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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, May 2 Medford police join in move to body cams Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Book giveaway planned Saturday at Crater High School Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety Cylvia Hayes public records case goes before Salem judge Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Boyfriend of psychic sentenced in con of Oregon timber heir Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Making her pitch Wheeler's hit boosts Challengers Rams take Beavers' Mannion in third Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game National champ SOU's spring game is tonight Oregon coaches, players ready to ‘split up and play’ Donahue, Beavers down USC at home Pro Sports Rams take Beavers' Mannion in third Singler shines in Raider spring game Hawks beat Nets 111-87 to wrap up series in Game 6 Mariota eager to get to work 49ers keep Ducks' Armstead close to home Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, May 2 Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Philip Maddocks: Candidates eager to reconnect with everyday billionaires Matthew T. Mangino: Baltimore boils over again Granlund cartoon: Cities and fire starters Editorials Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 2 Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Go with the (low) flow Find the starry ‘kite’ in the eastern sky Life Lessons & Loves: An ode to the sane and wonderful mothers-in-law Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Since You Asked: Manholes can give you a wake-up jolt ... US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety ... Medford police join in move to body cams ... Since You Asked: Manholes can give you a wake-up jolt ... US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety ... Medford police join in move to body cams ... Neal Simon: This is a test By Neal Simon More Content Now MailTribune.com By Neal Simon More Content Now Posted Apr. 30, 2015 @ 9:09 am By Neal Simon More Content Now Posted Apr. 30, 2015 @ 9:09 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> April 2015. Years from now, it may be remembered as the month New York’s public education train finally went off the tracks for good. The month began with the state Legislature acquiescing to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s radical teacher reform proposals in exchange for the governor agreeing to drastically underfund New York’s public education system. The month is ending with hundreds of thousands of New York school children “opting out” of critical state assessments in math and English — a protest, by parents, against the national Common Core learning standards and “high stakes” testing. The opt-out tally is more than 300,000, according to United to Counter the Core. That’s a large, embarrassing number for state and federal leaders who brought Common Core to New York, but don’t worry about that. They’re sure not. Instead of expressing distress with the opt-outers, these same legislative leaders are cheering them on. Both the state Senate and Assembly are considering legislation that would guarantee parents’ right to refuse federally mandated standardized testing for their children. There are signs of ambivalence in some education circles. Teachers were burned by Common Core: blindsided by the mishandled roll-out, constricted because of the rigid modules. Good will is not existent. The opt-out bandwagon will soon be standing room only. Congressman Tom Reed has climbed aboard. He made his position clear, sort of: “Tests are hard, I hated them too,” he told reporters. Nah, he didn’t really say that. But his actual words did set a high bar for political pandering. Reed hit the punch list of evil, sure to conjure a visceral, angry response from every reader: “Common Core,” “bureaucrat,” “test,” “Washington,” “Albany.” I’m surprised he didn’t work in “ISIS.” “Tens of thousands of parents have already opted their children out of required public school testing, a protest against Common Core curriculum and the philosophy of ‘teaching to the test.’ This action has sent a clear message to lawmakers: parents should decide what is in their child’s best interest, not bureaucrats in Albany or Washington,” Reed said in a press release. Nobody likes bureaucrats, especially tricky test-writing bureaucratic functionaries from yucky, Godless Albany. Have you ever been in that town? I have, barely escaping with my life after a wild, 80 mph ride through downtown while sitting in the back seat of a taxi. Compared to Albany, Sodom and Gomorrah are like Disneyland. I’m sure glad we have an expert like Reed around to explain the worthlessness of exams. For a time there, I had fallen under the sway of a Common Core Svengali — the sort of test-promoting bureaucrat that we need to drive out of our public schools. Resorting to fancy, two syllable words, Arkport Superintendent Dr. Glenn Niles used this space a couple of weeks ago and tried to pull a fast one over district parents. Just one caution before you read further. Dr. Niles uses red flag words like “skills,” “knowledge,” “learning,” and, worst of all, “standardized.” “Standardized tests serve as an objective assessment of all students at a particular grade level and as a measuring stick of students’ understanding of the skills and knowledge embodied in the New York State Learning Standards. Without standardized testing, there is no way to compare students in one school or district with students in other schools and other locations, or against any objective measure of achievement.” That’s enough from you, Dr. Niles! And by the way, what kind of doctor are you? A doctor of deception is what I think. Or maybe you are the only reasonable man left in the room. Curiously, there is one large group of people who have been completely ignored. They are not being praised by their congressman. There are no bills of support in the Legislature. I am talking about the millions of children who were not opted out by their parents. They survived six days of exams. In the current environment, they are the rebels. Neal Simon is the city editor of The (Hornell, N.Y.) Evening Tribune. By Neal Simon More Content Now MailTribune.com By Neal Simon More Content Now Posted Apr. 30, 2015 @ 9:09 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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