Pearson Goofs on 4,000 Test Scores in Virginia
Mega-publisher Pearson admitted that it released the wrong grades for 4,000 students in Virginia. “Pearson issued a similar apology last spring for making mistakes in the scoring of admissions tests for gifted and talented programs in New York City public schools. Other scoring problems by Pearson in recent years caused delays in final test results in Florida and Minnesota. “Pearson and state edu
U.S. Department of Education Abandons Federalism
There is a sacrosanct principle that has informed the actions of the U.S. Department of Education throughout its 33-year history: federalism. That is, a recognition that the federal government has limited authority, and that states and localities have the primary responsibility for education. George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind was a direct assault on federalism because it asserted the power of
Principal: John King Hurt My Students
In response to my call for John King’s resignation, this principal in New Tork wrote: “Thank you, Diane! Last night I finally had the heart to review my school’s test scores, child by child. As I read their names and numbers, I saw their little faces on the days of the testing, so many in tears, and I cried. “This is so wrong for children. “I have an excellent school, smart, hard-working kids an
NYC Teacher: The Common Core Standards Are Broken and Can’t Be Fixed
This letter was written by a New York City teacher to his union president. “I am writing as a loyal union member and as a special education teacher in a middle class ethnically diverse neighborhood who knows a lot about testing because I spent nearly two decades assessing disabled children as part of a school assessment team.until this Mayor deemed my psychometric skills to be worthless Neverthele
Gary Rubinstein: Analyzing the Success Academy Success
Gary Rubinstein has a well established reputation as a careful investigator of miracle schools. On many occasions, he has debunked miracle claims. See his wiki site here. In this post, he takes a close look at the scores of Success Academy on the new Common Core tests. I don’t think Gary would classify the Success Academy schools as “miracle schools,” because they don’t have the same demographic p
Schneider: My Experience Teaching the Common Core Standards
Mercedes Schneider often writes analyses of politics in Louisiana and elsewhere and statistical critiques of studies. She has a Ph.D. in statistics and research methodology. But she has a day job. She teaches English in high school because that is what she loves. Recently she has been immersed in learning the Common Core standards. Here is her account of her experience with them.
Proof that There is No Liberal Media
This article from the Daily Kos proves there is no liberal media by listing the stories almost never mentioned in the major newspaper and TV shows. Think how little attention the reform wrecking ball has gotten. Only a major scandal like Bennett’s grade-fixing is noticed. No major paper would touch John Merrow’s exposé of cheating under Rhee. No one in the media cares about the US having the hig
Chile: The Most Pro-Market School System in the World, Part 3
This is the third and final post about Education in Chile by Professor Mario Waissbluth, which he wrote for this blog to help us understand a system that took Milton Friedman’s advice and relied heavily on testing and choice. Chile´s Education (III): A necessary change of course. In my two previous columns I described the Chilean political, economic and educational model. In short, growth with i
John King Should Resign
New York’s Commissioner of Education John King should resign. The job of state commissioner is to support and strengthen education and educators, not to undermine them. In his short tenure, King has used his position to wreak havoc on the state’s education system. He has demoralized educators. He has imposed an evaluation scheme that no one understands, but which he famously described as “building
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Fort Wayne School Board Votes to Disregard Bennett A-F GradesThe Fort Wayne Community School Board passed a resolution by a vote o 6-1 to discontinue using the A-F grading system created by disgraced former State Superintendent Tony Bennett. The South Bend, Indiana, school board is considering the same resolution: RESOLUTION OF T
