9-10-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

“The Best Posts On Parents “Opting-Out” Of Standardized Tests For Their Children”

The Best Posts On Parents “Opting-Out” Of Standardized Tests For Their Children is a new post over at my other blog, Engaging Parents In School. You can see all my posts related to parent engagement here.

1 by Larry Ferlazzo / 28min 

Infographic: “The History of Chemical Weapon Wars”

I’m adding this infographic to The Best Resources For Learning About Chemical Weapons: Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 47min mark as read  //  save

Job Scout Has Useful Introductory Computer Tutorials, Plus A Tool For Creating Resumes

Job Scout has a number of interactive computer tutorials designed for people very new to tech, plus it also offers a guided tool for creating resumes. And they’re all free. TechCrunch says they have also just announced a Spanish version, but I haven’t been able to locate it online yet. I’m adding it to both The Best Places For Students To Write Their Resumes and to The Best Places To Learn Comput

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 47min 

“Great Lessons” Is Theme Of Next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival

On October 1st, EFL Classroom 2.0 will be hosting the 32nd edition of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival (Also known as the ELT Blog Carnival). Post any and all entries here. This edition will be all about “Great Lessons”. Share a post, new or old, that highlights a lesson you felt really worked well. Carissa Peck recently published the 34th ELT Blog Carnival  and its focus was on teaching/learning pr

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5min   

9-9-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: A Collection Of Recent Infographics & InteractivesHere’s a mix of various recent infographics and interactives: This Interactive Map Compares the New York City of 1836 to Today is from Smithsonian Magazine. The Pew Center has a ton of infographics on a wide range of topics, including Internet usage and American reading

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-10-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

The in box. CTU on the first anniversary of the strike.

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin September 10, 2013 312/329-6250     CTU MARKS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC STRIKE Teachers ‘changed the conversation’ about the quality of public education in Chicago CHICAGO – One year ago, nearly 30,000 public school educators took to the picket lines to fight for the neighborhood schools their students deserve. They also wanted

2 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

The Secretary of Education needs an education. September 10, 1962. The Supreme Court orders Ole’ Miss to admit James Meredith as their first African American student.

  Click on image to enlarge.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 14min 

Nothing funny about Rahm.

Anyone looking for some laughs from Rahm Emanuel and David Letterman were disappointed by the Mayor’s late night appearance. Letterman is getting a little long in the tooth. And so are a lot of his bits. But having Rahm on was not even a stupid pet trick. “Murders in Chicago,” asked Letterman? Crime numbers are down claimed the lying Mayor. Maybe in his neighborhood in Lakeview. Greg Hinz: Citywi

by Fred Klonsky / 1min 

The in box. TFA Chicago plans exposed by EduShyster.com

  Josh Anderson of Teach For America Chicago tours the East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School in East Chicago, Indiana. Photo: Sun-Times Blogger EduShyster.com broke the story of the Teach for America (TFA) plan to replace unionized professional teachers in Chicago’s rapidly expanding charter schools. The story got bigger play today when Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post reprinted the EduShy

2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

  

9-9-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: The in box. Jay Rehak on the truth about Chicago teacher pensions.  Jay Rehak, Presiden of the board of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund. SunTimesx I want to set the record straight about the problems at the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. CTPF is a $9.5 billion plan that serves 59,000 Chicago Public

by mike simpson / 9h 

Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students | EdSource Today

Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students | EdSource Today:

Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students

September 9th, 2013 | Add a Comment |
By John Fensterwald

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Secretary Arne Duncan

It looks like “High Noon” again for California and the Obama administration over education.

Hours before a key vote in the Legislature, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has warned California not to administer a partial practice or field test on the Common Core standards to some students in lieu of giving the existing tests on state standards to all students next spring – or face consequences.

“If California moves forward with a plan that fails to assess all its students, as required by federal law,” Duncan said in a statement released Monday night, “the Department will be forced to take action, which could include withholding funds from the state.”

Duncan’s statement

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the following statement in reaction to the current draft of AB 484, a bill moving through California’s legislature to exempt millions of students from state assessments:

“A request from California to not measure the achievement of millions of students this year is not something we could approve in good conscience. Raising standards to better prepare students for college and careers is absolutely the right thing to do, but letting an entire school year pass for millions of students without sharing information on their schools’ performance with them and their families is the wrong way to go about this transition. No one wants to over-test, but if you are going to support all students’ achievement, you need to know how all students are doing. If California moves forward with a plan that fails to assess all its students, as required by federal law, the Department will be forced to take action, which could include withholding funds from the state.

“In states like California that will be field-testing more sophisticated and useful assessments this school year, the Department has offered flexibility to allow each student to take their state’s current assessment in English language arts and math or the new field tests in those subjects. That’s a thoughtful approach as states are transitioning to new standards. While standards and tests may not match up perfectly yet, backing away entirely from accountability and transparency is not good for students, parents, schools and districts.

“California has demonstrated its leadership by raising its standards, investing in their implementation and working with other states to develop new assessments, and I urge the state to continue to be a positive force for reform.”

Duncan was reacting to Assembly Bill 484, pushed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, which calls for immediately ending most state standardized tests, including those required by the No Child Left Behind law for federal accountability: English language and math tests for 3^rd through 8^th grades and grade 11. Students in districts capable of offering the computer-based field test for Common Core would take either the English language arts or math test, but not both, under the bill.

Deputy State Superintendent Deb Sigman said last week that the state has money to pay for only one of the tests

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on California Bill to Exempt Millions of Students from State Assessments

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Contact:  

 Press, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov 

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the following statement in reaction to the current draft of AB 484, a bill moving through California's legislature to exempt millions of students from state assessments:

"A request from California to not measure the achievement of millions of students this year is not something we could approve in good conscience. Raising standards to better prepare students for college and careers is absolutely the right thing to do, but letting an entire school year pass for millions of students without sharing information on their schools' performance with them and their families is the wrong way to go about this transition. No one wants to over-test, but if you are going to support all students' achievement, you need to know how all students are doing. If California moves forward with a plan that fails to assess all its students, as required by federal law, the Department will be forced to take action, which could include withholding funds from the state.

"In states like California that will be field-testing more sophisticated and useful assessments this school year, the Department has offered flexibility to allow each student to take their state's current assessment in English language arts and math or the new field tests in those subjects. That's a thoughtful approach as states are transitioning to new standards. While standards and tests may not match up perfectly yet, backing away entirely from accountability and transparency is not good for students, parents, schools and districts.

"California has demonstrated its leadership by raising its standards, investing in their implementation and working with other states to develop new assessments, and I urge the state to continue to be a positive force for reform."

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on Byrd-Bennett's sleight-of-hand on charter schools

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on Byrd-Bennett's sleight-of-hand on charter schools:

More on Byrd-Bennett's sleight-of-hand on charter schools

On August 14th, I commented on Byrd-Bennett's "sleight of hand" on Chicago charter school expansion. BBB had promised that none of the 49 neighborhood schools she was closing would be "handed over" to private charter operators. A Tribune editorial had referred to this as a "promise worth breaking." And that's exactly what she has done by rapidly expanding the number of charters right on the heels of the school closings, with many of them opening in the same neighborhoods as the supposedly "underutilized" closed schools.

A h/t goes out to EduShyster who has come up with a couple of TFA internal documents which reveal that organization's Chicago expansion plans, including the placing of hundreds of lower-paid, non-union, 5-week-wonders into an estimated 52 new charter schools -- almost the exact number of schools closed this year by Byrd-Bennett.

Funny --TFA Chicago’s executive director, Josh Anderson thanks EduShyster for "reaching out" and then offers a shaky denial. Phoebe Anderson, who works for charter authorizer, NACSA, disputes some of the facts, in the comments section.

We'll see who's credible here. We already know it's not Byrd-Bennett.

BTW, where is BBB? We haven't heard anything from her since she responded to community protests over the consolidation of Jesse Owens school into Gompers (what's in a name, right? Plenty). She warned community residents not to "let this cause become a bureaucratic, never-ending process.’’

Then radio silence. Is this J.C. Brizard ("Don't call me a puppet") redux?

Bomb-a-Rahma

I tried to stay up late enough to watch Rahm on Letterman last night, but no dice. Found out this morning that he used his appearance on late night to call for the bombing of Syria and to tell America to 

Inadvertently Shortchanging Students: Espy’s Story (Dave Reid) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Inadvertently Shortchanging Students: Espy’s Story (Dave Reid) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Inadvertently Shortchanging Students: Espy’s Story (Dave Reid)

Dave Reid is a high school mathematics teacher in his third year of teaching.   He received his MA in Education and credential in secondary mathematics and physics from Stanford University in 2011.  Dave spent a quarter of a century in high-tech primarily in the wireless and Global Positioning System (GPS) industries.  He earned a BS degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University, and an MBA in finance and marketing from Santa Clara University.  He also attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He blogs as Mr. Math Teacher and tweets as @mathequality.

Holding students to high expectations is not just for teachers.
As I counted off students in my fourth period Advanced Placement Calculus class recently, I came up one person short.  My immediate thought, before I even knew who was absent, was that I hope the student does not fall too far behind, as we switched to a modified block schedule for this academic year; missing one day puts a student nearly two instructional days behind.

In a demanding course such as AP Calculus, many students reel from learning that they are not as naturally gifted in mathematics as they may have come to 

State labor board challenges L.A. teacher evaluations - latimes.com

State labor board challenges L.A. teacher evaluations - latimes.com:

State labor board challenges L.A. teacher evaluations

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy says the district has not violated labor law with its new teacher evaluation system. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / August 8, 2013)

By Howard Blume

September 10, 2013, 4:00 a.m.

California's labor oversight board has issued a complaint alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District improperly established a new evaluation system for teachers.

The nation's second-largest school system erred by failing to reach agreement on key elements with the teachers union, as required by law, according to the L.A. regional office of the Public Employment Relations Board.

The allegations are contained in a complaint dated Sept. 4. It faults the district for unilaterally adopting a four-level evaluation system that would rate a teacher as ineffective, developing, effective or highly effective.

The complaint also accuses the school district of creating "lead teacher" positions related to the new evaluation without completing the negotiating process.

The labor board "will attempt to mediate a settlement," said union attorney Jesus E. Quinonez. "If no mutual agreement is reached, an unfair practice trial will be held before a state administrative law

U.S. secretary of education opposes California's testing plan

By Howard Blume

September 9, 2013, 10:18 p.m.

The nation's top education official threatened Monday to withhold federal funds if California lawmakers approved pending legislation to revamp the state's standardized testing system.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued the warning as AB 484 awaits a full vote of the Assembly and state Senate.

The proposed law would end the standardized exams used since 1999 and replace them next spring with a computerized system. The purpose is to advance new learning goals, called the Common Core standards, that have been adopted by 45 states.

California would be moving up its timetable for the computerized tests by a year, leaving some school districts scrambling to prepare. The plan also would result in the suspension of test scores for at least a year during a trial run of the new exams.

The lack of test scores attracted Duncan's criticism.

"Letting an entire school year pass for millions of students without sharing information on their schools’ performance with them and their families is the wrong way to go about this transition," he said in a statement. "No one wants to over-test, but if you are going to support all students’ 

Philadelphia Students Head Back To School Amid Cuts, Fewer Teachers And Missing Staff:

Philadelphia Students Head Back To School Amid Cuts, Fewer Teachers And Missing Staff

 PHILADELPHIA -- All eyes were on the City of Brotherly Love Monday as students and teachers returned to its massively diminished public schools for the first day back from summer vacation.

Officials said the first day went smoothly, given the circumstances: Twenty-four schools were closed; the district has a junk credit rating; contracts have expired for many school employees; and the district is running a deficit of $304 million. Music and sports will only be available for the first semester. Gov. Tom Corbett (R) was stillwithholding $45 million in federal money as he sought $104 million in concessions, including a massive pay cut, from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union.

K.R. Luebbert, a teacher at Middle Years Alternative, saw the effects of the cuts up close. Luebbert tweeted that parents dropped their kids off an hour before school opened, and there was no staff present to receive them. Teacher Christina Punteltweeted that her school had no counselors. "Seniors wanted to know about college applications," she wrote. "Fuggedaboutit." Another teacher reported that he had not yet received copy paper or workbooks.

At South Philadelphia High School, a huge building fondly known as Southern, a few thousand students were greeted Monday by a red-lettered marquee that said, 

9-10-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

Bill McCallum Responds to My Post

“How I Spend My Spare Time” I recently wrote a post entitled, “A Sane Reply to Bill McCallum: Why I Cannot Support the Common Core “State” Standards.” I addressed directly some of my concerns and gave some general reasons that I can’t go along with Bill McCallum’s request to join him in supporting CCSSI. As […]

16 by Michael Paul Gold... / 1h 

Kansas Charter School Anticulturalism Sends Child Home in Tears

The protests that this situation has aroused is a good thing, but a much better thing would be for parents to get just as upset about the anticultural curriculum and chain gang behavior control as they now are about racist rules regarding hair styles.  

1 by Jim Horn / 20min 

1st Anniversary Repost: Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike (EdWeek) | the becoming radical

1st Anniversary Repost: Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike (EdWeek) | the becoming radical.

by plthomasedd / 2min 

What, Me Blog? | the becoming radical

What, Me Blog? | the becoming radical.

by plthomasedd / 0min 

A “few questions” Michelle Rhee Won’t Answer

by Jim Horn / 29min 

Localized VAM and Nationalized Scam

Part of the story we tell in TMoE focuses on how value-added modeling (VAM) grew up out of the backwoods of Tennessee to become an essential component of the national Common Core testing delivery engine that now appears to be running on fumes way short of its destination. Had anyone at the Gates Foundation or […]

1 by Jim Horn / 52min 

Rick Hess and the Art of Truly Bad Writing

I have been teaching writing now for thirty years. Eighteen of those years were spent in a rural South Carolina high school, and more recently I have been teaching first year writing seminars at a selective liberal arts university. Young writers are quite predictable in their writing. They gravitate toward huge, sweeping claims, but shy […]

by plthomasedd / 0min 

Ilana Horn: Recipe for Inequality

Recipe for inequality* 1. Find a metric that correlates to poverty. 2. Use it to measure quality. 3. Find that high poverty schools are bad. 4. Make schools’ resources dependent on quality. 5. Allow affluent to develop other revenue for their schools. 6. Close schools in poverty. 7. Justify school closures in high poverty neighborhoods […]

by plthomasedd / 4min 

9-9-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: CharterlandFrom NEPC: BOULDER, CO (September 9, 2013) – “Good schools shouldn’t weed out kids. They should teach everyone.” That’s the bottom line of the new “CharterLand” infographic from the Opportunity to Learn Campaign of the Schott Foundation. Inspired by the venerable children’s game “Candy Land,” the infographic asks players to work their way past Hoop […]by

by mike simpson / 9h