Letters
Residents are to blame for debris scattered in streets

Around 7:30-8 a.m. the morning of Feb. 17, I walked through my neighborhood as usual.

I saw many instances of careless placement of bottles and papers. Some papers were loose, some bottles spilling, and all being scattered! There are tipped over plastic bags of recyclables emptying onto the roads.

I imagine other areas are as bad. Do not blame the recycling collectors for the debris — the problem is us!

Take a tour. See for yourself.

Matthew House

North Brunswick

Companion animals need protection from abductors

National Pet Theft Awareness Day was Feb. 14. Approximately 2 million companion animals are stolen each year. They are taken under false pretenses, through “free to good home” ads or abducted from their homes and yards. The animals are then sold to research facilities, dog-fighting rings, or puppy mills, where they are abused and often killed.

You can protect your companion animals by following some simple steps.

• Keep your companion animals indoors, especially when you are not home.

• Do not leave animals unattended in your yard.

• Make sure that your animal is not visible from the street.

• Properly identify your animal with a microchip and/or tattoo, as well as collar and tag.

• Be aware of strangers in your neighborhood and report anything unusual.

• Do not tie up your companion animal outside a store, and never leave your animal unattended in a car.

• Remember that spayed/neutered animals are less likely to stray from home.

• Keep up-to-date photos.

Shell Sullivan

vice president

Homeless Animal Lifeline

Plainfield

Standardized tests do not make sense for all students

The crowd goes wild as the rookie batter steps up to the plate. He slowly chokes up on the bat. He patiently waits for the pitcher to throw one into the strike zone. The pitcher winds up. The batter assumes his stance anxiously anticipating the ball to fly toward him at incomprehensible speeds. That particular batter has been there before. He has gone through the motions of positioning himself just right at the plate. He chokes up on the bat, steps forward with his left foot, keeps his eye on the ball, and sets his swing level, but he has yet to make contact with the ball.

All of the coaching and support he has received has given him some level of confidence and skill. Unfortunately, it is not enough for him to successfully navigate timing and hand-eye coordination to connect with a 90 mph pitch thrown by a major league pitcher. The task may be fun and exciting the first time or second time, but when continually placed in a situation that reminds us of our limitations, the fun is quickly replaced by fear, anxiety, frustration, and even hopelessness.

Yet, each year we ask our young students who are classified and receive special education services to step up to the plate and navigate that “exceptionally fast pitch” even though their limitations tell us that their skills and abilities are inadequate to succeed at that level.

For example, the child who is classified in the sixth grade is reading at a third-grade level is still expected to test at a sixth-grade level, even with the knowledge that he/she is unable to successfully grasp the content of sixth-grade materials. We already know that a gap in learning exists. Why is it then necessary to evaluate a student at a learning level that clearly exceeds his own, and therefore is not appropriate? We may be measuring performance, but are we really measuring success?

If one were asked to evaluate a video that has a blurry screen and is presented in a foreign language, it would certainly present a challenge. Similarly, administering a test that exceeds the learning levels of a student who is classified as learning disabled presents that same struggle, but this time to a child whose learning is beset with obstacles and whose self-esteem is often challenged. A testing situation should be appropriate to the educational functioning level of the child, especially when that child has an individualized educational plan (IEP).

If we are considering whether these children with special needs are proficient or highly proficient, we need to consider what we are using to assess their level of proficiency. To the students and their parents who will be faced with the NJASK and NJ PASS in the next few months — I’ll be thinking of you and just keep in mind that these tests are no indicator of the learning and the success you experience in our schools on a daily basis.

Stephanie Cayne-Meiskin

Manalapan