Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform | deutsch29

The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform | deutsch29:

The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform






On October 28, 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the 2015 “Nation’s Report Card”– the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores.
Students across the nation are randomly selected to complete the NAEP, which is given approximately every two years in two areas (reading and math) in grades 4, 8 and 12. The primary focus is on NAEP results for grades 4 and 8, since NAEP participation for grades 4 and 8 became a federal mandate for states as a result of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
These two files include state and national NAEP scores from the early 1990s to the present:
The above files as well as other NAEP data tables can be found using the search engine at the bottom of this link. Available tables include those for NAEP reading and math scores in select, large districts.
The short story regarding the 2o15 NAEP results are that they are a lackluster indictment of the test-score-driven reforms that have plagued the American public schools for the past 15 years.
A lot is being written (and spun) regarding these scores. Two articles in particular capture well the unmistakable failure of test-centric, corporate reform. The first is this October 28, 2015, post by education historian, Diane Ravitch. Here is an enlightening excerpt:
Sometimes events happen that seem to be disconnected, but after a few days or weeks, the pattern emerges. Consider this: On October 2, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that he was resigning and planned to return to Chicago. Former New York Commissioner of Education John King, 
The NAEP Indictment of Corporate Reform | deutsch29:

Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies! | Reggie Harris

Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies! | Reggie Harris:

Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies!

BLACK STUDENT


This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the #BlackStudentLivesMatter forum in Oakland, California.  At this event I had a chance to hear many compelling stories, including the story of Cameron Simmons, the Youth Advocate from Restorative Justice Oakland Youth; the story of a boy who was first suspended at the age of four for allegedly stealing his own candy; the story of a young man who was suspended over 150 times during his school career and is still standing and free to talk about it; the story of a young man who shared an almost identical (however more impressive) story to my own.  My first three suspensions came in the second grade as well as my first recommendation for expulsion for things that would now be considered "willful defiance."
 
Recently,  Eva Moskowitz, the President of one of New York City's largest charter schools, Success Academy - and a former councilwoman - appeared on "PBS Newshour" and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten wrote a piece in the Huffington Post, both discussed school discipline and its effects on Black students.  While I genuinely appreciate their intentions I can't help but to be troubled when I hear Ms. Moskowitz express, "If you get it right in the early years, you actually have to suspend far less when the kids are older, because they understand what is expected of them."  Equally troubling was her reference to "sexually explicit language" as an example and a reason for mandatory suspension, which demonstrates both a cultural disconnect and an implicit bias. Daytime television is packed with sexually explicit language, not to mention radio.  Sending a kid home to watch Maury and Jerry Springer for three straight days and expecting them to return with a more collegial vocabulary is simply illogical.
 
Ms. Weingarten seems to be a bit more on the mark with her actions and rhetoric, most notably joining protests in support of Eric Garner, but when she expresses, according to a recent AFT press release, "How many times did I cross the street Randi and Eva: Stop Suspending Our Babies! | Reggie Harris:

A Sample Opt Out Letter | Seattle Education

A Sample Opt Out Letter | Seattle Education:

A Sample Opt Out Letter



opting out3


Standardized testing has started in Seattle Public Schools.
Wondering when your child will be tested? Curious what tests will be given at your school?  Here are the links to the SPS assessment calendar. Click here for the testing schedule for grades K-8. For grades 9-12, click here.
Opting out is the most powerful tool parents have to push back against testing AND gain leverage for the things kids need more of like: art, PE, and instructional time. Now is the time to write your opt out letter.
Here’s a simple template to get you started:
Dear____________________ (Principal),
I respectfully refuse to have my child, ____________________, take the Smarter Balanced Assessments, Amplify, MAP, WaKIDS, MSP (or other tests, listed here:___________________).  This includes practice tests and make up tests.
Please provide a comfortable and supervised space for my child to engage in a meaningful learning activity, do homework, or read.  My child will need full access to their backpack and lunch.  Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Signature:________________________      Date:_____________________
Printed name:_____________________     Phone or email:______________________
-Carolyn Leith



Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing - The Washington Post

Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing - The Washington Post:

Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing






Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg says that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are “making a grave mistake” by pledging to reduce the amount of standardized tests mandated in U.S. schools.
In an essay first published Tuesday by Bloomberg View, which he owns, the former mayor has harsh words for the president and his education secretary, accusing them of “caving to pressure from union leaders and a vocal subset of parents.” He said their actions could do “real harm to our poorest students and America’s future.”
Bloomberg wrote that “students will face tests throughout their life. They must learn to cope with the emotional stress that comes with the experience, particularly because many companies (including mine) use tests in hiring. I understand: Test-taking is no one’s idea of fun, but it is part of life and shielding students from it does them a great disservice.”
He suggested that cutting back on testing will reduce pressure on schools to educate all children and will ultimately harm the country.
“In the ultracompetitive global economy, the U.S. is facing a terrible mismatch between high-skill jobs and our labor pool,” Bloomberg wrote. “This problem will grow worse over time unless we expect more of ourselves and our students — and hold everyone, including teachers and school leaders, accountable for success. Caving to pressure from union leaders and a vocal subset of parents who want to end testing and accountability will make it harder to achieve that success.”
During Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor, the state legislature transferred responsibility for the nation’s largest school system to the mayor instead of a school board. He aggressively pushed through policy changes, including a teacher evaluation system based on student test scores and a rapid expansion of public charter schools. His schools chancellor, Joel Klein, emphasized the use of test score data to drive decision making.
Bloomberg, the three-term mayor who left office in 2013, was responding in Bloomberg: Obama and Duncan are making a wrong turn over testing - The Washington Post:

Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.” - Wait What?

Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.” - Wait What?:

Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.”






For the past five years, Governor Dannel Malloy has steadfastly refused to properly address Connecticut’s failure to properly fund its long-term obligations, including the state’s two pension funds and state employee post-retirement benefits.
Today, in what he called a “bold move,” Malloy announced his solution.
The strategy can best be described as a plan to put our collective heads in the sand, push off the burden to our children and hope that no one notices!
The plan is nothing but a gimmick to reduce the budget deficits that Malloy has built into his state budgets.
As the CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf explains in his article entitled, Malloy calls for big change in pension financing
East Hartford — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy outlined Wednesday a sweeping plan to overhaul state government’s pension system, pushing some costs off for a decade and a half to control spiking costs that he argued could drive up taxes and drain vital programs.
[…]
Benjamin Barnes, the governor’s budget director, said actuarial assessments and other fiscal details of the plan, developed in cooperation with a study of the pension system performed by analysts at Boston College, would be released soon.
“There is no magic bullet to solve high pension costs,” Malloy told commissioners during a briefing at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. “We 
Malloy announces new fiscal strategy based on the notion of “Putting Head in Sand.” - Wait What?:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/28/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM





School-Sponsored Violence Against Children: When Will We End Corporal Punishment? - Living in Dialogue
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NPE Action Endorses Helen Gym for Philadelphia City Council At-Large - NPE Action
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Things educators know about schooling that the public needs to know | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
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John Thompson: Pity the Disposable Principals | Diane Ravitch's blog - Linkis.com
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With Federal Millions, “Wild West” of Charters Is about to Get Even Wilder | PR Watch
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For Whom The Bell Tolls; It Tolls For Rhee | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
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Emperor Gates Has No Clothes | Jay P. Greene's Blog
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Pennsylvania: How to Create a School Financial Crisis | The Progressive
Pennsylvania: How to Create a School Financial Crisis | The Progressive: Pennsylvania: How to Create a School Financial Crisis The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is in the grip of a major public education financial crisis. How did we get here? Well, Rome wasn’t burnt in a day. There are several stations on the way to schoolmageddon.Start With Built-in DisparitiesEveryone knows that Pennsylvania is h
Schools Matter: President Spellings
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Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores Drop; Duncan Says,"Don't Worry"
Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores Drop; Duncan Says,"Don't Worry": NAEP Scores Drop; Duncan Says,"Don't Worry"Now what if there were NO Common Core standards being enacted?  Would he be quite so calm?  He was quite happy in 2013 when the scores went up and he crowed about how all eight states using CCSS showed improvement in at least one score with none declining.  T
CURMUDGUCATION: NAEP: Further Evidence of Reformy Failure
CURMUDGUCATION: NAEP: Further Evidence of Reformy Failure: NAEP: Further Evidence of Reformy FailureMike Petrilli of the Fordham Institute has gone so far as to call the new NAEP scores "heartbreak." The scores on the Nation's Report Card are crappy, ranging from "barely stagnant" to "plunging."Petrilli and other reformsters have started the business of finding an exp
Report calls for more support for black students in California | EdSource
Report calls for more support for black students in California | EdSource: Report calls for more support for black students in CaliforniaA new report released Wednesday by the student advocacy group Education Trust­-West calls for an increased focus on helping black students thrive in California schools.Called “Black Minds Matter: Supporting the Educational Success of Black Children in California,
Bombshell Report Exposes Federal Failure to Oversee Charters | janresseger
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Bronin reports another $174,000 collected with seven days to go until Election Day - Wait What?
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NAEP Scores Released Today, Showing the Fiasco of NCLB and Race to the Top | Diane Ravitch's blog
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NAEP Test Scores Demonstrate Failure of Corporate Reforms – The Network For Public Education
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Geaux Teacher!: NAEP Scores Reflect Failure of Reform's "no excuses" Accountability Policy
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Will a decline on the Nation’s Report Card hurt Common Core? - The Hechinger Report
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The madness of state control of Newark’s schools–the crystal clear sanity of Jimmie White | Bob Braun's Ledger
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Americans’ Math Test Scores Down for First Time in 25 Years - Fortune
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Lackluster report card 'no big surprise' to US education secretary - Yahoo News
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Fulton Schools: Charter schools shirk questions about finances | www.myajc.com
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Heartbreak on NAEP | The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
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Break budget impasse with charter school reform | Opinion | CentreDaily.com
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Mayor: Dissolve the School Reform Commission | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
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What the national drop in 2015 NAEP test scores really means - The Washington Post
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Obama Responds to Testing Fatique, Widespread Opt-Outs, the Accountability-Driven Reform Movement - The Atlantic
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Naep Scores Stagnant: Duncan Says Wait a Decade - DR - NAEP dashboards - report_card
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California districts moving to new ‘integrated’ high school math pathway | EdSource
California districts moving to new ‘integrated’ high school math pathway | EdSource: California districts moving to new ‘integrated’ high school math pathwayThis fall 9th-grade students in virtually all California high schools are taking math classes aligned with the Common Core standards. But for many of them there is an additional twist: they are embarking on a sequence of courses that represent
Nationwide Test Shows Dip in Students’ Math Abilities - The New York Times
Nationwide Test Shows Dip in Students’ Math Abilities - The New York Times: Nationwide Test Shows Dip in Students’ Math AbilitiesFor the first time since 1990, the mathematical skills of American students have dropped, according to results of a nationwide test released by theEducation Department on Wednesday.The decline appeared in both Grades 4 and 8 in an exam administered every two years as the
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Testing and the Problem With Grant-Driven Educational Projects | Rick Ayers
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“Fund for Louisiana’s Future” is a DC Super PAC Devoted to David Vitter | deutsch29
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Peg with Pen: Opt Out Revolution: The Next Wave
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Dominant Education Policies
Dominant Education Policies: How Dominant Education Policies Help Shrink Middle ClassThe erosion of the American middle class and the relentless attack on the standard of living of the American work force is dramatized by two dominant tendencies in education policy:The dependence on low wage adjunct instructors—many of whom are as qualified as tenured faculty—to do the bulk of the teaching in the
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/27/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMProgressive Educational Policies LA’s Democrats Should EmbraceProgressive Educational Policies: Progressive Educational Policies LA’s Democrats Should Embraces LAUSD searches for a new Superintendent, there has been a call not to “politicize” the process by people who mysteriously or calculatingly believe that the job itself isn’t political.Well let’s disabuse everyone of that n