
President, California Federation of Teachers
Vice President, American Federation of Teachers

[ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ]