Why Data Count More Than Any Other Measure
When the purveyors of evaluation systems are hawking their latest program, they confidently assert that the test scores are only one of multiple measures.
Don’t worry, they say, the test scores are only 20%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%.
We will put them into context with lots of soft measures derived from classroom observations or other non-data sources.
But it is not true, even if they mean it when they say it.
Don’t worry, they say, the test scores are only 20%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%.
We will put them into context with lots of soft measures derived from classroom observations or other non-data sources.
But it is not true, even if they mean it when they say it.
I Will Be Interviewed Sunday at 6 PM EST
I will be interviewed Sunday night on that great site supporting schools and teachers called “The Chalkface.”
The Damage Done by Data-Driven Evaluation
You can listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chalkface/2012/08/26/at-the-chalk-face-progressive-edreform-talk-1
The call in # is (805) 727-7111
The show starts at 6 pm EST and ends at 6:30.
The hosts are Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson.
The Damage Done by Data-Driven Evaluation
I often hear from teachers who tell me how the professional conversations within their schools have changed. They no longer discuss instructional improvements in their staff meetings; they no longer review opportunities for professional development related to classroom practice. They talk data. They hear from data experts. They strategize about how to get the numbers up. They drill down into the data. They focus on the kids who are a 2 on the state tests and ignore the 1s and the 3s and 4s. Data drive their conversation, their practice, their life. Data determine whether they will have a job next year. Data determine whether their school will live or die.
This state of affairs is the direct result of NCLB and Race to the Top. Miss your targets and you lose your
This state of affairs is the direct result of NCLB and Race to the Top. Miss your targets and you lose your
This Teacher Says: Support Teachers and Get Out of the Way
In response to an earlier post that asked whether schools improve by attacking teachers, this reader offers advice based on her experience in Nevada:
Schools don’t improve if you attack teachers, or threaten them, or harass them, or fire them, or just hound them out of the profession! Schools only improve with appropriate professional development training in ‘best practices,’ with a shared belief system, and a common and well defined goal. Rather than ‘getting rid of’ teachers who don’t fit the mold or the school culture, you achieve cohesiveness by showing positive results. Just like th
Schools don’t improve if you attack teachers, or threaten them, or harass them, or fire them, or just hound them out of the profession! Schools only improve with appropriate professional development training in ‘best practices,’ with a shared belief system, and a common and well defined goal. Rather than ‘getting rid of’ teachers who don’t fit the mold or the school culture, you achieve cohesiveness by showing positive results. Just like th
At the Bottom of the Chain, Where the Kids Are
The discussion of the relationship between the Common Core standards and early childhood education (K and pre-K) continues with this comment, responding to Karen Nemth’s earlier post:
“The federal government has in no way established requirements for what must be taught in preschool. Standards do not equate to a curriculum. As I often tell my audiences, standards are like ingredients, but each classroom still needs its own recipe for how to use those ingredients. A curriculum is more like a recipe.”
“The federal government has in no way established requirements for what must be taught in preschool. Standards do not equate to a curriculum. As I often tell my audiences, standards are like ingredients, but each classroom still needs its own recipe for how to use those ingredients. A curriculum is more like a recipe.”
“Everything You’ve Heard about Failing Schools Is Wrong”
That’s the title of an excellent new article by Kristina Rizga in Mother Jones.
Rizga spent a year embedded at Mission High School in San Francisco and got to know some of the students and teachers well.
According to the federal government, Mission High School is a “failing” school.
Rizga got there expecting to see “noisy classrooms, hallway fights, and disgruntled staff. Instead I found a
Rizga spent a year embedded at Mission High School in San Francisco and got to know some of the students and teachers well.
According to the federal government, Mission High School is a “failing” school.
Rizga got there expecting to see “noisy classrooms, hallway fights, and disgruntled staff. Instead I found a
Is Common Core “Developmentally Appropriate”?
A reader comments on the discussion of Common Core’s effect on pre-K and K:
Thanks, Diane, for making room on your blog for this critical topic.
Karen states that the “overacademization of kindergarten and preschool classrooms” is not a new trend. That may be true, though without a doubt the problem has intensified. The Alliance for Childhood report The Crisis in Early Education A Research-Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure (Miller and Almond, November 2011) states that “the pushing down of the elementary school early childhood has reached a new peak with the
Thanks, Diane, for making room on your blog for this critical topic.
Karen states that the “overacademization of kindergarten and preschool classrooms” is not a new trend. That may be true, though without a doubt the problem has intensified. The Alliance for Childhood report The Crisis in Early Education A Research-Based Case for More Play and Less Pressure (Miller and Almond, November 2011) states that “the pushing down of the elementary school early childhood has reached a new peak with the
Finding the Genius in Every Child
Robert D. Shepherd previously wrote a post about why standardization fails. Now he asks whether we want to standardize for a certain outcome or whether we want an education that discovers the genius in every child:
| Every child born today is the product of 3.8 billions years of evolution. Between his or her ears, is the most complex system known to us, and that system, the brain consists of highly interconnected subsystems of |
An Invitation to Screening of Parent Trigger Movie
A teacher in Florida received an email from Students First inviting him to a screening of the parent trigger movie at the GOP convention.
He doesn’t know how he got on the StudentsFirst email list. He probably signed a petition to support “great” teachers and didn’t know he was duped into joining StudentsFirst.
This is the email he forwarded to me. Remember this the next time you hear Michelle Rhee claim that she is a
He doesn’t know how he got on the StudentsFirst email list. He probably signed a petition to support “great” teachers and didn’t know he was duped into joining StudentsFirst.
This is the email he forwarded to me. Remember this the next time you hear Michelle Rhee claim that she is a
The Best Interest of Young Children?
A reader writes in response to Deborah Meier’s post:
It is easy to say that standards are just standards but when the staff developers for the NYC DOE have mandated PD for pre-k teachers and make us sit through an entire day of a scripted power point and remind us that our students are failing and we must embrace the common core and provide performance assessments for each child in both math and ELA twice a year, it is difficult to believe that the Common Core is just a set of standards for teachers to use as guidelines.
I am not opposed to rote learning for some things. I still remember to run the little song about how many days of
It is easy to say that standards are just standards but when the staff developers for the NYC DOE have mandated PD for pre-k teachers and make us sit through an entire day of a scripted power point and remind us that our students are failing and we must embrace the common core and provide performance assessments for each child in both math and ELA twice a year, it is difficult to believe that the Common Core is just a set of standards for teachers to use as guidelines.
I am not opposed to rote learning for some things. I still remember to run the little song about how many days of
NYC’s Schools for the Poorest Faring Poorly
A reader from New York City looked at New York City’s website to examine disparities between schools with high poverty rates and schools with low poverty. She asks these questions:
The leadership at the New York City Department of Education has refused to acknowledge the impact of the concentration of poor students in schools on student outcomes. In a letter to the NY Times the city’s #2
The leadership at the New York City Department of Education has refused to acknowledge the impact of the concentration of poor students in schools on student outcomes. In a letter to the NY Times the city’s #2
A Teacher from Paul Ryan’s Hometown Speaks Up
Paul Ryan, now running for vice-president, comes from Janesville, Wisconsin.
So does the writer of this post.
This is a tale of two Janesvilles.
Where you stand depends on where you sit.
Paul Ryan’s life conditioned him to believe that the free market cures all ills. It worked for him.
So does the writer of this post.
This is a tale of two Janesvilles.
Where you stand depends on where you sit.
Paul Ryan’s life conditioned him to believe that the free market cures all ills. It worked for him.
Deborah Meier on Pre-K, K, and the Common Core Standards
Watching the discussion on this blog about how the Common Core Standards might affect the pre-school years (pre-K and K), veteran educator Deborah Meier sent the following comment to me:
If counting to a hundred by ones and tens are appropriate skills for all 5 year olds, and children should read by sounding out words before they enter kindergarten, then Karen Nemeth might be right.
But to say that such standards do not prevent teachers from responding creatively is…nonsense. The most
If counting to a hundred by ones and tens are appropriate skills for all 5 year olds, and children should read by sounding out words before they enter kindergarten, then Karen Nemeth might be right.
But to say that such standards do not prevent teachers from responding creatively is…nonsense. The most
Will Common Core Change Pre-K and K? No.
This letter from Karen Nemeth came in response to a post by Nancy Carlsson-Paige about the detrimental impact of the Common Core Standards on the early years.
As an early childhood educator for more than 25 years and author of 5 books, including Many Languages, One
As an early childhood educator for more than 25 years and author of 5 books, including Many Languages, One
Do Schools Improve if You Attack the Teachers?
Caroline Grannan wrote the fact sheet about the parent trigger for Parents Across America. Here she explains more about what is happening now in the Adelanto School District, where Parent Revolution is leading the effort to convert Desert Trails Elementary School into a charter school.
| The ultimate question is whether the way to repair a struggling school is to attack its teachers and attempt to turn it over to corporate privatizers. (I don’t use the term “failing school,” which heartlessly brands the students and the rest of the school community as failing.) The concept is that we must destroy the school in order to |
Local School Board in Louisiana Roasts John White
State Superintendent John White took a pounding when he showed up at a local school board and gave his stock speech. A local reporter wrote:
State Supt. of Education John White addressed the Tangipahoa Parish School Board Tuesday, giving the same insipid speech he gave about a month ago in Amite
For almost an hour, the board heard a stream of fast talk and hot air, similar to his boss, about the next layer of
State Supt. of Education John White addressed the Tangipahoa Parish School Board Tuesday, giving the same insipid speech he gave about a month ago in Amite
For almost an hour, the board heard a stream of fast talk and hot air, similar to his boss, about the next layer of
Judge Invalidates Florida Evaluations
This just in.
The Florida Education Association and two named teacher-plaintiffs sued to block VAM because the process is confusing and the state has provided inadequate guidance.
A judge agreed with the plaintiffs. The state education department will either appeal or have to redo the rules and
The Florida Education Association and two named teacher-plaintiffs sued to block VAM because the process is confusing and the state has provided inadequate guidance.
A judge agreed with the plaintiffs. The state education department will either appeal or have to redo the rules and