ctrzaska said:
Whip?
Consequences.
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?
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.
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.
tjohn said:
It isn't a question of guts if there are repercussions. What are the possible costs?
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.
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.
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.
kenboy said:
It's all bad.
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.
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?
kenboy said:
If 100% of us skip the tests, each teacher's effectiveness rating will be impacted identically.
kenboy said:
If 100% of us skip the tests, each teacher's effectiveness rating will be impacted identically.
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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.