By Todd Starnes
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New Jersey education officials said they will no longer use a standardized test question that forced 9-year-olds to reveal a secret. The decision comes after outraged parents accused the state of going on a “fishing expedition to pry” into private family affairs.
“This was an outrageous question,” said Richard Goldberg, a dentist in Marlboro, NJ and a father of twin 9-year-olds. “How could you put these children in that position on a test where you are just supposed to be testing whether than can write and spell?”
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The question appeared on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge text, given to third-graders last week. Students were asked to reveal a secret and then write about why it was difficult to keep.
The question was reviewed and approved by a panel of teachers, according to the state Department of Education. However, over the weekend, state officials decided it would not be included in future exams.
“We’ve looked at this question in light of concerns raised by parents, and it is clear that this is not an appropriate question for a state test,” spokesman Justin Barra told the Associated Press.
Goldberg’s twin sons were among 4,000 third graders who took the exam. He told Fox News that the question smacked of “Big Brother” and wondered what the state was really up to.
“These kids are nine,” he said. “What’s the purpose of a question like that?
He initially contacted local schools officials who referred him to the state. Goldberg said he wrote a letter to the NJ Dept. of Education but never received a reply. That’s when he decided to lodge his complaint on Facebook and a local newspaper.
“This is not just a parent griping about something or being overly sensitive,” Goldberg told Fox News. “This was a really bad question. It opens up a whole can of worms.”
With reporting from the Associated Press
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FOX News Talk
If there is anyway you can afford it, do not let the government educate your children. There are many good public school teachers and public schools (in Texas), but, if possible, look elsewhere for your children's' education.
Why is it that so very few see the Emperor is actually naked?
The Emperor is not only naked, just consider this: He has three alias's, no paper trail, no school records, no childhood friends, any identifying documents he's produced are forgeries, he's using someone else SS number, he "appeared" out of nowhere, his family members that came here are here illegally, he is the result of a drunken inter-racial college gang-bang gone wrong, he worked for ACORN, and he's a pathological liar. Is there a bigger piece of $hit on the planet?
Michael Foster
He's a "composite" of every subversive ever?
Time to give the White House an enema
This has NOTHING TO DO WITH TEACHERS YOU HATEFUL MORONS! They don't write the test, whichever group supplies the test does. Stop bashing teachers just because Faux Republican News tells you to. Have a mind of your own, educate yourself, stop being the sheep Faux wants you to be.
The teachers who drafted that question need to be investigated. Let's see what they're hiding.
Interrogating a test proctor or board member? You people scare me.
Mark Rhodes You apear to scare easy-Why.
makes you wonder how many other things were deemed appropriate that no one caught and com[plained about.
makes you wonder how many other things were deemed appropriate that no one caught and com[plained about.
New Jersey…what a bunch of morons…
New Jersey…what a bunch of morons…
1. The principal is gay…i saw her kissing a lady/i saw him kissing a man 2. my teacher sleeps during tests we take…….3. the assistant principal is late for school every day…….4. the superintendent passed our school bus when it was stopped to pick up kids and the bus stop sign was out. 5. Mr. Smythe, of the school board takes a sip of something out of a little silver metal bottle in his car then slips it back into his jacket pocket.
Thank the Department of Education for this.
This is just more of Big Brother trying to take the children away from their parents and is backed by Unions.
Yes Jim, we're sure you don't want any responsible adults knowing what you do with the little boys in your life…..
Howard Aubrey Yes, it is a travesty that we have a set curriculum to go off of so students can expect educational consistency and be adequately prepared for post-secondary education.
I don't see what the big deal is. If it's like most standardized tests there are multiple prompts to choose from. Besides, these are 4th graders who by now gained an understanding of basic propriety. I would think they would be more likely to write about are typical childhood things, not Mommy and Daddy's political affiliations.
Thats fine that you dont see what the big deal is. Dont minimize the concern the majority of posters are expressing. I have involved myself in my daughters schooling, and they are performing badly. Throwing more taxpayer money at the schools is not fixing the issue of government intrusion into our daily lives and that includes asking our children to bring our private non criminal lives to the governments attention. You are very outnumbered here.
Robert Wecker
And outclassed. He has no kids – so he is free to theorize all he wants. When he leaves the ivy league for the real world, reality has a habit of catching up to even the most idyllic of students!
American fourth graders are not the equivalent of the Hitler Youth, it's just an out of the box sort of question.
Well Mark, they put it back in the box.
I'm going to have to wais fo sdplg because my keyboard is going haywire.
If this is how you people react to an essay question then I'd be terrified for the safety and sanity of the unfortunate Census Worker.
You mean that group of ex felons(accorn) the Democrat Party uses to sign up future Government slaves?
John Hegedus Huh?
We have family in AZ and their 11 year old son's teacher instructed the students to keep a journal, which they will be graded on. They were instructed to write in their journals daily… What food they ate at home, what TV shows they watched, what games they played, what trouble they got into and the punishment they received, what their parents talked with them about, and what secrets their parents had asked them to keep. This is happening everywhere. Our government is using our public school system as indoctrination camps.
Equally disturbing is the Dept. of Education did not respond to him. These buracracies we oay and entrust our children to think they have no duty or obligation to the people the are supposed to serve.
It is an outrage.
The test makers sample answer reads- "Our secret is we are clueless idiots. We find it hard to keep it a secret because we open our mouths."
This is just another example of a broken educational system in our country… the public educational system is inundated with "scholars" that focus on what may sound good on paper or in theory but is absurd in reality… administrators and bureaucrats in our educational system lack basic common sense when it comes to educating our kids… And they wonder why more and more people are opting for private schools or home schooling…
The most disturbing thing in this article, aside from the main point that the state seems to be indoctrinating 3rd graders to be untrustworthy, eroding any moral fortitude parents are attempting to instill in their children, is the statement by the spokesman for the education department: “We’ve looked at this question in light of concerns raised by parents, and it is clear that this is not an appropriate question for a state test.” The clearly inappropriate nature of the question was only apparent in light of concerns raised by parents? How idiotic are these government workers? If it is clearly inappropriate now to them, was it at least marginally inappropriate when they thought it up and reviewed it for inclusion on the test? I'd like to know who was responsible for allowing that question on the test in the first place, from whatever committee or workgroup brainstormed the question, on up the chain of command through editors, reviewers and supervisors, all the way to the final decisionmaker. Somebody should be held accountable for this serious lack in judgement!
Fired. Severed, not their head but their contact with children!
I'm curious who they have reading the answers, teachers or police officers? And what is done with the information gathered? Do they just check it for grammar and move on, or do they report the answers to the authorities? What a terrible position to put a child into if the answer breaks up the family.
Generally once those sorts of state essay exams arrive for grading a copy of the essay is assigned at random with three graders. They never know the name, gender, age.
Mark Rhodes Your ass sucks canal water. I think you are molesting that cat.Stay away from my grandkids perv.
Mark Rhodes Your ass sucks canal water. I think you are molesting that cat.Stay away from my grandkids perv.
Kelly Henderson Nah, that was my adoption picture of him. Why you think I have even the slightest bit of interest in your grandkids?
Kelly Henderson Very rude and uncalled for, sir. Mark was just answering my question. I don't understand your response.
Donna Franczak Thanks. He's just another troll, and mean words don't phase me since my old Gunny would chuck chairs at us when he was pissed.
I think you'll find this site useful: http://www.mcsdk12.org/curr/standardized_test_preparation.htm . It's for a specific district, but it pretty much applies to everyone in your state. At the very least it will get you started on where to look. When I was browsing the FAQs I noticed you can exempt your child from the standardized tests for religious reasons if you'd prefer not to fiddle with it at all.
Mark Rhodes Thanks. I suppose the whole thing just seems rather silly to me. If you are only concerned with testing their English skills – there are a million non-confrontational questions that you could ask in place of this one. It just seems a very odd choice.
Shouldn't the focus be "who was the individual " that put the question on the test then Fire that one person.
So, How's them changes workin' out for yah? Or are you all going to vote for Obama again? WAKE UP!
Well, gee, Stan…. Obama had nothing to do with this, take it up with lardgut Chrisite!
Howard Aubrey "Barack Obama" MMM MMM MMM
The thing that gets me is the line, "We've looked at this question in light of concerns raised by parents, and it is clear that this is not an appropriate question for a state test."
STATE test? How about ANY TEST?! Dumbasses….the world is full of them.
Howard Aubrey Don't lie, you know President Obama wants to know whether or not Little Timmy thew out his sister's dolls.
John Hegedus , you should start stocking up on extra Malt Liquor and Midol while you can, Obama's easy re-election is going to be very hard on you…..
I can't believe teachers approved that question to kids… Unbelievable.
Howard Aubrey
Exactly! Now he not only has the renamed ACORN, and the SEIU, but now has Trumka's unions ready to bloody some skulls, he has the teachers reporting on the students parents political affiliation, more prisoners are enrolled into the voters registration lists. More dead people than ever are voting DEmocrap!
The Black Panthers can be out in force intimidating whites at voting stations with impunity, and every news organization but one is full time advertising Odumbest. The millions of illegals have all been told how to vote – its the big square beside the "O" – and they have been told to vote early, and vote often – no ID required.
Between the voting dead, the voting prisoners, the voting illegal aliens, you'd think he would be a shoo-in wouldn't you!
It is astonishing how many paranoid people are posting here. Just because you are apparently involved in some anti-government conspiracy doesn't mean the government is conspiring against you. (I'm not Daniel.)
No, you are peckerhead.
Demand to know, by name, the "committee" members who came up with the question and the name of the person who "ok'd" the question and the name of the person who said, "let's enter it into the test"….and all this foolishness will end…..after all, like all bureaucrats at any level…they thrive on doing things under the assumption that they will continue to remain anonymous and, therefore, never get caught.
they should be kept accountable and heads should roll.
This is what you get with "Government Schools" The State will have your Children spying on you. They will not teach History of the US. They will not teach the Constitution of the United States of America. They will indoctrinate your children, There is no God, Liberal Government is the only way. You can also thank the "TEACHERS UNION".
Comrades, comrades, comrades…..It's one for all ……all for the greater good…….of those in power !!!
http://www.TheTrueProphetSpeaks.com
I would have answered with, "The gym teacher is banging the principal and the Lunch Room supervisor is selling drugs". There's a secret.
Do they want to strip these children of their character? Not all secrets are bad and its good to know how to be loyal. Very inappropriate of them to ask these kids to rat out someone close to them by telling secret. The state should try minding its own business.
I wonder how many of you that are outraged at this stook the same stance when doctors were asking people if they owned guns? Once we let the state invade our privacy there is nothing to stop them. The more you ask your government to do for you the more permission you are giving them to do things to you.
The Government is your enemy!
Nah, I kind of like it and it would be great to know I have policemen, firefighters, utilities, college funding, and the Fair Housing Act just a moment away.
Mark Rhodes
They ARE our enemy. They appear to be your friend, as you are still young and impressionable. But when you no longer tow the party line, the fangs come out of that smiling face. Give it time.
I worked with pa medical assistance, and started getting calls about the dr's pulling kids in private to ask them if thier dad had guns, what kind of guns and if thier father had any kind of modified guns. This was about 8 years ago. I could not beleive it. I agreed with the callers and said I would be very upset. And wouldn't go back to that dr. I didn't know that they were all supposed to be doing it.
Anyone with a child in the Government Indoctrination Camps will learn pretty quick that you have NO family secrets anymore. I've worked in the schools and I can tell you, teachers can and do get the information they want from your kids, it's just a matter of asking the questions in a way that makes the child WANT to answer them. If you want to protect not just your child but your secrets as well, PULL YOUR CHILD OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL!
I would not be surprised if the agenda behind this was to encourage kids to reveal their secret gay orientation – whether real or imagined and/or just a reflection of the gender/sexuality confusion fostered by the school.
Then, of course, if the kids says something like, "I sometimes wonder if might be gay," the teachers would jump all over that and say, "Oh, yes you must be! And remember you were born that way and can never, ever change."
In retrospect it may have been some sort of IQ test.
The kids who were dumb enough to reveal a secret would be considered "good citizen" material. The kids smart enough to keep their mouths shut would be marked out for needing more "good citizen" indoctrination.
And the really smart kids who could fool the teachers into thinking they were transparent while telling a secret that was actually a lie, those kids would be encouraged to attend the Saul Alinski School of Political Activism.
Secret – I hate answering stupid questions… why is it hard to keep? because the state asks so many stupid questions.
Did they ask Obama for his secret? Seems like since he came out of the closet.
Brought to you by the same ideology of the man who thinks; we should replace gas with algae and take from those hard working, responsible Americans & give it to those who don't care to.
It's all about control and manipulation.
Has anyone here considered running for a seat on their school board? You really don't need any qualifications. It's the best way to actually change policy. The only thing is it may hamper things like high school ASVAB testing.
My ex moves there and the state gets dumber, go figure.
CAN YOU IMAGINE OBAMA'S KIDS (AT A YOUNGER AGE) ANSWERING THAT QUESTION? "Daddy meets smelly people with beards and kneels down on a rug and prays five times a day." "Daddy cooks dogs and eats them." "Daddy says Americans are stupid. They don't know he's trying to ruin their country." "Daddy meets Larry (Sinclair) upstairs and takes showers." "Daddy sings old songs in Russian about taking over the USA."
Secrets are fun only if you can tell them!
A lot of comments here theorize that the school was on a fishing expedition. They are just hoping that some number of children will write, "Daddy hits mommy" or "My brother uses cocaine" or some such. But let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's assume they are not actually trying to ferret out anything. Still, at the absolute best, this question requires the student to violate a confidance to get a good grade on a test. The school is FORCING students to behave unethically. How bizarre. What next? Will children be told to steal something and bring it in for show-and-tell? Perhaps they'll have a creative writing exercise where the student must beat up another child and then describe how he feels about the experience.
Welcome! Hitler Youth class of 2022!