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Schools should battle inequities, not boost testing

Re: Testing students looming larger, Oct. 3.

Testing is being used as a way to "hold teachers accountable." Why? Teachers have very little control over many of the factors that make for school success. They have - or should have - control over what is good learning and a good environment for learning. With testing and more and more mandates, that control is eroded. Testing should be a measure of how well a student is learning and, in effect, holding the student accountable, nothing more.

Do we hold doctors accountable if their patients do not maintain good health despite all the advice and help they offer? Do we test their patients to see if they have mastered health standards or are disease-free as a way of measuring the doctor's effectiveness? There is a certain genetic makeup that is real and not easily alterable. There are economic, physical and social factors that impact disease. We fight to overcome these.

A gap in parent education and economic level (the only two statistically valid indicators of school success) can be mitigated by spending money to give more attention to children - enforcing the class size mandate (no more than 22), regardless of what technology Kaplan or any other profitmaking organization could provide. Fighting to overcome or compensate for inequities is what must be done in education. Not testing. Testing is a measure of health, not a tool to create it.

Don't ignore the gifted children

Re: Testing students looming larger?

I'm all for school accountability and bridging the achievement gap, but what about all those students that get it? My son almost failed the FCAT last year and not because he didn't understand the work. He was bored to death of taking all these tests. He is a gifted student and reads on a higher level than most of his class. His teacher was shocked at his low score; I was not.

I am sick of the teachers telling my children to sit and read while she spends half her time working with the slower children. What is my child getting out of that? Where's the challenge for those students?

His class took so many practice tests last year that by the time the real one came along he could not have cared less (hence the low score). I would like to see the schools get back to challenging all students. One test once or twice a year given without prompting and pre-testing would be a better judge of how the children are really doing.

Now they want to give more tests (Kaplan). What does that teach them? Oh, that's right, the better a school does on the so-called achievement tests the more money and perks it gets from the state. Too bad all the talk of No Child Left Behind doesn't include the gifted children.

Say no to Tasers

Re: Tough crowd reviews Taser policy, Oct. 2.

I am very concerned that the St. Petersburg Police Department will start using Tasers. Tasers have been nothing but problems ever since they were introduced. According to Amnesty International, more than 100 citizens in the United States and Canada have died after being Tasered by police. Also there is concern that Tasers are being abused by officers. I would feel much safer if police officers did not carry Tasers in our city.

Tasers have been used on mentally ill citizens, intoxicated citizens, and even on children and the elderly.

If you feel as I do about banning police Tasers in our city, then please contact the mayor, police chief and City Council and tell them you do not want the St. Petersburg Police Department to use Tasers on citizens.

Don't leave pets behind

Re: Mission: Leave no one behind, Oct. 3.

I am appalled that the family in the article about evacuating during hurricanes, "shut the cat in the bathroom, carted the microwave and the Nintendo to their rusted '86 Toyota, and abandoned their apartment."

Those pet owners care more about the microwave and Nintendo than a living, breathing cat. One wonders if they even left it with food, water and a litter box. People like that shouldn't own pets!

If your home isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pet! Make safe arrangements for the pets if you have to evacuate! Personally, my will pets go wherever I go!

Stop despoiling our gulf

Why are people allowed to destroy the beautiful Gulf of Mexico? We have millions of gallons of toxic waste poured into it, ships dumping garbage, plus oil spills, and nobody knows the reason for the Red Tide?

I've been in Clearwater 20 years, swam in the gulf a few years back, but no more. Please stop dumping and destroying this once-beautiful body of water.

Still hiding 9/11 information

Re: Pentagon pulls "Able Danger" officer's clearance, Oct. 1.

While this story appeared on Page 11A, more space was given on the front page to a picture of Lou Piniella.

Here is an Army lieutenant colonel with important pre-9/11 information being shut up by the Pentagon. The Pentagon is accusing him of breaking numerous rules such as - believe it or not - stealing pens. He is one of five witnesses the Pentagon ordered not to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The big question is: Why, four years later, are the Pentagon and the Bush administration still stonewalling a thorough federal investigation into 9/11? Why are they more concerned with hiding information than dealing with an ongoing national security threat?

I, too, hate to see Lou go, but finding out what happened regarding 9/11 and helping to prevent a recurrence seem more important.

Stick to the important news

Re: Losing Lou, Oct. 1.

At first glance, the Saturday front page full-color picture appeared like an obituary without dates.

With so many issues and problems in the day's news, the loss of a baseball team manager is not such a sensational event. This parochial departure was sufficiently reported in the Sports section.

In my opinion, this was perhaps the Times' most ill-conceived and redundant news picture to receive such unnecessary prominence. Let's get back to really important news reporting!

Grateful for exciting games

Re: Lou Piniella.

Thank you, Lou, for some exciting baseball for the last three years.

Good luck and God bless.

[Last modified October 5, 2005, 01:14:17]