Too many tests give education system a fail mark | thetelegraph.com.au

Too many tests give education system a fail mark | thetelegraph.com.au:

Too many tests give education system a fail mark

• Bruce McDougall 
• The Daily Telegraph 
• March 30, 2012 12:00AM

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SATURATION testing is seriously undermining the quality of primary school education and should be stopped immediately, parents and educators claimed yesterday.

Thousands of kids are subjected to trial exams every week in the lead up to the compulsory Naplan tests, as well as exams for opportunity classes or selective high schools, and coaching by private tutors.

But while Naplan, which forms the basis of performance ratings on the My School website, focuses on literacy and numeracy, experts claim they are being "taught to the test" at the expense of other areas such as arts, physical education and music.

With the barrage of testing beginning in kindergarten, education consultant and public schools principals' forum official Brian Chudleigh said the system was "out of control" and skewing 

Schools Matter: Diane Ravitch and the Pattern in the Rug

Schools Matter: Diane Ravitch and the Pattern in the Rug:

Diane Ravitch and the Pattern in the Rug

by Jim Horn

On June 5, 2012 FairTest will honor Diane Ravitch with the Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award at the
Julia Richman Educational Complex, 317 East 67th St., New York City.  If Ravitch's longtime nemesis, Gerald Bracey, were alive today, I think he would applaud this choice--or at least not protest it.  For even though she helped to sew the rug whose emerged pattern now horrifies her,  Dr. Ravitch's transformation is testament to the capacity of humans to learn from our mistakes and, more importantly, to exhibit the guts and fortitude to share that learning with others.  Diane has done both with grace, under pressure.  From FairTest:

Diane Ravitch is an internationally renowned and respected historian of education. Formerly a supporter of testing, test-based accountability, and school choice, she had the courage to publicly renounce her previous position after seeing the wreckage caused by No Child Left Behind. For the past two years, she has tirelessly toured the nation, encouraging educators, parents and other citizens to stand up against the relentless encroachment of high-stakes standardized testing on the minds of children and the lives of educators.

I would argue that without her 2010 book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System . . ., this weekend's OCCUPY the DOE in DC would be a much smaller event--perhaps not an event at all.  Her book has served as a central primer for educatng a generation of future teachers and parents on the reality of the status 

Pioneered in California, publishing teacher “effectiveness” rankings draws more criticism | EdSource Extra!

Pioneered in California, publishing teacher “effectiveness” rankings draws more criticism | EdSource Extra!:

Pioneered in California, publishing teacher “effectiveness” rankings draws more criticism

March 28th, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Louis Freedberg ~ EdSource Extra

Photo by 'cybrarian77'

The release last month of “value-added” rankings of New York City teachers based on student test scores, a practice pioneered by the Los Angeles Times in the summer of 2010, has once again raised pointed questions about whether the rankings of individual teachers should be published by the media.

The practice threatens to increase resistance to the notion of linking evaluations to student performance being promoted by the Obama administration, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others. Publication of teachers’ rankings 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter School Drumbeat Continues at the Times

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter School Drumbeat Continues at the Times:

Charter School Drumbeat Continues at the Times

by Charlie Mas

The Times never runs out of space for people to advocate for charter schools.

"If voters favor charter schools, why can't state lawmakers?" by Robert Enlow and Jonathan Bechtle.

Robert Enlow is president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, the legacy foundation of Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman headquartered in Indianapolis. Jonathan Bechtle is CEO of the Freedom Foundation, a free-market think tank based in Olympia.

Lots of comments follow, nearly all pointing out how the authors are wrong.

Let's remember, however, that the people who make decisions in Seattle read the print edition, not the online 

RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee & ALEC: joined at birth

RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee & ALEC: joined at birth:

Michelle Rhee & ALEC: joined at birth

Written by Karoli for Crooks and Liars.  Read the entire post here.
“Let’s have a look at the parallels between Michelle Rhee’s priorities and ALEC’s.

• ALEC and Rhee support teacher evaluations in which fifty percent of the total score is comprised of student test scores, the implementation of “mutual consent” transfer policies, and the weakening of teacher tenure (Rhee calls for its elimination);
• ALEC and Rhee support Parent Trigger legislation;
• ALEC and Rhee back alternatives to traditional teacher certification;
• ALEC promotes vouchers through means-tested eligibility or universally. Rhee favors means-tested vouchers but has not yet spoken in favor of universal vouchers;
• ALEC supports more charter schools and looser restrictions on charter authorizers. Rhee calls for lifting of charter school caps and less restrictive charter regulations (e.g. her bill currently being pushed in Missouri, HB 1228.)
• ALEC’s bill prohibits collective bargaining in its entirety. While not in complete agreement with ALEC, Rhee calls forlimiting collective bargaining, to areas of professional development and wages.
• ALEC actively promotes virtual school legislation. Rhee supported Senate Bill 904, which ‘would facilitate the creation and continued operation of Pennsylvania’s charter and cyber charter schools.’“

Opting Out of High Stakes Testing | Seattle Education

Opting Out of High Stakes Testing | Seattle Education:

Opting Out of High Stakes Testing

by seattleducation2011

With the teacher evaluation legislation that just passed in Olympia that was pushed by LEV and Co., there will be more standardized testing and therefore more teaching to the test which narrows the curriculum and distills  what we view as “education” down to test preparation.
There was an evaluation system that had passed through the state legislature last year which was a four tiered process. OSPI and WEA were working together with a pilot program to develop the system but that wasn’t good enough for the same folks that last year had pushed that very bill. Nope, now the stakes have to be higher. It was determined that a certain percentage of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on their students’ test scores. It doesn’t’ matter what percentage it is, it does matter that it is based on test scores. This is called “high stakes testing”.
This type of testing puts much of the onus not only on the teachers but also on the students. Once students are aware of the fact that their teacher’s job might depend upon their test scores, how do you think that would make a child feel who loves their teacher? It would be the most important thing in the world to do well on a specific 

Geaux Teacher!: LOUISIANA STUDENT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Geaux Teacher!: LOUISIANA STUDENT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS:

LOUISIANA STUDENT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ARDEN WELLS
FONTAINEBLEAU HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
ST. TAMMANY PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOL


Each year Louisiana recognizes extraordinary students through the Student of the Year awards program, and today the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) released the names of the 18 regional finalists who will compete for the state title. The 18 regional finalists include one 5th grade, 8th grade, and 12th grade student from six regions and represent public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools across Louisiana. The finalists and state winners for each of the three grades will be honored on April 18 during a ceremony in Baton Rouge.

Congratulations to these exemplary students, as well as their families, teachers, principals, and districts. Through their academic success, community service, leadership, and character, these students are the best evidence of the promise of our next generation and reinforce the critical work that is taking place in our schools 

Thank You, Teacher Project - California Teachers Association

Thank You, Teacher Project - California Teachers Association:

Thank You, Teacher Project

From teachers, to paraprofessionals, to community college instructors, we know that educators in California have received thank you notes from students whose lives you’ve touched. Here’s a chance to go public with them. As part of a new feature on the CTA website and Facebook page, we would like to publish some of those letters. They will also be included in the upcoming “Thanksgiving” issue of the California Educatormagazine. If you have a note you’d like to share (don’t be modest!) please email a copy todmartin@cta.org , or send a copy to the Thank You, Teacher Project, CTA Communications Dept., 1705 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010.

2012 – 2013 Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog

2012 – 2013 Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog:

2012 – 2013 Budget

by pwceducationreform

2012 – 2013 Budget

March 29, 2012 — pwceducationreform

Below is a summary of the cuts and increases in the 2012 – 2013 budget.  The budget is the same as it was for the 2011 – 2012 school year, with the following exceptions:

• Pension and Group Term Life rates have increased resulting in $32 million additional expense.
• Approximately 2767 more students are expected to enroll in PWCS next year, costing an additional $24 million.
• Staff salaries will go up one step for an average increase of 2.89%.  The actual % increase will vary by step and grade with some staff receiving less than 2.89% and some staff receiving more than 2.89%.  The projected cost of this increase is approximately $17 million.
• Staff will be required  to contribute 1% of salary towards their pension benefit, but they will receive an additional 1% salary increase to offset that.  There will be no net decrease in staff paychecks as the 1%’s will offset one another, however, the division will incur additional costs because of payroll taxes on the salary increase.

To provide for these additional expenses, the following cuts will be made to the budget:

• Overall spending, except as noted below, will remain at 2011 – 2012 levels.
• The “in-school” contracted day will increase from 7 hours a day to 7.5 hours a day.
• Spending across the board will decrease .5%, including spending at local schools with

HechingerEd Blog | Will cheating scandals change the focus on high-stakes testing?

HechingerEd Blog | Will cheating scandals change the focus on high-stakes testing?:

Will cheating scandals change the focus on high-stakes testing?

by Sarah Garland

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has another explosive story out this week about possible cheating on standardized tests. This time, the newspaper looked at suspicious circumstances in nearly 70,000 schools across the country and found “red flags” in about 200 districts, an analysis that “suggests a broad betrayal of schoolchildren across the nation,” the newspaper said.
The newspaper looked for schools where test-scores had abnormally large leaps or drops from year to year. In Atlanta, an earlier investigation led the district to put more than 100 educators on paid administrative leave, and it is currently moving to fire some of them. (Four have already resigned rather than go through with a hearing.) This latest series of reports may lead to a similar fallout in other states and districts. More interesting to watch, however, will be whether the AJC investigation and another one published last year by USA Today in partnership with The Hechinger Report will have an impact on state and federal education policy.
The investigations into cheating have added fuel to the debate over standardized testing, which has become a big 

A New Teacher’s Dilemma* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

A New Teacher’s Dilemma* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

A New Teacher’s Dilemma*

by larrycuban

In her first year of teaching English in a middle school where 90 percent of the students were minority, Elsie had planned a lesson that had students rotating through five stations answering different reading comprehension questions at each one. She floated around from station to station answering questions, clearing up any confusions, and making sure that the students were on task.
At one of the stations, Elsie had written the question: “If and when is it appropriate to lie.” The students at that station were talking about the question when Elsie arrived. Damion, one of the African American students in the group, asked Elsie–who is also African American–if she smoked weed.
“It was obvious that he and several other students expected the answer to be yes,” Elsie had written in describing her dilemma. She said honestly: “no.” She felt, however, that the students thought she was lying. She tried to convince them that she was telling the truth.
The young teacher now saw that she was in a struggle over conflicting values in her new role as a teacher. She 

So Much Policy Talk - Bridging Differences - Education Week

So Much Policy Talk - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

So Much Policy Talk

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Diane,
I'm getting sick of policy talk! I know we have to STOP this corporate take-over of democracy. It's perhaps temporarily futile, but certainly exhausting, and in some ways boring. I hope to get to Occupy DOE next week. At least the Mike Petrilli response to Alfie Kohn is interesting, and I hope we can both dig into it sometime from our separate perspectives.
I miss the kind of collegial discussion that went on all the time when I was working. There were so many things that excited us and that we shared with each other. Whether it was about what we were studying with the kids, or a particular student's dilemma, or a fascinating article we had just read. The kids were a constant source of ideas worth exploring also with adults. So today I spend a few hours a day, probably, at my computer reading e-mails from parents and teachers mostly—but second hand is not like face to face, dealing together with real-world dilemmas. I suspect the best teachers too are overwhelmed by the policy issues that are driving out good 

Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike

Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike:

Rockford School District 205 Teachers Strike Last minute negotiations between the Rockford Education Association and the Rockford School District have ended with no contract deal. No School and Teachers will strike Thursday morning. Posted: 3:41 PM Mar 28, 2012 Reporter: Lauren Kravets, Faran Fronczak   BREAKING NEWS  Raw Interview with Rockford School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Willis  District 205 Teachers to Strike Unless Tentative Agreement Reached by Thursday  Board Meeting Preview  6:00 P.M. Interview With Rockford School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Willis

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UPDATE 3/29: ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- More than 10 hours of negotiating between District 205 and the teachers union ended in a standstill, leading teachers to go on strike, cancelling all classes and activities for students Thursday.
Both bargaining teams met Wednesday starting at 1 PM hoping to end the evening with a tentative contract. Rockford Education Association President Karen Bieschke says getting the exact language of the contract correct is slowing the process down. Interim Superintendent Robert Willis was hopeful both sides would be able to avoid or at least delay a strike. Bieschke says it was the board's decision to end the evening, but the REA was willing to stay and negotiate.
Bieschke says, "You've been watching me all night. I've been sitting at the table working on my computer trying to draft language and to reach an agreement today. We were here to finish it, but obviously that's not going to happen now." However, Willis says, "Well of course we're going to be disappointed. We don't want kids to be home, they need to be in school learning. But this is an REA decision and we have to live with it. But we want to make sure we do this right and get those kids back into school as soon as possible."
Thursday District 205 teachers will officially go on strike, giving parents a very short window to find alternative activities for their kids.
If you would like to converse with other Stateliners about the strike, please head over to our Facebook page to comment 

Can parents have kids opt out of FCAT? - Schools - MiamiHerald.com

Can parents have kids opt out of FCAT? - Schools - MiamiHerald.com:

Can parents have kids opt out of FCAT?

 

 

A coalition of teachers is urging parents across the country to opt their children out of standardized tests.

Buy Photo

Ceresta Smith with her daughter Aisha Daniels, 16, an 11th-grader at Krop Senior High School. Aisha opted out of the FCAT last year. Her mother now leads a campaign encouraging parents to help their children do the same. 

DANIEL BOCK / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD

BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY

KMCGRORY@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Ceresta Smith had a litany of concerns about high-stakes testing.

So when it came time for her teenage daughter to take the portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test required for graduation, Smith allowed her to opt out.

“It’s not that my husband and I are against standardized testing,” said Smith, a public school teacher in Miami-Dade County. “Both of us acknowledge that testing can be a very useful diagnostic tool. But as it is being used now, it is damaging to kids and it is creating a racial divide in our schools.”

Smith is part of a coalition of teachers urging parents across the country to opt their children out of standardized tests. The group – which says parents have a right to say no to standardized tests —

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/27/v-fullstory/2717878/can-parents-have-kids-opt-out.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs:

Education secretary defends Obama administration's use of school waivers

by Sally Holland, CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republicans on Capitol Hill Wednesday criticized Education Secretary Arne Duncan's use of waivers for schools that haven't met the benchmarks for the No Child Left Behind law

"I don't believe that the language of the law allows the secretary to provide conditional waivers," said Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

When No Child Left Behind originated over 10 years ago, it set standards that students had to meet by certain dates or the schools would face sanctions. As the standards have gotten progressively higher, schools have had difficulty reaching the goals. Last fall, the Obama administration began 

Rockford out. « Fred Klonsky

Rockford out. « Fred Klonsky:

Rockford out.

by Fred Klonsky

After negotiating for over a year, members of the Rockford Education Association walked off the job this morning.
District 205, one of the largest in the state, is known for being among the most top-heavy in administration, while teacher salaries have barely kept up with comparable districts.
The Rockford strike is only the third teacher strike in Illinois this year.
Joining members of the REA on the picket line will be folks from Occupy Rockford.
Messages of support should be sent to the REA.