Grit your teeth kids...it's testing time again.

Grit your teeth kids...it's testing time again. It's like continually pricking your veins to test your insulin levels even though you don't have diabetes.

A recent analysis critical of state testing notes that, "... grit and high-stakes tests should be understood within the current context of poverty and other structural factors, the fact that failure rates have arbitrarily been set to fail a majority of students, and the resulting disengagement, frustration, anger, stress, and feelings of despair from “learned hopelessness.” Is it fair or just for millions of students of color to fail an unfair state-mandated test, despite working hard in the classroom, and this failure be blamed on a lack of grit rather than the real issue— the structure and scoring of unreliable and un-validated tests?"

Grit is such a stupid concept. It's like someone asked a Highland Park hipster to come up with a one-word philosophy on pedagogy. At Anahuacalmecac World School we have had to contend with 15 years of resistance to the "accountability" variable and this latest iteration of it is only more invasive and contrived.

A look at statewide results...

According to the 2017 CAASP results reported, 73% of Economically Disadvantaged American Indian students K-12 in California did not meet the ELA standards, and 83% did not meet Math standards. Meanwhile, 68% of Economically Disadvantaged Latinos did not meet ELA standards statewide, and 79% did not meet math standards.

Let's get this straight. Our youth did NOT fail, the TESTS failed, and beyond that the dominant system of schooling simply reinforces a state of colonization and assimilation. I can guarantee you that less than ONE PERCENT of all American Indian students in the mighty '49ers State of California speak any language other than English - let alone their native language.

AS ALWAYS, IT WILL BE UP TO US, INDIGENOUS PARENTS AND CONSCIOUS EDUCATORS TO REDEFINE OUR OWN STANDARDS.

FOR THIS WE REQUIRE SELF-DETERMINATION AND AUTONOMY OVER OUR SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION.

(Source: https://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/sb2017/ViewReport?ps=true&lstTestYear=2017&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=11&lstCounty=00&lstDistrict=00000&lstSchool=0000000)