Schools Matter: When Adults Take Tests Aimed at Children

Schools Matter: When Adults Take Tests Aimed at Children:

When Adults Take Tests Aimed at Children

by Jim Horn

From :

This was written by Marion Brady, veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author.

By Marion Brady
A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state’s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he’d make his scores public.

By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. His now-grown kids are well-educated. He has a big house in a good part of town. Paid-for condo in the Caribbean. Influential friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. Enough time of his own to give serious attention to his school board responsibilities. The margins of his electoral wins and his good relationships with administrators

All Education Matters: Hypervocal: Washington Post - “Forgive Us Our Student Loan Debt?” No Thanks!

All Education Matters: Hypervocal: Washington Post - “Forgive Us Our Student Loan Debt?” No Thanks!:

Hypervocal: Washington Post - “Forgive Us Our Student Loan Debt?” No Thanks!

by Cryn Johannsen

Here's another piece I recently wrote on my column, Seriously Subversive, over at Hypervocal.com.

The Washington Post, which owns for-profit Kaplan, published an op-ed on Monday in favor ofloan forgiveness. This is a company that has profited greatly from student loans.

Naturally, they will push an agenda whose language is not particularly well-received among a large portion of the American public. As soon as individuals, who have either already paid off their loans or never had loans in the first place, see grads demanding “loan forgiveness,” many people begin to groan. They say things like, “It was their damn decision to take out those loans? Now they don’t want to pay them back?” Or, “No one put a gun to their heads to take out that huge loan! Tough shit! Pay up!” Or, “So people who have loans are bitching and whining, when they got to go off to school and party and enjoy college life? And now they want a bailout too?!?”

Read the entire piece here.

John Thompson: The Center for American Progress Pushes the Good, Bad and Ugly in Teacher Evaluation: Part 1 - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: The Center for American Progress Pushes the Good, Bad and Ugly in Teacher Evaluation: Part 1 - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: The Center for American Progress Pushes the Good, Bad and Ugly in Teacher Evaluation: Part 1

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson. Part One of Two.

The Center For American Progress (CAP) is a progressive think tank founded by former Clinton staffer John Podesta. The CAP believes, "progressives are idealistic enough to believe change is possible and practical enough to make it happen." It thus collaborates with funders ranging from the liberal George Soros to Walmart to push the Obama Administration's agenda.

The Center For American Progress has published another report justifying the firing of teachers today, based on statistical models that may some day become valid. "Designing High Quality Evaluation Systems," by John Tyler, recounts the standard reasons why of educators do not trust high-stakes test-driven algorithms, and even contributes a couple of new insights into problems that are unique to high school test scores. An urban teacher

Request for Reviewers - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Request for Reviewers - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

December 2, 2011

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Individuals and Organizations:

REQUEST FOR REVIEWERS TO EVALUATE SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS ALIGNED TO THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

I am requesting your assistance in recruiting individuals to participate in the evaluation of supplemental instructional materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

In 2010, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released the CCSS in mathematics and language arts. The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the CCSS on August 2, 2010. California has committed to implementing the CCSS and is currently part of a multistate assessment consortium that plans on having CCSS-based assessments in place by the 2014–15 school year.

It will take a number of years to develop new curriculum frameworks and instructional materials aligned to the CCSS. In the interim, I have invited publishers of state-adopted programs in mathematics and language arts to submit supplemental instructional materials that bridge the gap between their existing programs and the CCSS. Subsequent to the recent passage of Senate Bill 140 (Lowenthal), we are currently expanding the review to include all publishers who wish to participate.

I am seeking both teachers and content experts to review the supplemental materials. The California Department of Education (CDE) will list on its Web site materials that are found to meet the criteria as resources that can help local educational agencies in their transition to the CCSS.

Reviewers will evaluate reading/language arts and mathematics instructional materials for alignment to the CCSS and evaluation criteria developed by the CDE and approved by the SBE. Reviewers will attend a training held at the county review sites in June 2012. They will review supplemental instructional materials independently at home and will then reconvene in panels for deliberations and the preparation of a report of findings in September 2012.

The critical dates and locations for the review are as follows:

Reading/Language Arts Materials

Training: June 21–22, 2012
Deliberations: September 20–22, 2012
San Joaquin County Office of Education
2901 Arch-Airport Road
Stockton, CA 95206

Mathematics Materials

Training: June 28–29, 2012
Deliberations: September 27–29, 2012
Orange County Office of Education
200 Kalmus Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Travel costs for attending the above meetings will be reimbursed. In addition, current classroom teachers will be eligible for reimbursement of substitute costs for the days of meetings in Stockton and Costa Mesa, CA.

The application process uses an online application posted at the CDE Web site. The deadline for submission of applications is January 31, 2012. The online application form and more information about the review are posted on the CDE Supplemental Instructional Materials Review Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/suptsupmatreview.asp. Please forward this information to any and all qualified candidates in your schools or organizations who might be interested in serving on these panels.

I encourage you to help us recruit qualified applicants for this important review. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation in disseminating this information.

If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact Kenneth McDonald, Education Programs Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks Unit, by phone at 916-319-0447 or by e-mail at kmcdonal@cde.ca.gov. You may also contact Cliff Rudnick, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, by phone at 916-323-5072 or by e-mail at crudnick@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

TT:km

cc: The Honorable Alan Lowenthal, California State Senate
Michael Kirst, President, State Board of Education
Dale Shimasaki, Association of American Publishers
Alice Petrossian, President, Association of California School Administrators

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Individuals and Organizations:

SHAPE California

Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) - Information about the network of schools and child care centers that are developing collaborative, positive nutrition policies.

---

SHAPE California is a network of over 90 school districts working together to improve the health and academic success of California children. Working as a team, child nutrition staff, teachers, school administrators, family, and the community work to provide a consistent nutrition message in child nutrition programs, classrooms, and throughout the school environment.

SHAPE Newsletter

• Fall 2011 Partner Newsletter (New Dec-2011)

SHAPE Participation

The SHAPE California Approach
Information about the network of schools and child care centers that are developing collaborative, positive nutrition policies.

• 2011-12 SHAPE Letter of Commitment (Posted Jul-2011; DOC; 68KB; 5pp.)
• SHAPE California Workshops (Updated Sept-2011)
• Criteria for Maintaining Participation
• Joining SHAPE California

Resources

Improving Children's Health Through a Comprehensive Nutrition Approach: An Evaluation of Nutrition Education in SHAPE California, June 2001

• Executive Summary (PDF; 46KB; 7pp.)
• Final Report (PDF; 443KB; 88pp.)

REQUEST FOR REVIEWERS TO EVALUATE SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS ALIGNED TO THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

I am requesting your assistance in recruiting individuals to participate in the evaluation of supplemental instructional materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

In 2010, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices released the CCSS in mathematics and language arts. The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the CCSS on August 2, 2010. California has committed to implementing the CCSS and is currently part of a multistate assessment consortium that plans on having CCSS-based assessments in place by the 2014–15 school year.

It will take a number of years to develop new curriculum frameworks and instructional materials aligned to the CCSS. In the interim, I have invited publishers of state-adopted programs in mathematics and language arts to submit supplemental instructional materials that bridge the gap between their existing programs and the CCSS. Subsequent to the recent passage of Senate Bill 140 (Lowenthal), we are currently expanding the review to include all publishers who wish to participate.

I am seeking both teachers and content experts to review the supplemental materials. The California Department of Education (CDE) will list on its Web site materials that are found to meet the criteria as resources that can help local educational agencies in their transition to the CCSS.

Reviewers will evaluate reading/language arts and mathematics instructional materials for alignment to the CCSS and evaluation criteria developed by the CDE and approved by the SBE. Reviewers will attend a training held at the county review sites in June 2012. They will review supplemental instructional materials independently at home and will then reconvene in panels for deliberations and the preparation of a report of findings in September 2012.

The critical dates and locations for the review are as follows:

Reading/Language Arts Materials

Training: June 21–22, 2012
Deliberations: September 20–22, 2012
San Joaquin County Office of Education
2901 Arch-Airport Road
Stockton, CA 95206

Mathematics Materials

Training: June 28–29, 2012
Deliberations: September 27–29, 2012
Orange County Office of Education
200 Kalmus Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Travel costs for attending the above meetings will be reimbursed. In addition, current classroom teachers will be eligible for reimbursement of substitute costs for the days of meetings in Stockton and Costa Mesa, CA.

The application process uses an online application posted at the CDE Web site. The deadline for submission of applications is January 31, 2012. The online application form and more information about the review are posted on the CDE Supplemental Instructional Materials Review Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/suptsupmatreview.asp. Please forward this information to any and all qualified candidates in your schools or organizations who might be interested in serving on these panels.

I encourage you to help us recruit qualified applicants for this important review. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation in disseminating this information.

If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact Kenneth McDonald, Education Programs Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks Unit, by phone at 916-319-0447 or by e-mail at kmcdonal@cde.ca.gov. You may also contact Cliff Rudnick, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, by phone at 916-323-5072 or by e-mail at crudnick@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

TT:km

cc: The Honorable Alan Lowenthal, California State Senate
Michael Kirst, President, State Board of Education
Dale Shimasaki, Association of American Publishers
Alice Petrossian, President, Association of California School Administrators

Plutocrats for Education or Education for Plutocracy?:

Plutocrats for Education or Education for Plutocracy?

by SOURCE on DECEMBER 5, 2011 · 0 COMMENTS

in CALIFORNIA, CIVIL RIGHTS, EDUCATION, SAN DIEGO, UNDER THE PERFECT SUN

by Jim Miller and Jonathan McLeod / Special to the OB Rag

Last week the California Community College Board of Governors met here in San Diego to address the results of their task force on “student success.” While much ink has been spilled detailing the ongoing efforts to impose corporate style “reforms” on education at the K-12 level (see Diane Ravitch’s fine work , little attention has been paid to the reform efforts in higher education.

There is a kind of creeping academic Taylorism that comes with the movement toward “student learning outcomes” in higher education that can only be understood if one recognizes the long history of American corporate interests seeking to discipline and, in turn, profit from

Modern School: Teaching Kids to Persevere

Modern School: Teaching Kids to Persevere:

Teaching Kids to Persevere

by Michael Dunn

Hands of Struggle (image from Flickr, by mopics80)

One of the most frustrating aspects of teaching is when students give up or won’t try when the lessons get difficult. Unwillingness to take risks, try different approaches, or simply persevere with a tough problem may stem from fear, low self-efficacy or self-confidence, or misperceptions about intelligence.

A new study, however, suggests that perseverance can be cultivated in students without

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In the know: LAUSD TEACHER EVALUATIONS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: In the know: LAUSD TEACHER EVALUATIONS:

In the know: LAUSD TEACHER EVALUATIONS

EDITORIAL IN THE UCLA DAILY BRUIN BY GINA KASS | HTTP://BIT.LY/VUB57K

December 5, 2011, 12:07 am :: The Los Angeles teachers’ union and the Los Angeles Unified School District are currently in dispute over a proposed new method of teacher evaluation which takes into account standardized test scores. This began after a legal challenge posed by the teachers’ union was dropped.

The two groups have arrived at a temporary truce, agreeing that changes need to be implemented to the current system but disagreeing on what that entails, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This comes in the wake of a New York state controversy over new teacher evaluations, which caused a “principal’s revolt,” in which more than

Re-Gifted: The Prickly Politics of the Academically Able - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Re-Gifted: The Prickly Politics of the Academically Able - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

Re-Gifted: The Prickly Politics of the Academically Able

by Nancy Flanagan

Writing a blog about education for the gifted pretty much guarantees a lot of attention. If you follow the party line (We're ignoring our most talented kids!), the piece will be widely distributed and praised. If you come at the issue from a different perspective--well, see comments on "Cheating the Gifted?" below.

This was not my first column on how we deal with bright kids in traditional school settings. And the arguments have not changed significantly, since I started thinking and writing about the issue, shortly after I earned a masters degree in gifted education.

Let me be clear. Yes, there are genuinely gifted students. Yes, they do have unique instructional and emotional needs-- I spent several years trying to find optimal curricular and instructional strategies to

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL BOARDMEMBER TAKES STANDARDIZED TEST FORCED ON KIDS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL BOARDMEMBER TAKES STANDARDIZED TEST FORCED ON KIDS:

SCHOOL BOARDMEMBER TAKES STANDARDIZED TEST FORCED ON KIDS

“It makes no sense to me that a test with the potential for shaping a student’s entire future has so little apparent relevance to adult, real-world functioning.”

BY MARION BRADY IN VALERIE STRAUSS’ ANSWER SHEET/WASHINGTON POST | HTTP://WAPO.ST/SQUDVR

<< Brady is a veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author.

4:00 AM ET, 12/05/2011 :: A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state’s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he’d make his scores public.

By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. His now-grown kids are well-educated. He has a big house in a good part of town. Paid-for condo in the Caribbean. Influential friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. Enough time of his own to give serious attention to his school board

Friends of Kyle Olson say, “Big Bird’s a Red!” « Fred Klonsky

Friends of Kyle Olson say, “Big Bird’s a Red!” « Fred Klonsky:

Friends of Kyle Olson say, “Big Bird’s a Red!”

by Fred Klonsky

We have been following the latest loonyness of right-wingers who now see a Wall Street Occupier under every bed.

They go looking for advocates for collective bargaining in children’s literature.

They say Big Bird is a collectivist.

Of course, the truth in their lunacy is that many teachers are including lessons about social justice in their

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Flipped Classrooms - Education Technology

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Flipped Classrooms - Education Technology:

Flipped Classrooms - Education Technology

by Charlie Mas

I have recently learned of an idea called a "flipped classroom". The idea is that the work that used to be done at school is done at home and the work that used to be done at home is done at school.

Here's a description from onlinecollege.org:

In a flipped classroom, students watch lectures and supplemental materials for their classes at home, usually pre-recorded by their instructors and uploaded to the web. Classroom time is then used for answering student questions, helping with homework, and other activities that help students apply what they've learned.

Once again, the idea here is to use the technology for what it does well to free the teacher to do what the

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago's new top charter school bureaucrat

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Chicago's new top charter school bureaucrat:

Chicago's new top charter school bureaucrat

by Mike Klonsky

She's in a "relationship."

Her name is Carly Bolger. She's never taught, as far as I can tell. She's two years out of college. Hired by Chris Cerf to run his bloated and troubled charter schools bureaucracy in New Jersey but quit after just 10 months on the job. Emanuel then hires her to head his Office of New Schools. That position has been empty since Josh Edelman left town to work forMichelle Rhee in D.C.

T-Party Gov. Chris Christie has pushed for the rapid expansion of the state's charter schools despite strong evidence that they are under-performing traditional schools. A report by the Washington-based Center for Education Reform has slammed the application process for what it called its lack of transparency and object

No Child Left Behind waivers require big changes fast - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee

No Child Left Behind waivers require big changes fast - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee:

No Child Left Behind waivers require big changes fast

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By BEN WIEDER
Stateline.org

Published: Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 - 5:09 am

WASHINGTON -- When New Jersey applied to the federal government for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law, Gov. Chris Christie used the opportunity to tout elements of his education reform agenda that had been languishing in the state legislature for months.

"For a new accountability system to be effective and successful in benefitting children, we must have all of the tools that are provided for in this legislation," the Republican governor said in a statement released Nov. 16. "It's time for the New Jersey legislature to step up with my administration, President Barack Obama, (Education) Secretary (Arne) Duncan and a national, bipartisan movement to act boldly and give every child the education they deserve."

The legislation Christie was referring to includes several bills. One would tie decisions about

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/05/4100382/no-child-left-behind-waivers-require.html#ixzz1fftn1u6C

David Kolb: The end of public schools, a right-wing dream, may be in sight | MLive.com

David Kolb: The end of public schools, a right-wing dream, may be in sight | MLive.com:

David Kolb: The end of public schools, a right-wing dream, may be in sight

Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 7:29 AM

By David Kolb | The Muskegon Chronicle
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David Kolb

Republicans who control the Michigan Senate deserve points for their anti-public school creativity, or at least bright red achievement stickers for their notebook covers.

The spectacle of these politicos stooping to the idea of passing a bill to enable “virtual” cyber-schools in place of actual public schools, a concept that might rank in Dante’s world as existing one level lower in hell than virtual casinos, is quite an accomplishment.

Mind you, the virtual-ness of the GOP Senate’s new schools plan is an outgrowth of the actual corporate oligarchy the voters of this state have enabled through the 2010 election.

In that awful aftermath, an ironclad and ruthless Republican regime was put in place in Lansing in the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

So, there are zero avenues of appeal here should Senate Bill 619 actually take effect and, as some

The Failure of Corporate School Reform: Toward a New Common School Movement | Truthout

The Failure of Corporate School Reform: Toward a New Common School Movement | Truthout

The Failure of Corporate School Reform: Toward a New Common School Movement

Monday 5 December 2011

by: Kenneth J. Saltman, Truthout | Op-Ed

(Photo: SayHolaToTravis)

Speech by Kenneth J. Saltman at Occupy Chicago, Friday, November 18, 2011, adapted from his forthcoming book "The Failure of Corporate School Reform" (Paradigm Publishers 2012).

In the United States, a corporate model of schooling has overtaken educational policy, practice, curriculum and nearly all aspects of educational reform.

While this movement began on the political right, the corporate school model has been heralded across the political spectrum and is aggressively embraced by both major parties. Corporate school reformers champion private-sector approaches to reform including, especially, privatization, deregulation and the importation of terms and assumptions from business, while they imagine public schools as private businesses, districts as markets, students as consumers and knowledge as product. Corporate