Education Research Report: Reading Skills of Fourth-Graders Performing Below NAEP Basic

Education Research Report: Reading Skills of Fourth-Graders Performing Below NAEP Basic

Reading Skills of Fourth-Graders Performing Below NAEP Basic

Results from the 2018 NAEP Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) study show, for the first time, that fluent reading of text can be a major challenge for many fourth-grade public school students who perform below NAEP Basic on the NAEP reading assessment. This study was administered to a nationally representative sample of over 1,800 fourth-graders from 180 public schools. Students read two types of text out loud: (1) short passages to assess their oral reading fluency (the ability to read text aloud with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression); and (2) word lists to assess their foundational skills, word recognition, and phonological decoding. Students performing below NAEP Basic were divided into three equal subgroups.

A new NCES report, Highlights of the 2018 NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Study, highlights the key concepts and major findings of the 2018 NAEP ORF study. For additional details, see its companion publication, the 2018 NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Study, which is being released with the Highlights report.

Key Findings

• Across all of the data described in these reports, there is a consistent and positive relationship between NAEP reading assessment performance and oral reading fluency and foundational skills.

• Oral reading fluency and foundational skills declined significantly at each step down the NAEP reading achievement levels, from NAEP Advanced to NAEP Proficient to NAEP Basic.

• To better understand performance below NAEP Basic, we created three new levels confined to the NAEP Basic category-below NAEP Basic High, Medium, and Low. The observed decline in oral reading fluency is also seen amongst these categories- from High to Medium to Low.

• There are noticeable variations in performance among the three below NAEP Basic subgroups for every dimension of oral reading fluency (reading aloud with proper speed, accuracy, and expression) and for each of the two foundational skills (recognizing familiar written words and decoding unfamiliar ones).

• For an estimated 1.27 million public school fourth-graders (36 percent) performing below NAEP Basic in reading in 2018, and in particular for an estimated 420,000 fourth-grade students in the below NAEP Basic Low subgroup, fluent reading of connected text, such as paragraphs, is a major challenge.

• A closer look at the underlying sources of poor fluency reveals that foundational skills (such as the ability to read and understand common words) are inadequate in the below NAEP Basic subgroups. Research has established these skills as being the main drivers of oral reading fluency and critical prerequisite skills for the subsequent development of reading comprehension

Education Research Report: Reading Skills of Fourth-Graders Performing Below NAEP Basic

Texas: Stand Together Against the Voracious Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Stand Together Against the Voracious Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Stand Together Against the Voracious Charter Industry

PTC is joining with many parent groups and school boards to fight this direct assault on local control and democracy.

Pastors for Texas Children is a staunch ally of public schools and of separation of church and state. They have vigorously fought vouchers and now they are fighting an all-out attempt by the yet the aggressive charter industry to open wherever they want, without the approval of local elected officials. The lobbyists also want to slash the state board of education’s power to veto new charters.

PTC is working with parent groups and other activists to stop this direct assault on local control and democracy.

PASTORS FOR TEXAS CHILDREN

SB 28 HEARING IN HOUSE COMMITTEE TOMORROW

The public education advocacy community–which includes YOU–has had some great success despite this being a very difficult legislative session.

First of all, one piece of legislation that PTC is hoping to see made into law is the “community schools bill.” HB 81 by Eddie Rodriguez would give struggling schools the CONTINUE READING: Texas: Stand Together Against the Voracious Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog

Principals Show Bias in Responses to Black parents, New Study Finds | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Principals Show Bias in Responses to Black parents, New Study Finds | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Principals Show Bias in Responses to Black parents, New Study Finds

Principals show bias in responses to Black parents, new study finds 

Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat  

Apr 26, 6:00am EDT

A few years ago, thousands of high school principals across the country received a variation of the same email from a parent asking for “any information you can provide about enrolling.”

When the email was sent by “Emily Walsh” seeking to enroll her son “Greg,” 64% of principals responded. But when an identical message came from “Tamika Washington” with a son named “Jamal,” the response rate fell to 57%.

The emails were actually sent by two political scientists, Zachary Oberfield and Matthew Incantalupo, in an effort to gauge racial bias in public schools. Their findings — that principals are less likely to respond to parents who they may have assumed were Black — illustrate one way that bias plays out in schools nationwide, aligning with past research as well as the experiences of many families.

“We wanted an easy ask,” said Incantalupo, a professor at Yeshiva University. “If they’re throwing down hurdles for something as simple as this, it’s not too much of an inference to say there are probably other ways in which inequality manifests in these schools.”

The new paper, published last month, looks at responses from a nationally representative sample of 3,600 high school principals.

White principals, in particular, showed signs of discrimination: They were 9 percentage points less likely to respond to emails from a parent whose name suggested they were Black. Their behavior shapes national trends, as nearly four in five public school principals are white.

“Principals — just like teachers, just like everyone else — have the potential to harbor explicit or implicit racial biases that CONTINUE READING: Principals Show Bias in Responses to Black parents, New Study Finds | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Push to bar trans students from school sports hits legal roadblock | Salon.com

Push to bar trans students from school sports hits legal roadblock | Salon.com

Push to bar trans students from school sports hits legal roadblock

Judge tosses suit trying to block trans athletes

On Sunday, a federal judge threw out a Connecticut lawsuit that sought to bar transgender athletes from participating in high school girls' sports teams.

The suit, brought by four cisgender runners — Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith, and Ashley Nicoletti – was filed against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), a governing state body which sets the requirements for student athletic participation. The suit alleges that "CIAC policy puts non-transgender girls at a competitive disadvantage in girls' track and, as a result, denies them rights guaranteed by Title IX." The plaintiffs specifically claim to have been deprived of titles and opportunities as a result of their competitive disadvantage, according to AP News. 

The presiding judge over the case, U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny, dismissed the suit because the two transgender athletes – who the plaintiffs allege held a competitive advantage – have since graduated from high school.

"I conclude that the request to enjoin enforcement of the CIAC policy has become moot due to the graduation of Yearwood and Miller, whose participation in girls' track provided the impetus for this action," Chatigny wrote. "There is no indication that Smith and Nicoletti will encounter competition by a transgender student in a CIAC-sponsored event next season."

Chatigny argued that the plaintiffs were no longer harmed by the damages they brought forth, seeing as they were no longer competing against transgender athletes. "If it turns out that a transgender student does register to compete in girls' track next season," the judge added, "Smith and Nicoletti will be able to file a new action under Title IX along with a motion for a preliminary injunction." CONTINUE READING: Push to bar trans students from school sports hits legal roadblock | Salon.com

Teacher Tom: Unfortunate Yet Transient Immaturity

Teacher Tom: Unfortunate Yet Transient Immaturity

Unfortunate Yet Transient Immaturity

Last week, the United States Supreme Court in a split decision made it easier to sentence children to prison without the possibility of parole. Every year, children as young as 13 are locked away for the rest of their lives in our country. There are currently over 2500 people, mostly black, mostly poor, and mostly from backgrounds of abuse, who are living their entire adult lives behind bars. There is only one country on earth where this is legal: the United States.

Despite a global consensus that children cannot be held to the same standards of responsibility as adults, a worldwide recognition that children are entitled to special protection and treatment, not to mention numerous international laws banning the inhuman practice, the court has in my eyes lost any claim to morality, decency, or legitimacy it may have once had. 

I'm not proud of the USA.

What kind of monster can possibly believe that any human, let alone a child, is beyond salvation? Indeed, it is monstrous to make that kind of determination about a 15-year-old, the age Brett Jones was when he stabbed his grandfather to death after a life as a victim of abuse by multiple people in is life, including his grandfather. Defying the "judgement" of incorrigibility, Jones has while in prison completed his GED, has conducted himself as a model prisoner, and his CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Unfortunate Yet Transient Immaturity

Missouri Times: Stop the Demolition of Public Schools: They Belong to the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

Missouri Times: Stop the Demolition of Public Schools: They Belong to the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

Missouri Times: Stop the Demolition of Public Schools: They Belong to the Public

The Misssouri Times is a generally right of center newspaper, But it believes in the promise of public schools and recognizes that the latest push for charters and vouchers is rank privatization funded by wealthy elites. After thirty years of pouring billions into charters and vouchers, there is no reason to believe that privatized schools produce better outcomes. We know they don’t.

Opinion: Public Schools are Public Goods

BY TERESA MITHEN DANIELEY ON APRIL 26, 2021

As the parent of three children enrolled in St. LouisPublic Schools, I am deeply dismayed that so many in the Missouri House — including some Democrats — voted in favor of HB 137, which will shift up to $17 million dollars a year from traditional public schools (specifically SLPS) to charter schools, which will not be required to provide the same services as public schools. We must make sure that HB 137 dies in the Senate.

I am also deeply concerned about the statewide ramifications of SB 55, an omnibus bill with many different privatizing provisions — including the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program (aka vouchers), Charter School Funding modifications, establishing a Charter School Revolving Commission Fund to fund new charters, and changing provisions CONTINUE READING: Missouri Times: Stop the Demolition of Public Schools: They Belong to the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

CREATING MEANINGFUL STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SCUSD - Sacramento City Teachers Association

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CREATING MEANINGFUL STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SCUSD 

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CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Private School Says No Vaccine For Staff

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Private School Says No Vaccine For Staff

FL: Private School Says No Vaccine For Staff

Centner Academy (Miami's premiere private school for the leaders of tomorrow) has informed parents by letter that the staff and teachers are not to get vaccinated for Covid-19. 

The letter indicates that "we ask any employee who has not yet taken the experimental COVID-19 injection, to wait until the end of the school year." That sounds almost mild, until a few sentences later we arrive at "It is our policy, to the extent possible, not to employ anyone who has taken the experimental COVID-19 injection until further information is known."

You will have recognized the anti-covid-vax talking point that the vaccines are experimental. The school throws in some additional debunked talking points about the vaccine.

For example, tens of thousands of women all over the world have been reporting adverse reproductive issues from being in close proximity with those who have received one of COVID-19 injections e.g., irregular menses, bleeding, miscarriages, post menopausal hemorrhaging, and amenorrhea.

Well, no. That is not a thing that's been happening. But staff that are vaccinated will have to stay CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Private School Says No Vaccine For Staff

WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP? – Dad Gone Wild

WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP? – Dad Gone Wild

WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP?

“The time has arrived when patience becomes a crime and mayhem appears garbed in a manner of virtue”
― Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes

 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret this morning. For some, it’ll be deeply disturbing. Others will nod and say, “About time you catch up to reality.”

Regardless, here it is, the chasm between what happens in the statehouse and what happens in the classroom is an ever-growing deep, and wide one. If we did a Vinn diagram between what happens in the classroom and what administrators, non-profit CEOs, and politicians think happens in the classroom, it would be a feature thin sliver of shared elements.

A decade ago, when I first started advocacy work,  I used to get emotionally worked up over every potential policy piece and initiative that came down the pike. I’d grab the pitchfork, light my torch, and be off to the rally.

Man, I used to get so frustrated when older heads would just smile and offer the sage advice of, “slow down, it’s all a pendulum. Swings one way then the other. Ain’t nothing we ain’t seen before.”

“But, but, but…” I’d sputter, “This is different! it’s about to become law! They are going to put an end CONTINUE READING: WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP? – Dad Gone Wild

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

 NewBlackMan (in Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) -

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile-blm_24.html

'Black Girl Songbook' – Chapter 8: Black California Girls, Featuring Anita Pointer and Cari Champion

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

" Danyel Smith , notable Oakland enthusiast, dedicates this episode to the state she adores. From the girls to the warm weather, she lays out why California is the best state and what makes it so special. She’s joined by Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters to talk about pioneering their unique style and growing up in Oakland. Later on, Cari Champion joins to talk about her experience being Black

Enlightened with Lisa Borders: Moving Beyond Fear To Create a Legacy featuring Grant Hill

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

"NBA Hall of Famer, Olympian, Atlanta Hawks co-owner, Grant Hill , joins Enlightened host Lisa Borders to speak on some unspoken truths. Hill and Borders critique the Rooney Rule, discuss the inherent value of having a sports background in the boardroom, and he explains the impact of being a ‘glue guy.’ Hill gets personal about his experiences with fatherhood, police and celebrity, and the painfu

Principals Show Bias in Responses to Black parents, New Study Finds

by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h

Principals show bias in responses to Black parents, new study finds was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Principals show bias in responses to Black parents, new study finds Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat Apr 26, 6:00am EDT A few years ago, thousands of high school principals across the country received a variation of the same email from a parent

Re-Imagining Public Safety: A World Without Police

by Mark Anthony Neal / 17h

" Daunte , Ma’Khia , Andrew , Anthony . The list keeps growing. Is it time to abolish the police? On this episode of “Be Heard Talk,” Selena Hill , Evan Mastrondari , and special guest activist and author Brea Baker will discuss the call to abolish the police." -- Black Enterprise

Black Muslims and the World: Rasul Miller on The Ideological Eclecticism of Black American Sunni Islam

by Mark Anthony Neal / 17h

"In a Wednesdays at the Center virtual event, Rasul Miller , Assistant Professor of History at the University of California Irvine, spoke about the lives and legacies of Shaykh Daoud Faisal and Mother Khadijah Faisal , the founders of the Islamic Mission of America, one of New York City’s oldest mosques. The event was introduced by Youssef Carter , Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the

"You see a lot of people doing acrobatics to show why Ma’Khia deserved to die, not why she deserved to live": On the Adultification of Black Girls

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

"The fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant is sparking demands for accountability and igniting conversation about how race and gender played a role in the way law enforcement interacted with her. Dr. Monique W. Morris , President and CEO of “Grantmakers for Girls of Color” and Author of "PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools", Treva Lindsey , Professor of Women’s St

Communities of Color and Other Buyers, Beware of Bold Promises from Health Insurers by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

| @DrBenChavis | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile) The COVID-19 pandemic has brought issues of healthcare equity to the forefront of discussions of racial justice. Even when controlling for factors like age and income, communities of color have been much more severely impacted that white Americans. A recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “older Black, Hispanic, and American In

Radio New Frame: Under the influence of influencers

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

"Everyone can be a social media influencer in a hyper-capitalist society. What comes next in advertising? Also, we look at the sinister side of the internet economy. Featuring guests Gordon Cook and Adam Haupt , Radio New Frame is hosted by Charles Leonard ."

Why South Africa is Still So Segregated

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

"For decades, South Africa was under apartheid: a series of laws that divided people by race. Then, in the 1990s, those laws were dismantled. But many of the barriers they created continue to divide South Africans by skin color - which in turn determines their quality of life, access to jobs, and wealth. Racial division was built into the fabric of cities throughout South Africa, and it still has

How L.A.'s Container Ship Logjam Highlights Larger Pandemic Supply-Chain Issues

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

" An average of 30 container ships a day have been stuck outside the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just waiting to deliver their goods. The backlog is part of a global supply-chain mess spurred by the pandemic that means consumers could see delivery delays for weeks." -- Wall Street Journal

Belabored: Black Against Amazon, with Steven Pitts and Robin D.G. Kelley

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

" The workers at the Amazon facility in Bessemer didn’t succeed in winning a union when all the votes were counted, but nevertheless the story has drawn attention to the company’s labor practices and the struggles of the workers in its facilities. Belabored teamed up with Steven Pitts of Organizing Upgrade’s Black Work Talk podcast to talk about the state of the Black working class. We were joine

Stuck in The Studio: Ayanah Moor

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

"On this episode of CCMA Creates: Stuck in the Studio features Ayanah Moor , an artist whose work explores blackness, gender, desire and language. She discusses her recent return to painting, inspirations behind her work and her solo exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art ."

 NewBlackMan (in Exile)