New York ELA day 3 more #pearson & #NYSED fail – @ the chalk face

New York ELA day 3 more #pearson & #NYSED fail – @ the chalk face:

New York ELA day 3 more #pearson & #NYSED fail

by Chris Cerrone

Here are some early updates:

• Nike sneakers in 6th grade reading passage.  Our children face enough commercialization in their lives as it is.  We do not need this is our schools.  I guess we can call the passages “Infomercial texts” (credit to Leonie for that quote)

• From the NY Post on product placement. ( Yeah, I know)

The future of our schools thanks to Common Core? Or are they the “Corporate Commercial State Standards”
PopoutSpell check.  Does Pearson hire copy editors or does that hurt the bottom line?

• The Day 3 teacher direction book had a line of text repeated and several spelling mistakes.

New Orleans Shows the Limitations of "No Excuses" Schools

by Chalk Face, PhD

The debate over “No Excuses” schools has focused on their attrition rate and their potential for being scaled up. Schools such as New Orleans Sci Academy have produced great college acceptance rates for students who are dedicated enough to meet their goal of “100% of cultural expectations 100% of the time.” It is too soon to tell, however, whether their culture prepares their graduates for life beyond the classroom.An important subtheme of Sarah Carr’s Hope Against Hope, a narrative of a year in three New Orleans

Coverage of Opt Out’s Occupy DOE 2.0

by Chalk Face, PhD

From Education Opportunity Network:
_______________________

Occupy The Department Of Education Ushers In America’s Angry Spring

No offense, but the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education building in Washington, DC is not a pretty sight.

Crossing the National Mall on 4th street, you pass between the glisteningly modern National Air and Space Museum and the sculpted brown stone of the National Museum of the American Indian to come face to face with what can only be described as a monument to bland austerity.

It was at the base of this concrete and glass slab that a band of public school teachers, university professors, librarians, parents, and students gathered to speak out against the nation’s current regime of testing students, firing teachers, and closing public schools.

Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric

by plthomasedd

Political tributes and rhetoric allow one existence for the power elites while preserving an entirely different existence for everyone else. In education reform, this is calling for and implementing policy for “other people’s children” that is unlike what those in power secure for their own children.
Read the full post HERE.

Leaders Develop Leaders — Whole Child Education

Leaders Develop Leaders — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Leaders Develop Leaders

April 18, 2013 by Steven Weber

Do you remember your first year in the classroom? It was an adrenaline rush everyday! We wanted to change the world, inspire students to become great, support struggling students, establish our own reputations as excellent teachers, and earn the respect of our colleagues. I would not trade my first year of teaching for other opportunities. Whether we recognize it or not, the first several years of teaching and administration focus on personal development.

Personal development leads educators to attend conferences, view webinars, participate in Twitter chats, serve as a leader on district initiatives, make recommendations to policymakers, develop new programs to support students, and more! It has been said by leadership authors and educators, "When you stop growing, you stop." While there is nothing wrong with growth for an educator, there comes a point in our career where we must focus on other educators. When you take other educators on the journey, you will find that you continue to grow while helping others to grow.

"By touching the lives of the people right around us, and by replicating leaders who in turn can replicate more leaders, we can create value far beyond 

What Is a Principal?

by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

A recent Metlife survey (PDF) found that 75 percent of principals feel that the role has become too complex and a third are looking to move out of the role within the next five years. The role of principal has changed dramatically in the last decade and has, to many, become overwhelming. So what is the role of a principal? Or rather, what are the roles of a successful and effective principal?

It seems that each year another term describing the role of the effective principal gets introduced (visionary, instructional leader, change maker, CEO, CFO), but are these roles all compatible? Are they synthesizing, or is each an additional role and skill set that each principal needs to master? And what of the role of building administrator—is that now obsolete?
We asked ASCD leaders, "What is a principal (in 2013)?"

Math Framework Public Comment Period Opens - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Math Framework Public Comment Period Opens - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Public Comment Period Open on New Common Core Math Framework

SACRAMENTO—California is moving one step closer to implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with the release today of the draft Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelvefor public comment, said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

"This draft Math Framework is an important step on California's path toward the Common Core State Standards, which provide a practical way to prepare children for the challenges of a constantly changing world by learning step-by-step the practical skills they need for career and college," Torlakson said. "I'm looking forward to feedback from the public as we put these standards to work remodeling our education system."

"Frameworks" provide guidance for implementing the new standards. "Standards" define the knowledge and skills students should acquire at each grade level. The draft Math Framework differs from the last one approved by the State Board of Education in 2005, because it is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

The draft Math Framework shows the progress from kindergarten to higher-level math using three principles: The first principle is "focus," an emphasis on the math concepts and content in the standards. The second principle is "coherence," the connections between mathematics topics that create a progression of learning from kindergarten through high school. The third principle, "rigor," calls for instruction with an equal emphasis on developing students' understanding, procedural skills, and ability to apply mathematics to solve problems inside and outside the classroom

This draft Math Framework links to implementation tools and research; describes options for higher math even at the middle-school level, including Algebra I; provides greater support for universal access for English learners and students with disabilities; changes the approach to technology; and aligns with the Smarter  Balanced Assessment Consortium's test content specifications. Smarter Balanced is the new computer adaptive student assessment system. The draft Math Frameworks also will help guide publishers in developing instructional materials.

California is part of a multistate consortium that developed the Common Core State Standards for math and English. They keep the best of California's current standards, but replace outdated ways of learning with a clear focus on the key knowledge and skills students need, and provide teachers the time to teach them well.

California Education Code Section 60207 requires the State Board of Education to adopt a revised mathematics curriculum framework. The draft Math Framework is the culmination of several years of work involving educators, content experts, and other education and community leaders.

The public will have until June 20, 2013, to review the draft Math Frameworks located at the California Department of Education's Public Review and Comment on the Math Framework Web page. To leave comments, people may use the online2013 Mathematics Frameworks Online Survey, or visit one of the 23 Learning Resource Display Centers statewide, where a hard copy of the draft will be available.

The public comments will then be presented to the Instructional Quality Commission this summer for review and possible inclusion into the final Math Frameworks. The State Board of Education may take action on the final Math Frameworks this fall.

# # # #

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

NYC Educator: Authentic Assessments

NYC Educator: Authentic Assessments:

Authentic Assessments

by NYC Educator

It's remarkable that the geniuses at NYSED came up with new tests replete with product placements. They're very proud that the materials are all authentic. Perhaps this will teach our children how to more accurately process the next Diet Coke with Bacon ad, or the next coupon they find online.

It will certainly help our kids if we are able to tell them, "Buy one, get one free," is advantageous to "Pay for two, and get one." Now I was personally never taught that, and as a result, I had to learn it on the street.

We can teach kids all sort of useful information, like how to read a train schedule. Not that a whole lot of city kids do that, what with subways and all, but you never know when Mom and Dad will pack up and move to Omaha.

You'll want the kids to know how to read menus too. They'll need to differentiate between food items and prices. After all, you don't want your kid bringing a chicken into the diner and demanding $11.95 for it. That could prove 

Position paper: Why Parents Across America. opposes mass school closings | Parents Across America

Position paper: Why PAA opposes mass school closings | Parents Across America:

Position paper: Why PAA opposes mass school closings

by pureparents

What are mass school closings?

Mass school closings occur when school districts decide to close large numbers of public schools in a community within a single year, citing a variety of reasons like “underutilization” or academic failure. These closures go far beyond the periodic need to close schools because of drops in a district’s school-age population. Rather, they result from policies pushed by the corporate education reform movement and its privatization agenda, and embraced by the U.S. Department of Education.

Mass school closings have rapidly expanded in the past two or three years. Chicago is facing up to 54 closings in the fall of 2013. Philadelphia voted this March to close 23 schools in a single year, one in 10 of its public schools. New York City plans to close 26 schools on top of the 140 schools that have already been closed in the past decade. Washington, DC, plans to close 15 schools by 2014.

Why is PAA so concerned about mass school closings?

Studies on mass school closings have been clear: in city after city, mass closings have done far more harm than good. They do not lead to improved academic performance and they don’t fix budget deficits. Schools that receive students rarely receive adequate time or resources to responsibly address school mergers.

As the vast majority of closed schools have high-minority enrollments, communities of color are disproportionately affected. In early 2013, parents from 18 cities filed discrimination complaints with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, claiming that recent and proposed school closings are 

Jersey Jazzman: Buyer's Remorse in Newark

Jersey Jazzman: Buyer's Remorse in Newark:

Buyer's Remorse in Newark

by Duke

NJ's new teacher evaluation system: Operation Hindenberg

The head of the Newark Teachers Union, Joe Del Grosso, is not very happy these days

Six months since Newark and its teachers union agreed to a historic new contract, the president of the NTU has publicly blasted Superintendent Cami Anderson over the district's finances. 

“I am writing to you about a serious problem that has persisted in the state-operated district of Newark,” wrote Joseph Del Grosso, president of the Newark Teachers Union, in a stinging letter to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Schools on Friday. 

“Since we came to an agreement on a contract for the teachers, aides, and clerks, we have experienced very serious and disturbing problems regarding the finances of Newark Public Schools,” the letter read. 

Calling for an external audit of the district’s books, Del Grosso cited plans for laying off 

Student Non-Discrimination Act: Jared Polis, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Reintroduce Anti-Bullying Bill

Student Non-Discrimination Act: Jared Polis, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Reintroduce Anti-Bullying Bill:

Student Non-Discrimination Act: Jared Polis, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Reintroduce Anti-Bullying Bill

by Joy Resmovits

Bayli Silberstein, an eighth-grade student in a Florida public school, saw it firsthand.

Her friends, she said, were routinely bullied for their sexual orientation. "Watching it tear apart my friends is what scared me the most. It's not right, I don't like it, and I don't see my friends going through it."

But when she tried to start the Gay-Straight Alliance in her school, Bayli was rebuffed by her principal, sparking a school board debate about whether all extracurricular clubs should be banned.

For Becky Collins, a Chillicothe, Ohio, mother, it took involving the American Civil Liberties Union for her school to expel the student who beat up her son, Zach, for being openly gay. "He [the principal] said it was just a school yard fight, and I'm like, 'either you call the sheriff or I will call 911,'" Collins said. "The principal says, 'I don't have any problems with any other student but [Zach].'"

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students report alarmingly high rates of bullying and harassment in 

Math framework for Common Core ready for your critique | EdSource Today

Math framework for Common Core ready for your critique | EdSource Today:

Math framework for Common Core ready for your critique - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

A draft of the California math curriculum framework went online Wednesday for public comments and suggestions. While weighing in at 1,200 pages, the document is actually a readable grade-by-grade manual that puts meat on the bare-bones Common Core standards that the state adopted in 2010. It  explains the rationale for key standards and puts them in context of what students will learn, while providing guidance on how they should be taught. Interspersed are numerous sample problems and illustrations that teachers can use in the classroom.

Framework sampler:

5th grade fractions

The Mathematics Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee made an effort to create a readable, comprehensible, as well as comprehensive, guide to the Common Core standards.

A look at a small but important piece, how to introduce fractions to third graders (pages 25-27 of the third grade chapter) provides a good example of how the committee strove to put each standard in a larger context and explain its relevance and its coherence.

“In grade three students develop an understanding of fractions as numbers, building on the idea of partitioning a whole into equal parts. An important goal is for students to see unit fractions as the basic building blocks of fractions, in the same sense that the number 1 is the basic building block of the whole numbers. …

            Then it explains why this is important:

Student proficiency with fractions is essential for success in more advanced mathematics such as percentage, ratios, and proportions and in algebra at later grades. …

After explaining what was done in grades 1 and 2 to prepare for whole-unit fractions, it says,

This is the first time students represent fractions using a number line and other visual fraction models to develop an understanding of fractional parts, sizes, and how to compare fractions. This work will continue through grade six, preparing the way for work with the complete rational number system in grades six and seven.

It lists and explains the standards:

In grade three students understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b. (3.NF.1▲).

Students understand a fraction as a number on the number line and they represent fractions and compare fractions using visual fraction models (such as a circle, rectangle or a line segment) (3.NF.2-3▲).

The framework then gives a sample problem for students to place fractions on a number line, leading up to 1/2, 1/3/, 1/4 and 1/5.  A commentary suggests ways to help students in anticipation that some will struggle.

Students learn to use the number line to represent whole numbers in second grade, but this is the first time they will use the number line to represent fractions.

Some students may have difficultly creating equal sized intervals, especially for thirds and fifths. Providing strategies, such as folding a separate piece of paper, might be helpful.

Although the Common Core Standards cover only transitional kindergarten through grade eight, the framework does provide suggestions for high school, where districts will have a choice between traditional subject courses (geometry, Algebra II and pre-Calculus) and integrated math courses, which blend traditional disciplines. Common Core is well suited for the latter. (Update:To quell rumors that it would not support integrated math courses, the University of California has issued a statement affirming its support for both the traditional and the integrated pathways.) And the document includes a chapter on options for accelerating math for those students ready to take Algebra I in eighth grade or, as an alternative for those taking Algebra I in ninth grade, combining three years of high school 

Bill restricting ‘willful defiance’ for suspending students moves ahead - by Susan Frey

by Susan Frey

With new data showing that more than half of all suspensions and a quarter of expulsions in California schools are for “willful defiance” of school authorities, the Assembly Education Committee voted 6-0 on Wednesday to move forward a bill that would restrict the use of the vague category by school administrators. Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, who introduced Assembly...

Who Created “Michelle Rhee”? | Taking Note

Who Created “Michelle Rhee”? | Taking Note:

Who Created “Michelle Rhee”?

by John Merrow

We know that the flesh and blood Michelle A. Rhee was born in Michigan 43 years ago, the second child of South Korean immigrants Shang Rhee, a physician, and Inza Rhee, a clothing store owner. She spent most of her childhood in Ohio, where she attended public and private schools.

My question is about the public phenomenon known as “Michelle Rhee.” The one that’s has become America’s most prominent education activist. She’s loved by some, hated and/or feared by others. To her admirers, she’s a shining symbol of all that’s right in school reform. Her opponents see her as the representative of the forces of greed, privatization and teacher-bashing in education.

Who created that character, that symbol? I can identify four possible parents: She created herself. We created her. “They” did. U did.

Michelle Rhee created “Michelle Rhee.” There’s some evidence for this line of thinking. Either accidentally or deliberately, she exaggerated her success as a teacher in Baltimore. She inflated her resumé to include an appearance on Good Morning America, which has no record of her being on the program. Her early resumé claims that she had been featured in the Wall Street Journal, but, again, we could find no record. She said (and still says) that she ‘founded’ The New Teacher Project, an assertion that is disputed by reliable sources familiar with Teach for America. A more likely story is that she was asked by its real founder, Wendy Kopp, to take it and run with it–and she did.

But lots of people puff up their resumés early in their career, without attaining Rhee-level success. She may have started the ball rolling, but she can’t claim most of the credit/blame for her own creation. We 

Diane in the Evening 4-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Karen Lewis Teaches Torah in Evanston

by dianerav

Karen Lewis taught a powerful lesson from the Torah at a synagogue in Evanston.
This is the rabbi’s account of her moving reading of Numbers, in which she connects the Biblical story to recent events in Chicago.
“Her portion, Shelach Lecha (Numbers 13:1-15:41) relates, among other things, the story of the twelve scouts send by by Moses to report on the Promised Land. Ten of them return with words of discouragement – they reported that they saw giants in the land. “We felt like grasshoppers to ourselves,” they said, “”and so we must have looked to them!”
“In her presentation, she pointed out that forces of domination in society can often have this effect on us. In the 

Merrow: Who Created Michelle Rhee?

by dianerav

John Merrow asks the question: How did this woman with little experience and meager accomplishment and a penchant for braggadocio become a major media figure?
She did, by burnishing her resume.
The media did, by basking in her harshness.
Merrow did, by broadcasting 12 segments on

Billionaires and Wall Street Target Denver School Board Race

by dianerav

This November, the Denver school board will be up for grabs.
As you will see in this article, the privatization movement has decided to make a play to take control of the board. You know what they want.
If the Denver race plays out like the one in Los Angeles, billionaires and Wall Street hedge fund managers, along with Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, will pour millions into the race. Expect big gifts from Rupert Murdoch and 

Jersey Jazzman On Merryl Tisch

by dianerav

Jersey Jazzman read Merryl Tisch’s comments about how she understood test anxiety. He wondered how she might identify with such feelings because she never attended a school with high-stakes. Nor did her children.

Rhee Discounts Merrow’s “Smoking Memo”

by dianerav

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Michelle Rhee responded to questions about John Merrow’s “smoking memo,” the one that showed that she and other top officials were aware of allegations of widespread cheating but failed to investigate.
Howard Blume of the Times reports that Rhee met with the editorial board of the paper.
When Merrow had asked her about the memo, she said so many memos crossed her desk that she couldn’t remember this one. Now she says the memo was not important.
“In an interview with The Times editorial board, Rhee said that although she “didn’t see the memo” at the time, 

Parent on the Common Core: Here It Is, Ready or Not

by dianerav

This article in The Economist recounts the anxiety and confusion surrounding the adoption of the Common Core. Officials say it is a great thing, but parents are not so sure.
He writes:
“Why has New York decided to subject students to these exams well before the standards have been fully implemented in the classrooms? (Most states are holding off until 2015.) My daughter is a strong math student, and loves taking tests, but when she was given a practice test over the winter holiday that contained high-level work with fractions, division with three-digit numbers and even a dab of algebra, her eyes grew wide. Nothing like this had ever appeared in a lesson in her third-grade classroom. Her teacher has been scrambling to teach these 

When School Officials Bully Students

by dianerav

A mother writes this story of harassment by school officials:
“My daughter, who is in the 11th grade, was victimized by her principal and teacher today because she submitted an opt out letter. She was made to feel wrong and unsupportive of her school because she wasn’t going to take the test.
“She is currently her class president, a link-crew mentor to younger students, tour leader, sports team member and future ASB president… that makes her the face of the school… or so says her teacher and principal. She has certain responsibilities to live up to, one of which is to take the test. Because, well, as they told her, the API 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] How Pearson Cheats on State Tests by dianerav A teacher in upstate New York wrote me to say that the state English language arts test for 8th grade (written by Pearson) contained a passage that his students had read a week earlier—in a Pearson 8th grade textbook! The story is “Why Leaves Turn Color in Fall,” by Diane Ackerman. The story appears on page 540 of the Pearson textbook. Moral of the story: if you want your students to succeed on the state tests wr... more »

Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric | the becoming radical

Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric | the becoming radical:

Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric

Posted on April 18, 2013 by plthomasedd

To All Elected Local, State, and National Political Leadership:

No American needs anymore to name specifically the tragedy or the media and political responses because all have become both commonplace and predictable.

I will name nonetheless, not because these are unique, but because they are sobering messages that must not be ignored.

In recent days, a bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and during the subsequent news cycle as well as political tributes and rhetoric, the U.S. Senate failed to act on gun legislation that was prompted by the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting that also spurred 24-hours media coverage and political tributes and rhetoric.

I want first to note that as a scholar and poet, I understand the need to frame 

UPDATE: Washington State Charter School Update Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools News

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools News:

Washington State Charter School Update

by Melissa Westbrook

Back down to 12 school districts applying to be charter authorizers as yesterday Eastmont School district in Wenatchee dropped out.  From The Wenatchee World:

“I think this isn’t the time,” said Steve Piccirillo..

“We don’t have the time, staff or money,” said Annette Eggers. Both are members of the five person school board.

“It seems like an awful lot of work to become an authorizer when they have the option not to go to us. If we were 

Seattle Schools News

by Melissa Westbrook

 From SPS Communications:

Earlier this month, Seattle Public Schools sought applicants for a newly formed Native American Advisory Committee. A number of applicants have been received but SPS encourages more to apply. The extended deadline is Monday, April 22.

The initial committee term is April 2013 to June 2015. Nomination forms are available here and can be mailed to:
P.O. Box 34164
Mailstop 32156
Seattle, WA, 98124

Nominations can also be emailed to naeac@seattleschools.org.

From KPLU:

Seattle Public Schools wants to add a half-hour to the school day for elementary students by as early as the next school year. But the district must first align a number of variables, including funding and union support.


The average school day for Seattle’s elementary students is six hours and five minutes, which is thought to be