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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Diane in the Evening 1-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:







Seattle Parents Support Test Boycott

A Seattle parent explains why the Garfield teachers have the support of parents like herself.
Hi everyone,
For his first school-library experience in kindergarten, my five-year-old son was not allowed to check out a book. Instead he was placed in front of a computer with a set of headphones and told to take a test for an hour.
That was my family’s introduction to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP®), a computerized, adaptive


Your Favorite Bloggers in One Place

Tim Slekar is launching a new front in the battle against high-stakes testing and privatization.
He writes:
On Friday at 9:00 am EST please visit the new and substantially improved @ the chalk face media site (http://atthechalkface.com/). Along with columns by Chalkface and Tim Slekar a host of new authors joins @ the chalk face. Paul Thomas, Chris Cerrone, Kris Neilsen, Katie Osgood, Kuhio Kane, Barbara Madeloni, and Lauren Cohen will each add a their own touch of magic.
Committed to a take no prisoners approach in exposing the corporate reform movement @ the chalk face internet radio will feature regular interviews with @ the chalk face authors and continue to interview the leading activists engaged in fighting for the American public school system.
And just so “the other side” is not totally shut out we are happy to introduce Wendi Hatch-Mhee
You’ve probably already heard of Wendi Hatch-Mhee. She began her career in education as part of the 

If I Were Secretary of Education…..(3)

A teacher in Indiana(A Huntington Teacher) has this proposal:
“I would deconstruct my entire office until only I was left.
Then, I’d fire myself.”

Philadelphians Fight School Closures

The School Reform Commission of Philadelphia plans to close 37 schools to save money while opening charter schools.
Parents, students, teachers, and others are fighting back.
The city’s schools have been under state control for the past decade.
The School Reform Commission was urged by management consultants–the Boston Consulting Gtoup–to privatize more schools, even though Philadelphia tried it a decade ago and it didn’t work.

How Credible Are Those Voucher Evaluations?

What am I missing here?
Dr. Patrick Wolf has made his reputation evaluating voucher plans in Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee, but now we see that he is speaking at a conservative think tank about the “success” of vouchers during a celebration of school choice.
He wrote an opinion piece for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune warning that the state was falling behind in providing 

Breaking News: Students in Providence Oppose High-Stakes Testing

Yesterday it was students in Portland, Oregon, today it’s students in Providence, Rhode Island.
The students in Providence have called on Governor Lincoln Chafee to stop the new high-states tests.
The students warn that huge numbers of students with disabilities, English language learners, and minority youth will not get a diploma. They blame these results on years of underfunded schools that did not provide the support that students need.
Here is an excerpt from the story:
“We are here today to explain why we believe this graduation requirement will do nothing to improve the quality of 

Providence (RI) Students’ Press Release Against Test Misuse

PRESS RELEASE
January 30, 2013 | *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
CONTACT: Aaron Regunberg | Aaron@ProvidenceStudentUnion.org | 847-809-6039 (cell)
STUDENTS CALL ON GOVERNOR TO STOP HIGH-STAKES TESTING POLICY
Providence, Rhode Island – January 30, 2013 – Public high school students, teachers, and other community members staged a press conference today to protest Rhode Island’s new high-stakes testing graduation requirement, calling on Governor Chafee to end a policy they described as unjust and ineffective.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Reader: How I Scored the FCAT Tests by dianerav A reader explains what happened when she was hired to score the FCAT: *My first job out of college in 2001 was scoring 8th grade FCAT essays. We made $10/hour in a small office building in Arizona, and we churned out scored tests like Big Macs.* *Sometimes the bossmen would test our overall consistency by having us score the same writing sample. One of these samples blew me away with its creativity and control of language. It had definite boy’s handwriting ... more »