Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test? | Missouri Education Watchdog

Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test? | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test?

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 A Nevada mom contacted me about the issues arising from a parent’s request to opt his child out of standardized testing and her letter appears below:

Whose Child is this Anyway?

 For the past several months parents of public school children have been asking, insisting, and demanding that their children not be forced to take a standardized test.  Why are parents of public school children asking, insisting, and demanding that their children not be forced to take standardized tests? 

Here’s the answer – Because parents are being kicked to the curb by people in positions that they have somehow, elevated in their own minds, as being larger or otherwise more important than the parents.  When a parent makes a decision for their child that decision is recognized by natural law, if not out of respect or deference to the parent.  Furthermore, the parent need not give a reason.  Why you ask – because parents are the final authority.

 It’s a fringe thought isn’t it?  Parents have not only a say in their children’s lives but they have the say in their children’s lives?  One more time – parents have not only a say in their children’s lives but the

Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test? | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse | janresseger

Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse | janresseger:

Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse

Posted on April 16, 2014 by janresseger

Ohio sends $1 billion every year out of its public education budget to charter schools and vouchers.  According to Doug Livingston at the Akron Beacon-Journal, Ohio’s charter schools and their sponsors are so poorly regulated by the state legislature that the private companies hired by nonprofits to manage their charter schools have been known to recruit (and fire) members of the boards whose responsibility it is to oversee and regulate the management companies.  “In Ohio, charter schools are required to satisfy strict federal guidelines as nonprofit organizations under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue code, including board autonomy.  If the board is not independent of the company, the IRS is supposed to throw up a red flag.  But state law allows private companies to throw out non-profit boards that challenge them.”  White Hat Management is known for such practices.

Leaders in the state legislature that brought Ohio this lucrative arrangement for wealthy White Hat charter czar David Brennan and cyber-charter parasite William Lager, the owner of two privately-held companies that siphon $100 million annually from Ohio’s school budget for the services provided to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, now want to remove the constitutional checks and balances that protect the allocation and distribution of the state’s public school budget.

The legislature has created a Constitutional Modernization Commission that seeks to remove the state’s public education clause from the 160-year-old Ohio Constitution.  Writing for theAkron Beacon-Journal, Carol Biliczky reports that the Commission’s education committee chair, Chad Readler, a Columbus attorney who has prominently represented the interests of charter schools in recent years, “suggested removing the ‘thorough and efficient’ clause Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse | janresseger:

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and Teachers

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and Teachers:

The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and Teachers

Last year I had a student who was a big fan of the band Queen. Actually I don't know the precise extent of his love for the band, but I'm certain he enjoyed the song, "We Will Rock You." I know this because he was fond of the rhythm, and regularly expressed it by stomping on the floor and hitting the desk. At first a look would stop it, but as the year wore on it became longer and more persistent, and more and more students would join in.

Toward the end of the year it got long enough that he actually started singing, "We will, we will rock you," once or twice. It was kind of cute that the class joined him, and kind of funny that it started apropos of nothing. So the first few times it got that far I kind of did a slow burn and let them do it.

After a while, though, I realized my neighbor in the adjacent trailer was not as tolerant as I was. After all, where in the Danielson rubric were we gonna get points for organized singing. So I decided to put a stop to it. "You can't do that anymore until you learn the verses," I proclaimed, and it stopped for a few days.

However, the next time it started, he actually had the words. I couldn't really verify whether or not they were correct since I don't know the verses myself. There was something pretty funny about hearing them sung with an accent far different from that of Freddie Mercury, but once again I thought about being a good neighbor, and told him, "You haven't learned the 

Opinion: What's Good for Our Teachers Is Good for Our Students - NJ Spotlight

Opinion: What's Good for Our Teachers Is Good for Our Students - NJ Spotlight:

OPINION: WHAT'S GOOD FOR OUR TEACHERS IS GOOD FOR OUR STUDENTS

MARK WEBER | APRIL 16, 2014

Attempts to deprecate or demonize teachers when they stand up for themselves are bad for our kids' education

Why is teaching the only profession in New Jersey (and the nation) where employees are criticized for standing up for themselves?

In Newark, the teachers union has decried a plan, proposed by State Superintendent Cami Anderson, to bypass laws requiring the use of seniority in layoffs. Considering the NTU just ratified a contract in 2012 that included unprecedented provisions for merit pay and teacher evaluation, the Newark Teachers Union felt blindsided by Anderson’s request for a waiver from seniority laws.

Her response?

An op-ed in the Huffington Post that chides her critics for criticizing what she describes as “. . . bold proposals that challenge sacred cows -- and adult interests embedded in the status quo.”

In other words: Anderson thinks it’s wrong for Newark’s teachers to demand that the laws that protect the interests of educators in other districts apply to them as well, because standing up for themselves perpetuates a “status quo” harmful to children.

New Jersey’s former Education Commissioner Chris Cerf was also given to making oblique statements that took teachers and their unions to task when they advocated for themselves. Cerf saw himself as a crusader who stood up against those who “… focus on adult interests at the expense of children’s interests.”

MAYORAL RIVALS FIND COMMON FOE IN STATE CONTROL OF NEWARK SCHOOLS

JOHN MOONEY | APRIL 16, 2014

Both candidates promise to pose challenges for state’s new education commissioner

Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka

Even thought they hold no legal authority over the public schools, Newark’s mayors through the years have never been shy about expressing their views – and exerting their considerable influence – over the state’s largest school district.

This spring’s contentious race between mayoral candidates Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries is proving to be no exception, with the state of the schools at the center of the campaign in many ways.

Baraka, a city councilman and principal of the city’s Central High School, has drawn some of his biggest support from those opposed to the state’s ongoing control of the school district and, specifically, the leadership of Superintendent Cami Anderson, who was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie three years ago.

Jeffries, a Seton Hall law professor and former assistant state attorney general, comes from the school-reform camp that Baraka opposes and was among the founding board members of the city’s largest charter school network.

But in the weeks leading up to the May 13 vote, where it has gotten especially interesting is that a common ground has emerged in the candidates’ views of the state’s operation of the city’s schools and Anderson’s leadership.

Newark mayoral candidate Shavar Jeffries

Jefferies, a former chair of the School 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark:

New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark

Yes, there's lots of evidence to show poor kids and children of color are generally being taught by teachers with less experience (or no experience) which puts them at a severe disadvantage. But the Huffington headline calling schools "racist" is one-sided and misleading. Credit instead should go to Race To The Top. To TFA. To the power philanthropists, corporate reformers, re-segregationists and private charter operators. They all contribute on this.

But a recent study from Center For American Progress takes this worthwhile exposure of discrimination and inequality to a different level. After basing their study on the new evaluation practices and teacher rating systems now in place in Louisiana and Massachusetts and accepting the premise that teacher quality can be assessed entirely or mainly on the basis of student test scores, (La. requires every teacher to be evaluated, with 50% of the evaluation rating based on test scores or  "student growth") they conclude that minority students have Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark:

Watching Pearson: A Micro-Documentary by Todd Finley

Watching Pearson: A Micro-Documentary by Todd Finley

Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spending | EdSource Today

Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spending | EdSource Today:

Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spending

April 15th, 2014 | Add a Comment | 
By Louis Freedberg

California’s school funding reform laws have triggered a burst of outreach efforts to solicit parent and community input – along with a plethora of suggestions about how to spend the additional funds districts will receive.

But what is not clear is how these multiple recommendations – in some districts running into the thousands – will be prioritized so that they will be useful to school officials and school boards as they draw up their Local Control and Accountability Plans before the rapidly approaching deadline of July 1.

California’s new school funding reform law requires parents and other key stakeholders, such as school personnel and community representatives, to provide input into the draft accountability plan. But the law is silent on how they should provide that input. That is in line with the spirit of the new law, which is intended to shift decision-making from Sacramento to individual districts. 

But some parent advocates worry that districts may have generated so much input it may not be focused enough to provide guidance to school boards and superintendents as they come up with their accountability plans.

San Diego Unified, for example, has sponsored five meetings to review its Vision 20/20 strategic plan, and is currently in the process of holding 16 smaller meetings to discuss the district’s LCAP. Lisa Berlanga, president of San Diego United Parents for Education, attended a meeting on March 20 at Patrick Henry High School  – the same school where her son is enrolled.  Berlanga said that 

Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No. | deutsch29

Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No. | deutsch29:

Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No.

April 15, 2014

John White’s job is on the line, and the primarily-purchased Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is standing behind its Common Core State Standards (CCSS)- and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)-promoting talking head.

For White’s annual evaluation, BESE gave him a 3 out of 4.

I’m thinking White’s BESE rating will not save him from the now-undeniable divide between White’s support for CCSS and PARCC and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s publicized change of position on the matter.

The April 15, 2014, nola.com article on White’s review notes that only BESE can fire White.

However, that does not mean that Jindal cannot get rid of White.

For starters, Louisiana lawmakers are considering legislation to make the state superintendency an elected position, not appointed by the governor and approved by BESE– and then shielded by BESE. If approved, election for the next superintendent would occur in 2015, effective 2016.

Second, in 2011, the BESE election was purchased in order to get White– who has less than five years of teaching experience– approved as state superintendent.  Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush assisted with this effort. Thus, if money could get White in, money can get him out.

Third– and this is the big one– Jindal does not play well with those who publicly 

New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather than efforts to improve instruction? 

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Teachers under siege?

Previous Posts

• Tuition will rise 2.5 percent at most Georgia colleges, but 9 percent at Tech and 7 at UGA
  April 15, 2014
• Will the revised SAT be: A. Better; B. Worse; C. Irrelevant
  April 14, 2014
• APS confirms new superintendent. Will the warm glow endure? 
  April 14, 2014

By Maureen Downey

W. James Popham, a UCLA Emeritus Professor, is the author of "Evaluating America’s Teachers: Mission Possible?"

He sent this column to the AJC.

By W. James Popham

In almost all 50 states including Georgia, teachers will soon be subjected to annual, high-stakes evaluations of their instructional competence. Unlike previous teacher evaluations that were aimed at improving teachers’ instructional skills, these new teacher evaluations are much more likely to lead to a teacher’s dismissal.

America’s teachers are, with good reason, concerned. 

The trouble is that state officials have swung from one extreme to the other. Stung by criticisms about the subjectivity of previous teacher-evaluation systems, they have instituted what they claim are wholly objective evaluations based on quantitative data.

Such by-the-numbers, supposedly scientific teacher evaluations, however, are destined to fail for two reasons. 

One of those reasons is the enormous diversity in different teachers’ instructional situations. Teachers differ in what they teach, who they teach, the effectiveness of their students’ previous instruction, and a host of other salient educational variables. To quantitatively evaluate a state’s teachers as though they were functioning in identical instructional settings is flat-out foolish. Yet, many of today’s judgment-free teacher evaluations attempt to do precisely that. 

The second obstacle faced by teacher evaluators is the variety and quality of the evidence being used to arrive at an evaluation of a teacher’s quality. The most common kinds of evidence New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Field Test Update Through 4-11-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Field Test Update Through 4-11-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):

Smarter Balanced Assessments Field Test Update through April 11

Week Three of Smarter Balanced Field Test*

• Students beginning testing (cumulative): 576,900.
• Students completing testing (cumulative): 320,300.
• Average daily number of calls to California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) for Week Three: 710.
• Trending topics of calls to CalTAC: locating correct versions of test and resetting administrator passwords.

*This week's update includes scheduled system downtime Friday, April 11.

Related Content

• Smarter Balanced Assessment System - Latest information about new generation of English-language arts and mathematics assessments.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

4-15-14 The Whole Child Blog — Glowing, Growing, and Getting Back to the Real Basics

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Glowing, Growing, and Getting Back to the Real Basics

April 15, 2014 by Whole Child Podcast

Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save]

In this era of school reform, turn around, and educational change, it is easy to overlook the basics of why we educate and what we want for our children. These aren't the typical basics—reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. Rather, these are the "real basics" of learning: developing a sense of belonging, instilling a sense of purpose, and expanding each child's potential for what the future may hold.

How do we get back to the "real basics" of education? What are the fundamental elements and habits that bring us together and set the stage for lasting, comprehensive—sustainable—school improvement? How do we assess where we have been, where we are now, where we want to go, and what strategies are necessary to get us there?

The Whole Child Podcast is one of the many ways we share stories, insights, and discussions about what works in today's schools to achieve these goals and ensure that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. And this episode, taped in front of a live audience at the 2014 ASCD Annual Conference in Los Angeles, features very special guests from Washington Montessori School, the 2014 winner of our Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award. You'll hear from

• Shanta Buchanan, literacy impact facilitator and dedicated educator who values the process of learning. She has been an advocate for children with hearing loss and early intervention since the birth of her daughter Brooke who was diagnosed with 

4-14-14 The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education

Rethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven Classroom — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGRethinking Classroom Pedagogy in the Standards-Driven ClassroomApril 14, 2014 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersPost written by Amber MedinThe long-term benefits of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been touted by the academic community at la

by mike simpson / 1min 

VAM and Status Quo Bias | Paul Bruno

VAM and Status Quo Bias | Paul Bruno:

VAM and Status Quo Bias

By PAUL BRUNO | Published: APRIL 15, 2014

Yesterday at This Week in Ed I wrote aboutthe American Statistical Association’s reporton value-added modeling in education:

[I]f you were to hear about this report only from the staunchest, most ideological opponents of VAM, you would think it says something else entirely. Valerie Strauss, for instance, claims the report “slammed” the use of VAM to evaluate teachers and Diane Ravitch seems to think it is a “damning indictment” of such policies.

The report itself is not nearly so hyperbolic.

For a useful summary check out Stephen Sawchuk, but the report itself is a mere seven accessible pages so I encourage you read it yourself.

The bottom line for the ASA is that they are optimistic about the use of “statistical methodology” to improve and evaluate educational interventions, but current value-added models have many limitations that make them difficult to interpret and apply, especially when evaluating individual teachers.

There’s been considerable confusion about the report because some people seem to be having a hard time getting their heads around the possibility that VAMs have serious limitations but may nevertheless be appropriate for use in education generally or teacher evaluation specifically. 

So, for example, it’s true – as I was told over and over on Twitter – that the VAM and Status Quo Bias | Paul Bruno:

solidaridad: NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them again

solidaridad: NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them again:

NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them again

Here's some interesting privatization connections in regards to the LAUSD District 1 race

First published April 15, 2014 on Los Angeles Independent Media Center "There is No Immoral Depth They Won’t Go In Pursuit of Their Agenda" — Celes King IV I have a piece coming out in the LA Progressive about the District 1 Special Election. They said it should run tonight or tomorrow. In it I endorse Sherlett Hendy Newbill and I also lend my political support to the other three educat

by Robert D. Skeels