Opting Out from Standardized Testing - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Opting Out from Standardized Testing - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

Opting Out from Standardized Testing

 (Editor's Note:  Below is a must-read post from educator Will Richardson's blog, about his decision to opt his son out of the state test along with the public letter he sent to the NJ newspaper.  There seems to be another stirring of the pot in the edu-blogsphere, with Chris Lehmann apoplectic about the speech by Jeb Bush from today's Education Innovation Summit w/numerous tweets relating to assessments and and standardized test scores; Lisa Neilson cross-posting about a NY teacher who opted out of standardized testing for his 3rd grade son, and two posts about automated essay grading from Bud Hunt (the Teacher) and Audrey Watters, with links below.  Is the testing pot boiling or what? 
 C.J. Westerberg)

" . . . and because of the intention of state policy makers
to use the test in ways it was never intended to be used.
These concerns should be shared by every parent and community member who wants our children to be . . ."
- W. Richardson

Opting Out

by Will Richardson

Just wanted to share that next week while thousands of New Jersey school children will be subjected to the annual ASK standardized tests, my 12-year old son Tucker will not be among them. We made a formal request to opt out, which is our legal right in NJ, and he'll be staying home during the testing periods. (The absences are excused, btw.)

Wendy and I came to this decision after seriously considering the potential effects for the 

LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2) - Perdaily.com

LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2) - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD TOP-HEAVY ADMNISTRATION (VIDEO #2)

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

The following video examines the dysfunctional top-down administrative culture of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the blind obedient anti-intellectual culture of generationally failed public education it has created in Los Angeles and throughout California and the rest of the country

It is our motivating belief here at perdaily that the continuation of this system where the interests of vendors, contractors, and corporations over those of our future citizens is a formula that will lead in the short-term to the dissolution of this country as anything that even remotely resembles a democracy, since power vested in the people under a constitution has little meaning if those people 

A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City | The Schott Foundation for Public Education

A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City | The Schott Foundation for Public Education:

A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City

EDUCATION REDLINING IN NEW YORK CITY

HOME | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [PDF] | FULL REPORT [PDF] | RECOMMENDATIONS

From the Press Release:
In New York City public schools, a student’s educational outcomes and opportunity to learn are statistically more determined by where he or she lives than their abilities, according to A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City, released by the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

Primarily because of New York City policies and practices that result in an inequitable distribution of educational resources and intensify the impact of poverty, children who are poor, Black and Hispanic have far less of an opportunity to learn the skills needed to succeed on state and federal assessments. They are also much less likely to have an opportunity to be identified for Gifted and Talented programs, to attend selective high schools or to obtain diplomas qualifying them for college or a good job. High-performing schools, on the other hand, tend to be located in economically advantaged areas. Continue reading >

Preface by Dr. John H. Jackson The Right to Learn is an inalienable human right. Thus it is alarming that in the largest school system in the United States, that of New York City, the right to an Opportunity to Learn is undeniably distributed by race, ethnicity and neighborhood. This unequal distribution of opportunity by race and neighborhood occurs with such regularity in New York that reasonable people can no longer ignore the role that state and city 

Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education Reform | ED.gov Blog

Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education Reform | ED.gov Blog:

Duncan Enlists Sharpton’s Civil Rights Network in Education Reform

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Guest Blogger

“You are all partners and allies in reforming public education,” Secretary Arne Duncan said last week at the National Action Network’s 14th Annual Convention in Washington. “An excellent education for very child is a moral and civic imperative, as well as an economic one. This issue is even bigger than education—it is an issue of social justice and economic security,” Duncan said.

One takeaway from the conference is that the civil rights community has a long and distinguished history of taking courageous action to drive social change, and it will take collective will to make a difference in boosting the nation’s graduation rates and turning around our low-performing schools. “Without equality in education there will never be equality in society. We have to do what’s right for our children and make education a priority,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network.

Secretary Duncan explained that “we have to have a strategy to build an economy that will last—and education is the centerpiece of it.” Duncan praised groups like the National Action Network for their work with communities, and said that “we need to keep fighting together for strong local, state and national investments.”

Concerning Data on Inequities

During his remarks, Duncan highlighted recently released data from the Civil Rights Data Collection that provides policymakers, educators, parents and communities with critical information that will aid them in identifying inequities and targeting solutions to close the persistent education achievement and opportunity gap in America.

The new data show minority students across America face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curricula, and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.  Teachers in schools serving mostly minorities get paid an average of $2,250 less per year. Just 29% of schools serving high minority populations offer calculus compared to 55% of high schools serving non-minorities. African American students are three-and-a-half times more likely to be suspended and expelled than whites. African American students are 18% of the nation’s student population but 35% of the suspensions and 35% of students to be arrested. This is what’s known as the school-to-prison pipeline.

Despite the best efforts of educators to bring greater equity to our schools, too many children, especially low-income and minority students, are still denied the educational opportunities they need to succeed.  Duncan explained the need to change laws and policies that require schools to distribute resources more equitably.  

 Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream speech,” Duncan noted in closing. “I plan to be on the (Washington) Mall with you—marking the moment—and reaffirming our commitment to end discrimination in housing, in jobs, in education, in opportunity and to realize the American dream for everyone no matter their color, race, religion or background,” he said. “There is so much at stake, and together we hold the key to the future.”

Kimberly Watkins-Foote is Director of African American Communications and Outreach

Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’ - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’ - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post:

Henderson: Cheating probe ‘wrapping up’

by Bill Turque

Chancellor Kaya Henderson said Wednesday morning that the D.C. Inspector General’s inquiry into suspected cheating on the DC CAS during the Michelle Rhee era — which Henderson requested more than a year ago after a USA Today investigation — is close to completion.
Read full article >>

Henderson and Gray sketch out big plans for DCPS

by Bill Turque

Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson sketched out their new five-year plan Wednesday for a higher-achieving DCPS that graduates more students, shores up low-performing schools and boosts enrollment.
Read full article >>

Missouri Education Watchdog: A View of The Future

Missouri Education Watchdog: A View of The Future:

A View of The Future

by Anngie

It is encouraging to see various groups open their eyes to the problems in our education system and in the reforms currently being pushed. Both conservatives and liberals are beginning to see the dangers involved in centralized planning of curriculum and collection of personal data by government bodies.  Someday, hopefully soon, the rallying cry of "It's all for the little children"will send chills down people's spines rather than warm fuzzy feelings. But we're not there yet. There is no massive public push back to Common Core Standards and the SLDS. To understand why, we need only look at those who have gone before us and see what happened to them.

In his book "It Happened a Long Time Ago and It Never Happened Anyway", David Satter looks at modern Russia and tries to explain to the Western mind why, given their history, there is no widespread revolt by the Russian people against the oppressive regime. Through interviews with average citizens, Mr. Satter shows the world through the eyes of people who have lived under the Soviets and seen their mutation into a hybrid capitalist/fascist government. What he writes could be an interview with an American in 2025.

"Did anyone walk about the Stalin-era terror?"

"I didn't hear about it except from my mother.  The attitude was that there was no point in discussing it.  There was the 'Cult of Personality.' During the Cult of Personality there were certain abuses. That was it.  Nobody knew the extent of the repression because nobody had read Solzhenitsyn at that time."

Under Stalin, political enemies disappeared in the night never to be seen again. Everyone knew someone who 

Grumpy. « Fred Klonsky

Grumpy. « Fred Klonsky:

by Fred Klonsky

Grumpy.

According to NBC, these are the results of strike votes at some of Chicago’s high schools.
Von Steuben: 94 percent
Steinmetz: 96 percent
Sullivan: 95 percent
Senn: 95 percent
Uplift: 89 percent
Mather: 96 percent
Northside Learning Center: 80 percent
Kelvyn Park: 86 percent
Chicago Academy: 85 percent
Northside College Prep: 96 percent
Lane: 93 percent
Juarez: 96 percent
Kelly: 94 percent
Curie: 86 percent
According to the Chicago Reader’s Ben Joravsky, Rahm has put an F-you offer on the negotiating table.

At the moment, the mayor’s negotiators are sticking to their opening offer of a 2 percent raise for the teachers spread over the next five years. That amounts to less than half of a percent raise a year. Factor in inflation, higher pension costs, and medical costs and teachers will be making less in five years than they’re making today.

Out in Elgin, teachers just voted down their agreement by a two-to-one margin.  Do I need to point out that it was 

Shanker Blog » Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: Validity

Shanker Blog » Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: Validity:

Value-Added Versus Observations, Part Two: Validity

by Matthew Di Carlo

In a previous post, I compared value-added (VA) and classroom observations in terms of reliability – the degree to which they are free of error and stable over repeated measurements. But even the most reliable measures aren’t useful unless they are valid – that is, unless they’re measuring what we want them to measure.
Arguments over the validity of teacher performance measures, especially value-added, dominate our discourse on evaluations. There are, in my view, three interrelated issues to keep in mind when discussing the validity of VA and observations. The first is definitional – in a research context, validity is less about a measure itself thanthe inferences one draws from it. The second point might follow from the first: The validity of VA and observationsshould be assessed in the context of how they’re being used.
Third and finally, given the difficulties in determining whether either measure is valid in and of itself, as well as the fact that so many states and districts are already moving ahead with new systems, the best approach at this point may be to judge validity in terms of whether the evaluations are improving outcomes. And, unfortunately, there is little indication that this is happening in most places.
Let’s start by quickly defining what is usually meant by validity. Put simply, whereas reliability is about the 

Tell the Real Story - Alliance for Quality Education of New York

Tell the Real Story - Alliance for Quality Education of New York:

View this video for information about the School Cuts Hurt Campaign

We have a responsibility to keep up the fight to ensure a positive future for our children.

Videos will be posted on our website and Facebook page.We will also update our Twitter when new videos have been submitted. 

We will share it on our Youtube channel and post it to our Facebook page. It’s time we tell the real story about school cuts.

Your name and your title (i.e. parent, teacher, student, etc.)

The name of your school and the name of your school district

What your school has lost and/or will lose with this next round of budget cuts

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What we're up against

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What we're up against:

What we're up against

by Mike Klonsky

Here's what we're up against in Chicago. Stand for Children, the anti-union, pro-privatization group that bankrolled SB7, has been brought into town by the mayor and his corporate reform backers.

Catalyst reports:

Several hundred people, including many parents and dozens of members of Students for Education Reform groups at local universities, packed a room at downtown Roosevelt University on Saturday morning for the launch of Stand for Children's Chicago chapter. Jesse Ruiz, a member of the Chicago Board of Education, pledged to work with the group to "prioritize resources for quality schools," and a number of elected politicians made similar pledges. 

Outside, a group of teachers, organized by CORE, picketed the meeting.

Here's what they're up against in Connecticut. Michelle Rhee's group has a new name but the same anti-

Out-of-state expansion of California charter school companies could affect in-state growth | EdSource Extra!

Out-of-state expansion of California charter school companies could affect in-state growth | EdSource Extra!:

Out-of-state expansion of California charter school companies could affect in-state growth

April 16th, 2012 | Add a Comment

By Louis Freedberg ~ EdSource Extra

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The decision by two of California’s best known charter management organizations to try to open schools in Memphis and Nashville raises this question: Will the expansion of California-based charter schools outside the state come at the expense of their growth inside the state?

Nearly four years ago, Green Dot Public Schools, which runs 18 charter schools in Los Angeles, opened a charter school in the South Bronx. But it hardly led to a surge of California-based charter schools to open similar schools outside the state. That may be about to change.

Aspire Public Schools, the state’s largest charter school provider, with 34 schools in six California cities, wants to open ten charter schools in Memphis over the next five years.Rocketship Education, which currently runs five charter schools in San Jose, wants to open eight schools in Nashville and another eight in Memphis.  It has already signed on to open

Re-Admit Tomas to UC Davis « occupy california #UCDAVIS

Re-Admit Tomas to UC Davis « occupy california:

Re-Admit Tomas to UC Davis

by *

from Davis Anti-Repression:
A UC Davis undergraduate in art studio was arrested early Saturday morning, 17 March, in his dorm room, by members of both the UC Davis and City of Davis Police. He was charged with Felony Vandalism and held in jail over the weekend and into finals week; his school supplies, phone and computer were all confiscated. With no access to his contacts nor warning of the arrest, he was unable to contact legal representation. Incommunicado in jail, he was unable to take final exams, and was only bailed out (for $20,000) when concerned friends began looking for him after he had been missing for days. UC Davis Student Judicial Affairs, which initiated the warrant for his arrest, didn’t bother to notify his home department, his family, friends, or professors to let them know the student’s whereabouts.
Several weeks later, both Student Judicial Affairs and Student Housing threatened him with disciplinary