Sunday, September 8, 2013

Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior High | Lefty Parent

Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior High | Lefty Parent:

Coop Goes to High School Part 1 – Good Riddance to Junior High

September 8th, 2013 at 14:22

A junior high yearbook picture

In the summer of 1969, at age 14, it was a still recovering soul that did his best to psych up for yet another year of going to school after barely surviving the last three very difficult years at Tappan Junior High. Zager and Evans’ dystopian classic “In the Year 2525”, about a doomed world, was the big summer hit on CKLW AM radio. Perhaps more hopeful were all the songs on the radio from the provocative rock musical Hair about hippies and human liberation, as expressed by the reality and underlying metaphor of “letting your hair down”.

Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair’s too short

The iconic Woodstock music festival, which I knew nothing about at the time, was happening in upstate New York that August, the climactic event in what some would later call the “summer of love”. But the musical Hair at least made me familiar with that counterculture that was emerging with its “flower children” driven by a mantra of “peace, love, joy” facilitated by “sex, drugs and rock-n-roll” which allowed you to “tune in, turn on and drop out”.

I was secretly a wannabe hippie/revolutionary myself, inspired mostly at this

Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rights | Parents United for Public Education

Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rights | Parents United for Public Education:

Gloves off: It’s time for parents to exercise our legal rights

Posted on September 8, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a comment

(Cartoon: Signe Wilkinson, May 2012)

As we enter the school year, the purposeful underfunding and abuse of the state-run School District has never been more clear: 24 school closings. Children headed to schools even worse off than the ones they attended. Every single school across the city crippled by the deliberate refusal to staff them safely and responsibly. As the school year begins, it has never become more important for us to document and register formal complaints to record the neglect and abuse of Philadelphia’s children.

Parents are working with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia to document and report any and all complaints of the new school year. This process is for all students and families not just students with disabilities or IEPs.

The Pennsylvania state constitution mandates that students be provided with a “thorough and efficient system of public education.” The state code requires that the curriculum in schools includes the instruction of art, music, dance, and theater, as well as “comprehensive and integrated K-12 student services” and, in particular, guidance counseling services. There are also specific provisions requiring schools to have “sufficient numbers of qualified professional employees” to enforce the curriculum requirements. If children are being denied these services, you have the right to file a complaint, and the Secretary of Education has a responsibility to investigate any complaints of deficiency.

Our goal is to document and illustrate the widespread and harmful impact of the District’s violation of the state constitution and state code. The purpose of this effort is not to file complaints against principals orschool staf

Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Countdown, Day 1: The night before schools open

by thenotebook on Sep 08 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity?

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On the eve of schools opening, staff are working hard to prepare for a critical and highly scrutinized first day of the year.

Contract negotiations between the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School District, however, remain ongoing. District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the two sides met again Sunday. Asked to comment on the status of the talks or any future plans, he said only that "it is our hope that we find agreement at the negotiating table."

A candlelight vigil will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Gov. Corbett's Philadelphia office, located at 200 S. Broad St. Organized by the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS), the vigil will draw attention to how the governor's policies and budgets over the past several years have resulted in unacceptable educational conditions in Philadelphia.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: Mayor Nutter: Fight alongside teachers, don't scapegoat them

Mayor Nutter: Fight alongside teachers, don't scapegoat them:

Mayor Nutter: Fight alongside teachers, don't scapegoat them

June 28, 2013

Randi and I to Arne: Please Intervene to Save Public Schools in Philadelphia | Diane Ravitch's blog http://bit.ly/1aUtiHI

RIGHT NOW, students around the country are going back to school. They are excited, and maybe a bit nervous.

But students in Philadelphia this year have much more to wrestle with. On Sept. 9, these students will step into schools with overcrowded classrooms. Split-grade classrooms. Fleeting music, art and extracurricular activities. If college is an aspiration, as it should be, or if things are rough in a student's life, he or she may be out of luck, as there will be precious few counselors, if any, to advise. Some schools don't even have a plan for who will give insulin shots with only one nurse serving 1,500 students.

And that's why last week, in order to restore services for kids and make sure that our schools are safer and more adequately resourced, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers offered to sacrifice once more - proposing a pay freeze and health-care concessions. Philadelphia's educators have always been willing to do their part.

Instead of working with teachers, Mayor Nutter chose to attack them and go after their voice. That's not the leadership our kids deserve. It's unconscionable that Mayor Nutter would call the real concerns of parents and teachers a "distraction." It's indefensible that he would call proposed concessions a "disappointment."

Although a recent editorial in the Daily News claimed otherwise, Mayor Nutter absolutely has a role in funding Philadelphia schools and, more importantly, in doing everything in his power to help his city provide children a great public education. He admitted as much himself in a #dropthemic tweet where he crowed about the funds he's raised for Philly schools. And what about the fact that two of the five School Reform Commission members are the mayor's appointees?

The reality is that Mayor Nutter has dropped the ball. But there are things Mayor Nutter could do right now to shore up money
Read more athttp://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130906_Mayor_Nutter__Fight_alongside_teachers__don_t_scapegoat_them.html#J6ukYPE7qzjRj6Db.99

Diane in the Evening 9-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

What Direction for NYC’s Public Schools?

The New York Times published an online debate about what is needed next in NYC. Pedro Noguera, Geoffrey Canada, So Stern and I weigh in. Who is defending the status quo? You decide.

5 by dianerav / 26min

Teacher: a Letter to My Union Leader

Randi, Dennis, I have a B.S. in Biology from UCLA and have a M.S. from Texas A&M University. I decided to go into public school teaching to share my love of science with children . However, ever since I entered the public schhols in NYS, I have been placed in the most economically challenged school districts (South Bronx and now Newburgh NY). My evaluations based upon observations have been, s

by dianerav / 10min

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Welcome to Charterland: The GameThe National Opportunity to Learn campaign has created a game called Charterland, based on the popular children’s game Candyland. Test your skills. Would you make it to the finish lime?6 by dianerav / 1h Everything You Wanted to Know about Teacher Evaluation But Were Afraid to AskThis is a terrific n

by mike simpson / 59min

Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Edition - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Edition - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

Short Notes: Back To School 2013 OMG What Have I Done? Edition

by JOSE VILSON on SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

in SHORT NOTES

A few notes:

Hannah Nguyen bursts onto the scene with a comment at Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall last week. Check this out! [InspirEDucation]
Richard Rothstein just earned himself a new fan with his dissection of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s assertion that integration should be “voluntary.” [Economic Policy Institute]
Contrary to popular belief, the general public values math the most out of the general subjects

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/short-notes-back-school-2013-omg-done-edition/#sthash.mbHWgFcb.dpuf

Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com:

Former L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Accepts Job with Herbalife, Criticism Swift & Harsh

The former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa has been hired to be an adviser to the controversial Herbalife Ltd., the company announced through a press release. The announcement received swift and harsh criticism from the Latino community.

The Mexican-American former mayor will advise the California-based entity on ‘strategic business development and global community outreach.’ Villaraigosa, 60, is joining the firm during an especially critical time as the company fights accusations of being a pyramid scheme that takes advantages of many, especially Latinos.

Hispanics represent the largest segment of nutritional product distributors the company has; nearly 60 percent of Herbalife distributors are Latino. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has said the company misleads Latinos on how much they can actually make selling the products and many lose money buying products that they will never be able to sell through person-to-person efforts.

LULAC and other Latino groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the company.

Brent Wilkes of LULAC upon hearing of Villaraigosa’s hiring said to the Los Angeles Times “I’m

9-8-13 Missouri Education Watchdog

Missouri Education Watchdog:

We Must Have Testing Parody Video

It's making the rounds, but in case you haven't seen it, this video is a funny take on a serious problem. Enjoy.

by Anngie / 6min

Illinois Takes On Common Core

A few weeks ago Gretchen and I traveled to Quincy IL to talk about Common Core. We did an interview with news anchor Matt Schmidt on the local NBC affiliate. Part 2: News This Week Interview on Common Core Illinois has its own challenges with common core, a big one being the fact that they received Race To The Top funding. Other challenges facing Illinois are the fact that the current admini

38 by Anngie / 6min

The Promises of Common Core Like Those For The Health Care Act - Fading Fast

"If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what" President Obama addressing the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, 2009 WSJ Now that the Affordable Care Act is being implemented we are beginning to see that what government pr

59 by Anngie / 6min

Common Core Survey SAYS......

...the majority of the respondents don't want it. From Is the move toward a new, national Common Core educational standard a good idea? Here are the current totals as of 8:00 AM EST on September 6, 2013: 21%Yes 60%No 19%Not sure ( 7638 votes ) We're glad to see Fox finally covering the Common Core issue. Al Jezeera television also wants to find out opinions on Common Co

95 by stlgretchen / 6min

If You're Not Paying Attention To Education, Don't Worry. They Are.

Wading into education at this point in time is like walking across quicksand during an earthquake. Nothing seems stable, at least not for very long. There is a growing understanding that education as we know it is changing. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is justifiable concern about what it is changing into. The Saul Alinksy tactic tells the change agents to create a crisis that wi

55 by Anngie / 6min mark as read // save

Common Core Aligned Curricula Discussed by a Teacher/Parent. Heart Mapping, Data Mining and More.

Is this the type of education that will make students globally competitive? Do you want your child's "heart mapping" entered into a data base or published on the Internet? A teacher/parent gives examples of what Common Core looks like in the classroom. From Marcia Alder in Indiana: **************************************** COMMON CORE AT LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT * C

47 by stlgretchen / 6min

9-8-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Look Ma…. No hands! Another Charter School accused of doctoring the books…

So this time it is the “South Bronx Charter School Accused of Firing Whistleblower.” South Bronx Charter School: Enrollment of students with IEPs: 5.4 % compared to District average of 18.3 % Enrollment of English Language Learners: 7.7% compared to District average of 19%. South Bronx Charter School loses nearly 50 percent of the students […]The post Look Ma…. No hands! Another Charter School ac

3 by jonpelto / 34min

Commissioner’s Network Turnaround Plan: Strategy #1: “Increase fidelity”…

As if calling Steven Adamowski a “Special Master” wasn’t odd and disturbing enough, a recent document coming out of Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor’s office highlighted the bizarre, and quite frankly demeaning, approach taken by the corporate education reform industry when it comes to public education and public schools. An official document entitled “Commissioner’s Network […]The post Comm

3 by jonpelto / 40min

9-7-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Our Orwellian education policy, Part 2Two weeks ago, Wendy Lecker, Connecticut public education advocate and commentary writer for Hearst Media, Wendy Lecker, wrote Part 1 of a piece about George Orwell’s definition of “doublethink” explained Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform strategy. (Part I can be found at: http://jonathanpelto.com/2013/08/27/orwellian-education-policy-wendy-

by mike simpson / 20h

9-8-13 Jersey Jazzman: New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-Ledger

Jersey Jazzman: New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-Ledger:

New Depths of Ignorance For the Star-Ledger

ME (speaking with mouthful of muffin): Would it be wrong for me to write a post entitled: "Star-Ledger Editorial Board: the Stupidest People on Earth!" MRS. JAZZMAN (looking up from sipping smoothie): Yes, it would. Not only is it unnecessarily provocative, it's untrue. They're not the stupidest people on Earth. ME: But they wrote this! For perspective, know that the reforms [NJ Democratic gube

15 by Duke / 42min

9-7-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: Why Does Anyone Listen To Mike Bloomberg?Only a few more months and we won't have to listen to Mike Bloomberg rattle off nonsense like this anymore: You’re a believer in the empirical, in data. But after all the changes in standards, is there any credibility in the test scores and graduation rates?It is very hard to explain complex numbers in a sound bite. But when the numbers wen

by mike simpson / 21h

UPDATE: Opt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National

Opt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National:

Portfolio Letter: Demand Authentic Assessment

Please consider adding this portfolio letter to your opt out/refusal letter this year. We are finding that report card grades for the 2013-2014 school year are increasingly based on corporate test scores. Student work is counting for less when determining … MORE

9 by admin / 0min

OPT-OUT/REFUSAL GUIDES FOR EACH STATE

All documents are for informational purposes only and do not substitute as legal advice or legal counsel. The information contained in these documents and this website may or may not reflect the most current developments in education policy within our nation or within each state. Information shared here is not guaranteed to be correct or complete and UOO disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all contents of this website.

Colorado Connecticut Delaware

Yes, You Can Opt Out of Common Core Tests 10 comments

Good news: after sending an opt out letter (seen below) I received three letters back, from my high school student’s principal, math teacher and English teacher.

Each letter said that my child may take a paper-and-pencil alternative to the Common Core tests without any academic penalty. The school is apparently not enforcing the absurd current state law which states that schools must punish the student who opts out with a non-proficient score. Hooray!

I’m sharing this, so that anyone may create or adapt this letter for their use, if they like.

————————————————————————————————————————————

Dear Principal and Teachers,

Thank you for all you do for our kids. I sincerely appreciate your hard work, dedication and caring.

I am writing to let you know that ___________ my 11th grade child, will not be participating in the state’s new AIR/SAGE tests this year or next year. These are the Common Core aligned tests that feed into the federally funded State Longitudinal Database System and measure not only math and English, but also nonacademic, personal information including behavioral indicators (according to recent state law) and are to be used in grading schools.

I would like my child to have a pencil and paper alternative that is to be used ONLY at the school level, and not sent to the district or state levels.

I believe that this choice may be hurting this high school’s “school grade” so I apologize. It is not my wish to harm this excellent school in any way. I am also aware that it may hurt my child’s academic grade. Rather than getting an opt-out score, a non-test taker may get a non-proficient score. This is a tragedy for students and schools.

Our state leaders have created this situation that punishes schools and students when parents opt out of the tests.

(–You can quit reading here. But if you are interested in why I am writing this letter to opt my child out of the tests, please read on.)

Attached are PDF copies of the original bill SB175 and the amended bill put forth by the USOE at the Aug 2. meeting. On line 164 of the amended bill is what the USOE added. This is the part of the bill I find morally wrong.

164 (2) the parent makes a written request consistent with 165 LEA administrative timelines and procedures that the parent’s
166 student not be tested. Students not tested due to parent 167 request shall receive a non-proficient score which shall be
168 used in school accountability calculations.

A parent should be able to opt their child out of the invasive computer adaptive testing without the child receiving a non-proficient score, after that child has spent an entire year in school and has received grades for the work that could easily determine proficiency.

A single test should not determine the success of a child’s school year in one swoop, any more than it should determine the grade for that school for the year. There are too many variables to consider yet testing is the only criteria by which a school (or student?) will be seriously graded. I realize there are other minor components that will factor into the grading of a school, but the main emphasis will be on the test scores.

There are many things wrong in education not the least of which are laws that tighten control over our children while telling parents what’s good for them. I should not have to pull my children out of school in order to protect them from invasive and experimental testing.

Signed…

—————————————————————————————————————

WHY DO PARENTS WANT TO OPT OUT OF COMMON CORE TESTING?

1. The AIR/SAGE/Utah Common Core tests, which test math and English, are nontransparent and secretive.

2. I don’t believe in the Common Core standards upon which these tests are based. They are experimental. They snub classic literature. They dilute classical math. They were developed and copyrighted by two D.C. private clubs who have no accountability to me as a teacher or as a voter– (the NGA and CCSSO). They give power to a centralized system that is contrary to the constitutional concept of separating powers and empowering local control.

3. The tests feed the national data collection beast via the 50 nationally interoperable State Longitudinal Database Systems (SLDS), feed the P-20 child tracking/surveillance program, and will gather nonacademic, private information on students, including “behavioral indicators” according to Utah state law HB5.

4. It’s nobody’s business, even in Utah, how my individual child does in math and English –except the teacher’s business, and mine. My child’s not to be counted as the government’s “human capital” and the government’s not an invited “stakeholder” in my child’s education, career, or life. Too bad for Governor Herbert’s darling, Prosperity 2020! Remember this: business leaders, governments and legislatures don’t have authority to use tests and data collection to snoop on any child (or adult) for “collective economic prosperity” or for any other reason.

5. Overemphasis on high-stakes testing hurts kids and wastes instructional time.

6. Overemphasis on high-stakes testing hurts teachers. They will be controlled by how students do on the tests; this limits teachers’ autonomy in the classroom and is an insult to teachers’ professional judgment.

More parents opting kids out of standardized tests

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2013, 1:06 PM

KATIE ZEZIMA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PAGES: 1 2 3 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL

DELAWARE TOWNSHIP — While his eighth-grade classmates took state standardized tests this spring, Tucker Richardson woke up late and played basketball in his Delaware Township driveway.
Tucker's parents, Wendy and Will, are part of a small but growing number of parents nationwide who are ensuring their children do not participate in standardized testing. They are opposed to the practice for myriad reasons, including the stress they believe it brings on young students, discomfort with tests being used to gauge teacher performance, fear that corporate influence is overriding education and concern that test prep is narrowing curricula down to the minimum needed to pass an exam.
"I'm just opposed to the way high-stakes testing is being used to evaluate teachers, the way it's being used to define what's happening in classrooms," said Will Richardson, an educational consultant and former teacher. "These tests are not meant to evaluate teachers. They're meant to find out what kids know."
The opt-out movement, as it is called, is small but growing. It has been brewing for several years via word of mouth and social media, especially through Facebook. The "Long Island opt-out info" Facebook page has more than 9,200 members, many of them rallying at a Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., high school last month after a group of principals called this year's state tests — and their low scores — a "debacle."
In Washington. D.C., a group of parents and students protested outside the Department of Education. Students and teachers at a Seattle high school boycotted a standardized test,

- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/More_parents_opting_kids_out_of_standardized_tests.html#sthash.6SvbIE4g.dpuf

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