NYC Dept. Of Education Wants 50 ‘Forbidden’ Words Banned From Standardized Tests

[MattSh]

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/03/26/war-on-words-nyc-dept-of-education-wants-50-forbidden-words-removed-from-standardized-tests/

I might not be surprised if this was from elsewhere in the US, but come on. NYC? Really?

The word “dinosaur” made the hit list because dinosaurs suggest evolution which creationists might not like, WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond reported. “Halloween” is targeted because it suggests paganism; a “birthday” might not be happy to all because it isn’t celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

.....

There are banned words currently in school districts nationwide. Walcott said New York City’s list is longer because its student body is so diverse.

Here is the complete list of words that could be banned:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)

Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs

Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)

Bodily functions

Cancer (and other diseases)

Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)

Celebrities

Children dealing with serious issues

Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)

Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)

Crime

Death and disease

Divorce

Evolution

Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes

Gambling involving money

Halloween

Homelessness

Homes with swimming pools

Hunting

Junk food

In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge

Loss of employment

Nuclear weapons

Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)

Parapsychology

Politics

Pornography

Poverty

Rap Music

Religion

Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)

Rock-and-Roll music

Running away

Sex

Slavery

Terrorism

Television and video games (excessive use)

Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)

Vermin (rats and roaches)

Violence

War and bloodshed

Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)

Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Rock and roll music? What is this, 1952?

[aquart]

2. Are they insane?

WTF has control of our schools?

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Arne Duncan

And he's a complete failure.

[nolabels]

3. It would be best just to ban any concept of the idea known as "NYC Dept. Of Education"

If kids don't get it from some place that would care to explain it to them, then they might get it from some place that might not be thought of as well. I long for the days when they put education back in education and skip the politics that people like to strap on the back of it

[Quantess]

4. I understand the rationale for some of it.

Sports discussions that require prior knowledge: Unfair for children who aren't very interested in sports

Homes with swimming pools, expensive gifts & vacations. computers at home: Unfair for poor kids

Traumatic material, abuse, cancer, animal shelter discussions: Kids are supposed to be able to concentrate on the test, not have to excuse themselves to go cry in private.

Pornography: Inappropriate for school kids.

So, we get that the test is supposed to be fair for all kids, and to not favor certain groups. But some of this is ridiculous and/or I don't understand the rationale. No talk of vermin? No rock & roll or rap, but apparently country music & ranchero music is okay? WTF? And, no serious issues at all?

[Warpy]

5. This is how language policing always ends up

with Bowdlerized texts and completely neutered message boards.

See why I keep warning about this stuff?

I would much rather go through life offended once in a while than go through life with everything sanitized so that no one ever gets offended.

Which means you only talk about the weather in happy euphemism.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

6. Oh rats

I went to high school in NY and took a class called "Soul the Black Experience"

[CBGLuthier]

7. Intelligent is also banned as it insults the criminally stupid

[marmar]

8. Vermin?

I can see some kid now, standing on the subway platform under Grand Central: "Look at the giant I-can't-say-it on the train tracks!!!!"

[liskddksil]

10. Better solution - ban the tests!

or at least strongly reduce their usage and influence, and start teaching kids how to think again.

[Brickbat]

11. Here's the thread winner, after nine other responses.

[deutsey]

12. Finally, now we have doubleplusgood tests! No more thoughtcrime!

Can't wait to see the new duckspeak version when it comes out...

[Bill McBlueState]

13. i understand the purpose of this article

but really, standardized tests have always tried to be unbiased. test designers can still write a good test while avoiding these topics. and who cares? it's not like these topics are forbidden from classroom discussion.

[DannyHaszard]

14. Jehovah's Witnesses no birthdays

Jehovah's Witnesses reject Birthdays all holidays,Thanksgiving even benign Mother's day.
The Watchtower leaders want to be 'different' for the sake of being different.Jehovah's Witnesses are a dysfunctional group from the get-go .
Christmas-Jesus was not born on exactly Dec 25th,but he also did not have his *invisible* second coming in the month of October 1914,a falsehood that is the core doctrine of the Watchtower religion.
--
''tell the truth don't be afraid--Danny Haszard http://www.dannyhaszard.com