Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/26/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test | The Sacramento Bee

In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test | The Sacramento Bee: In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test Jennifer Sandfort devotes nearly two hours each morning to English instruction in her third-grade class at Empire Oaks Elementary School, ranging from interactive lessons to free reading t

by mike simpson / 36min 

California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency - ContraCostaTimes.com

California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency - ContraCostaTimes.com:California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiencyFor more than a decade, the release of federal scores indicating California public school students' progress -- or lack of it -- has incited alarm, anxiety and anguish among educators.But when those marks were ever so quietly posted this month, barely anyo

by mike simpson / 40min 

A Holiday Letter to Peter Cunningham and Education Post - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform

A Holiday Letter to Peter Cunningham and Education Post - Mitchell Robinson: Reforming Reform: A Holiday Letter to Peter Cunningham and Education PostI had an interesting "discussion" on Twitter recently with Peter Cunningham, the Executive Director of Education Post--the investment banker, hedge fund manager-bankrolled communications mouthpiece of the corporate education reform industry

by mike simpson / 2h 

Alabama Teacher of the Year Resigns– The Backstory, Part V | deutsch29

Alabama Teacher of the Year Resigns– The Backstory, Part V | deutsch29: Alabama Teacher of the Year Resigns– The Backstory, Part VOn November 20, 2015, I traveled to Alabama to extensively interview 2014-15 Alabama Teacher of the Year, Ann Marie Corgill, who had resigned from her fifth grade teaching position with Birmingham City Schools on October 30, 2015.  Ann Marie CorgillIt is not as though C

by mike simpson / 4h 

Videos 2015 Teaching, Testing, and Acountability: Poverty and Charters | Live Long and Prosper

Videos 2015 | Live Long and Prosper: Videos 2015Teaching, Testing, and Acountability: Poverty and ChartersEvery now and then I’ll embed a video in my blog. Here I have chosen six – informative and inspiring – from 2015, comprising about 2 hours of video. I’ve added emphasis with boldface and italics.February 1What would happen if state and federal legislators actually listened to educators? Notice

by mike simpson / 4h 

As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fear Diplomas Come Up Short - The New York Times

As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fear Diplomas Come Up Short - The New York Times: As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fear Diplomas Come Up ShortA United States government class for seniors at Berea High School in Greenville, S.C. Graduation rates at the school, below 65 percent just four years ago, have jumped to more than 80 percent. Credit Sean Rayford for The New York TimesGREENVILLE, S.C. — A

by mike simpson / 7h 

Florida Illustrates the Problem with Charter-School Capital Funding | Nonprofit Quarterly

Florida Illustrates the Problem with Charter-School Capital Funding | Nonprofit Quarterly: Florida Illustrates the Problem with Charter-School Capital FundingThe National Education Policy Center (NEPC) recently published an important report concluding that “Public assets are being unnecessarily transferred to private hands, at public expense, risking the future provision of “public” education.” A

by mike simpson / 8h 

A Glimpse of Possibilities – John Lennon | Creative by Nature

A Glimpse of Possibilities – John Lennon | Creative by Nature: A Glimpse of Possibilities – John Lennon“The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.Love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself.

by mike simpson / 8h 

What If Teachers ARE NOT the Problem? - Sharing Kindergarten

What If Teachers ARE NOT the Problem? - Sharing Kindergarten: WHAT IF TEACHERS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM?I recently saw this video on Facebook that touched my heart. I live and teach in Georgia. Right now, Georgia is considering an educational change that will take away step raises for years of experience as well as raises for advanced degrees in school.Their proposal will change my pay to be based on s

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Common Core of Goodwill - Living in Dialogue

The Common Core of Goodwill - Living in Dialogue: The Common Core of Goodwill By Michelle Gunderson.  One of the things you learn as an elementary teacher in the Chicago Public Schools is to always have materials available and an extra desk or space for new students. You learn to expect the unexpected and that a child can show up on your doorstep at any minute of any day.And usually it is not an e

by mike simpson / 8h 

Are Urban Public Boarding Schools the Answer to Serving Students Who Suffer From Childhood Trauma? - The Atlantic

Are Urban Public Boarding Schools the Answer to Serving Students Who Suffer From Childhood Trauma? - The Atlantic: The Rise of Urban Public Boarding SchoolsThey’re designed to provide extra attention to students who suffer from trauma. But are they worth all the extra taxpayer dollars?WASHINGTON—The founding Monument Academy teachers and staff knew that running a 24-hour school for children who’ve

by mike simpson / 8h 

BBB’s Christmas Party. | Fred Klonsky

BBB’s Christmas Party. | Fred Klonsky:BBB’s Christmas Party.From today’s Chicago Sun-Times.Rahm’s CPS CEO threw a Christmas Party in 2012Baux sent Byrd-Bennett the proposals with recommendations: “Gary thinks the JW (Marriott) is prettier. Tom and I both like the Union League Club. Everything there is classy.”The Dec. 21, 2012, party that Byrd-Bennett hosted for top CPS staffers, Chicago Board of

by mike simpson / 8h 

New Jersey School District Eases Pressure on Students, Baring an Ethnic Divide - The New York Times

New Jersey School District Eases Pressure on Students, Baring an Ethnic Divide - The New York Times: New Jersey School District Eases Pressure on Students, Baring an Ethnic DivideThis fall, David Aderhold, the superintendent of a high-achieving school district near Princeton, N.J., sent parents an alarming 16-page letter.The school district, he said, was facing a crisis. Its students were overburd

by mike simpson / 8h 

Legislature lets tragic failure in Detroit schools go on

Legislature lets tragic failure in Detroit schools go on: Legislature lets tragic failure in Detroit schools go onIt is outrageous that our state Legislature  could deliver year-end  partisan holiday goodies like ending straight-ticket voting, and finding new ways for money to win elections while failing to deliver  what is most needed in Detroit — a real plan to help Detroit school children learn

by mike simpson / 9h 

ESSA to support schools may help reduce health barriers to learning | TheHill

Legislation to support schools may help reduce health barriers to learning | TheHill: ESSA to support schools may help reduce health barriers to learningAmidst the intense media coverage of terrorism, mass shootings and presidential primary hoopla, a glimmer of domestic good news emerged earlier this month when President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act – or, ESSA. This is worth

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/25/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMHappy Holidays from the Big Education Ape 2015From My Family to YoursEight education predictions (and some wishful thinking) for 2016 — a teacher’s list - The Washington PostEight education predictions (and some wishful thinking) for 2016 — a teacher’s list - The Washington Post: Eight education predictions (and some wishful thinking) for 2016 — a teacher’s list Here is veteran

by mike simpson / 23h

In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test | The Sacramento Bee

In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test | The Sacramento Bee:

In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test

 Jennifer Sandfort devotes nearly two hours each morning to English instruction in her third-grade class at Empire Oaks Elementary School, ranging from interactive lessons to free reading time.

She moves swiftly through lessons and assignments in an orderly manner at the Folsom school, but sometimes feels like she can’t get to everything she wants each day.

“We have so much to cover and so much to teach the kids,” she said.

While students focus on reading and writing the minute they set foot in kindergarten, the stakes are particularly high in third grade. Three decades of research have shown that students who can’t read at grade level by that point are more likely to drop out of high school than their reading-proficient peers. In impoverished communities, students have an even slimmer chance of catching up.

Local teachers are redoubling their efforts after a new statewide test administered last year showed that 60 percent of third-graders in the Sacramento region performed below the state standard in English. The region includes Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties.

The state’s new Smarter Balanced Assessment System incorporates new Common Core standards that emphasize analytical thinking, problem solving and communications skills. Students often must combine several skills to correctly answer questions, and memorization is less valuable. Students, regardless of income level, fared worse than under the previous testing system, but low-income schools suffered the steepest performance declines.

“The new level of expectation far exceeds what we were expecting 15 years ago,” said Anne Zeman, executive director of elementary education for Twin Rivers Unified School District, which serves the North Sacramento area. “By the end of kindergarten 15 years ago we were thrilled if a child could read ‘The cat sat on a mat.’ Now it is much more sophisticated.”

Third grade is a predictor of future academic success because it is typically when students begin reading more complex texts, said Susan Neuman, an education professor at the University of Michigan and former assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.

“They are now reading books on science, social studies and math,” she said. “All that content-related reading is dependent on their ability to read fluently.”

A Bee review of state data shows the majority of Sacramento area schools that performed well on Smarter Balanced third-grade reading tests are located in wealthier areas – mostly in Placer and El Dorado counties – while the lowest performing schools were in poorest neighborhoods in Sacramento.

Seventy-six percent of the region’s poorest kids could not meet standards on the English test, compared to 42 percent of wealthier kids.

At Empire Oaks Elementary School in Folsom, only 2 percent of students are eligible for subsidized meals based on family income. More than three-quarters of the school’s third-graders read at or above grade level.

Despite advantages at home and having a teacher with a doctorate in education, a few students in Sandfort’s class still struggle with reading. A bin of books reflects the range of abilities in the room, with titles suited for readers at first- to seventh-grade levels.

Sandfort tries to address the needs of students at different levels by incorporating individual and small-group instruction into class time while other students read with a partner or listen to stories on a laptop. Sandfort also tries to read to her students every day, but sometimes runs out of time.

As research indicated that third-grade reading ability was an important determinant in future academic success, states began requiring more tests in early grades, as well as more intervention when young students struggle. Some states require that schools hold back third-In ever-important third grade, most Sacramento-area students miss reading standard on new test | The Sacramento Bee:

California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency - ContraCostaTimes.com

California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency - ContraCostaTimes.com:

California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency

For more than a decade, the release of federal scores indicating California public school students' progress -- or lack of it -- has incited alarm, anxiety and anguish among educators.

But when those marks were ever so quietly posted this month, barely anyone noticed. And it seemed few cared. For the first time in years, California schools met federal standards -- but only because the yardstick had been replaced with an easier-to-meet measurement.

It's the sign that the federal No Child Left Behind law, an effort to hold schools accountable for students' failure to learn, has lost its muscle a year before it expires. That retreat enrages reformers like former state Sen. Gloria Romero of Los Angeles. "There is an effort to minimize, whitewash and scrub the file so that parents don't have information," she said. "If you can kill the data, you can't have the reform."

Since 2002, No Child Left Behind tied schools' federal grades to students' proficiency in math and English. But now, under a waiver granted in June, California bases those grades solely on attendance, test participation and graduation rate -- which itself has been inflated with the demise of the state high school exit exam.

Those are much easier bars to hurdle -- and achieved by most California schools.

On Dec. 15, the state posted schools' federal grades, known as "Adequate Yearly Progress." Those that didn't meet expectations could be labeled failing schools, branded with a California school scores tied to attendance, not proficiency - ContraCostaTimes.com: