The A-F Grading System: A Politically Motivated Fraud
Jeff Bryant writes a comprehensive review of what he calls “Bennett-gate,” and shows that the A-F grading systems initiated by Jeb Bush is itself a phony way to judge the quality of schools. He cites Matt Di Carlo, who reviewed Indiana’s grading system, and determined that the grades reflect the characteristics of the students in them: “Di Carlo’s analysis showed, “Almost 85 percent of the schools
Letters to NY Times: When Failure Is the Norm
Read these letters written in response to the New York Times’ terrible editorial favoring the test score debacle and the collapse of scores across the state. But why listen to educators and parents? What do they know as compared to an editorial writer who sits in an air-conditioned office and ponders every day?
Schneider: Who Created Common Core?
President Obama and Secretary Duncan frequently say that the Common Core was “state-led,” perhaps because it is illegal for the U.S. Department of Education to interfere with curriculum or instruction. Maybe it would be best to say that Common Core was hatched inside the Beltway and paid for by the Gates Foundation. Here is an interesting infographic. Mercedes Schneider calls it “an intricate plot
David Steiner Defends Test Score Collapse, Critic Corrects Him
David Steiner, who preceded John King as New York Commissioner of Education, wrote an article defending the collapse of test scores in New York. Like Joel Klein and Arne Duncan, he agrees that we are finally telling the truth about the widespread failure of public schools (and, one might add, the even greater failure of charter schools, which had a higher fail rate than public schools). It’s amazi
NY Superintendent: Trying to Make Sense of Common Core Test Results
Jere Hochman superintendent of the Bedford Central School District in New York, tries to make sense of the latest test results in this blog. He has a series of spot-on metaphors. The state’s policy is based, he writes, is best described as “Fire. Aim. Ready.” He adds: “Raising the bar? High expectations? Every student means every? Rigorous standards? Benchmark assessments? No problem. But do
What If the Common Core Standards Are a Huge Mistake?
The law specifically prohibits the U.S. Department of Education from interfering or directing curriculum or instruction.* There must be a hole in that law big enough to drive a truck through, and drive the Obama administration did. As we all know, the Obama administration used the $5 billion in Race to the Top funding, and its power (contested) to issue waivers, to push, prod, and bribe states in
The Error That Caused the New York Test Scores to Collapse
Here is the reason for the collapse of test scores in New York City and New York State. State officials decided that New York test scores should be aligned with the achievement levels of the federally-administered National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This is an excerpt from a press release prepared by Mayor Bloomberg’s office: “The new State test results are in line with previous re
Gary Rubinstein: Dramatic Collapse of Charter School Test Scores
The corporate reform movement has spun an elaborate narrative in which charter schools are the solution to our nation’s allegedly dreadful public schools. “Waiting for Superman” became their message, used to win new converts. And the Common Core tests were supposed to put the nail in the coffin, demonstrating the utter failure of public schools. For the past several years, study after study has s
Diane in the Evening 8-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Arthur Goldstein: Who Failed in New York?Arthur Goldstein, a New York City high school teacher, has a great article in today’s Daily News lambasting the Common Core and the tests based on the Common Core. Goldstein writes that if he gave a test and 70% of his kids failed it, his principal would be outraged at him. He wonders why st