STOP THE MADNESS: How to really know how your kids are doing.

12 Tuesday Apr 2016

Tags

education, High Stakes Testing, Parents, schools, teacher, teachers

Mitchell Robinson is associate professor and chair of music education at Michigan State University. I read this post on FB and he graciously allowed me to blog it for him.

“As a parent, I sit down and talk to my children’s teachers at least twice per year at parent-teacher conferences about their work in school, and receive regular updates about their academic, social and musical development.

I check their homework, help them with projects and talk to them about their studies every day.

I can check their grades online any time of the day or night.

I attend their soccer games, band concerts, piano recitals, and school events, so that I know not just what they are doing, but have the chance to meet their friends and their friends’ parents–many of whom have become good friends.

As a teacher, I engage in continuous formative assessment, tracking my students’ progress as learners, and using the information gathered to improve my practice as a teacher.

I provide formal and informal updates on my students’ development, and offer mentoring and guidance whenever asked–and often when not asked.

I know my students as persons–their strengths and challenges, their goals, their aspirations–and am fully committed to helping them achieve their dreams.

Why would I need standardized tests to tell me anything about my children, or my students when I already know so much about them?

The only purpose for these tests is to evaluate–and punish–teachers and schools, even though we know that these tests are neither valid or reliable for those specific purposes–and to make millions of dollars in profits for the corporations that develop them.

Stop the madness. Let kids learn. Let teachers teach.

Pull the plug on standardized testing.

Look what political pressure and opting out does:

03 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by David Greene in Uncategorized

≈ 12 Comments

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@anthonycody, @dianeravitch, @valeriestrauss, children, common core, education, Educators, High Stakes Testing, opt out, Parents, politics, schools, students, teachers

Governor Andrew Cuomo says Common Core is not working and now he’s promising a review of its implementation.
In a statement, Gov. Cuomo recognized the growing disapproval from parents, teachers and even education experts on how the standard was implemented.

While Gov. Cuomo says there are problems with the standard, he says he still believes in the concept. He says standards for students are important, but people, especially parents, have faith in them.

“The fact is that the current Common Core program in New York is not working, and must be fixed,” said Gov. Cuomo in a statement. “To that end, the time has come for a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Common Core Standards, curriculum, guidance and tests in order to address local concerns.”

Cuomo says he will have an education commission review the implementation of the standard and make recommendations for changes. He hopes to have the recommendations in time for his State of the State Address in January.

http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s3896627.shtml?cat=565

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

04 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by David Greene in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

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@anthonycody, @dianeravitch, @Koch, @valeriestrauss, Amanda Ripley, education, Elizabeth Green, opt out, Parents, politics, students, teachers, urban education

Elected officials. IT’S TIME TO FINALLY STOP, LOOK, LISTEN:

How much will it take for policy makers to stop the education reform led by corporate interests? How much longer will they ignore the will of the people who vote them in…. OR OUT!

All the campaign money in the world will not get you re-elected if you refuse to see the handwriting on the wall. Eric Cantor learned that last primary season. It looks like many will learn that same lesson in 2016 and 2018.

Samantha Williams, of Dunkirk Maryland writes to her local newspaper.

“Standardized testing is not an accurate measure of a student’s ability to perform, as many people do not test well, even though they know the information being presented.”

“Another problem arising from standardized tests is the lack of proper teaching practices. Instead of “teaching to learn,” educators are now “teaching to test.” A major chunk of the school year is spent rushing to prepare for tests instead of making sure students are actually learning. Also, the amount of stress placed on students to perform well causes them to do poorly.”

The Quinnipiac University Poll, on June 4, 2015 rates a governor on his education policies that are strongly based on the use of standardized tests.

“New York State voters disapprove 59 – 30 percent of the way Gov. Andrew Cuomo is handling education.

Voters have a dim view of standardized tests to measure student performance, saying:

64 – 30 percent that these tests are not an accurate way to measure how well students are learning;

69 – 26 percent that teacher pay should not be based on student test scores;

65 – 29 percent that teacher tenure should not be based on standardized test scores.

“Rating teachers on how their pupils do on standardized tests is a bad idea, New Yorkers think,” Maurice Carroll Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University Poll said. “As a matter of fact, voters don’t trust those tests to be an accurate measure of teachers’ performance.

The same poll also reports that:

Voters trust the teachers’ unions more than the governor, 54 – 30 percent, to improve education in New York and… that they oppose allowing the New York City mayor to continue control of the city’s public schools by 55 – 34 percent.”

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN. OR LOSE YOUR JOBS.