NJ DOE tells school districts to get parents to toe the line! - REVISED AGAIN
Nov 3, 2014 at 6:44pm Edited
ctrzaska said:
Whip?
Consequences.
Ok, late night, sleep-deprived hyperbole reined in. "Whip" is now mere "get".
The main point stands. Yes, there are consequences to fighting the system. But then there are consequences to going along with the system as well.
Amazing that every educator I talk to, from teachers right on up to our superintendent, either outright says or very strongly implies that PARCC is a political boondoggle that NO educator wants, but that politicians are forcing on us, and we just all have to suck it up. My favorite new tidbit of information is that Pearson, which of course is the company that gets paid to make the PARCC test, has relatively little test prep material available on their website, so WO is paying ~$200,000 on a multi-year contract to license a piece of software (Successmaker) to let kids practice PARCC skills.
Anyone want to try to guess who makes Successmaker?
Anyone want to try to guess who makes Successmaker?
kenboy said:
Amazing that every educator I talk to, from teachers right on up to our superintendent, either outright says or very strongly implies that PARCC is a political boondoggle that NO educator wants, but that politicians are forcing on us, and we just all have to suck it up. My favorite new tidbit of information is that Pearson, which of course is the company that gets paid to make the PARCC test, has relatively little test prep material available on their website, so WO is paying ~$200,000 on a multi-year contract to license a piece of software (Successmaker) to let kids practice PARCC skills.
Anyone want to try to guess who makes Successmaker?
Such a racket. I really shudder at any discussion of education "reform" because it seems to be 3/4 grifters and (maybe) 1/4 people who actually care about education.
Totally. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but you've got the teacher-bashing politicians getting god knows what sort of donations to force us into these test test test situations, where the test is all-critical and helps determine teacher compensation, and where the test and the prep materials are sold by the same company, and the test keeps becoming more and more integrated into the curriculum, where we're also taking more and more time out of the day to focus on things like SGOs and assessments, all under the banner of rigor and testing.
I can't be the only one who sees this as a long-term plan to completely align curriculum to the tests to the point when anyone who says "you're just teaching to the test" will be told "but of course we are -- that's what the Pearson-written curriculum we bought says to do, and all the brand new Pearson-certified teachers we're hiring -- well, not hiring, but that Pearson provides as part of our annual contract, and thank God for that since all the old teachers took early retirement when Pearson offered it to them last year -- that's what they're all taught to do at Pearson State Teacher's College!"
Hey, look on the bright side -- a few decades of that and there won't be anyone left with the critical thinking skills to complain about it.
I can't be the only one who sees this as a long-term plan to completely align curriculum to the tests to the point when anyone who says "you're just teaching to the test" will be told "but of course we are -- that's what the Pearson-written curriculum we bought says to do, and all the brand new Pearson-certified teachers we're hiring -- well, not hiring, but that Pearson provides as part of our annual contract, and thank God for that since all the old teachers took early retirement when Pearson offered it to them last year -- that's what they're all taught to do at Pearson State Teacher's College!"
Hey, look on the bright side -- a few decades of that and there won't be anyone left with the critical thinking skills to complain about it.
xavier67 said:
NJ DOE takes the offensive against growing Opt-Out movement in the state against PARCC testing. http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/11/03/administration-moves-to-make-sure-all-seats-filled-for-parcc-tests/
DOE Commissioner David Hespe urges "all chief school administrators to review the district’s discipline and attendance policies to ensure that they address situations that may arise during days that statewide assessments, such as PARCC, are being administered."
READ: "If any parents in your district fail to produce their children for PARCC in the spring, be sure to discipline them back in line."
High-stakes indeed.
And people wonder why schools spend so much time teaching to the test.
Nov 4, 2014 at 8:15am Edited
Well, I'm not saying that people should opt out of PARCC, but if folks are interested there are few websites with relevant info.
Like THESE:
http://unitedoptout.com/state-by-state-opt-out-2/new-jersey/
http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/07/22/ira-shor-why-you-should-opt-out-your-children-from-state-testing/
ETA: Bloomfield school district is officially allowing families to opt out of standardized tests, including PARCC. http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/bloomfield-provides-opt-out-for-standardized-tests-1.1108234
Like THESE:
http://unitedoptout.com/state-by-state-opt-out-2/new-jersey/
http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/07/22/ira-shor-why-you-should-opt-out-your-children-from-state-testing/
ETA: Bloomfield school district is officially allowing families to opt out of standardized tests, including PARCC. http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/bloomfield-provides-opt-out-for-standardized-tests-1.1108234
The State DOE sends out a memo telling districts to make sure students are present to take the standardized tests, under threat of discipline relative to attendance policies,
http://assets.njspotlight.com/assets/14/1102/2042
yet, the Bloomfield BOE claims "The state has been very reluctant, and in fact, the last communications from the state is indicating it's up to the districts to decide what to do." (relative to letting students opt out).
Sounds like someones not getting the message.
http://assets.njspotlight.com/assets/14/1102/2042
yet, the Bloomfield BOE claims "The state has been very reluctant, and in fact, the last communications from the state is indicating it's up to the districts to decide what to do." (relative to letting students opt out).
Sounds like someones not getting the message.
tbd said:
The State DOE sends out a memo telling districts to make sure students are present to take the standardized tests, under threat of discipline relative to attendance policies,
http://assets.njspotlight.com/assets/14/1102/2042
yet, the Bloomfield BOE claims "The state has been very reluctant, and in fact, the last communications from the state is indicating it's up to the districts to decide what to do." (relative to letting students opt out).
Sounds like someones not getting the message.
Bloomfield BOE's decision to allow opt outs was in early Oct. State DOE's directive came in late Oct, probably in part in reaction to local districts like Bloomfield allowing families to opt out.
Question is my mind is, will the new SOMSD BOE have the guts to do the same?
It isn't a question of guts if there are repercussions. What are the possible costs?
Nov 7, 2014 at 1:14am Edited
tjohn said:
It isn't a question of guts if there are repercussions. What are the possible costs?
Nothing real that I can think of.
In the Memo, DOE Commissioner Hespe claimed:
"The PARCC assessments will, for the first time, provide detailed diagnostic
information about each individual student’s performance that educators, parents and students can
utilize to enhance foundational knowledge and student achievement. PARCC assessments will
include item analysis which will clarify a student’s level of knowledge and understanding of a
particular subject or area of a subject. The data derived from the assessment will be utilized by
teachers and administrators to pinpoint areas of difficulty and customize instruction accordingly."
Even this isn't true. Just ask the teachers and administrators.
xavier67 said:
"The PARCC assessments will, for the first time, provide detailed diagnostic
information about each individual student’s performance that educators, parents and students can
utilize to enhance foundational knowledge and student achievement. PARCC assessments will
include item analysis which will clarify a student’s level of knowledge and understanding of a
particular subject or area of a subject. The data derived from the assessment will be utilized by
teachers and administrators to pinpoint areas of difficulty and customize instruction accordingly."
Even this isn't true. Just ask the teachers and administrators.
Um, how would they know? This is the first year of PARCC, and no one yet knows if the outputs will be timely and informative, or not.
xavier67 said:
State DOE's directive came in late Oct, probably in part in reaction to local districts like Bloomfield allowing families to opt out.
And now the DOE has clarified their position.
Yes, let's ignore a DOE directive. It's not like they have any say in the amount of funding our district receives.
Tbd, I'm sorry that you feel our only choice is to acquiesce. From today's NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
More and more people are realizing the high price of increasing standardized high-stakes testing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
More and more people are realizing the high price of increasing standardized high-stakes testing.
If one of those stakes could be reduced funding (wink wink), there may be other ways to make the point or see how the wind blows first. Either way it doesn't affect my kids in the least, so they'll take it and move on.
xavier67 said:
Tbd, I'm sorry that you feel our only choice is to acquiesce. From today's NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
More and more people are realizing the high price of increasing standardized high-stakes testing.
My kids haven't suffered in the least from standardized tests. It's a non-issue.
Additional testing costs money, takes away from teaching time and distorts teaching priorities. It isn't going to destroy public education and it isn't going to damage our kids, but unless it can be demonstrated that it is HELPING our kids learn, why are we doing it. I know how it helps politicians and Pearson and number crunchers, but I am still clinging to the idea that public education is for our kids.
So apparently there's no real threat of reduced funding:
http://www.fairtest.org/why-you-can-boycott-testing-without-fear
And I disagree that testing isn't going to destroy public education -- I think that's its true goal, even if most of its proponents don't know it -- and that it isn't going to damage our kids, because it's not just the unnecessary stress we're putting on our test-taking students and the ridiculous changes to the curriculum being made to better teach to the test -- it's the associated crap that goes with it, like the SGO's that are taking first grade teachers out of their classrooms so they can do one-on-one assessments, and the kindergartners losing play and recess time in the name of rigor.
It's all bad.
http://www.fairtest.org/why-you-can-boycott-testing-without-fear
And I disagree that testing isn't going to destroy public education -- I think that's its true goal, even if most of its proponents don't know it -- and that it isn't going to damage our kids, because it's not just the unnecessary stress we're putting on our test-taking students and the ridiculous changes to the curriculum being made to better teach to the test -- it's the associated crap that goes with it, like the SGO's that are taking first grade teachers out of their classrooms so they can do one-on-one assessments, and the kindergartners losing play and recess time in the name of rigor.
It's all bad.
kenboy said:
It's all bad.
Yes, it's all bad. But not hopeless, as I'm seeing more and more pushback across the country.
I think the politicians have underestimated how much resistance people will put up. They couldn't have predicted that this is one issue that would bring tea partiers and progressives together!
Nov 14, 2014 at 2:41am Edited
kenboy said:
So apparently there's no real threat of reduced funding:
http://www.fairtest.org/why-you-can-boycott-testing-without-fear
NCLB says that 95% of students must take the test or the school will fail to make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) and then suffer sanctions. However, this provision is now essentially irrelevant.
First, schools that do not receive federal Title I funds are exempt from sanctions under NCLB. Those schools are labeled as not making AYP, but NCLB does not require a state to do anything to them.
There are many schools for whom the financial threat applies. For example, we have several schools who receive Title I funding in SOMSD.
The article mentions that the requirement to assess a minimum of 95% of students hasn't been financially enforced as far as they know. However, do you want to park in the illegal parking spot just because you haven't gotten a ticket yet?
sprout said:
There are many schools for whom the financial threat applies. For example, we have several schools who receive Title I funding in SOMSD.
The article mentions that the requirement to assess a minimum of 95% of students hasn't been financially enforced as far as they know. However, do you want to park in the illegal parking spot just because you haven't gotten a ticket yet?
DOE can't take the Title funds away even from Title 1 schools like Clinton, Seth Boyden, SOMS and MMS. They can direct the schools to use the funds in a different way.
The parking spot analogy isn't valid in that millions have been ticketed in the past for illegal parking. Schools being penalized financially has NEVER happened. Why? Because the issue isn't so B&W as illegal parking. And chances are it will never happen.
Nov 14, 2014 at 2:56am Edited
No, there haven't been financial repercussions yet.
The more real threat is total school closing, restructuring, mass firing, charter school takeover, etc. This is a reality for many low performing Title I school in urban areas, and some parents have protested the closure/restructuring decisions in Newark and NYC.
So, yes, we are probably *mostly* immune to financial or restructuring hits in our better performing Title I schools in SOMSD.
But your child's teacher will still have their effectiveness rating impacted by their students' results, or lack of results.
The more real threat is total school closing, restructuring, mass firing, charter school takeover, etc. This is a reality for many low performing Title I school in urban areas, and some parents have protested the closure/restructuring decisions in Newark and NYC.
So, yes, we are probably *mostly* immune to financial or restructuring hits in our better performing Title I schools in SOMSD.
But your child's teacher will still have their effectiveness rating impacted by their students' results, or lack of results.
If 100% of us skip the tests, each teacher's effectiveness rating will be impacted identically. More importantly, maybe this politically-foisted crap will just go away (and be replaced by some different crap).
kenboy said:
If 100% of us skip the tests, each teacher's effectiveness rating will be impacted identically.
And if everyone in China jumped up and down at the same time......
Nov 14, 2014 at 7:26am Edited
kenboy said:
If 100% of us skip the tests, each teacher's effectiveness rating will be impacted identically.
If a teacher does not have enough students taking the test, the test scores will not be counted in their evaluation (it will become 80% Administrator evaluation + 20% student growth based on class assessments).
The issue with skipping the tests individually, instead of organizing a full boycott, is that the teacher will probably still get test scores as part of their evaluation if one or two of their students skips the PARCC. And if those happened to be students who learned a great deal from the teacher that year, then the teacher's score will be lower than it would have been had those students participated.
In response to wide-spread revolt against PARCC, Hespe has now backed off his earlier threats and now says:
“Every district should apply its own policies...We should not automatically assume that coming to school and not wanting to take the test is a disciplinary problem.”
This means that SOMSD is free to set their own policy regarding families wanting to opt out of PARCC. Surely, our Board can now discuss this without worrying about being penalized by Trenton.
“Every district should apply its own policies...We should not automatically assume that coming to school and not wanting to take the test is a disciplinary problem.”
This means that SOMSD is free to set their own policy regarding families wanting to opt out of PARCC. Surely, our Board can now discuss this without worrying about being penalized by Trenton.
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DOE Commissioner David Hespe urges "all chief school administrators to review the district’s discipline and attendance policies to ensure that they address situations that may arise during days that statewide assessments, such as PARCC, are being administered."
READ: "If any parents in your district fail to produce their children for PARCC in the spring, be sure to discipline them back in line."
High-stakes indeed.