Even The Kids Have NECAP Fever

My nine-year-old daughter answered the phone while I was cooking dinner Tuesday night.  When she hung up, she shrieked with delight, exclaiming, "Guess what mommy, I have the best news, tomorrow they are sending my NECAP scores in a sealed envelope."

Gosh, given her exuberance, I thought it was the ghost of Walt Disney calling to offer her and all her friends an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World.

Where was all this excitement coming from regarding NECAP scores?  I did everything I could to down-play this test when she was taking it last fall.

Perhaps the “sealed envelope” and the “special” robo-phone call from Super-someone provide a clue. I’m sure my daughter does not know what a superintendent of schools is. My question for the East Greenwich School Department is, why “seal” it when the cat is already out of the bag? If it is really parental information, mail it to my house and skip the middle man (or child in this case).

As a parent, I do not want my young child exposed to these test scores.  It is my parental opinion that it is inappropriate for so much emphasis to be put on a test, but I put up with it.  I have no idea if my daughter will score off-the charts, or well-below average.  Either way, I rather her not judge herself or compare herself to others based on this test.

My husband and I are not going to open the envelope until the dust settles.  We also told our daughter that we are going to use the next few days to decide whether it is appropriate for us to share the test scores with her. 

Because of this I am now officially “the worst mother in the world.”  This is a title I usually covet, but this time I’m a little annoyed to be put in this position.  I wish this wasn’t such a big deal.  My daughter shouldn’t view these scores as her business.  
So, please, Mr. Superintendent, next time leave my children out of this. 

If this information is important enough to warrant a “sealed” envelope, please send it to me directly.  I’m happy to pay for the stamp.  If a phone call is really necessary, please call when my children are not going to answer the phone. 

If these tests are about creating better schools for our kids, I don’t see why individual test scores are relevant.  But if they are, please leave the children out of it.

- Jill Stange