Sure, if students can't pass these tests, don't question the quality of their education, get rid of the tests, or make them easier. Makes a lot of sense.
2
Whatever helps teachers helps students. Period.
All I know is that my first grader's class is missing an entire week of school this week because their teachers are proctoring tests and the entire week of school next week because they are taking a test. This is not a couple of hours. This is two straight weeks of sitting in school doing nothing.
2
Cuomo's budget and change to teacher evaluation, tenure etc., is nothing but the start of a plan to destroy public education in New York State. Everyone in my family went to public schools in NYC. The overwhelming majority of teachers were dedicated ,caring professionals who had a lifelong impact on all of us. The overemphasis on tests needs to go and the teachers need our support ,not more hoops to jump through. What is this all about ? If Andy Cuomo is at the center of it, I'd say follow the money.
3
if the unions are against something, then go the other way and vice versa. teacher unions are to protect their members, not your kids!
1
The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing http://www.gemmlearning.com/blog/education-reform/lessons-on-high-stakes...
1
Being a parent and educator, I see the struggles of my own kids doing a lot of problems with absolutely no insight to their understanding or application. Either it is rote memorization or training in bubbling answers by eliminating choices. The enthusiasm they had in lower grades continued to evaporate as they moved to middle school and high school as more and more tests replaced learning and fun in their classrooms. I strongly encouraged them to take part in extra-curricular activities to keep the fun of school and kept reminding them that real learning takes place ONLY outside the classroom. No child left behind act makes sure that every one is slow.
4
As a 20 year veteran of teaching I can not but voice my dismay at standardised testing. Although I realise the gargantuan task of evaluating teacher quality and student capability for university, a written tests tells us very little about what students have learned or how well a teacher instructs. We are talking about humans - and the interactions and successes are intricate and varied. To boil down student success to a test is ridiculous and we must move to a more complex system of assessment - whatever amount of time it takes.
4
“It’s right at the point when we finally actually have the kind of improved tests that so many folks petitioned for and advocated for for years,” said Jonah Edelman, the chief executive of Stand for Children, an advocacy group that supports charter schools and teacher evaluations that incorporate test scores."
This made me laugh. WHO exactly said the tests are improved? THE CHARTER SCHOOLS GUY. Lets see, what do charters do: weed out ELLs and Special Education students, refuse to accept students after a certain grade because they might be difficult, and kick out/suspend (at an alarming rate) students that are behavior problems. Then use the scores to "prove" how awesome Charters are compared to Public Schools.
But yeah EVERYONE is happy with the "improved tests"...come on dude.
This made me laugh. WHO exactly said the tests are improved? THE CHARTER SCHOOLS GUY. Lets see, what do charters do: weed out ELLs and Special Education students, refuse to accept students after a certain grade because they might be difficult, and kick out/suspend (at an alarming rate) students that are behavior problems. Then use the scores to "prove" how awesome Charters are compared to Public Schools.
But yeah EVERYONE is happy with the "improved tests"...come on dude.
5
Nobody objects to quality private schools beginning SAT prep very early and certainly teach to the test. The best colleges and universities are no longer requiring SAT for admission. It's the abuse of the prep and the results that have made the tests of questionable usefulness to evaluate either the students or teachers.
The problem is not the tests themselves. Teaching to the test is one big problem, but that is not due to the tests. At my daughter's private school the kids just finished taking their tests this year. My daughter had all of one hour of test prep. There is no teaching to the test. There are no practice tests. The kids are given some practice in filling in the holes and are told not to be late.
Tests pervert education when time is wasted in "preparing" for the test.
The second problem is how they are used. At our school the tests are used to evaluate curriculum and to a lesser degree the teachers themselves. Recently the school changed vocabulary and math books in response to school-wide results.
Standardized tests existed when I was a kid in the 1970s and I remember taking them. The problem is that now the answer to low tests scores is wasting time on test prep rather than a fuller examination of what lowers kids scores.
If the test scores are low in a high socio-economic areas the problem is probably the school, the teachers, or the curriculum.
It is more complicated when the test scores are low in poor areas.
How to fix education? First do something about the kids who grow up in poverty with no stable home life. Then raise the standards for teachers. Raise the training, the pay, and respect that teachers get.
The test grades will follow.
Tests pervert education when time is wasted in "preparing" for the test.
The second problem is how they are used. At our school the tests are used to evaluate curriculum and to a lesser degree the teachers themselves. Recently the school changed vocabulary and math books in response to school-wide results.
Standardized tests existed when I was a kid in the 1970s and I remember taking them. The problem is that now the answer to low tests scores is wasting time on test prep rather than a fuller examination of what lowers kids scores.
If the test scores are low in a high socio-economic areas the problem is probably the school, the teachers, or the curriculum.
It is more complicated when the test scores are low in poor areas.
How to fix education? First do something about the kids who grow up in poverty with no stable home life. Then raise the standards for teachers. Raise the training, the pay, and respect that teachers get.
The test grades will follow.
2
Opt out is led by parents, teachers, students & citizens. When United Opt Out National began over 4 years ago we were just a Facebook page. Within hours our FB page was flooded with opt out requests. Now we have leaders all over the country & grassroots opt out groups popping up everywhere. I think Florida has 25 – & mind you they did this all on their own. UOO is simply a catalyst & a support. UOO has reached out to the unions many times & never received a response. You will notice that UOO is rarely mentioned in recent articles. I think that’s because we represent the people. The power of the people. UOO has no funding. When our website was destroyed last year guess who helped UOO fund the rebuild? The people. No corporations. No unions. And - the people – the citizens of this country – for free – with truth & heart – have helped us to create 50 state opt out guides. The fact that this is happening by the people, for the people, with no funding, is true democracy & is a dangerous thing. Folks would much prefer that we are sheeple & that we are incapable of strategically planning a nationwide opt out movement. Guess what? We did it. All of us. That makes us dangerous. That makes the media/corporations want to co-opt & shut down our work. A mass movement of civil disobedience that is running through our country like a tidal wave in an attempt to save our democracy is indeed a powerful force that no corporation can shut down. Keep pushing forward. Solidarity to all of you.
5
Just another reason why the unions are dangerous: intimidate teachers who intimidate the parents. Funding should be stopped to the schools with parents who oppose the testing and all of the nonsense would end. P.S. I am not politically "conservatively right"
3
What are we really arguing about? What problems are we trying to solve?
Helping teachers assess?
Recruiting or retaining great teachers?
Shaping educational policy decisions ?
Supporting deployment of Common Core? without asking what the common core is supposed to achieve?
Scapegoating (teachers and unions) and making money in the process?
What else am I missing?
Helping teachers assess?
Recruiting or retaining great teachers?
Shaping educational policy decisions ?
Supporting deployment of Common Core? without asking what the common core is supposed to achieve?
Scapegoating (teachers and unions) and making money in the process?
What else am I missing?
2
Our VP Biden, not the sharpest of tacks, has always repeated one nugget of wisdom which is truly wise. He always said that in the Senate he could argue the facts & results of a particular policy but he would never argue about his opponents' motivations.
The war against teachers in this state & others- & indeed at the national level- is conducted on one side (call it the teachers' side) with policy & on the other side ( call it the reformers/haha side) with aspersions about the teachers' motivations.
The war against teachers in this state & others- & indeed at the national level- is conducted on one side (call it the teachers' side) with policy & on the other side ( call it the reformers/haha side) with aspersions about the teachers' motivations.
1
To reference C.S. Lewis, scissors need both blades to be scissors. Teachers must teach well; students must study hard. If teachers don't teach well, there must be consequences. If students don't study hard, . . . what, exactly? Their teachers will get busted? That's the "logic" in a nutshell, and it's crazy, which is why I have to believe that the folks pushing these tests as accountability measures really don't want public education to succeed.
4
1) The teachers union seems to have contempt for the intelligence of its own products -- that the voters should be willing to spend roughly $1 Trillion a year on K12 with little acountability from the teachers.
2) What voice did the parents and students have in the development of Common Core -- even though they are expected to spend 12 years and $120,000 per student meeting those standards?
3) If you look at the needs of many students --especially those of poor or working class neighborhoods -- the K12 is the most stupid waste of limited resources imaginable. How many of its products emerge capable of getting a job that will support a family or of building a business that will let them accumulate wealth and lift themselves out of poverty?
4) Teach kids how to think? The ones that know how to think are the problems --because they rebel and are discipline problems at being dragged into a system designed to spit out powerless, dependent corporate slaves. A fraud whose civics class ignores Sheldon Adelson dumping $150 million into US politics while Sheldon's prostitutes on the Supreme Court issue Citizens United.
2) What voice did the parents and students have in the development of Common Core -- even though they are expected to spend 12 years and $120,000 per student meeting those standards?
3) If you look at the needs of many students --especially those of poor or working class neighborhoods -- the K12 is the most stupid waste of limited resources imaginable. How many of its products emerge capable of getting a job that will support a family or of building a business that will let them accumulate wealth and lift themselves out of poverty?
4) Teach kids how to think? The ones that know how to think are the problems --because they rebel and are discipline problems at being dragged into a system designed to spit out powerless, dependent corporate slaves. A fraud whose civics class ignores Sheldon Adelson dumping $150 million into US politics while Sheldon's prostitutes on the Supreme Court issue Citizens United.
What is the alternative to tests? Every kid gets an A+ ?
And what is the alternative from the management perspective? Surely people understand the basic rule of management: "what you can't or don't measure, you don't manage."
I've taught at the graduate and postgraduate level for years, am near the end of my career. I took many tests, I have given many tests.
I'm also a licensed Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor, have trained many pilots. While there are substantial differences between training atmospheric physicists and training pilots ... are you going to tell me that you don't want either the nation's scientists or pilots to be tested?
Are you kidding?
And what is the alternative from the management perspective? Surely people understand the basic rule of management: "what you can't or don't measure, you don't manage."
I've taught at the graduate and postgraduate level for years, am near the end of my career. I took many tests, I have given many tests.
I'm also a licensed Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor, have trained many pilots. While there are substantial differences between training atmospheric physicists and training pilots ... are you going to tell me that you don't want either the nation's scientists or pilots to be tested?
Are you kidding?
1
Are you?? How do you measure a teacher's effectiveness? By cooking up, half-baked, an arbitrary system of numbers?
1
There's a good chance that scientists and pilots have to pass meaningful, well written tests, not the tripe produced by Pearson.
5
The trouble is that the particular methods of measurement using the standardized tests are not valid, not developed in good ways, nor used well. The principle of management isn't to make arbitrary measurements that serve no good purpose.
2
My kids are in an excellent district, I see them cut history and science teaching time to teach to the tests and then try to make up for it after the tests are over. My kids are very good students who love science and history, I think both of those subjects are as important as math and reading.
I opted out this year because I am against these tests being used for teacher evaluations, I think my schools in my district do a very good job of educating my kids and the emphasis on this testing is making it harder for them to maintain their excellence. I think the focus should be raising up the schools that need help, not dragging down the schools that have been getting it right.
I opted out this year because I am against these tests being used for teacher evaluations, I think my schools in my district do a very good job of educating my kids and the emphasis on this testing is making it harder for them to maintain their excellence. I think the focus should be raising up the schools that need help, not dragging down the schools that have been getting it right.
8
2 things about the standardized tests. The teachers are right in not wanting to be evaluated on how children perform is absolutely correct. When I taught, I discovered that -surprise!- how children do on tests depends mostly on parents. If you teach at a school where most of the parents are professionals, the children will perform well on tests. If you teach at a school where the parents are hight school dropouts, who become minimum wage workers, who are -surprise!- hostile to the whole education enterprise, the children, for the most part, do poorly on tests. The teacher is really just baby-sitting, attempting to keep the hostility level in the classroom to a minimum. I discovered that some of the most hostile, acting out children could be delightful and engaging on class trips, where they weren't being subjected to what was for them a failure environment. The only possible solution I can think of is a perpetual round off educational class trips for the first few years, gradually easing into the formal classroom structure by 3rd grade. Testing of these children is definitely not the way to go. Charter schools are different. Again, not because of teachers, but because these are children of parents, who may be poor and not have a high level of education themselves, but they recognize the value of education for their children.
3
The Opt Out movement, of which Opt Out Louisiana is a part, is a grassroots parent led movement. The teachers unions lie low on this issue in Louisiana and they came late to the game in New York. We parents opt our children out of PARCC testing precisely to stop the punitive high-stakes testing that harms children, teachers and schools. The test-centric focus undermines children's school success, marks teachers 'ineffective', and labels schools 'failing' to advance a privatized agenda. It is especially destructive for the children who struggle and in schools with higher percents of children living in poverty. We opt our children out to critique the obsession with ever-higher PARCC test scores and to refocus action on reaching and teaching every child through a rich curriculum. Stand with parents, for children, teachers and public schools. Opt Out!
5
I understand the need for standardized testing--exactly how else are we supposed to measure how well teachers are performing and if students are improving? When I was a senior in high school (2-3 years ago), we took a test during the first week of class to see what we knew about the subject and again at the end of the year to see how much we've improved. The teachers had to submit these grades to be evaluated. It made sense. I can't exactly comment on how the tests are run nowadays, but I don't understand the criticism.
1. The US lacks in it's education. We are behind many other developed nations. It is important for us to improve, so don't blame the state for pushing this.
2. Perhaps teachers aren't performing well enough. A student should be able to easily pass these tests if they are taught whatever is going to be on it. It's good to practice for them, but all that time wouldn't be needed if they actually had an understanding of the topics on it from the get go.
3. School isn't tough enough. I took all AP classes and when I took the regents, they were a cake walk. It was a joke for me and my peers in AP classes. Education needs to be held to a higher standard.
4. Students themselves aren't motivated to learn. Many just don't care about school and don't want to be there. They need to be driven and inspired not just by teacher, but those who they live with.
1. The US lacks in it's education. We are behind many other developed nations. It is important for us to improve, so don't blame the state for pushing this.
2. Perhaps teachers aren't performing well enough. A student should be able to easily pass these tests if they are taught whatever is going to be on it. It's good to practice for them, but all that time wouldn't be needed if they actually had an understanding of the topics on it from the get go.
3. School isn't tough enough. I took all AP classes and when I took the regents, they were a cake walk. It was a joke for me and my peers in AP classes. Education needs to be held to a higher standard.
4. Students themselves aren't motivated to learn. Many just don't care about school and don't want to be there. They need to be driven and inspired not just by teacher, but those who they live with.
2
Given #4, would you want to rethink the system you claim "makes sense"?
1
One solution is to have the teacher design both the pre and post- test and then have to demonstrate growth to their supervisors. Supervisors of course would have to approve the tests. This could also be done for the whole school. That way, we really would be comparing apples to apples if the test fits what teachers are teaching to and that it is appropriate for the particular student body. My school does something similar.
1
It has been shown pretty clearly over time that standardized tests are an excellent measure of socioeconomic status and not much else. Kids from white, middle- or upper-class, educated families always do best on these tests. The tests are inevitably biased against non-white and low-income families due to the content and the assumptions underlying their creation (most likely because they are created by white, middle- or upper-class educated professionals). The idea that these tests can be used to determine which school is better and to discipline teachers and schools for poor performance is slightly delusional. They should stick to measuring basic reading and math scores and use the tests internally to guide curriculum, but as for comparing schools, it's a very foolish proposition to think standardized testing is of any use.
20
The test makers work hard to make sure the tests aren't biased toward a particular racial or ethnic group. However, written tests, by their very nature, standardized or otherwise are 'biased' in favor of children whose parents, largely professionals, were good at written tests. How could it be otherwise?
2
As a now retired teacher, I have given standardized tests to literally thousands of students during my (nearly) 20 year career. I had students tell me, especially at the high school level, that they do not take them seriously because they don't count as part of their grade. Indeed, the state set up the schedules so that they couldn't be included, given the supposed turn around time of six weeks. (The district from which I retired is located about 64 miles from the capital city, but the state was telling the same thing to schools within or slightly outside the city.)
The tests I administered over the years, especially the ones in high school, would make a decent mid-term exam. The tests also pre-suppose that a class and its students have hit some kind of magical point in the school year and that pacing in all classes are exactly the same. Any teacher knows that is as far from the truth as it comes. (I've taught multiple sections of the exact same class and we were all in a different place at the same time.)
The tests I administered over the years, especially the ones in high school, would make a decent mid-term exam. The tests also pre-suppose that a class and its students have hit some kind of magical point in the school year and that pacing in all classes are exactly the same. Any teacher knows that is as far from the truth as it comes. (I've taught multiple sections of the exact same class and we were all in a different place at the same time.)
3
In Arizona...education leader that it is...NOT...parents have created and led the opt out movement...with thew support of many populist Republicans who have stood up to the Chamber of Commerce. Democratic legislators have completely rolled over and ignore the parents. The teachers' union...an unofficial arm fur Democratic Party... is still opposing the opt out movement in spite of the large percentage of teachers who do not favor the way Arizona is using standardized tests to improve the bottom line of text and test publishing corporations who are well connected to the governor.
5
How many of those writing in this column are educated, well read individuals who probably graduated from resourceful school districts? Deplorably, one in four of our students are on the very bottom of international tests (PISA). Common cores elements of education are meant to HELP our students across all barriers. In fact, "states with math standards that were similar to the Common Core in 2009 scored higher on the eighth grade NAEP that year compared to states with standards dislike the Common Core" (Loving, Brookings Institute). I agree that the way the testing is done is over the top and there is too much time spent doing so. This does have to change.
I do not believe that Common Core were written to HURT but it's our first attempt as a nation to improve the NATIONAL educational standards of this country. However, as a parent that chooses to have your child OPT out, you are also REFUSING to determine if this system can work. Many nations have some element like the Common Core and kids do rather well, including state/public schools with progressive programs that include International Baccalaureate programs.
I do not believe that Common Core were written to HURT but it's our first attempt as a nation to improve the NATIONAL educational standards of this country. However, as a parent that chooses to have your child OPT out, you are also REFUSING to determine if this system can work. Many nations have some element like the Common Core and kids do rather well, including state/public schools with progressive programs that include International Baccalaureate programs.
1
It's Tom Loveless of Brookings. And you should quote his findings more carefully. I think that his skepticism about the Common Core is well know. "Predicting the Effect of the Common Core State Standards on Student Achievement: The Common Core will have little to no effect on student achievement. The quality or rigor of state standards has been unrelated to state NAEP scores, Loveless finds. Moreover, most of the variation in NAEP scores lies within states, not between them. Whatever impact standards alone can have on reducing within-state differences should have already been felt by the standards that all states have had since 2003" http://www.brookings.edu/research/podcasts/2014/04/the-common-core-state...
1
President Obama in 2007 before the NEA: "Don't tell us that the only way to teach a child is to spend too much of a year preparing him to fill out a few bubbles on a standardized test. We know that's not true. You didn't devote your lives to testing, you devoted it to teaching! And teaching is what you should be allowed to do!"
How sad is this?
How sad is this?
6
When it comes to undermining accountability, Charter School Reformers are the Masters of the Universe.
5
Measuring the quality of schools and teachers from students' standardized tests is valid only under several conditions, none of which is really met.
It depends on the validity of the standards, on the validity of the tests, and on the validity of the statistical models by which the inference is made from test data to school and teacher quality.
The American Statistical Association has said that the statistical model does not work. http://www.amstat.org/policy/boardstatements.cfm This problem is visible in the lack of year-to-year correlations for teacher measurements and the very large confidence intervals for such measures.
The tests are made by for-profit corporations that do not serve the public interests. Teachers cannot use these tests to help students. The tests exist only to punish schools, teachers, and students.
The Common Core standards have many good things in them. But they are written to impress powerful people, not to help teachers and students.
Among the many absurdities that result from this top-down management is the idea that art and music education must have standardized quantitative tests. This is part of New York State's new education law, thanks to Governor Cuomo.
It depends on the validity of the standards, on the validity of the tests, and on the validity of the statistical models by which the inference is made from test data to school and teacher quality.
The American Statistical Association has said that the statistical model does not work. http://www.amstat.org/policy/boardstatements.cfm This problem is visible in the lack of year-to-year correlations for teacher measurements and the very large confidence intervals for such measures.
The tests are made by for-profit corporations that do not serve the public interests. Teachers cannot use these tests to help students. The tests exist only to punish schools, teachers, and students.
The Common Core standards have many good things in them. But they are written to impress powerful people, not to help teachers and students.
Among the many absurdities that result from this top-down management is the idea that art and music education must have standardized quantitative tests. This is part of New York State's new education law, thanks to Governor Cuomo.
5
Funny how the Teacher's Unions always try to claim that attempts by the parents, citizens, and taxpayers of this country to have accountability in the public school system is an "attack." That is why the teacher's unions approval numbers are so abysmal and why teachers who perpetuate these union misrepresentations have lost the respect of many in the community.
3
FYI, a greater percentage of the state trusts the teacher's union over the Governor regarding education. Look at the recent Sienna poll. They see through the for-profit, privatization scheme that is dependent on perpetuating the myth of "failing schools". Don't you?
1
Who are these people kidding? Testing is a money making endeavor. It also allows for folks like Cuomo to attack teachers. The parents that allow their children to take the test are coerced by the Charter school machine...Eva Moskowitz and her Hedge fund backers.
A blind man can see that this is all about making money. Since when does Wall st. care about black/brown kids getting an education?
Give us a break with the sophistry and crocodile tears.
For the children? Please, it's a weak and embarrassing line of defense.
Stop vilifying parents and teachers to promote greed; Cuomo and Moskowitz....
A blind man can see that this is all about making money. Since when does Wall st. care about black/brown kids getting an education?
Give us a break with the sophistry and crocodile tears.
For the children? Please, it's a weak and embarrassing line of defense.
Stop vilifying parents and teachers to promote greed; Cuomo and Moskowitz....
13
Maybe standardized testing is not the silver bullet, but with the dismal graduation rate of NYC schools, does anyone have a better idea? The teachers' union balks at every other attempt to weed out ineffective educators. Somewhere, somehow, something has to give. We are failing our children year after year with no solution in sight. Don't say more money. NYC already spends exponentially more per student than any school district in the nation. Clearly we are doing something wrong.
5
Maybe, just maybe, it's not all on the teachers.
4
My mom taught her whole career in NYC schools, she hated it near the end. My kids go to Long Island schools, teachers are treated with respect and students leave school prepared for college. We get to vote on our school budget. No local control of schools in NYC. I think NYC schools have too many adminstrators and middle managers. Plus the Mayor is in charge of Board of Ed now, does the mayor have any training in education?
2
The way to weed out ineffective teachers is for Administrators to have more backbone and strength of character and give ineffective evaluations to teachers who deserve them. Administrators like to be liked and therefore back away from uncomfortable conversations with teachers, especially veteran teachers who need to step up their practice in light of the demands of the Common Core.
The Common Core is an exciting and demanding way of teaching and learning. The Common Core is completely separate from the Assessments. Common Core is reinvigorating the world of education, the Assessments are killing the spirit of inquiry in our children, their families and educators alike.
The Common Core is an exciting and demanding way of teaching and learning. The Common Core is completely separate from the Assessments. Common Core is reinvigorating the world of education, the Assessments are killing the spirit of inquiry in our children, their families and educators alike.
so we should not use tests to gauge students abilities? Then what? ESP? Vodoo?
1
Testing as such is not the problem. It is the particular tests, how they are developed, and how they are used, none of which serves educational purposes. The purpose is a management theory that the only way to improve an organization is by firing or punishing people who don't measure up, according to some measure. The standardized tests that are being protested merely serve to provide a measure in order to choose schools to be closed or teachers to be fired, not any educational purpose.
1
I am a former college math professor. I've seen the heart of the teaching problem for years. Please, please, pay attention and see where the real problem is, followed by a suggestion for addressing it.
The problem doesn't start in the first grad or the 12th grade, or with the teachers directly. It starts in college.
I will explain.
Some "elite" schools get large government grants to produce American professors in areas of "national need". And do they produce them - competent or not. (See my post "No Jobs for Ph.D.'s? Depends on what you mean by Ph.D." on my blog inside-higher-ed for a detailed example.)
Many of these faux-PhDs go on to be "professors" at state regional schools, or similar places. They are not competent to teach their students well, and many of their students are future high school teachers. There are specific examples on my blog, so I will just give one here.
A "professor" at such a college told me that it took five years before he could always tell when the student homework was wrong - but still didn't always know what was wrong. That professor was not unusual there.
All of this is in addition to the fact that many even so-called "elite" schools are more interested in happy students than educated students.
Here is my suggestion.
Test teachers on content, but do it in a way that protects makes the teacher anonymous, while making the results public BY COLLEGE. That would be in the interests of everyone BUT colleges.
The problem doesn't start in the first grad or the 12th grade, or with the teachers directly. It starts in college.
I will explain.
Some "elite" schools get large government grants to produce American professors in areas of "national need". And do they produce them - competent or not. (See my post "No Jobs for Ph.D.'s? Depends on what you mean by Ph.D." on my blog inside-higher-ed for a detailed example.)
Many of these faux-PhDs go on to be "professors" at state regional schools, or similar places. They are not competent to teach their students well, and many of their students are future high school teachers. There are specific examples on my blog, so I will just give one here.
A "professor" at such a college told me that it took five years before he could always tell when the student homework was wrong - but still didn't always know what was wrong. That professor was not unusual there.
All of this is in addition to the fact that many even so-called "elite" schools are more interested in happy students than educated students.
Here is my suggestion.
Test teachers on content, but do it in a way that protects makes the teacher anonymous, while making the results public BY COLLEGE. That would be in the interests of everyone BUT colleges.
2
When the unions band together to sabotage the education of the children they're supposed to be serving, they should be disbanded.
1
All of the top performing nations have 100% unionized teaching staffs. Americans must be pretty evil to do this to their own CHILDREN!!
Would you like to have your doctor or pilot not be tested?
1
Hi old doc - interesting point. But a better comparison might be: Would you like to have your doctor tested by the health choices his patients make? Would you like to have a pilot tested by the performance of the passengers? Now one might reply to this: but it's a teacher's job to improve student performance, and of course testing can help us see if this is happening. This is true, but only to an extent. In the 2010 article, "Teachers Matter, But So Do Words," Matthew Di Carlo writes, "But in the big picture, roughly 60 percent of achievement outcomes is explained by student and family background characteristics (most are unobserved, but likely pertain to income/poverty). Observable and unobservable schooling factors explain roughly 20 percent, most of this (10-15 percent) being teacher effects. The rest of the variation (about 20 percent) is unexplained (error). In other words, though precise estimates vary, the preponderance of evidence shows that achievement differences between students are overwhelmingly attributable to factors outside of schools and classrooms (see Hanushek et al. 1998; Rockoff 2003; Goldhaber et al. 1999; Rowan et al. 2002; Nye et al. 2004)."
5
Would you have the doctor or pilot tested but not give them their grade for 6 months and never tell them what they did wrong? And have the doctor evaluated on how the pilot did on his pilot's test? They want to evaluate teachers that don't teach math and ELA based on the math and ELA tests.
Does that mean I could have been a better medical student by drinking beer and playing pool instead of studying at home or at the school? And maybe all of those 24 - 36 hours every other day working at the hospital as a resident could have been better spent
going to the park with my girlfriend. And, as far as passengers and patients testing pilots and doctors, why would they need a pilot or doctor anyway, since those testing would know more anyway.
going to the park with my girlfriend. And, as far as passengers and patients testing pilots and doctors, why would they need a pilot or doctor anyway, since those testing would know more anyway.
Listen to our students, parents and teachers and stop raiding our children's education for politics and profit. How about that as a way to improve education.
Throughout this long sad journey -- NCLB, Race to the Top, Common Core Pearson tests, PAARC, Smart Balance, Duncan, King, Tisch, and Cuomo -- parents have been told from above what is best for their kids and to keep quiet, your involvement is not needed. Each and every year for over two decades, we are told that the system is broken, our schools are failing, our children's teachers do not know what they are doing. Things are getting worse we are told and tests will prove it. We need another plan is put into place to "raise" standards and hold schools "accountable". The latest version is poorly written high stakes standardized tests produced by for-profit companies with no transparency, no training and materials, and no attempt to bring consensus with stakeholders. We, as parents, do not see how this is benefiting our children and in fact see this as further erosion of public education in the US. What did the policy makers expect, a bunch of lemmings. They are getting what they deserve through the civil disobedience of the opt-out movement and its growth.
Throughout this long sad journey -- NCLB, Race to the Top, Common Core Pearson tests, PAARC, Smart Balance, Duncan, King, Tisch, and Cuomo -- parents have been told from above what is best for their kids and to keep quiet, your involvement is not needed. Each and every year for over two decades, we are told that the system is broken, our schools are failing, our children's teachers do not know what they are doing. Things are getting worse we are told and tests will prove it. We need another plan is put into place to "raise" standards and hold schools "accountable". The latest version is poorly written high stakes standardized tests produced by for-profit companies with no transparency, no training and materials, and no attempt to bring consensus with stakeholders. We, as parents, do not see how this is benefiting our children and in fact see this as further erosion of public education in the US. What did the policy makers expect, a bunch of lemmings. They are getting what they deserve through the civil disobedience of the opt-out movement and its growth.
5
By giving credit to the Teachers Unions as an organizing force behind the opt out movement, The NYTimes pours resolve into the hearts of many parents who recognize the destructive motives behind these tests, and the corp education reform agenda. Rather than speaking to parents, you speak to everyone else. I guess i should be grateful because you make the job of recruiting more parents to the cause, that much easier. So keep marginalizing parents and attempting to discredit the movement, and you will insure our success.
5
I recently submitted a letter to the Times about its lack of coverage of this 'opt-out' movement. It was published, but not until this article have they decided that the story was worth any ink, actual or virtual. It seems that they have chosen to present this as a teacher driven phenomenon rather than a parent driven one. While it's true that NYSUT has joined the call to subvert the tests, the movement has been driven (by and large) by PARENTS who have witnessed their children's emotional and intellectual responses to New York's political implementation of Common Core first hand.
Teachers and their unions did not and could not compel parents to write letters to schools opting their children out. To assert this is to insult the intelligence of every parent who made this difficult decision to defy the institutions that they generally support. Furthermore, teachers who advocate this in their classrooms, and even on line are subject to disciplinary action for insubordination.
The Times has really missed the story here.
Teachers and their unions did not and could not compel parents to write letters to schools opting their children out. To assert this is to insult the intelligence of every parent who made this difficult decision to defy the institutions that they generally support. Furthermore, teachers who advocate this in their classrooms, and even on line are subject to disciplinary action for insubordination.
The Times has really missed the story here.
42
First off, KEA is not a state union in Kentucky and in fact is not a union at all. It aims at being a professional organization for educators like the American Bar Association is for lawyers and like the American Medical Association is for doctors. However, it is not really that either since is has little of the clout of either of those professional associations. For example, it has no say in whether someone become an educator or not. Superintendents, state certification boards and universities make those calls. Those who like teachers and educators to be silent butlers in the service of school boards and their communities call KEA a union because then it is easy to attack as a union. I was a member of KEA before retiring 11 years ago and members of the local CEA would actually be offended if they were referred to as a union. To them, unions are for laborers and professional associations are for professions and they were mutually exclusive. KEA includes not only teachers but administrators and others involved in the educational institution. In a conflict between teachers and administrators, who exactly among their membership does KEA represent?
Secondly, it needs to be pointed out that standardized testing has little to do with measuring kids and much to do with measuring schools. Kids are merely a weapon being used to attack teachers and public schools.
Secondly, it needs to be pointed out that standardized testing has little to do with measuring kids and much to do with measuring schools. Kids are merely a weapon being used to attack teachers and public schools.
3
It is deplorable that the unions have such an overwhelming voice and coverage here. Standardized tests are important, common core is a bit stupid from the perspective that it was not well thought out and certainly not well implemented. Not a fan, but standard tests must be given. It is the only way to determine if kids are learning consistently across the country. And I don't want to hear about standard tests not being fair. They are fair, what isn't fair is they weight used for grading teachers. But then when 95% of teachers are given meet or exceed we have a problem.
This is what happens when our education is dominated by the government. Yes, I want my taxes to go to education. No, I don't believe that the countless school boards across the country or the Dept. of ED have much of a place in education. We pay more to teach a child than any country. But we get nonsense. Partly because the US believes everyone should be in school and be taught academics vs. technical trades, through the age of 18. Not so in other countries.
Public Service UNIONS must be stopped. They have no place in society today. NONE. And if you think they do, stop and think. Do people working for the government really have to fear their 'boss?' The 'corporation?' And if they do, could it be that 'administrators' have too much power?
We have more non-teachers (administrators, etc. ) per child than teachers, by > 3x. Does that tell you anything?
This is what happens when our education is dominated by the government. Yes, I want my taxes to go to education. No, I don't believe that the countless school boards across the country or the Dept. of ED have much of a place in education. We pay more to teach a child than any country. But we get nonsense. Partly because the US believes everyone should be in school and be taught academics vs. technical trades, through the age of 18. Not so in other countries.
Public Service UNIONS must be stopped. They have no place in society today. NONE. And if you think they do, stop and think. Do people working for the government really have to fear their 'boss?' The 'corporation?' And if they do, could it be that 'administrators' have too much power?
We have more non-teachers (administrators, etc. ) per child than teachers, by > 3x. Does that tell you anything?
2
But that's the problem: administrators. Stop kicking the teachers.
2
Much of the anti-standardized testing cohort has expressed concern with "teaching to the test," a phenomenon that has the potential to undermine the overall student experience and learning--that is, if teachers are devoting the overwhelming majority of their time to preparing students to do well on a multiple choice exam, how much is this actually helping them develop as well-rounded students..critical thinkers..writers..communicators..human beings? Liberal education is under attack in this country as our lawmakers have become enamored with the type of narrow and specialized education for "important subjects" (sorry, art history majors) that will produce effective, but robotic employees.
As a STEM student at a liberal arts college, I am deeply concerned with this educational shift. Yet I am also deeply concerned with the performance of our nation's students and teachers. What about a different, more all-encompassing form of evaluation.. the development and inclusion of standardized interviews as opposed to an increase in standardized testing? Let's make an effort to emphasize more than just a student's ability to perform calculations and answer multiple-choice reading questions; while these things are undoubtedly important, there are many other skills that are equally important in providing students with the tools to be independent, successful citizens. If we want to fairly evaluate a teacher's effectiveness, we need to consider additional measures of student development.
As a STEM student at a liberal arts college, I am deeply concerned with this educational shift. Yet I am also deeply concerned with the performance of our nation's students and teachers. What about a different, more all-encompassing form of evaluation.. the development and inclusion of standardized interviews as opposed to an increase in standardized testing? Let's make an effort to emphasize more than just a student's ability to perform calculations and answer multiple-choice reading questions; while these things are undoubtedly important, there are many other skills that are equally important in providing students with the tools to be independent, successful citizens. If we want to fairly evaluate a teacher's effectiveness, we need to consider additional measures of student development.
3
I am a teacher who is in favor of relevant testing and setting high standards but the Common Core does neither. I left the DOE and I now work for one of the best private schools in the country and guess what? No private school uses the Common Core Test ..ever! We (the Faculty) write the curriculum and we write the tests just the way I used to in public schools before "No Child Left Behind".
For those who might say I would make the tests easier than the Common Core, please note that college acceptance rate for my students in both private and public schools was above 97%. Let me also add that in both settings more than 50% of my students needed financial aid.
In public and private settings I can help most students move up two grade levels within a year in English, with limited parent support with two things: a class size of 25 or less and resources for classroom supplies and leveled reading materials.
Sadly, most public schools no longer support teachers like me, and with large class sizes, slashed budgets, mandated test prep and constant attacks, even the most dedicated will have to retire or find employment elsewhere.
For those who might say I would make the tests easier than the Common Core, please note that college acceptance rate for my students in both private and public schools was above 97%. Let me also add that in both settings more than 50% of my students needed financial aid.
In public and private settings I can help most students move up two grade levels within a year in English, with limited parent support with two things: a class size of 25 or less and resources for classroom supplies and leveled reading materials.
Sadly, most public schools no longer support teachers like me, and with large class sizes, slashed budgets, mandated test prep and constant attacks, even the most dedicated will have to retire or find employment elsewhere.
6
What bunk. Johnny and Sally are perfect, and who would want their self esteem damaged by a test that would rank them against their peers. These parents who refuse to allow their kids to be Common Core tested are every bit as hypocritical as the union teachers who don't want to have their skills tested or questioned. Just give every kid an A and go on your way.
3
If you really want to know about the origins of United Opt Out take 40 minutes and listen to this interview. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bustedpencils/2015/04/19/united-opt-out-ast...
Summary of United Opt Out
Just for the record (a lot more people read your record than mine).
United Opt Out formed after the 2011 SOS rally when Peggy Robertson, Ceresta Smith, Laurie Murphy, Morna, McDermott, Shaun Johnson and I met each other during the conference part at American Univ. Although Laurie Murphy and Shaun Johnson are no longer active in the group (new administrators are Rosemarie Jensen, Denisha Jones, Ruth Rodriguez and Michael Pena) we still remain simply a rag tag group of misfits with nothing more than a Facebook page and a website.
We meet every Monday on the free Go To Meeting service and all costs have always come directly from our own pockets. We have never taken money from either union at the national, state and local levels.
With teleconferencing, social media, and a webpage we have organized and pulled off two Occupy the DOEs, two United Opt Out action planning conferences and grown our membership to over 19,000 members (That's not counting all the state affiliates).
I'm not sure how much more grassroots an organization can be.
Summary of United Opt Out
Just for the record (a lot more people read your record than mine).
United Opt Out formed after the 2011 SOS rally when Peggy Robertson, Ceresta Smith, Laurie Murphy, Morna, McDermott, Shaun Johnson and I met each other during the conference part at American Univ. Although Laurie Murphy and Shaun Johnson are no longer active in the group (new administrators are Rosemarie Jensen, Denisha Jones, Ruth Rodriguez and Michael Pena) we still remain simply a rag tag group of misfits with nothing more than a Facebook page and a website.
We meet every Monday on the free Go To Meeting service and all costs have always come directly from our own pockets. We have never taken money from either union at the national, state and local levels.
With teleconferencing, social media, and a webpage we have organized and pulled off two Occupy the DOEs, two United Opt Out action planning conferences and grown our membership to over 19,000 members (That's not counting all the state affiliates).
I'm not sure how much more grassroots an organization can be.
7
We teachers are not against testing. Neither are we against being held to standards. We are against high stakes, poorly made standardized tests that do not provide reliable data to inform instruction for students or support for teachers. I was happy to grow up in New York State where the Regents exams in academic subjects served as insurance that a certain minimum standard would be taught. However, those exams were well made and the teachers and students had a very good idea of what to expect on them. The same cannot be said of the new Common Core tests. Furthermore, teachers of non-Regents subjects demonstrate student achievement in more direct ways. Fitnessgrams are administered in Physical Education, painting and sculpture is produced in art, concerts are played and sung, plays are performed. There are many ways to show what students are learning without using the one-size-fits-all approach of these high stakes standardized tests.
35
In the late 80's and early 90's a major complaint of the Business Council of New York was that unlike in the past, an industry could not rely on a person with a Regents Diploma being "trainable". This is why there is the Common Core, and testing to determine whether the students have grasped those concepts necessary for being independent in the world.
Teachers are not often thought of as “obstacles to improving schools” by honest and informed people. This has always been the rallying cry for would-be union busters and venture capitalists salivating over the prospect of getting their hands of the billions of tax payer dollars that go to public education. No one who has bothered to look beyond the propaganda has ever bought those arguments. Parents and teachers, the two groups that actually interact with children, both oppose the idiotic regime of standardized testing that bureaucrats are trying to impose on America’s school children. If the goal of the education system is to produce knowledgeable, thoughtful citizens and workers, an education system designed to drill students until they are able to produce rote responses to multiple choice questions is bound to fail. You can see evidence for this in the performance of the so-called “Success Academies.” Despite their student’s good performances on standardized state tests (after an attrition rate over 50%), not a single graduating student has passed the admission test that would allow them entry into any of the city’s elite high schools. Eight years of relentless, joyless drilling, for what?
8
Bashing teachers, cutting the balls off their unions, and denigrating public education was the logically prior move to justify and enable profit driven excessive expensive standardized testing and profit driven privatization of public schools.
The people behind these "reforms" have played a long game very well. Teachers' collective voice-- mostly used to advocate for students' best interests-- has been systematically silenced. Had teachers' unions been focused only on teacher promotion, teachers would make one hell of a lot more than they do. Their modest incomes have stagnated for years.
Parents are finally wising up to the cynical, opportunistic "reform" movement that, far from improving the American educational system, is busily tearing it down for profits. Forget the public good.
After 40 years in public higher education, I will gladly retire soon. Students don't like to read. Far too many are semi-literate-- at a university that prides itself on high admission standards. More and more students are skilled at taking objective multiple guess exams but can't follow or ignore instructions for original work assignments and appear to believe that just submitting what they imagine they've been asked to do should earn them a good or excellent grade. What on earth is going on in K-12?
Efforts to "reform" public schools in the last couple of decades have been an abject failure. The "solutions" imposed have instead been highly destructive. But very, very profitable.
The people behind these "reforms" have played a long game very well. Teachers' collective voice-- mostly used to advocate for students' best interests-- has been systematically silenced. Had teachers' unions been focused only on teacher promotion, teachers would make one hell of a lot more than they do. Their modest incomes have stagnated for years.
Parents are finally wising up to the cynical, opportunistic "reform" movement that, far from improving the American educational system, is busily tearing it down for profits. Forget the public good.
After 40 years in public higher education, I will gladly retire soon. Students don't like to read. Far too many are semi-literate-- at a university that prides itself on high admission standards. More and more students are skilled at taking objective multiple guess exams but can't follow or ignore instructions for original work assignments and appear to believe that just submitting what they imagine they've been asked to do should earn them a good or excellent grade. What on earth is going on in K-12?
Efforts to "reform" public schools in the last couple of decades have been an abject failure. The "solutions" imposed have instead been highly destructive. But very, very profitable.
6
Maybe the real challenge is the testing of teachers. High quality teachers in Finland and Singapore continue to produce highly competent students. These two countries consistently outperform the US.
and they make widespread use of tests.
I don't care who puts a stop to all the testing, it has to stop. I educates no one. It puts fear in children and guarantees they will be terrified, fail and then fail in life. I took the NY Regents exams. In Algebra I learned to take the test. I don't know Algebra.
Juxtapose this with the story today about African American men missing in from their homes and children. When those children grow up with multiple siblings from mulitple fathers and have mothers who must work in low income, minimum wage jobs. When other minority communities like Hispanics and Native Americans experience the same or worse, what do you expect testing to tell you except there is no money, no one at home who got an educational. Test that, you test failure and get more of the same.
You can't send all the children in this country to charter schools. Charter schools are mostly an invention of the urban white middle class looking for a path between other public schools burdened by poverty and financially out of reach $40,000 a year private schools in NYC, D.C., Hoboken, Jersey City and the like those families can't afford.
Stop the testing and teach. Teachers know how to teach -- testers don't.
Yes teachers can do better, everyone can, but the teachers are not the problem.
The homes kids come from are the problem. Teach the parents and then you can teach their kids -- that reading books matters, that talking matters, that bringing home a newspaper and talking about what's in it matters.
Juxtapose this with the story today about African American men missing in from their homes and children. When those children grow up with multiple siblings from mulitple fathers and have mothers who must work in low income, minimum wage jobs. When other minority communities like Hispanics and Native Americans experience the same or worse, what do you expect testing to tell you except there is no money, no one at home who got an educational. Test that, you test failure and get more of the same.
You can't send all the children in this country to charter schools. Charter schools are mostly an invention of the urban white middle class looking for a path between other public schools burdened by poverty and financially out of reach $40,000 a year private schools in NYC, D.C., Hoboken, Jersey City and the like those families can't afford.
Stop the testing and teach. Teachers know how to teach -- testers don't.
Yes teachers can do better, everyone can, but the teachers are not the problem.
The homes kids come from are the problem. Teach the parents and then you can teach their kids -- that reading books matters, that talking matters, that bringing home a newspaper and talking about what's in it matters.
4
I taught high school for 14 years, and saw several trends. Grades mean almost nothing. There has been rampant grade inflation for years. But I am a huge opponent of standardized testing if tied to teacher and school funding for the simple reason that it will drive the curriculum too hard. If my pay is based my students' results on test "A", then that is all that I'm going to teach. And as a professional, I have a better science course that I would like to teach, but I would be prepared to deprive my students of that course so that I could excel at that standardized test.
I don't like the time that it takes from instruction either. Not only for the actual time spent filling in bubbles, but also for the disruptions that it causes in the schedule. If a student gets 50 minutes x 180 instruction in math for example, and you're going to spend 3 days testing, you just took almost 2% of my instructional time away.
Also - there are other means to evaluate a school: ACT scores are fine. Graduation rates. College entrance success.
I don't like the time that it takes from instruction either. Not only for the actual time spent filling in bubbles, but also for the disruptions that it causes in the schedule. If a student gets 50 minutes x 180 instruction in math for example, and you're going to spend 3 days testing, you just took almost 2% of my instructional time away.
Also - there are other means to evaluate a school: ACT scores are fine. Graduation rates. College entrance success.
2
so you are opposed to tests but not as long as they are ACTs (or SATs presumably)?
(1) The media makes entirely too much of the "factions between this union group and that union group". They play up the supposed in-fighting to sell the story, make their headlines more interesting, and increase their circulation. It's not that big of a deal, or treated like status quo to those in the industry.
(2) The quote at the end of this article is so stupid. "These teachers better watch it! If they minimize the effect of testing, are they saying they don't have influence over students?" What kind of convoluted logic is that? LOL~
(2) The quote at the end of this article is so stupid. "These teachers better watch it! If they minimize the effect of testing, are they saying they don't have influence over students?" What kind of convoluted logic is that? LOL~
2
While there is certainly room to debate the relative weight of standardized testing, but to completely eliminate it is ridiculous. Standardized testing is a required part of life and succes in most any course of study or occupational endeavor. SAT or ACT is required for college entry, GMAT, LSAT or MCAT for post-graduate education and any myriad of certification examinations, e.g. CPA and bar, to practice one's chosen profession. To remove such testing from public education because some "don't test well", is just delaying the inevitable. Children should prepare for and learn how ot excel on standardized testing as early as possible, as it is a fact of life.
2
JLS --
The New York State ELA and math assessments test children as young as 8 for up to 16 hours. Can you name me a single test taken by teenagers or adults that go on for so long?
All the tests you mention in your comment are ones that a young person or adult chooses to take for the sake of becoming a licensed professional or for further education --- they are optional and a good or bad performance affects only the test-taker. The state assessments are imposed from on-high (the federal government), and performance is tied to teachers' jobs.
Driving is a "fact of life" in my community. Should my 8 year old start studying for her driver's test?
The opposition to high stakes has nothing to do with children "not testing well." You say there is "room for debate" about the weight of standardized testing. Well, educators and parents have been arguing with politicians about this for years now, and all that happened in New York State was Governor Cuomo pushing to have the state assessments count for more than ever before!
Parents are opting out because politicians aren't listening and parents have realized that further "debate" isn't getting us anywhere.
The New York State ELA and math assessments test children as young as 8 for up to 16 hours. Can you name me a single test taken by teenagers or adults that go on for so long?
All the tests you mention in your comment are ones that a young person or adult chooses to take for the sake of becoming a licensed professional or for further education --- they are optional and a good or bad performance affects only the test-taker. The state assessments are imposed from on-high (the federal government), and performance is tied to teachers' jobs.
Driving is a "fact of life" in my community. Should my 8 year old start studying for her driver's test?
The opposition to high stakes has nothing to do with children "not testing well." You say there is "room for debate" about the weight of standardized testing. Well, educators and parents have been arguing with politicians about this for years now, and all that happened in New York State was Governor Cuomo pushing to have the state assessments count for more than ever before!
Parents are opting out because politicians aren't listening and parents have realized that further "debate" isn't getting us anywhere.
3
White, Euro-centric cultural dynamic is too caught up in ranking and sorting; standardized testing is a by product of this. As folks argue that testing is for teacher accountability, they forget that a misplace value system has created an education conundrum that promotes the idea that all children should function academically on a standardized cloth that is cut from the worst of white cultural fabric. One day we will grow to realize that ranking and sorting is not what saves the planet or promotes a child to become a literate member of society. In fact, it does the exact opposite in far too many cases.
1
The student, parent, and teacher, in that order, are the primary beneficiaries in learning from the evaluation of testing. Knowledge is the primary goal in education, not the creation of fact totting lemmings who fit a profile in a system. We need children who can critically think, and question as they become adults. Teaching directly to a test is a limiting factor of ingenuity, and American pragmatism to solving problems.
At some point the influence of unhealthy slanted political agendas in education need to be evaluated themselves. Democracy demands knowledge, and its people's ability to speak intelligently, and be understood. Testing is a tool to determine if the information was understood, not a gauge of capitalistic desires to influence outcomes.
- Attending College for a Masters Degree in Adult Education after 40 years of business experience.
At some point the influence of unhealthy slanted political agendas in education need to be evaluated themselves. Democracy demands knowledge, and its people's ability to speak intelligently, and be understood. Testing is a tool to determine if the information was understood, not a gauge of capitalistic desires to influence outcomes.
- Attending College for a Masters Degree in Adult Education after 40 years of business experience.
7
Congratulations, a sane comment. I was surprised (and a little amused) after reading the article and comments. Many readers do not have a clue about what education should be. The programs, No child left behind, GERM, Common Core, etc., show the trend towards an education dictated to a great extent by the companies who make the tests ( and an obscene amount of money, simultaneously). PLEASE, readers, get hold of Pasi Sahlberg's book Finnish Lessons 2.0. He is amazed that many of the ideas behind the Finnish educational system came from the USA, but the country is way behind Finland in the PISA results. By the way , teaching in one of the most exalted professions in Finland. Teachers there are backed by authorities and parents, as real education needs the collaboration of the whole society.
14
Having lived in Finland with a school-aged child who attended the local public school I can attest that the education in Finland is wonderful. The teachers are uniformly great. They are also unionized and while not wealthy they earn a reasonable middle-class income with regular pay raises. They are the best of the best. They need to be in the top 10% of their university class. I had a conversation with a co-worker whose girl friend was devastated that she did not make the cut to get into the Kindergarten teacher training program. I was told of the hundreds applying for just a few spots. We need to improve teacher training and the work lives of teachers.
My son took PARCC at his NJ high school and said that it was easy. He had no preparation for this test. The teachers at his school did not teach to test. Instead, the teachers at his school, teach at the level that makes standardised tests so much easier compared to the midterms and finals. Please stop listening to this political propaganda about the tests being poorly designed and teaching to test. Our friends with children in middle school, also mentioned that the PARCC was easy, and it never occured to them to opt out.
4
The real standardized test that all must pass or fail is the one administered by life in the real world. Perhaps teachers and their schools should receive a grade based on the number who complete a trade school or two years of college within two years of leaving their school.
1
that would be a defacto "standardized test" and hence prohibited.
1
While teachers are correct that many other factors can affect school performance and that testing results should not be over-emphasized in teacher evaluations, it is also absurd that virtually all teachers have been rated effective or highly effective. It is also true that there are too many high-stakes tests being administered each year, but the opt-out movement could be hurting the ability of their school districts to monitor their kids' education.
For instance, in my district, we go through gap reports that show us, by grade, teacher, and even student, exactly how the kids performed, right down to what questions they missed and possibly why. This gives us a tool to evaluate how individual teachers are delivering the curriculum and make corrections.
A couple years ago, we had a disastrous performance in one elementary grade. The teachers were known to be effective and had recently been trained in the new curriculum. By focusing on the data available from the data warehouse at BOCES, we were able to determine that they had failed to impart several crucial lessons, of which the teachers had not been fully aware. The teachers were so advised, they made corrections, and the problem has not re-occurred. Had parents opted out of that test, we would have had no idea what the problem was, what issues of instruction had been missed, and how to correct it.
Yes, testing should be scaled back, but it is an essential tool - you have to have data to drive the process of education.
For instance, in my district, we go through gap reports that show us, by grade, teacher, and even student, exactly how the kids performed, right down to what questions they missed and possibly why. This gives us a tool to evaluate how individual teachers are delivering the curriculum and make corrections.
A couple years ago, we had a disastrous performance in one elementary grade. The teachers were known to be effective and had recently been trained in the new curriculum. By focusing on the data available from the data warehouse at BOCES, we were able to determine that they had failed to impart several crucial lessons, of which the teachers had not been fully aware. The teachers were so advised, they made corrections, and the problem has not re-occurred. Had parents opted out of that test, we would have had no idea what the problem was, what issues of instruction had been missed, and how to correct it.
Yes, testing should be scaled back, but it is an essential tool - you have to have data to drive the process of education.
2
Kurt,
Classrooms assessments should indeed be used to impact instructional choices for educators and for families. Please note that the New York State ELA and Mathematics exams referenced in this article - and the ones driving this opt out movement - are not able to be used for such purposes. They are not seen by teachers or families until the following school year - when the teacher no longer teaches that child. Neither the teacher nor the families receive diagnostic results from the tests. Neither are ever able to see what questions the students got right or wrong. They simply receive a score. There is no information on areas of strength or areas for support. Educators have a "gag order" in place surrounding the exams. Page 8 of NYSED's teacher direction state that educators aren't even allowed to look at the exams, let alone discuss them: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/sam/ei/eisam15rev.pdf. Perhaps if these tests did yield usable diagnostic data, and were able to be used in some of the ways you reference, they would have more validity in the eyes of many. I agree that all classroom assessments should yield the data that can drive instruction in a timely and impactful manner both inside and outside the classroom. These assessments, however, do not.
Classrooms assessments should indeed be used to impact instructional choices for educators and for families. Please note that the New York State ELA and Mathematics exams referenced in this article - and the ones driving this opt out movement - are not able to be used for such purposes. They are not seen by teachers or families until the following school year - when the teacher no longer teaches that child. Neither the teacher nor the families receive diagnostic results from the tests. Neither are ever able to see what questions the students got right or wrong. They simply receive a score. There is no information on areas of strength or areas for support. Educators have a "gag order" in place surrounding the exams. Page 8 of NYSED's teacher direction state that educators aren't even allowed to look at the exams, let alone discuss them: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/sam/ei/eisam15rev.pdf. Perhaps if these tests did yield usable diagnostic data, and were able to be used in some of the ways you reference, they would have more validity in the eyes of many. I agree that all classroom assessments should yield the data that can drive instruction in a timely and impactful manner both inside and outside the classroom. These assessments, however, do not.
3
to Clark:
Thank you for your courteous reply, However, as a member of my local Board of Ed, I can assure you that that analytical data is indeed available. At our last BOE meeting, we reviewed a particular test, and we could drill down exactly as I said. I agree that the granularity previously provided by the state was not available last year, but we can and do see what questions individual kids got wrong, and the data (available through BOCES' data warehouse) even indicates possible reasons why the kids answered incorrectly (ie distractor answers etc).
This information is available to school districts and we use it. If the district is not using or looking at it or not sharing pertinent information with its teachers, it is either behind the times or otherwise not doing its job.
Agreed the data coming in after the fact cannot correct deficiencies with the current students, but it can and does prevent those from re-occurring in future years, as the example I had cited shows. The data is there.
Thank you for your courteous reply, However, as a member of my local Board of Ed, I can assure you that that analytical data is indeed available. At our last BOE meeting, we reviewed a particular test, and we could drill down exactly as I said. I agree that the granularity previously provided by the state was not available last year, but we can and do see what questions individual kids got wrong, and the data (available through BOCES' data warehouse) even indicates possible reasons why the kids answered incorrectly (ie distractor answers etc).
This information is available to school districts and we use it. If the district is not using or looking at it or not sharing pertinent information with its teachers, it is either behind the times or otherwise not doing its job.
Agreed the data coming in after the fact cannot correct deficiencies with the current students, but it can and does prevent those from re-occurring in future years, as the example I had cited shows. The data is there.
Kurt,
Can you clarify - was this data available from the 2014 NYS ELA and Mathematics exams? If so, that is very interesting, and I'd love to learn more about where exactly this was made available and with whom, exactly, such data was shared. I can tell you that this is not the case in NYC public schools, which serve 1.1 million students.
Can you clarify - was this data available from the 2014 NYS ELA and Mathematics exams? If so, that is very interesting, and I'd love to learn more about where exactly this was made available and with whom, exactly, such data was shared. I can tell you that this is not the case in NYC public schools, which serve 1.1 million students.
1
I am not from the US, but I am passionate about Education.
Standardised testing is the only reliable way to measure and benchmark student competency in the prescribed materials. Yes some will have Test anxiety that affects performance, but such is the nature of single event tests or contests. Benchmarking is important to measure competency and to allocate resources.
Student test scores are a lousy way to measure Teacher competency. The scores are arguably based on gross ability and take no measure of the net value add provided by the instruction. A great teacher could have made a poor student a little less incompetent, and a poor teacher may not have affected the performance of a good student.
Don't let the politics cloud the issues.
Standardised testing is the only reliable way to measure and benchmark student competency in the prescribed materials. Yes some will have Test anxiety that affects performance, but such is the nature of single event tests or contests. Benchmarking is important to measure competency and to allocate resources.
Student test scores are a lousy way to measure Teacher competency. The scores are arguably based on gross ability and take no measure of the net value add provided by the instruction. A great teacher could have made a poor student a little less incompetent, and a poor teacher may not have affected the performance of a good student.
Don't let the politics cloud the issues.
17
Agreed. Until valid growth models are developed for standardized tests, they should not account for a large portion of a teacher's evaluation. The best way to evaluate a teacher is for administrators (VPs and principals) to do their jobs: frequent classroom observations, review of lesson plans and teacher portfolios, and talking with parents and students.
Last night colleagues and I, driving through dense fog through Broad Channel from Rockaway, recited the first few lines of Carl Sandburg's poem and wondered aloud if any student would even know what we were talking about. The answer was a resounding "NO!" Classroom time is solely devoted to test preparation, which converts in most classrooms into test practice. Knowledge and the arts purely for the sake of knowledge and the arts is a lost ideal in most classrooms.
Common Core is not the problem. It would be good that children throughout the country would have the same sound basic education. Those who would presume to measure student achievement through standardized testing, however, have converted schools into "testing mills" from portals of knowledge, learning, thinking and most important of all, joy.
Common Core is not the problem. It would be good that children throughout the country would have the same sound basic education. Those who would presume to measure student achievement through standardized testing, however, have converted schools into "testing mills" from portals of knowledge, learning, thinking and most important of all, joy.
11
This article makes no mention of the statistical scientists virtually unanimous conclusion that "value added" measures based on test scores are invalid. This omission is akin to publishing an article denying climate change published based on the findings of a scientist on the payroll of the petroleum lobby. By turning a blind eye to the statistical worthlessness of value added measures the Times is effectively telling the public that test scores can be a valid measure teacher performance… which is clearly untrue.
7
What the New York Times has become - the house organ for the reform movement. The story is wrong. The Opt-Out Movement started with parents. They don't want to see their children harmed.
9
you mean harmed when they are young or when they grow older and they cannot handle a life without a decent education?
One last thing, Arne Duncan is from Chicago, Michelle Obama benefitted from attending a charter school - do the math.
2
Michelle Obama could not have attended a charter school. The first charter school was started in Minnesota in 1992, the same year she got married. Do the research.
1
Yes, Peter Hinrichs, you are correct. Michelle Obama attended a magnet school, not a charter school. My mistake, I own up to it. Magnet Schools share many similarities to Charter Schools, but are also have many differences.
Magnet schools do receive more public funding than regular public schools do to support the development of their students, but no, they are not privately funded as are Charter Schools and of course, they were created to promote diversity and better opportunities for children in urban settings.
This teacher is not against standardized testing. This teacher is against testing that eats up too much class time, testing that requires enormous investment in technology, testing that lines the pockets of corporations (why can't the states write their own tests?), testing that doesn't even release the result until six months later, and finally, testing that changes nothing because at the end of the day, the kids who need real, remedial, intense help don't get it.
57
Agree! Standarized testing should not require 'special' lessons. If kids are not learning, standardized testing should flag this for improvement.
But teachers are teaching to the test, most days! It is utter nonsense, but likely the result of having so much weight on how one's students perform on the tests. Shame on the process and shame on the administrators and shame on the government that not only allows this, but promotes it.
Of course I'm a bit jaded after 8 years of watching as over 150 teachers and principles cheated on the standard tests so they could get a big bonus. They even got an extra perk from Obama for such huge improvements - Obama must not be too smart if he thinks the average can go from 37% to 88% in one year, but then no one in government has proven to be too smart these days.
But teachers are teaching to the test, most days! It is utter nonsense, but likely the result of having so much weight on how one's students perform on the tests. Shame on the process and shame on the administrators and shame on the government that not only allows this, but promotes it.
Of course I'm a bit jaded after 8 years of watching as over 150 teachers and principles cheated on the standard tests so they could get a big bonus. They even got an extra perk from Obama for such huge improvements - Obama must not be too smart if he thinks the average can go from 37% to 88% in one year, but then no one in government has proven to be too smart these days.
Several problems here: (1) Absent an item analysis of these tests which would allow teachers to examine how students performed on each test question, the tests are essentially useless for improving instruction; (2) New York students are taking too many tests K-12 (117), which should be limited only to the federal tests; (3) The obvious conflict of interest of teachers encouraging students to opt out of the tests making them appear reluctant to be judged on their students' performance; (4) The state teacher union being directly involved in the process branding them as unprofessional; and (5) the question of how to evaluate teachers whose subjects are not tested being left in Limbo.
These five problem areas lead to the bottom line problem of state leadership in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, a sea change in education policy for New York and all states. New York state officials should be embarrassed for their performance.
These five problem areas lead to the bottom line problem of state leadership in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, a sea change in education policy for New York and all states. New York state officials should be embarrassed for their performance.
3
If the teachers unions are against standardized testing then I am for it. Those very unions have wrecked our education system financially and with tenure. The unions give the teachers very good salaries for what they do and how long their work year is which is OK but teachers then also get them excessive benefits while they work, protect them from getting fired while they "work" and then allow them spiked pensions and get excessive benefits when they retire. Unions would be fine if they were so threatening and greedy.
2
Go into a classroom yourself, see how it is. Then put work in quotation marks. You have three or four Special Ed students, students who cannot speak english, students well below grade level-all of which you need to have lessons for. Then prepare lessons for those on or above grade level. Teach them all to read, comprehend, do math, science, social studies to become critical thinkers, even those with an IQ of 80. Try to do that while 24 students or more are talking, or fighting or asleep. Wow, I'm so greedy!
1
I'm extremely disappointed with the coverage (or rather lack of coverage and inadequate coverage) of this issue by the New York Times.
This opt-out (or "test refusal" as the educrats in Albany spin it) is NOT a union lead effort but a parent lead effort. It's about decades of schools being chronically underfunded (and still owed money by the governor) and for the misuse of testing, the abuse of teachers and the destruction of the teaching profession.
I'm a physician and a proud product of NYC public schools. My own kids are in public school. I'm not against testing. I just believe the tests need to be designed for the uses they are intended to hold any validity. You can't use a test that's designed to test student knowledge as a marker of a teacher's quality of the test has not been constructed with that in mind. Further, you can't tie stakes to a test when you don't get the results for 4 or 5 months, long after the children have moved on, and you can't do an item analysis (or at least get the categories of where students were deficient.)
There are students that simply don't do well on standardized tests but excel in practical exams or oral exams. The current system will punish these students, and by extension their teachers.
If I'm a student, why should my teacher be penalized if I am homeless? or poor? or if my mother can't read? or if my parents leave me to fend for myself while they work? How does Pearson capture this in their test?
This opt-out (or "test refusal" as the educrats in Albany spin it) is NOT a union lead effort but a parent lead effort. It's about decades of schools being chronically underfunded (and still owed money by the governor) and for the misuse of testing, the abuse of teachers and the destruction of the teaching profession.
I'm a physician and a proud product of NYC public schools. My own kids are in public school. I'm not against testing. I just believe the tests need to be designed for the uses they are intended to hold any validity. You can't use a test that's designed to test student knowledge as a marker of a teacher's quality of the test has not been constructed with that in mind. Further, you can't tie stakes to a test when you don't get the results for 4 or 5 months, long after the children have moved on, and you can't do an item analysis (or at least get the categories of where students were deficient.)
There are students that simply don't do well on standardized tests but excel in practical exams or oral exams. The current system will punish these students, and by extension their teachers.
If I'm a student, why should my teacher be penalized if I am homeless? or poor? or if my mother can't read? or if my parents leave me to fend for myself while they work? How does Pearson capture this in their test?
15
I too am disappointed with the coverage of this subject lately, and this story seems to continue to fuel the myth that opposition to the Common Core and the explosion of opt-outs is all some plan concocted by the teacher's union.
As a parent who has been working hard to educate myself about the Common Core for many years, without any input from the teachers union, I'm so very tired of being portrayed as being duped by the teacher's union. I know more about the subject than most teachers in my district. They were basically resigned to the changes and had little expectation of parent opposition until the last few months when parents began to speak up. The unions were actually late to the game.
As a parent who has been working hard to educate myself about the Common Core for many years, without any input from the teachers union, I'm so very tired of being portrayed as being duped by the teacher's union. I know more about the subject than most teachers in my district. They were basically resigned to the changes and had little expectation of parent opposition until the last few months when parents began to speak up. The unions were actually late to the game.
I cannot understand how the teacher's union could be working with the conservative enemies of Common Core. Do teachers not see the conservative agenda? They want Common Core to fail so they can claim that the public schools have failed, opening the door to privatization. Teachers who work with conservatives are hastening their own demise.
2
What parent wants to have their kids endure testing? We all remember those dreadful moments for our childhood through college. What is being lost is the profound good that is happening around regimes of accountability. Prior to NCLB a decade ago and the resulting focus on individual student progress, I can recall conversations with teachers, principals and administrators. There was virtually no focus on the individual student, principals couldn't tell you which student was in trouble, Black and Latino students were swept under the proverbial rug, grade inflation and social promotion was the norm, and textbooks were selected not on their efficacy but on their look and feel.
Further, teachers unions ruled the roost systematically preserving employment of the absolute worst teachers and the Rubber Room http://goo.gl/YJFa4w existed.
The student is now being made the center of conversation and this is right and proper. The teacher's unions have overreached for a generation foisting policies like tenure and routinely placing work rules over the success of students. Teacher's unions would prefer a return to the old days where there was no accountability, when terrible teachers would drag down the culture of a school by living by contract minutia, when great teachers were not only rewarded but disenfranchised by the low standards implied in the environment. Assessments are the key to determining what is working, whether it is curriculum, administration or processes.
Further, teachers unions ruled the roost systematically preserving employment of the absolute worst teachers and the Rubber Room http://goo.gl/YJFa4w existed.
The student is now being made the center of conversation and this is right and proper. The teacher's unions have overreached for a generation foisting policies like tenure and routinely placing work rules over the success of students. Teacher's unions would prefer a return to the old days where there was no accountability, when terrible teachers would drag down the culture of a school by living by contract minutia, when great teachers were not only rewarded but disenfranchised by the low standards implied in the environment. Assessments are the key to determining what is working, whether it is curriculum, administration or processes.
2
The student's test score is the center of the conversation now, not the student. You really think this testing is about trying to get rid of some bad teachers? Assessments create a label not a key to a child's individuality or potential.
There is nothing sadder than watching "a grim faced father" talk about his 6 year-old son crying because of the tests. This TV spot, paid for by the New Jersey teachers' union, is pathetic: there is no such testing in the first grade. The father further laments the trauma his young son is struggling with--he is so upset he can't attend his after school judo classes!
2
Shame on education officials (Rochester and Florida identified in the article) who are threatening disciplinary action against teachers who are exercising their constitutional right to free speech. Threatening teachers is simply not smart and will encourage even more parents to support the teachers who believe testing is out of control and damages rather than enhances the educational mission. Teachers need support from parents, administrators and elected officals and not condemnation.
7
The roll out of the common core was even worse than the roll out of Obamacare, but at least the government was able to fix that through pouring millions of dollars into hiring tech experts to reset the course. Back in 2007, President Obama repeatedly slammed the testing frenzy in our schools and promised to de-emphasize the madness of out of control testing. Arts, athletics, and technology funding were just a few of the areas he discussed to improve the education and well being of our children. So, what did we get? Arne Duncan and First Lady Michelle Obama's prevent obesity campaign (which is lovely, but come on, couldn't the administration find additional ways to make use of this intelligent women's brains and talents?) We were all duped, we were sucker-punched. President Obama did the opposite of what he promised. I for one, voted for him twice. By the way, Hillary Clinton is elected, will Governor Cuomo serve in her cabinet as the new Arne Duncan?
7
There are many political reasons to object to the testing and accountability era: It is, as many others point out, primarily about money . . . for Pearson, ETS, McGraw Hill etc.; The tests are horrid. I'm the head of a school and wouldn't subject my kids to such absurd, confusing, meaningless drivel; It is driven by a charter movement which is funded by very wealthy hedge fund managers and their economist experts, who know nothing about education; It is part of a larger movement to demean and diminish the labor movement. I could go on.
But worse is that it is based on bad science, or perhaps better stated, no knowledge of children whatsoever. "Standardized" tests cannot be useful because children aren't standard. These tests are predicated on assumptions as ridiculous as the idea that every one year-old can walk. The tests are based on the unsupportable idea that all children are and should be intelligent in the same ways, which is inarguably false. And, the tests have created a culture and structure for students and teachers based on extrinsic rewards and punishments, which any dilettante psychologist knows to be much less effective than developing and sustaining intrinsic motivation.
It is stunning that we are even debating an approach to education which is simply based on a primitive understanding of human development.
That's why every family in America should opt-out.
But worse is that it is based on bad science, or perhaps better stated, no knowledge of children whatsoever. "Standardized" tests cannot be useful because children aren't standard. These tests are predicated on assumptions as ridiculous as the idea that every one year-old can walk. The tests are based on the unsupportable idea that all children are and should be intelligent in the same ways, which is inarguably false. And, the tests have created a culture and structure for students and teachers based on extrinsic rewards and punishments, which any dilettante psychologist knows to be much less effective than developing and sustaining intrinsic motivation.
It is stunning that we are even debating an approach to education which is simply based on a primitive understanding of human development.
That's why every family in America should opt-out.
10
Driven by the Charter movement? It was driven by the cabinet level Dept. of Education and Bush - no child left behind (not too bad, but...) and Obama - Race to the Top. It was the latter that brought over a million to the ATL teacher and administrative bonuses as a result of their cheating. We've spent many millions paying for their trials as they lied through their teeth, and then most recanted.
This is happening all over the country, not just in ATL. But the unions mandate that THEY get to investigate themselves. Guess what? No wrong doing anywhere. Hmmm.
This is happening all over the country, not just in ATL. But the unions mandate that THEY get to investigate themselves. Guess what? No wrong doing anywhere. Hmmm.
Reading thru the demands of the Common Core as it marches on from one grade to the next gave me a growing anxiety. How did I ever manage to obtain any success in life when I wasn´t introduced to algebraic concepts until the ninth grade instead of the first grade? By the end of the second grade all I could do was write my name in cursive (badly), count to a hundred and read the comics section of the newspaper. I can not speak for my parents or my teachers but I was quite satisfied with my progress as being able to count to a hundred and read the comics was pretty much the limit of my interests in school at that age.
What is disturbing about the Common Core is its rigid and dictatorial demands that allow for little variation in students' development and interests especially in the grades before high school. Heaven help the child who dislikes math and thinks it is boring or is a day dreamer. And heaven help the teacher of that child as she tries to get the kid interested in doing algebra on his fingers knowing that the performance of the kid on a test will be also used to evaluate her performance as a teacher.
I have spent most of my life in education both in and outside the US at all levels as both a student and a teacher. I would not want to deal with the Common Core and its testing demands as a child, a teacher or as a parent. It all strikes me as rather absurd and I do not believe I could survive it.
What is disturbing about the Common Core is its rigid and dictatorial demands that allow for little variation in students' development and interests especially in the grades before high school. Heaven help the child who dislikes math and thinks it is boring or is a day dreamer. And heaven help the teacher of that child as she tries to get the kid interested in doing algebra on his fingers knowing that the performance of the kid on a test will be also used to evaluate her performance as a teacher.
I have spent most of my life in education both in and outside the US at all levels as both a student and a teacher. I would not want to deal with the Common Core and its testing demands as a child, a teacher or as a parent. It all strikes me as rather absurd and I do not believe I could survive it.
31
As a kid in grade school (PS 90 in the Bronx), I was a straight A student. If I thought I might be able to get my teacher fired, I would have been a straight D student. What kid could resist the power? Remember, kids hear things on TV. Some even read newspapers! There is a valid reason for standardized nation wide tests. It's so educators and parents have an idea of whether the kids in their city/state are on a par with kids in other cities and states. If your city or state is a low performing one, educators should look at what educational methods &/or content are being used in other cities and states. Standardized test should not be used to evaluate student performance. Tests for (individual) student performance) should be about material that the teacher has covered. And teachers shouldn't be evaluated by students' performances on tests, because the most important factor in the success of individual students is how supportive their parents are. I don't mean helping kids with homework, which may or may not be a good idea. I'm talking about supporting children as people. They spend a lot more time with family than they do at school. It is family that shapes children's attitudes toward education and life.
1
It is stunning to see the paper of record get this story so completely backwards.
The Opt Out movement has been growing for the past three years because parents have seen the culmination of NCLB's annual testing combined with the developmentally inappropriate CCSS testing designed by Pearson. These forces have been squeezing curricula nationwide into narrower boxes, consuming too much time in school and eating into more enriching activities, and now, under Governor Andrew Cuomo's teacher evaluation scheme, they will count for a full half of teachers' evaluations, meaning even more of our children's time will become dominated by these overly intrusive and bizarrely designed assessments. The 2 page reports we get 6 months after the fact without ever knowing what items our kids get wrong are not worth it.
The only way to slow down and cut back testing to its proper role in school is to refuse it.
Teachers, who are being held to statistically invalid evaluations and being required to spend less time truly teaching their students, have been frustrated and have wondered what they can do. Their national unions have cooperated with instituting annual testing, the Common Core, and the use of growth measures in teacher assessment. It has only been the growth of PARENTAL objection to this system and what it is doing to our children's education that has helped teachers find their voice and, finally, convinced some union leadership to FOLLOW the parental lead.
The Opt Out movement has been growing for the past three years because parents have seen the culmination of NCLB's annual testing combined with the developmentally inappropriate CCSS testing designed by Pearson. These forces have been squeezing curricula nationwide into narrower boxes, consuming too much time in school and eating into more enriching activities, and now, under Governor Andrew Cuomo's teacher evaluation scheme, they will count for a full half of teachers' evaluations, meaning even more of our children's time will become dominated by these overly intrusive and bizarrely designed assessments. The 2 page reports we get 6 months after the fact without ever knowing what items our kids get wrong are not worth it.
The only way to slow down and cut back testing to its proper role in school is to refuse it.
Teachers, who are being held to statistically invalid evaluations and being required to spend less time truly teaching their students, have been frustrated and have wondered what they can do. Their national unions have cooperated with instituting annual testing, the Common Core, and the use of growth measures in teacher assessment. It has only been the growth of PARENTAL objection to this system and what it is doing to our children's education that has helped teachers find their voice and, finally, convinced some union leadership to FOLLOW the parental lead.
52
Yes, it IS amazing that the Times would virtually ignore the fact this rote testing is destroying public education in the United States. I have five friends, all dedicated and excellent teachers, who retired early because they simply couldn't take the straitjackets the tests became. Good teaching, preparing students to think critically, the enrichment of culture, and the excitement of the educational adventure all went out the window when the testing roared in.
Of course the greatest irony is that No Child Left Behind law was perpetrated by the administration of George W. Bush, surely the most ignorant President in my lifetime, a man whose limited intellect contributed to a decline in America that is accelerating as we speak.
Of course the greatest irony is that No Child Left Behind law was perpetrated by the administration of George W. Bush, surely the most ignorant President in my lifetime, a man whose limited intellect contributed to a decline in America that is accelerating as we speak.
7
Again the goals of many initiatives have been worthy but the implementation by political egomaniacs bent on primal urges to dominate have forced many of the stakeholders to jump ship. I don't believe that they intend to drown but swim to better waters. Clearly we need to focus on learning instead of testing. We have left the joy, the wonder, and the habits of inquiry out of the education process for too long.
14
Fundamentally, teachers, as with all employees have to be evaluated, judged and, in some cases dismissed for poor performance. Our school systems first, second and third responsibilities is the children's' education. Unfortunately the teacher unions have effectively subjugated those responsibilities to theirs of job security, salaries and benefits.
That's why they oppose testing, ending tenure, support of non-public schools and competitive charter schools. Sure, the teachers love our kids and want the best for them. That they are not evil does not diminish the fact that their organization is primarily concerned with their "rights." And so they will latch onto any opposition which threatens their exalted position.
The imposition of extensive testing as a means of teacher evaluation is a clumsy, awkward and potentially unfair solution to this need. But more than anything, it's driven by the massive, coordinated attack by the unions to any other effective method of recognizing and reacting to teacher under performance. They don't like this solution - but what then would they accept? So far - nothing which works.
That's why they oppose testing, ending tenure, support of non-public schools and competitive charter schools. Sure, the teachers love our kids and want the best for them. That they are not evil does not diminish the fact that their organization is primarily concerned with their "rights." And so they will latch onto any opposition which threatens their exalted position.
The imposition of extensive testing as a means of teacher evaluation is a clumsy, awkward and potentially unfair solution to this need. But more than anything, it's driven by the massive, coordinated attack by the unions to any other effective method of recognizing and reacting to teacher under performance. They don't like this solution - but what then would they accept? So far - nothing which works.
3
Anti-union rhetoric distracts from the reality of the problems inflicted on teachers by those who think they know best. My teaching career would have ended years ago without NYSUT. The unions protect good teachers, and there are more of them than some might think. Critics fail to realize that parents are opting out, not because of the big bad unions, but because they see the Weaknesses of Common Core up close and personal. And they see the impact of the testing on their children. The tests are poorly written and of no value whatsoever. The lack of trust and respect for teachers by Cuomo and allies shocks me, and I am not easily shocked.
4
Guess what, destroying unions, ending tenure, non-public schools, and competitive charter schools won't fix education either. Teachers are one component. Administration, society, students, parents, they also matter. Until we start doing something about everything, nothing will change.
4
Tests measure a student's ability to take a test, nothing else.
Tenure means that you can't be fired for teaching evolution or a controversial novel without due process. You also can't be fired because of political change in your town/district and the new politicians want to give your job to someone else as patronage--this occurred a lot in the past.
I can't imagine in any way that a teacher has an exalted position. What do you mean by that?
If you look more closely at testing, you'll see the political contributions and the junkets aimed at convincing politicians and highly ranked education bureaucrats that buying more tests is the way to go.
The amazing thing is that those trumpeting reform the loudest have their kids in private schools where standardized testing is minimal.
Also, look at the racial component. It tends to be lots of this:
1. young cheap inexperienced short term teachers for children of color, immigrants.
2. lots more discipline for children of color, immigrants.
3. lots more testing for children of color, immigrants, and tougher evaluations for their teachers.
4. As a teacher, you're safe if you teach the white kids in a rich district. Wealthy districts have begun to use their political clout to minimize the impact of testing (in NY, the head of the board of Regents has already floated that idea). Meanwhile, children of color and immigrants will be further marginalized through more frequent testing and greater teacher turnover.
Tenure means that you can't be fired for teaching evolution or a controversial novel without due process. You also can't be fired because of political change in your town/district and the new politicians want to give your job to someone else as patronage--this occurred a lot in the past.
I can't imagine in any way that a teacher has an exalted position. What do you mean by that?
If you look more closely at testing, you'll see the political contributions and the junkets aimed at convincing politicians and highly ranked education bureaucrats that buying more tests is the way to go.
The amazing thing is that those trumpeting reform the loudest have their kids in private schools where standardized testing is minimal.
Also, look at the racial component. It tends to be lots of this:
1. young cheap inexperienced short term teachers for children of color, immigrants.
2. lots more discipline for children of color, immigrants.
3. lots more testing for children of color, immigrants, and tougher evaluations for their teachers.
4. As a teacher, you're safe if you teach the white kids in a rich district. Wealthy districts have begun to use their political clout to minimize the impact of testing (in NY, the head of the board of Regents has already floated that idea). Meanwhile, children of color and immigrants will be further marginalized through more frequent testing and greater teacher turnover.
5
We started opting kids out in significant numbers in our town last year with zero influence from the teacher's union.
The roll out of CommonCore has been a disaster in NY - thanks to the inept leadership of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his puppet, Commissioner John King. Standards and related materials were not ready on time and teacher's were not adequately trained. The tests are too long and not grade level appropriate and the results are not ready until the NEXT school year, at which time only a small number of the test questions are available to the schools (none were made available until last year) which would allow the school to find the areas where improvement is needed.
Standardized tests are a poor predictor of future college and career success (the stated goal of Common Core) versus the cumulative grades a student receives over time - so why give MORE standardized tests that are expensive and too long?! These tests force teachers to "teach to the tet" thus sterilizing the teaching:learning experience.
The Teacher's Union may in fact be against Common Core and the associated standardized testing but this movement was started by concerned parents.
Class dismissed.
The roll out of CommonCore has been a disaster in NY - thanks to the inept leadership of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his puppet, Commissioner John King. Standards and related materials were not ready on time and teacher's were not adequately trained. The tests are too long and not grade level appropriate and the results are not ready until the NEXT school year, at which time only a small number of the test questions are available to the schools (none were made available until last year) which would allow the school to find the areas where improvement is needed.
Standardized tests are a poor predictor of future college and career success (the stated goal of Common Core) versus the cumulative grades a student receives over time - so why give MORE standardized tests that are expensive and too long?! These tests force teachers to "teach to the tet" thus sterilizing the teaching:learning experience.
The Teacher's Union may in fact be against Common Core and the associated standardized testing but this movement was started by concerned parents.
Class dismissed.
19
I worked in five different schools over a thirty-six year career. In all of those years in all of those schools the majority of teachers should have received at least a "good" evaluation. Many should have received an evaluation of "excellent" or "superior." During all of those years, administrators evaluated teachers up until my final years of teaching. The general public doesn't see the apathy of students who don't do their homework, participate in class discussions or show respect for teachers, administrators or education. Those students often have parents who don't value education and always take their child's side against any school employee who tries to intervene. Thankfully, I taught in schools where students such as those were a small proportion of the student population and our parents were generally supportive. Even then, there were students who struggled and teachers who tried their best to help them. Their efforts often went way beyond what was,normally expected.
11
The only thing a standardized test can tell you is how good a student is at taking standardized tests. Some of my best students choke on the test because of performance anxiety yet in class they demonstrate every day that they have mastery of the subject matter.
13
Nysut spoke out as an organization against testing but individual members ( teachers) were advised against doing so.
Districts were required to give the tests by State Ed. My local union and my district stated teachers were not to advise parents about opting out - to do so would be insubordination. Parents who opted out did so on their own even after lengthy conversations with the principal trying to convince them not to opt out.
Teachers in my district aren't adverse to testing - they're against these new tests which are very poorly designed. They're supposed to test Common Core...they don't. Kids in my district are bright, have involved parents and great teachers. Yet they too struggle with these new tests. Yet they do extremely well on other assessments and our HS kids continue to do well on Regents' exams and SATs.
The tests are just a way for Cuomo to engage in union busting.
Districts were required to give the tests by State Ed. My local union and my district stated teachers were not to advise parents about opting out - to do so would be insubordination. Parents who opted out did so on their own even after lengthy conversations with the principal trying to convince them not to opt out.
Teachers in my district aren't adverse to testing - they're against these new tests which are very poorly designed. They're supposed to test Common Core...they don't. Kids in my district are bright, have involved parents and great teachers. Yet they too struggle with these new tests. Yet they do extremely well on other assessments and our HS kids continue to do well on Regents' exams and SATs.
The tests are just a way for Cuomo to engage in union busting.
17
Too many American students leave schools without knowing how to problem-solve. Period. Jut walk into any restaurant like a Panera Bread or Chipotle and have your bill have to be adjusted. Has happened to me several times. If the sale doesn't go according to script and they have to "figure it out".....it's pure embarrassment and painful to watch the cashier have to call her manager for help
1
If you want to solve the problems of cashiers not knowing how to make change, don't computerize the cash registers. But as it turns out, the tech world is way ahead of any thoughts of public good (like knowing how to add/subtract; regardless, if it's cheaper to let the machine do it, that's how it will go.
But more to your point! This is strictly anecdotal, but I increasingly hear the complaint from community-college-teacher friends that 'today's' students are increasingly unable to engage in critical discussion, impatient with analysis-- just want to know 'the answer' [that's going to be on 'the test']. I have read similar commentary by professors at four-yr colleges. Part-- maybe even half-- of this is no doubt due to many more kids attempting college these days (due to bad job market, easy financing, silly pronouncements about global competition). But I speculate we're also in large part reaping what the age of accountability/testing mentality has been sowing for the last dozen years.
But more to your point! This is strictly anecdotal, but I increasingly hear the complaint from community-college-teacher friends that 'today's' students are increasingly unable to engage in critical discussion, impatient with analysis-- just want to know 'the answer' [that's going to be on 'the test']. I have read similar commentary by professors at four-yr colleges. Part-- maybe even half-- of this is no doubt due to many more kids attempting college these days (due to bad job market, easy financing, silly pronouncements about global competition). But I speculate we're also in large part reaping what the age of accountability/testing mentality has been sowing for the last dozen years.
The OPT Out/Refusal movement has been building for a number of years. NYSUT and Karen Magee have only recently attached itself to the coattails of this movement. It was not long ago that NYSUT sent out memo's to local Presidents that was not supportive of the OPT Out / Refusal movement. The United Opt Out ( National ) has been a grassroots movement that has grown through social media. The results of over testing of children and draconian effects upon Arts Programs , Library Programs and Physical Education has been recognized by this group for sometime. To that end , the New York State Evaluation discussion and recent Education Bill reflect a possible 50% weight of standardized test results upon teachers evaluations. Statistical experts agree that a more realistic number is around 14% . Let us hope that when the Regents meet to set what the evaluations will look like in New York, they will consider information from experts in the field and experts in the classroom.
4
As one who grew up with the annual Iowa tests, I have a hard time with this controversy. The tests were administered in a low key manner, without hysteria- they were simply an integrated part of our education experience. We still had music, art, social studies, and health studies.
Yes, teachers have a very hard job in today's world. But we need a measure of what kids have learned and achieved. No union should be strong enough, nor parents' group misguided enough, to jettison this effort.
What needs to change is our attitude towards the results. Stop blaming and pointing fingers. Use the results to target and improve resources.
Yes, teachers have a very hard job in today's world. But we need a measure of what kids have learned and achieved. No union should be strong enough, nor parents' group misguided enough, to jettison this effort.
What needs to change is our attitude towards the results. Stop blaming and pointing fingers. Use the results to target and improve resources.
1
But these new tests are not low key. Because they must be completed on computers, they are very expensive and eat up a lot of instructional time. Additionally, the results don't come out until next year.
The Iowa tests are not Common Core tests. They were used as one helpful tool in the assessment toolbox, and they certainly were not used against teachers. Unfortunately, those who have never administered or studied standardized tests believe the Common Core tests are valid. Anyone who understands the complexity and limitations of any test will question the use of a hastily constructed, poorly written test that fails almost seventy percent of all children. We complain, not because the tests are rigorous. We protest because they are absurdly inappropriate....for so many reasons that I will not try to list them here. I applaud parents and teachers who take the time to learn and question the use of a system that is deeply flawed and harmful to children.
If our schools were producing kids who could complete globally we could continue to debate this. Sad problem we are not. The patient is on life support and we continue to debate should we serve him applesauce of fruit for lunch. Really how else are we to determine if what is being taught is being learned? Are we to let educator’s rate educators? Good luck with that. Just look at all of the debate about the failure of police to police themselves. Like law enforcement is showing everyday recently there are plenty of cops who should not be cops likewise there are plenty of teachers who should not be teaching our kids. Without some kind of benchmark how are we to tell where to put our resources. With no standard testing procedures that can be independently verified how are we to insure a similar incident like what happened in Atlanta is not going on. Like bad cops need to be replaced we definitely need to replace bad teachers. Maybe better teachers and more involved parenting will lower future inter action with law enforcement. Until we come up with a better way lets test and then test some more. Grad school, Med school, Law school all require testing how ludicrous is it not to test to see if you learned anything in the third grade? Rome burned while Nero was fiddling around! Our kids are losing while the union protects slugs We are graduating children unprepared for the world. We must import talent from abroad for our tech sector. !
3
Most teachers are not against testing, they are against (at least in NY) these unfair, developmentally inappropriate tests that do not match the Common Core standards they are devised to test. I would suggest you go online and look at one of the ELA tests for elementary students (although you will only be able to see a small portion of it) and then let us know what you think. I would imagine these tests are not like anything you took as a kid.
Contrary to the myth that our schools are failing miserably, there is plenty of evidence that tests do not show the truth about American education. In fact, American schools and students actually do better than the critics see or admit. Tests are a small part of the big picture. The reality is that more American students are better educated now than ever. Yet, recent attacks and budget cuts have hurt. It is easy to be negative and criticize. However, there are reasons why those who can afford it choose American schools for their children, and few wealthy Americans ship their kids out of the country for more creative thinking.
So the right was for testing when Bush was president but is against it when Obama is president?
How does a parent or teacher assess the student without conducting some kind of a test. If the subject pertains to English, the testing should be based on grammar , poems, prose, letter writing etc. if the subject is science, then the testing can be on formulae, topic concerned, equations etc.
If the subject is maths, the testing can be based on the ratio and proportion, percentages, decimals, fractions, simultaneous equations in two unknowns, coordinate geometry, quadratic equations, trigonometry, geometry etc.
However, the children think that once they get through a particular class, they can simply forget everything and that they will be learning fresh in new class. It simply doesn't happen like that especially in maths and science. There's always a continuity right from the initial stages. So, basics are very much important, without which no real progress can be achieved by a student even though physically promoted to a higher class.
Some kind of strenuous testing is definitely required for the students as they grow up and diluting the same either by some Union of teachers, parents, administrators and politicians will do no good.
Schools and parents should go by the real grades and not by those manipulated by the schools concerned to show better results, that's purely marketing and doesn't amount to quality.
In order that there can be quality in students, parents' education, motivation, good quality teachers, learned administrators and politicians matter the most.
If the subject is maths, the testing can be based on the ratio and proportion, percentages, decimals, fractions, simultaneous equations in two unknowns, coordinate geometry, quadratic equations, trigonometry, geometry etc.
However, the children think that once they get through a particular class, they can simply forget everything and that they will be learning fresh in new class. It simply doesn't happen like that especially in maths and science. There's always a continuity right from the initial stages. So, basics are very much important, without which no real progress can be achieved by a student even though physically promoted to a higher class.
Some kind of strenuous testing is definitely required for the students as they grow up and diluting the same either by some Union of teachers, parents, administrators and politicians will do no good.
Schools and parents should go by the real grades and not by those manipulated by the schools concerned to show better results, that's purely marketing and doesn't amount to quality.
In order that there can be quality in students, parents' education, motivation, good quality teachers, learned administrators and politicians matter the most.
This teacher bashing is ludicrous. Every politician and supposed education leader who blames teachers for low test scores should be required to spend one month teaching in an inner city POVERTY ridden school or a school where the great majority of children are illegal immigrants or the children of illegal immigrants whose first language is most certainly not ENGLISH!! They should enjoy this reality and then let's hear what these critics have to say, that's if they can survive a month!
13
Whilr I am not a fan of unions I agree with you and do not blame the teachers for the low test scores in the inner city schools. In my father's case, his family came to the US when he was 11, settled in Texas, he did not speak English but he ended up going to Medical School. It is the family that the child comes home to that makes a world of difference on whether that child will ever leave a world of poverty.
The problem with standardized tests is that not everybody scores well. The results are indifferent to the feelings of students, teachers and parents. I suggest we replace these tests with self-esteem evaluations that produce the desired (but statistically absurd) outcome: every child is above average.
6
Do we really want to evaluate teachers' performance. Then we have to rethink how we evaluate teachers. At the same time we will have to overcome 60 years of adamant opposition to such evaluation on the part of teachers' unions.
Measuring teachers' performance in the classroom should be done directly, not indirectly through standardized tests, which greatly undermine real education as vast amounts of time are wasted "teaching to the test."
What is needed is a revolution comparable to that which has taken place in baseball originally, and now in other sports as well. We have witnessed a vast profusion of new and advanced statistics. Consider that we can now directly measure the performance of defensive players in the field, relying on cameras, computers, and a lot of deep thought about what we are trying to measure. Lets do the same for teaching.
Good teaching requires command of the classroom. When you have "command" of the classroom there is much more space for openness and creativity from students and teachers alike. Such command requires, but is different from, deep knowledge of the subject matter, and the separate ability to effectively communicate that subject matter.
I invite you to think then about "command" in the classroom. How can we observe it, how can we measure it. Imagine a camera or 2, a computer, and a lot of deep thought. Think about sound, movement, gesture, facial expressions (of both teachers and students. Keep thinking. Discuss.
Measuring teachers' performance in the classroom should be done directly, not indirectly through standardized tests, which greatly undermine real education as vast amounts of time are wasted "teaching to the test."
What is needed is a revolution comparable to that which has taken place in baseball originally, and now in other sports as well. We have witnessed a vast profusion of new and advanced statistics. Consider that we can now directly measure the performance of defensive players in the field, relying on cameras, computers, and a lot of deep thought about what we are trying to measure. Lets do the same for teaching.
Good teaching requires command of the classroom. When you have "command" of the classroom there is much more space for openness and creativity from students and teachers alike. Such command requires, but is different from, deep knowledge of the subject matter, and the separate ability to effectively communicate that subject matter.
I invite you to think then about "command" in the classroom. How can we observe it, how can we measure it. Imagine a camera or 2, a computer, and a lot of deep thought. Think about sound, movement, gesture, facial expressions (of both teachers and students. Keep thinking. Discuss.
2
How do you have "command" of the classroom where some children repeatedly will not turn in homework, even if allowed to turn it in late. Then, when parents are notified, the parents back up the children on not turning in homework, but the parents still expect high grades for their children. These parental attitudes, reflected in their children, are not being remedied if principals are not allowing teachers to give these students low grades because the schools may lose funding, and the teachers' grades are lowered by the poor grades of such students into the bargain. It's a very complex issue when funding is involved. What group does this system benefit?
No one ever asks how much Pearson Education, the British-owned educational publishing company, and the rest of the educational-industrial complex are being paid by New York and other states for the assessments, textbooks and other preparation materials.
32
As far as I know, we have yet to construct an academic achievement test for which the major determinate of scores is not general intellectual aptitude or whatever the current politically correct euphemism for IQ is at the moment. The only real control teachers have over the outcomes is by cheating, and now it turns out you can go to jail for that.
Maybe the teacher's unions or parents could use the long established gap between the scores of black and Hispanic kids and white kids to get a suit against the test publishers into federal court and force them to prove to a federal judge that their tests are anything other than IQ tests. What the teachers need is a lawyer who practiced employment law back when the Justice Dept. was enforcing anti discrimination law.
Maybe the teacher's unions or parents could use the long established gap between the scores of black and Hispanic kids and white kids to get a suit against the test publishers into federal court and force them to prove to a federal judge that their tests are anything other than IQ tests. What the teachers need is a lawyer who practiced employment law back when the Justice Dept. was enforcing anti discrimination law.
2
There are two reasons to give tests.
1. To see if kids have learned the stuff in the curriculum, and to help those who don't do well do better. This is education.
2. To produce "accountablity" -- but for whom? If a kid fails the test, the standardized tests aren't available for the teacher to see what the kid missed or whether there's a pattern to the kid's mistakes. So there's no accountability for the student.
As for the teacher, she or he may have forty kids in class and may be doing a super job, but still: the test may poorly reflect what is and should be taught; the students may have had bad teaching the previous year and the teacher needed to undo that before doing this year's stuff.
Of course, teachers can decide that nothing is more important than high test scores, so they should spend every single minute in class doing nothing but test prep. Love of learning? Forget it.
1. To see if kids have learned the stuff in the curriculum, and to help those who don't do well do better. This is education.
2. To produce "accountablity" -- but for whom? If a kid fails the test, the standardized tests aren't available for the teacher to see what the kid missed or whether there's a pattern to the kid's mistakes. So there's no accountability for the student.
As for the teacher, she or he may have forty kids in class and may be doing a super job, but still: the test may poorly reflect what is and should be taught; the students may have had bad teaching the previous year and the teacher needed to undo that before doing this year's stuff.
Of course, teachers can decide that nothing is more important than high test scores, so they should spend every single minute in class doing nothing but test prep. Love of learning? Forget it.
14
Absolutely. The teacher in my family doesn't actually educate anymore. This person teaches to the test for the better part of a year. It's a very defensive maneuver. The state rankings are announced at a given time every year, and your school had better show improvement, even if it is not what the kids actually know, but rather how well they have been coached for the test. Btw, those charter school people mentioned in the article? Charters and privates in my state are consistently lower than the public schools in the rankings... why does the media always go to these clowns as if they have all the answers? They don't open their schools to all like the public schools, so they don't know the half of the problems public school teachers face, especially now that GOP presidential wannabees have found that they can use public school teachers as fodder for hate among people who never liked teachers much in the first place.
8
I have had several experiences with teachers in the New York City school system which leads me to the following conclusions:
1) Some of the teachers appear to be out of touch with reality and treat everyone as though they are children.
2) The teachers do not realize that the children are smart and could learn more if taught properly.
I know that there are mitigating factors, but a large part of teacher evaluation should be based on what their students have learned.
1) Some of the teachers appear to be out of touch with reality and treat everyone as though they are children.
2) The teachers do not realize that the children are smart and could learn more if taught properly.
I know that there are mitigating factors, but a large part of teacher evaluation should be based on what their students have learned.
1
1) The teachers are teaching children, in cae you haven't noticed.
2) When teachers are forced to teach to a test, what the children have actually learned becomes secondary. And, for Pete's sake, just what do you think a large part of teacher evaluation is based on, other than how well the teacher has coached the kids for the test? Why else did the teachers in Atlanta cheat, other than to make sure their jobs remained in place?
2) When teachers are forced to teach to a test, what the children have actually learned becomes secondary. And, for Pete's sake, just what do you think a large part of teacher evaluation is based on, other than how well the teacher has coached the kids for the test? Why else did the teachers in Atlanta cheat, other than to make sure their jobs remained in place?
5
"Some of the teachers appear to be out of touch with reality and treat everyone as though they are children." The students are children. What are you talking about?
7
1) In more than one instance teachers spoke to me as if I were a child. I am an engineer with a degree from a top college. I did not like their attitude.
2) Teachers should not have to teach for a single test at the end of the school year. There is technology that can continuously evaluate how well students are doing. Kahn Academy offers the ability.
2) Teachers should not have to teach for a single test at the end of the school year. There is technology that can continuously evaluate how well students are doing. Kahn Academy offers the ability.
When I was in school, standardized test prep involved getting a good night's sleep. The issue today isn't the test, it's wasting the school year in test prep and having students get nothing in return. There's no real point in opting out of the test. I want to opt out of the prep periods. My wife had to spend hours teaching 8 year-olds testing strategies before she left the field.
As a parent, I want the test to be about my kid, not about teacher evaluation. What did my kid do well at, what didn't they do well, and how does my kid's teaching change based on the test results? At best, I'm getting a useless printout, not an individual plan to improve my kid's performance.
That may sound like individualist whining, but if you're going to devote a very large chunk of my kid's school year to individual test prep, I want there to be a goal in mind. If the goal is teacher evaluation, fine, but then evaluate them directly instead of using my kid as a middle man.
As a parent, I want the test to be about my kid, not about teacher evaluation. What did my kid do well at, what didn't they do well, and how does my kid's teaching change based on the test results? At best, I'm getting a useless printout, not an individual plan to improve my kid's performance.
That may sound like individualist whining, but if you're going to devote a very large chunk of my kid's school year to individual test prep, I want there to be a goal in mind. If the goal is teacher evaluation, fine, but then evaluate them directly instead of using my kid as a middle man.
31
Teachers, policemen, public employees in general are overpaid for what they provide in aggregate, save the few heroes, and truly magnificent among, at best, mediocrity, at worst, total incompetence. The tests are badly designed, but they can be fixed, and are absolutely necessary. The present teacher evaluation regime is a joke, with principals visiting classrooms on an announced basis once or twice a year.
The value added component of using improvements in test scores to evaluate teachers need fixing, but are also necessary.
Some ideas:
1. Formal parent and student survey input into teacher evaluation;
2. Keep value added strategy for teacher evaluation, but adjust for baseline achievement level (as baseline achievement increases, value added requirement decreases so a teacher does not unduly suffer for not raising a 99 student to 100);
3. Break up testing into more frequent but less time intensive chunks using robust technology to reduce teachers' ability to game the system and to improve real time reporting (e.g., once a day testing for 5 minutes each);
4. Video record classroom teaching so students missing class for legitimate reasons don't fall behind and use the recordings for teacher evaluation (as in LA and charter schools);
5. Eliminate tutoring by active teachers within a school district to avoid subconscious biases;
6. Use formal parent and student survey input for administer evaluations
The value added component of using improvements in test scores to evaluate teachers need fixing, but are also necessary.
Some ideas:
1. Formal parent and student survey input into teacher evaluation;
2. Keep value added strategy for teacher evaluation, but adjust for baseline achievement level (as baseline achievement increases, value added requirement decreases so a teacher does not unduly suffer for not raising a 99 student to 100);
3. Break up testing into more frequent but less time intensive chunks using robust technology to reduce teachers' ability to game the system and to improve real time reporting (e.g., once a day testing for 5 minutes each);
4. Video record classroom teaching so students missing class for legitimate reasons don't fall behind and use the recordings for teacher evaluation (as in LA and charter schools);
5. Eliminate tutoring by active teachers within a school district to avoid subconscious biases;
6. Use formal parent and student survey input for administer evaluations
2
You seem very angry. Were you a student in public school who didn't do well there or are you an elitist private school student passing judgment on something you know nothing about?
On another note, the next time you, your family or a friend, needs the police or the fire department, I hope you remember that these city workers earn their salary keeping this city safe, and yes, sometimes saving lives.
On another note, the next time you, your family or a friend, needs the police or the fire department, I hope you remember that these city workers earn their salary keeping this city safe, and yes, sometimes saving lives.
15
The biggest challenge for public school systems is finding enough qualified teachers. The over-emphasis on standardized testing, together with sanctions that are not just punitive but career-threatening, make teaching less attractive as a career and a profession. It also makes cheating inevitable, as we've seen not just in Georgia but in Michelle Rhee's system in D.C.
11
National union leaders did not start the testing refusal fire-Someone had to put a match under their a$&es -a movement led by parents (not just white suburban soccer moms) and local unionized teachers who called Union leadership to "step up"-chapter 5 outlines the history more accurately than this article does -when will media do their homework and stop crafting "spin" to serve reformers hijacking the narrative to divert the real purpose of testing refusal movement? Get the facts: http://www.infoagepub.com/products/An-Activist-Handbook-for-the-Educatio...
2
In California, where teachers evaluations are not tied to their students' test results, the anti-testing movement is almost non-existant. In New York, where part of teachers' evaluations are based on their students' test scores, the anti-testing movement is vigorous.
Mere coincidence? I think not.
Mere coincidence? I think not.
You have "summed it up" perfectly. There is virtually no objection to tests when/where tests and testing data are used appropriately.
The first paper to publish teacher VAM scores was the LA Times. If a school gets RTTT funding, teachers are evaluated by test scores. So if they are not, please provide a link to prove they are not.
The opt out movement has its roots in right to work states where there are no unions. Coincidence?? I think not.
The opt out movement has its roots in right to work states where there are no unions. Coincidence?? I think not.
The use of these poorly designed tests for teacher evaluation has nothing to do with ensuring excellence in classroom instruction and everything to do with an attempt to break the teachers unions.
Many people have bought the idea that the main thing teachers unions do is protect bad teachers from being fired. But the real problem most schools have is not getting rid of bad teachers. Its holding on to good ones. It takes time to become a good teacher.
Here the value of the unions becomes clear. Unionized school districts have smaller class sizes and higher rates of teacher retention.
Many people have bought the idea that the main thing teachers unions do is protect bad teachers from being fired. But the real problem most schools have is not getting rid of bad teachers. Its holding on to good ones. It takes time to become a good teacher.
Here the value of the unions becomes clear. Unionized school districts have smaller class sizes and higher rates of teacher retention.
29
It is difficult to remove the very few underperforming teachers, no doubt about it. There should be mechanisms in place to get that done more efficiently. But I agree that the larger issue is money. Break unions and get that money flowing to private charters, then get hold of the public pension funds. Follow the money.
3
As I understand the issue- testing is necessary to ensure the schools are making progress towards having all the students at grade level in reading, math, science and social studies.
Some parents and teachers seem to believe that testing has "hi-jacked" the education of children and made education all about teaching for the test.
Add in the initiative to evaluate teachers based on the result of the students progress as measured by the tests.
The problems are:
The tests may not be good measures of the students progress.
The teachers may not have sufficient control over their students to have a good educational outcome.
The common core is seen as imposing standards that local communities may or may not support.
To me- it is necessary to measure academic progress- testing is just a measurement tool.
It is not fair to rely heavily on student test results for evaluating teacher since there are schools where educational progress is very difficult. It would be better to address the basic problems in communities with failing schools than assume the teachers are the problem and need to be fixed.
Hope the parents, teachers, administrators, and elected officials can sort this thing out and make the 20 percent of struggling schools better.
Some parents and teachers seem to believe that testing has "hi-jacked" the education of children and made education all about teaching for the test.
Add in the initiative to evaluate teachers based on the result of the students progress as measured by the tests.
The problems are:
The tests may not be good measures of the students progress.
The teachers may not have sufficient control over their students to have a good educational outcome.
The common core is seen as imposing standards that local communities may or may not support.
To me- it is necessary to measure academic progress- testing is just a measurement tool.
It is not fair to rely heavily on student test results for evaluating teacher since there are schools where educational progress is very difficult. It would be better to address the basic problems in communities with failing schools than assume the teachers are the problem and need to be fixed.
Hope the parents, teachers, administrators, and elected officials can sort this thing out and make the 20 percent of struggling schools better.
2
No union talked me into refusing these tests. I made this decision all by my adult self after much research and thought. Because, since I am a parent, I get to make those decisions for my child. Get your facts straight before pushing this misinformation to the masses.
16
Nothing could be more objective toward teacher performance than how well they educate their students as indicated from a standardized test. This is a tool to help notice the good teachers, but increasing teacher pay is the only way to deepen the labor supply of good teachers. It doesn't matter if we can sift the bad ones out if we can't hire good teachers to replace them. If standardized tests were instituted alongside teacher salaries starting at $60K (instead of $30-40K) and capping at $90K (instead of $55-65K), we would live in a much better world and this article would never exist.
1
You are speaking from ignorance. These tests are either poorly designed or designed to create a problem. Giving 5th and 6th graders ELA tests that require comprehensive reading at a 10th grade level (or higher) only makes for guaranteed failure. That the state has the tests graded and sets cut scores AFTER all the data is in means you're trying to hit a moving target. There is no curriculum for these tests.
Add to this the high school level where students with IQ's in the 70's are required to pass exams to show that they're "college ready" is a setup to get rid of teachers. I don't know of too many (or any, for that matter) students with IQ's that low who are college ready (if ever).
Add to this the high school level where students with IQ's in the 70's are required to pass exams to show that they're "college ready" is a setup to get rid of teachers. I don't know of too many (or any, for that matter) students with IQ's that low who are college ready (if ever).
Yesterday, I overheard two local teachers (in Westchester) talk about their experiences with Common Core. One said she had about 50 students opt out, the other almost that many. This is the hard part, where the rubber meets the road, for parents to protest the testing by keeping their kids from participating. But parents have more political clout than teachers or district representatives, and will have to voice themselves, en masse, to everyone from Andrew Cuomo to Arne Duncan.
9
On its face, testing sounds like a good idea. The devil is in the details.
I would like to draw attention to the utter lack of transparency.
Most people don't realize that these are proprietary tests, they are the intellectual property of a for-profit testing company. You can't publish - you can't even discuss - the questions or the answers. (You can of course pay the company for training tests.)
There is no feedback on what questions the child answered correctly (what if their mark didn't register? no way to find out), no recourse to badly formulated questions ("Jimmy had 6 dollars; he spent 2 on an ice cream. What math sentence best describes this? 6-2=4; 4+2=6").
There is not even a clear syllabus of the material that is covered.
In countries where the K-12 education system works, there are national exams. But the curriculum is set and the questions and answer keys are published.
I would like to draw attention to the utter lack of transparency.
Most people don't realize that these are proprietary tests, they are the intellectual property of a for-profit testing company. You can't publish - you can't even discuss - the questions or the answers. (You can of course pay the company for training tests.)
There is no feedback on what questions the child answered correctly (what if their mark didn't register? no way to find out), no recourse to badly formulated questions ("Jimmy had 6 dollars; he spent 2 on an ice cream. What math sentence best describes this? 6-2=4; 4+2=6").
There is not even a clear syllabus of the material that is covered.
In countries where the K-12 education system works, there are national exams. But the curriculum is set and the questions and answer keys are published.
27
Testing the kids is a way to see if the teachers are doing there job.. that's why they are so against it.. and as for the "bad student" argument.. have something done about them early in the school year.. if they are disruptive have them removed.. teach classes.. not run daycare for teens. Also, it's amazing in states where school choice or vouchers are being considered how the unions are apoplectic.. I thought it was about the GOOD OF THE CHILDREN.. not the good of the unions..
4
No, testing the kids is NOT a way to see if teachers are doing their jobs; that's the problem. A standardized group test generally reflects the socioeconomic background of the student. Testing experts tell us that only 10- 15% of the test score reflects the influence of the school while the rest reflects home and out of school influences. Teachers matter but parents matter a lot more.
To ascertain the effectiveness of a teacher, another professional would have to be familiar with the progress of his class throughout the year. Yes, tests can be used, but these tests would have to be designed to measure the SCHOOL learning of each child.
It's sad that even New York Times reporters do not understand standardized tests and what they can and cannot do.
To ascertain the effectiveness of a teacher, another professional would have to be familiar with the progress of his class throughout the year. Yes, tests can be used, but these tests would have to be designed to measure the SCHOOL learning of each child.
It's sad that even New York Times reporters do not understand standardized tests and what they can and cannot do.
13
Vouchers and charters are a clever way to steal public money and place it into private hands.
4
Thanks for your contribution. Let me show you why bad testing is worse than no testing, why we must have legitimate assessments.
Your contribution is rife with technical errors ("there" in first sentence, misuse of ellipses and capitalization, no real sentence structure or sense of syntax, etc. (I do like the "apoplectic" word choice, though)).
It would be unfair to judge your value as an employee or a citizen on the basis of these egregious technical errors because they are probably unrelated to your job and possibly beyond your control.
Now imagine that powerful forces wanted to seize upon any evidence, no matter how invalid, to undermine your authority as a parent or educator and they used this example to claim that you can't do your job.
Would that really be fair?
Your contribution is rife with technical errors ("there" in first sentence, misuse of ellipses and capitalization, no real sentence structure or sense of syntax, etc. (I do like the "apoplectic" word choice, though)).
It would be unfair to judge your value as an employee or a citizen on the basis of these egregious technical errors because they are probably unrelated to your job and possibly beyond your control.
Now imagine that powerful forces wanted to seize upon any evidence, no matter how invalid, to undermine your authority as a parent or educator and they used this example to claim that you can't do your job.
Would that really be fair?
7
PARENTS are leading the fight against the current NY state tests and the way they're being used. The Pearson tests, given to 8-13 y.o. students over 6 days and 7 hours, result in a score between 1 and 4, given to teachers after the school year ends. There's no granularity/utility to the data. The tests do what they're meant to-- close schools & fire teachers so Cuomo can look like a reformer.
NY teachers now have 50% of their evaluation turn on "Value Added Measures"-- roughly how much their students improve year over year. The American Statistical Association says teachers are responsible for 1-14% of a student's test performance, yet those teachers whose students don't improve, even by a tiny margin, cannot be rated above "developing." English Language Learners and kids with IEPs take the tests too. Art, Science, and Music teachers are (somehow) also rated by these VAMs. Passing scores are determined after results are in. Teachers and administrators risk censure for even VIEWING the tests, let alone criticizing them.
The practical effects of this arbitrary system of evaluation are what's driving PARENT dissatisfaction: a narrowing of the curriculum felt most acutely at low-performing schools & the demoralizing effect of that loss of creativity and autonomy on students and teachers. 12 years of NCLB tests and the "achievement gap" hasn't closed-- will these do the trick? We are destroying public education and scaring away teachers; this parent considers that an emergency.
NY teachers now have 50% of their evaluation turn on "Value Added Measures"-- roughly how much their students improve year over year. The American Statistical Association says teachers are responsible for 1-14% of a student's test performance, yet those teachers whose students don't improve, even by a tiny margin, cannot be rated above "developing." English Language Learners and kids with IEPs take the tests too. Art, Science, and Music teachers are (somehow) also rated by these VAMs. Passing scores are determined after results are in. Teachers and administrators risk censure for even VIEWING the tests, let alone criticizing them.
The practical effects of this arbitrary system of evaluation are what's driving PARENT dissatisfaction: a narrowing of the curriculum felt most acutely at low-performing schools & the demoralizing effect of that loss of creativity and autonomy on students and teachers. 12 years of NCLB tests and the "achievement gap" hasn't closed-- will these do the trick? We are destroying public education and scaring away teachers; this parent considers that an emergency.
16
Common Core curriculum, standardized testing and teacher evaluation, three important issues in American education, unfortunately we've rolled these issues into a emotional Gordian knot.
It seems only logical that a student should be able to move from state to state, and have the expectation of the same grade level curriculum. It seems absurd that we have 50 states with differ curriculum expectations; no other country does this that I'm aware of.
Standardized testing has become a runaway money maker for companies in education, and its not clear how this testing either enriches the educational experience for the student or improve educational outcomes.
Teacher evaluations, should be no different than other worker evaluations. Evaluating a teacher based on student's testing performance is based on faulty causality. For example, should a doctor's treatment for a health condition be based on the outcome if the patient doesn't follow his recommendations, or should the doctor's effectiveness be based on the use of best practices in treating the patient. We claim to value education, but don't want to pay for in salaries that draws the best to the vocation and adequate on the job training and supervision to develop good teachers, and weed out those not meant for the profession. Public education is the greatest of democratic freedoms; inadequate funding based on local taxes and the privatization of our educational system has already created a schism based on wealth, its not a solution
It seems only logical that a student should be able to move from state to state, and have the expectation of the same grade level curriculum. It seems absurd that we have 50 states with differ curriculum expectations; no other country does this that I'm aware of.
Standardized testing has become a runaway money maker for companies in education, and its not clear how this testing either enriches the educational experience for the student or improve educational outcomes.
Teacher evaluations, should be no different than other worker evaluations. Evaluating a teacher based on student's testing performance is based on faulty causality. For example, should a doctor's treatment for a health condition be based on the outcome if the patient doesn't follow his recommendations, or should the doctor's effectiveness be based on the use of best practices in treating the patient. We claim to value education, but don't want to pay for in salaries that draws the best to the vocation and adequate on the job training and supervision to develop good teachers, and weed out those not meant for the profession. Public education is the greatest of democratic freedoms; inadequate funding based on local taxes and the privatization of our educational system has already created a schism based on wealth, its not a solution
11
The teacher's union platform seems to be "less accountability, more money...for the kids". Maybe a lesson that works in a socialist paradise, but probably not a good formula for success in the real world. Let parents opt their kids out of the tests, letting them know it's OK not to do what the other kids are doing if it hurts their feelings or is stressful. I'd just ask that federal financial aid for college not go to kids who "opted out". You can't just opt into the cash when it is convenient.
Common Core was rolled out to the entire country without pre testing for bugs, inaccuracies, unallignment, syntax and other potential problems. This fact alone dooms this entire testing system. Can you imagine Apple just rolling out the I phone to the entire country without first testing it in markets to find out what works and what doesn't. Virtually all new products are and need to be pre tested. Not so with education. All public school students are evaluated on tests, which themselves have never been tested for accuracy. It is quite unbelievable!
15
The example about the kid in NJ crying because he has to take a test is not a good argument, especially when our kids are failing to perform as well as most industrialized countries. Clearly we are losing the education battle. This being said, we should not expect our teachers to assume the role of parents in ensuring that our children apply themselves in the classroom. I'm sure we have some poor teachers, but I believe parents are ultimately responsible to motivate their children to excel in education.
3
Is that stat really true? Can we make blanket comparisons to other countries a)given our size and diversity and b) that we educate every child through age 21 if need be?
The testing company makes a lot of money. Pearson is the largest corporation serving this testing market. Pearson is the world’s largest education company and book publisher, bringing in more than $9 billion annually.
Currently, Pearson has partnered with 18 states in the U.S., as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, to produce pricey testing materials. For a five-year contract, Pearson was paid $32 million to produce standardized tests for New York. Its contract in Texas was worth $500 million. Pearson also owns Connections Academy, a company that runs for-profit, virtual charter schools. It also owns the GED program, although competitors have been creating alternatives in order to combat Pearson’s expensive tests. By and large, the massive corporation has far-reaching control over the education industry.
In Texas a Pearson employee was on the ballot for a School Board election, and lost.
Currently, Pearson has partnered with 18 states in the U.S., as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, to produce pricey testing materials. For a five-year contract, Pearson was paid $32 million to produce standardized tests for New York. Its contract in Texas was worth $500 million. Pearson also owns Connections Academy, a company that runs for-profit, virtual charter schools. It also owns the GED program, although competitors have been creating alternatives in order to combat Pearson’s expensive tests. By and large, the massive corporation has far-reaching control over the education industry.
In Texas a Pearson employee was on the ballot for a School Board election, and lost.
19
Why is the NYTs focusing on the teachers union, and not the 170,000 plus parents who opted their children out state-wide? The only parents that appear in this article are in the photo of a union advertisement. Demographically, it's college educated middle class parents who are doing most of the opting out, and they don't work for the union, nor does the the union tell them what to think. The article gives the impression that this is a union led movement, which isn't the case. Unions clearly are a stakeholder who may have mixed motives, but are also professionals with a valid perspective, and are entitled to an opinion.
21
According to the Washington Post 's "The Answer Sheet", Pearson used a Smithsonian article targeting 11 year old students. The vocabulary and content was not written on a 6th grade level, and keeping in mind this was one of many passages that had to be analyzed, reports are coming in that even good readers didn't finish the test. I am hoping the NYTimes can confirm this.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nimbus-clouds-mysterious-ep...
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nimbus-clouds-mysterious-ep...
18
This is a great example of how you make an achievement test an IQ test. Real smart kids will get this, most won't, and the resulting test will look very reliable.
1
NYSUT came late to this protest. And Mulgrew refuses to align the UFT with Opt Out. In fact just last month he said parents want these tests when a motion to support opt out was presented to the Delegate Assembly. In fact very few NYC teachers even know the reach of Opt Out.
Why is the media marginalizing the impact of the very well-informed parents who led this issue? In Texas for instance parents are fighting both principals and teachers on this. They have an active Facebook page devoted to opt out.
I don't understand how facts are checked, but I can tell you parents, not unions are behind Opt Out. And to give credit to the Unions is a disservice to the parents and journalism.
Why is the media marginalizing the impact of the very well-informed parents who led this issue? In Texas for instance parents are fighting both principals and teachers on this. They have an active Facebook page devoted to opt out.
I don't understand how facts are checked, but I can tell you parents, not unions are behind Opt Out. And to give credit to the Unions is a disservice to the parents and journalism.
27
Teachers, like policemen, are in a tough spot. They both are trying to jobs which are often very difficult, in situations which are sometimes virtually impossible.
The defensiveness of the teachers' unions has not enhanced the public's perception of their members, but to the extent that their arguments against testing refer to external conditions, they are legitimate.
Testing (in terms of evaluating results) is a logical approach in any profession. What is difficult to measure (in teaching or law enforcement) is the range of conditions with which the individual must deal and to gauge how these impact his/her effectiveness.
Perhaps the testing initiatives should begin to focus on the teachers' methodologies - their abilities to evoke attention and interest, to communicate real or abstract topics, to enhance the classroom experience in some way. If this were done as a supplement to the "results" testing, the effect might be improvement in all results.
Periodic re-certification is not uncommon in the professional world. I see no good reason why it is not applied to teachers.
The defensiveness of the teachers' unions has not enhanced the public's perception of their members, but to the extent that their arguments against testing refer to external conditions, they are legitimate.
Testing (in terms of evaluating results) is a logical approach in any profession. What is difficult to measure (in teaching or law enforcement) is the range of conditions with which the individual must deal and to gauge how these impact his/her effectiveness.
Perhaps the testing initiatives should begin to focus on the teachers' methodologies - their abilities to evoke attention and interest, to communicate real or abstract topics, to enhance the classroom experience in some way. If this were done as a supplement to the "results" testing, the effect might be improvement in all results.
Periodic re-certification is not uncommon in the professional world. I see no good reason why it is not applied to teachers.
4
Spend a day at a high poverty school as a classroom teacher and then decide whether you would want your job to be contingent upon periodic re-certification. I suspect that you would not last 5 minutes. Teachers at these schools must contend with external factors that impact student learning that they cannot control, factors that take root before these students even begin kindergarten. These include emotional, behavioral and cognitive difficulties will never be remedied by firing teachers with low students test scores.
8
...."their abilities to evoke attention and interest, to communicate real or abstract topics, to enhance the classroom experience in some way".... This used to comprise 60% of teacher evaluations in N.Y. State but, was deemed too subjective by the Governor. It has been reduced to equal weight (50%) to test data.
...."Periodic re-certification is not uncommon in the professional world. I see no good reason why it is not applied to teachers".... Here in New York, teachers now have to apply for recertification every 5 years which requires submitting evidence of professional development including continuing educational preparation and coursework.
...."Periodic re-certification is not uncommon in the professional world. I see no good reason why it is not applied to teachers".... Here in New York, teachers now have to apply for recertification every 5 years which requires submitting evidence of professional development including continuing educational preparation and coursework.
1
i would imagine all the teachers at this school would face the same issues, and would have similar testing scores as a result.
When parents opt out of testing, what kind of message does that send to their children? For those kids, if they're not doing well in school the smart money says that it's NOT primarily their teachers' fault.
I support standardized testing because I'm not afraid of data; because it's the best way to evaluate educational outcomes; because education is far too important to ignore; and because life is full of tests -- a healthy, can-do attitude toward being tested is an important thing for children to develop.
But I've never supported using test scores for evaluating teacher performance because there's a LOT more that goes into educational outcomes than just teachers. For proof look no further than to parents who "opt out" and to politicians who use shamelessly education as a political football.
Overall, teachers can meaningfully influence educational outcomes only to the extent that the rest of us have their backs. And we don't.
I support standardized testing because I'm not afraid of data; because it's the best way to evaluate educational outcomes; because education is far too important to ignore; and because life is full of tests -- a healthy, can-do attitude toward being tested is an important thing for children to develop.
But I've never supported using test scores for evaluating teacher performance because there's a LOT more that goes into educational outcomes than just teachers. For proof look no further than to parents who "opt out" and to politicians who use shamelessly education as a political football.
Overall, teachers can meaningfully influence educational outcomes only to the extent that the rest of us have their backs. And we don't.
8
The Opt-Out Movement is not a union lead phenomenon. It is parent driven and its focus is to stop the destructive education policies put in place by politicians and bureaucrats. Parents know that their children are being over-tested, that subjects such as art, music and physical education are being given short shrift and that, in essence, the students are being monetized in order to enhance the profits of companies such as Pearson. They also know that evaluating teachers based on the results of standardized exams is misguided, being based on algorithms that even the NY State Ed. Dept. can't explain. In short, junk science. Teachers cannot see the exams nor are they privy to analytical data that would inform them as to where their students didn't fare well. Therefore, the diagnostic nature of the exams, which the supporters love to emphasize, is strictly a canard that is used in an attempt to give credibility to that which is indefensible. In fact, the unions are "late to the game" and the UFT still has not, and will not, endorse Opt-Out. At the end of the piece a Political Science Professor implies that teachers are looking to absolve themselves of any responsibility. Of course, teachers have high expectations and have an impact on their students. However, "impact" can't be measured by phony psychometrics. The Times has finally given some coverage to this important social movement and, unfortunately, the article fails to give emphasis to its true nature.
43
I note with interest that the author fails to mention the fact that the vast majority of experts do not support value added evaluation schemes:
http://www.amstat.org/policy/pdfs/ASA_VAM_Statement.pdf
Also, it's not at all accurate to say parents do not opt out of other curricular matters. Parents can (and do) opt their children out of puberty education, field trips - even literature selections - in all fifty states.
http://www.amstat.org/policy/pdfs/ASA_VAM_Statement.pdf
Also, it's not at all accurate to say parents do not opt out of other curricular matters. Parents can (and do) opt their children out of puberty education, field trips - even literature selections - in all fifty states.
12
Is the American school system producing desirable results? Does our education system create an economic advantage in a world economy? If the answer is no then we likely have plenty of blame to go around including the immorality of grade inflation. Let's all take accountability and move forward. Our standard of living will be the test that measures us.
1
Among the many maddening things about the exams, one of the worst is this: teachers can be sued for talking about the content of them. Pearson, in particular, had this legal protection put into place and claimed it was for the purposes of test integrity, but it means that if a question on their tests is poorly worded, or vague, or literally incorrect, the teacher is not allowed to discuss it without threat of lawsuits.
It means the test makers are protected from accountability for the content of their tests -- while teachers aren't protected from being punished based on the tests.
The only people in favor of this kind of testing are the testing companies and reformers who don't know any better.
It means the test makers are protected from accountability for the content of their tests -- while teachers aren't protected from being punished based on the tests.
The only people in favor of this kind of testing are the testing companies and reformers who don't know any better.
94
If I have a choice between sending my kid to 2 schools, why would anyone deprive me of information that the students at one school had median test scores of 50% while the other had median test scores of 75%. Just because standardized test scores have been abused does not mean that they have no helpful purpose.
because big money unions ALWAYS do what is best for the kids.. and never consider not spending a single cent.. it ALL goes on the schools...meh
What about big money companies making a ton of money off of our children with the unfair tests they devise? The Common Core standards for ELA require students to think critically and deeply about the text they read. How can they do that when they need to read 5 complex (and at times, above their reading level) passages and answer 30 multiple choice questions, some of which require them to go back into the text to re-read. And that is only day 1 of 3,
1
For decades, teachers, through their unions, fought to establish teaching as a profession, rather than simply a job, in which they, through their extended education and hard-won experience, could resist politicians and profiteers (who have their own fairly dark agendas) and simply teach.
For a brief time this effort seemed to be succeeding.
No more. The ignorant, blowhard politicians are now winning this battle for the soul of education as are their moneyed supporters who are enchanted by the profit possibilities of charter schools. The professionals who actually teach are being cynically pushed aside by the capitalists and their political tools.
It will be years before the disastrous results of this "reform" movement become apparent to all, and by then, it will be much too late to ever reverse course.
My wonderful wife, who is the most informed, involved, passionate, and able teacher you could ever meet, will retire soon because it is clear she can no longer teach the way she knows she should but must follow whatever cultish movement is currently in vogue, no matter the inadequacy of supporting research. The impending testing disaster is the final affront to her as a professional. She will not participate in destroying education by teaching to the test and competing with her peers to have only the very brightest and least disruptive students assigned to her class so that she is not judged as ineffective because of the failings of problematic children and absent parents.
For a brief time this effort seemed to be succeeding.
No more. The ignorant, blowhard politicians are now winning this battle for the soul of education as are their moneyed supporters who are enchanted by the profit possibilities of charter schools. The professionals who actually teach are being cynically pushed aside by the capitalists and their political tools.
It will be years before the disastrous results of this "reform" movement become apparent to all, and by then, it will be much too late to ever reverse course.
My wonderful wife, who is the most informed, involved, passionate, and able teacher you could ever meet, will retire soon because it is clear she can no longer teach the way she knows she should but must follow whatever cultish movement is currently in vogue, no matter the inadequacy of supporting research. The impending testing disaster is the final affront to her as a professional. She will not participate in destroying education by teaching to the test and competing with her peers to have only the very brightest and least disruptive students assigned to her class so that she is not judged as ineffective because of the failings of problematic children and absent parents.
63
I feel very sad that you wife believes that she must leave the teaching profession because of the profoundly insulting testing system that is being imposed on her. Students, who are also victims of this system, need dedicated, knowledgeable, experienced, and inspiring teachers MORE THAN EVER. I would wish that she might re-consider her decision, stay in the profession, fight the movement when and as she can, and focus on her students to help them navigate a destructive system.
Your article focuses on the teachers' unions, and yet I know many families who've opted their children out, and the decisions seem driven not by teachers but by parents. Every parent I've talked to is fed up with the amount of classroom time spent testing and prepping for tests that don't seem well constructed or age-appropriate. That goes double for parents of special needs children. We're disgusted by the attacks on teachers. I think that's the real story--that this is coming from parents, much more than from teachers, who can't, after all, make the decision to opt their students out. Only parents can do that.
29
Please realize that in NY, the refusal movement has been pushed by parents. There's been an attempt to spin this as a union matter, but it's not; it's parents concerned about public education becoming centered around achieving high standardized test scores in math and English, at the loss of time for other valued subjects. The teachers union has gotten involved only recently, after Gov. Cuomo urged that these tests should count for a full half of a teacher's evaluation (which the American Statistical Assn. has not supported).
16
Some children simply do not do not well on standardized tests. Standardized tests may work well in math where there is a single answer that can be determined through a formula, but in reading comprehension, its is not as precise. I support the teachers in their opposition to the standardized test as being part of their evaluation. This is not a conservative or a liberal issue. In fact it is an economic issue, as the wealthy send their kids to private schools where this standardized testing does not occur until the kids take the SAT, and then they take prep courses for that. But when it comes down to it, what matters most is family, in who has gone to the "right" schools, who has donated the most money. As in all things American, education included, money is most important. Money talks.
8
The phenomenon of opting out is the only non-violent tool available to parents and teachers to save their children from abusive miseducative testing and save the teaching profession from continued assaults by organizations like Stand for Children. Jonah Edelman has a vested interest in protecting testing accountability, as it serves as the primary weapon to further spread the "no excuses" segregated charter schools with untrained beginners to replace experienced professionals.
The fact that the unions showed up very late in opt out movement was not by choice, but because the rank and file were finally fed up with the complicity of union leaders, who have promoted the corporate education agenda for the past 15 years. The party is over for corporate education and the profiteers who want to turn public education into another revenue stream. The genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of dissembling by all of the oligarchs' men cannot stop the tsunami.
The fact that the unions showed up very late in opt out movement was not by choice, but because the rank and file were finally fed up with the complicity of union leaders, who have promoted the corporate education agenda for the past 15 years. The party is over for corporate education and the profiteers who want to turn public education into another revenue stream. The genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of dissembling by all of the oligarchs' men cannot stop the tsunami.
47
The real reason to reduce the amount of testing is that the tests are poorly conceived, poorly written, and essentially invalid when it comes to providing assessments of learning progress.
Another good reason to reduce or eliminate so much testing is that scores can be manipulated, raised or lowered in any given year, by engineering the tests. If politicians want test scores to increase or decrease, they can make the tests a little easier or more difficult, depending on their immediate needs.
If politicians such as Andrew Cuomo want to make teachers look bad and hurt teachers' unions, which seem to be his stated purposes, making standardized tests the main way to evaluate teachers is a brilliant move.
Another good reason to reduce or eliminate so much testing is that scores can be manipulated, raised or lowered in any given year, by engineering the tests. If politicians want test scores to increase or decrease, they can make the tests a little easier or more difficult, depending on their immediate needs.
If politicians such as Andrew Cuomo want to make teachers look bad and hurt teachers' unions, which seem to be his stated purposes, making standardized tests the main way to evaluate teachers is a brilliant move.
35
Opting out of standardized tests? Sounds pretty stupid. To succeed in just about any field there are multiple tests you must take. We have to be able to compare students based on some standard method. And please don't tell me you're a 'poor test-taker.' People always whine about that. Wake-up call, you're probably just not smart and that's why you perform poorly. Not everyone is going to do well. The majority will be average or below average.
1
How can a teacher be evaluated based on a test that has no impact on the students that are taking the exam? NYState tests all children grades 3-8 but the test scores that the students earn do not impact their education ! If the tests are to identify students who need remediation why are the tests being used to rate teachers and not to force districts to provide funding and support for meaningful remediation? If a middle school student knows that the test "does not count" and will not impact their education, will they put in their best effort for six days of grueling testing? If a significant percent of their peers are "opting out" and not testing what does this tell a 12 year old ? Who is asking these questions?
18
Both the right and the left are attacking public school education in their own way by attacking the teachers. Parents are not sympathetic to the unions, but the policy makers came up with such unreasonable policies like common core and yearly state exams, they managed to unite parents and teachers.
what parent wants their children to be taught to the test by a teacher who is afraid a low score will undermine her job. Did anyone think that children who are not good test takers would be stressed out by teachers worried about their jobs? Also, what teacher is going to teach in poor neighborhoods if they think poorly performing student will reflect badly on them?
what parent wants their children to be taught to the test by a teacher who is afraid a low score will undermine her job. Did anyone think that children who are not good test takers would be stressed out by teachers worried about their jobs? Also, what teacher is going to teach in poor neighborhoods if they think poorly performing student will reflect badly on them?
18
There is nothing wrong with the Common Core Standards. They are a list of specific standards which should be taught on each grade level in every subject. However, it would be wise for the textbook companies to get on board with this so the teachers have appropriate materials aligned with the standards. This will represent a huge amount of research for every grade level and subject.
1
I would love to see a deep analysis of the quality of existing tests where investigative reporters pursued in depth critiques from professionals expert in the construction and evaluation of testing. Are existing tests , reliable and valid. How well correlated are different tests claiming to measure the same thing?
5
Call out the "educators" on their support of testing. Such evaluations offer the students absolutely nothing as far as education is concerned. They serve only to line the pockets of the testing corporations and to limit the amount of time teachers are able to do what they are, in fact, paid to do.
Testing achieves nothing more than to undermine the mission of our teachers and their schools. It is a spectacular waste of resources and there is no evidence whatsoever that it helps our children in any measurable way. Indeed, it is largely marginal (administered only during certain grades) in those countries with the most successful schools. Root out the scourge. End testing now!
Testing achieves nothing more than to undermine the mission of our teachers and their schools. It is a spectacular waste of resources and there is no evidence whatsoever that it helps our children in any measurable way. Indeed, it is largely marginal (administered only during certain grades) in those countries with the most successful schools. Root out the scourge. End testing now!
10
My daughter opted out of Texas's mandatory testing in 3rd grade. The pressure on students and teachers was ridiculous. She lost nothing by not taking the test, but she was still subjected to the same foolish daily drilling on test-taking strategies as students who did submit to testing.
I am a teacher. If I still had children in school, I would still decline testing.
I am a teacher. If I still had children in school, I would still decline testing.
14
I am also a teacher; my children are grown and out in the world. But if they were still in school, I would opt out of testing for them.
Gee, first you ignore the opt-out tsunami in New York State, then you lain that it was instigated by teachers. That is such nonsense! For a long time, teachers and administrators were kept in line by various threats -- it wasn't until parents started opting out in numbers that teachers became freer to speak out as well. And even then -- most teachers fear losing their jobs if they express opposition to our crazy testing regime. It has fallen to parents to stop so-called "education reform", since no one in charge has been listening to educators tell them what a disaster for public education the last 15 years of "reform" have been.
78
No teacher fears losing their job if they express themselves; they have so many protections that they practically have to be registered criminals to get fires. That is part of the problem - lack of accountability. maybe we say less testing, but do away with tenure as part of it.
When I was in third grade in Illinois, our standardized test was the Iowa test. Although it was uncharacteristic for my parents to say much about what we were doing in school (apart from the "you can do better than this" that came with my grade reports in high school), I apparently smoked the Iowas that year, following a year and a half in Shaker Heights, known for its strong schools, and that after half of first grade and a year of voluntary kindergarten in West Virginia, where many classmates were in dire financial straits. The point? What goes on at home, and the choices parents make for their children, may have more impact on test outcomes than what teachers are able to achieve in classrooms. Until we see more equitable distribution of income that allows parents more time to devote to their children's educational development outside the classroom, the anticipated value of common core and standardized testing will remain dubious, at best.
28
The Iowa Basic skills tests was developed by the University of Iowa, a public university. Back in the day, when I took this test there was no test prep involved. There was feedback, useful feedback. I was surprised to find out, they still have this test although the name has changed. Perhaps the standardized tests used in public schools should be those that have been developed by PUBLIC universities, instead of PRIVATE entities that need to reinvent the wheel to make the all mighty profit. We also need to stop with the high-stakes aspect of testing.
7
OF COURSE children of rich families and the disappearing middle class perform better on standardized tests than poor children. A cynic would say that teacher-evaluation systems based on students' test scores are a convenient way for politicians and policy-makers to find scapegoats for the glaring and increasing socio-economic gaps between the well-off and the poor in this country. If politicians can blame teachers, they can continue to support the 1% at the expense of the other 99%.
It's unfortunate that those who are uninformed on this issue, might be left with the false impression that the opt out is teacher union generated, when in fact it is just as much parent generated. It is unfortunate that people assume that teachers are doing this in self interest, when in fact they are actually advocating for the students by standing up against this nauseating onslaught of useless high-stakes tests. As a parent, I find it outrageous, that teachers are made out to be the enemy. It's perplexing that we, as a society, expect teachers to teach and use best practices, yet we thwart them in every possible way. We need to let teachers teach; we need to let students learn.
113
Thank you for your comments. 50% of people who begin as teachers leave the field within the first three years. Our daily work is emotionally and physically exhausting. Corporations have take over the educational process (check out how much Pearson makes in contracts) and students are lost in the data - as their real issues (at least at my Title I school) go unaddressed.
I tutor math in the public schools.
I see many children being promoted even though they're several grades behind in their knowledge and skills.
If used effectively, a standardized test can determine their true ability. It can also be used to expose districts and states that do a poor job educating.
I do see a need to limit their use, perhaps to two days per year, so as not to intrude upon instructional time.
I see many children being promoted even though they're several grades behind in their knowledge and skills.
If used effectively, a standardized test can determine their true ability. It can also be used to expose districts and states that do a poor job educating.
I do see a need to limit their use, perhaps to two days per year, so as not to intrude upon instructional time.
1
A very dangerous precedent is being set as teachers are intimidating and bullying parents. It is also setting an extremely bad example for children. All professionals are tested throughout their careers whether it be for continuing education, renewing licenses, etc. The unions are to blame for this and it is incredibly immature.
2
You are wrong. The commenters say the parents are behind the opt-out -- not the teachers. The parents say the students are not learning anything, just being drilled on how to take tests. That is not education. I am a professional. I have not been tested throughout my career.
2
Your ignorance speaks foe itself. Where is your proof that parents are being bullied? Yes professionals are tested but that's not what's happening here. If a doctor is being reliscensed they take the test, not their patients. If you want you test teachers than test them, not the students
2
Please do more research so that you can see the errors of your thinking. This is not about teachers being intimidating. This is a full frontal attack on public education.
7
"No more questions,
no more tests,
comes the day you say 'What for?'
Please no more."
no more tests,
comes the day you say 'What for?'
Please no more."
"....Jonah Edelman, the chief executive of Stand for Children, an advocacy group that supports charter schools..." This is all I have to read to know that this person is not really interested in education and the well being of our education system, but is more interested in the 'bottom line.'
11
I'm glad the teachers unions are beginning to support the idea of opt out. But the Times is quite off base here claiming it's a union movement.
It isn't. It's a parent led movement. Because we're, as the movie says, "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore". We've watched our children's education narrow as the forces of CCSS and testing have come to the fore. We've watched billions of educational funding wasted on an effort that won't deliver any value to our students. And we've seen the robust education our children need eliminated in favor of a draconian focus on reading, writing, and math...
Ignoring the reality that I've seen with my kids. They learn to read in social studies or history. They learn to write in all their classes...except writing.
Based on an ivory tower theory, CCSS & the associated tests are an abomination on modern education.
I just with that these NYT writers could have avoided the easy title and perhaps sought out the truth.
It isn't. It's a parent led movement. Because we're, as the movie says, "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore". We've watched our children's education narrow as the forces of CCSS and testing have come to the fore. We've watched billions of educational funding wasted on an effort that won't deliver any value to our students. And we've seen the robust education our children need eliminated in favor of a draconian focus on reading, writing, and math...
Ignoring the reality that I've seen with my kids. They learn to read in social studies or history. They learn to write in all their classes...except writing.
Based on an ivory tower theory, CCSS & the associated tests are an abomination on modern education.
I just with that these NYT writers could have avoided the easy title and perhaps sought out the truth.
11
Some of the concerns raised about testing seem related to what is developmentally appropriate, what is the purpose of the test and when should the tests be given:
Are the tests developmentally appropriate? Here in New York state, the state tests are the first experience of this type for third graders. It should be a positive experience for them, one that builds confidence and competence. One test of about forty minutes or so would be appropriate. To ask the children to come back day after day for three days in a row to spend the start of their morning taking paper and pencil tests is simply too much.
Do the tests inform instruction? By the time the results arrive, the children have moved on to the next grade. The children’s hard work simply generates scores rather than serves as a guide for instruction. There is no opportunity to engage children about their actual item results and the strategies they used to figure out and support their responses. Since no discussion of the tests is allowed, there is no opportunity to learn from the mistakes.
Having the tests in April interrupts the momentum of the school year. In the weeks leading up to the tests, the focus shifts away from engaging curriculum to test preparation. After the tests conclude, you’ll hear teachers say they can now finally get back to teaching in the way it is meant to be, with rich, thematic, project-based units and lessons. You'll see children fully and happily engaged once again.
Are the tests developmentally appropriate? Here in New York state, the state tests are the first experience of this type for third graders. It should be a positive experience for them, one that builds confidence and competence. One test of about forty minutes or so would be appropriate. To ask the children to come back day after day for three days in a row to spend the start of their morning taking paper and pencil tests is simply too much.
Do the tests inform instruction? By the time the results arrive, the children have moved on to the next grade. The children’s hard work simply generates scores rather than serves as a guide for instruction. There is no opportunity to engage children about their actual item results and the strategies they used to figure out and support their responses. Since no discussion of the tests is allowed, there is no opportunity to learn from the mistakes.
Having the tests in April interrupts the momentum of the school year. In the weeks leading up to the tests, the focus shifts away from engaging curriculum to test preparation. After the tests conclude, you’ll hear teachers say they can now finally get back to teaching in the way it is meant to be, with rich, thematic, project-based units and lessons. You'll see children fully and happily engaged once again.
11
This article also does not delve into the issues surrounding the high stakes attached to these tests.
Based on the new NY state budget bill, growth scores derived from these tests using value-added measures (VAMs) will now account for about half of a teacher's annual rating. However, the American Statistical Association has stated, "The VAM scores themselves have large standard errors, even when calculated using several years of data," and, "VAMs are generally based on standardized test scores and do not directly measure potential teacher contributions toward other student outcomes," and finally, "VAMs typically measure correlation, not causation: Effects – positive or negative – attributed to a teacher may actually be caused by other factors that are not captured in the model” (source: ASA Statement on Using Value-Added Models for Educational Assessment; April 8, 2014).
These tests were not meant to be used in this way. But now, about half of a teacher’s annual rating will be based on the value-added measures derived from these tests anyway. And if a teacher is rated ineffective due to this 2 years in a row, they can be fired. This is some more important context the article itself unfortunately does not include.
Based on the new NY state budget bill, growth scores derived from these tests using value-added measures (VAMs) will now account for about half of a teacher's annual rating. However, the American Statistical Association has stated, "The VAM scores themselves have large standard errors, even when calculated using several years of data," and, "VAMs are generally based on standardized test scores and do not directly measure potential teacher contributions toward other student outcomes," and finally, "VAMs typically measure correlation, not causation: Effects – positive or negative – attributed to a teacher may actually be caused by other factors that are not captured in the model” (source: ASA Statement on Using Value-Added Models for Educational Assessment; April 8, 2014).
These tests were not meant to be used in this way. But now, about half of a teacher’s annual rating will be based on the value-added measures derived from these tests anyway. And if a teacher is rated ineffective due to this 2 years in a row, they can be fired. This is some more important context the article itself unfortunately does not include.
15
You forgot the part of the ASA statement which seems to run counter to your argument:
"The ASA endorses wise use of data, statistical models, and designed experiments for improving the quality of education. "
Moreover, you neglect to mention anything concerning our current teacher evaluations methods. Our current teacher evaluation methods have large standard errors, do not measure potential contributions to other student outcomes, and do not measure causation. In fact, our current teacher evaluation systems do not even measure correlation with positive student outcomes.
VAMs are superior to our current evaluation method because there is evidence that VAMs identify causal effects of teachers on students' test performance. VAMs are also superior to our current evaluation methods because *only VAMs* have been shown to correlate with long term, positive student outcomes (lower teenage pregnancy, increased college attendance, higher adult income).
At the very least, VAMs are non-inferior to our present teacher evaluation methods, and very likely VAMs are superior.
"The ASA endorses wise use of data, statistical models, and designed experiments for improving the quality of education. "
Moreover, you neglect to mention anything concerning our current teacher evaluations methods. Our current teacher evaluation methods have large standard errors, do not measure potential contributions to other student outcomes, and do not measure causation. In fact, our current teacher evaluation systems do not even measure correlation with positive student outcomes.
VAMs are superior to our current evaluation method because there is evidence that VAMs identify causal effects of teachers on students' test performance. VAMs are also superior to our current evaluation methods because *only VAMs* have been shown to correlate with long term, positive student outcomes (lower teenage pregnancy, increased college attendance, higher adult income).
At the very least, VAMs are non-inferior to our present teacher evaluation methods, and very likely VAMs are superior.
Your opening cite does not contradict the previously-quoted segments of the paper. It concludes, "The ASA promotes sound use of statistical methodology for improving education." The balance of the paper explains (among other things) why using VAMs for high-stakes firing/ school-closing decisions is not sound use of statistical methodology.
What are the pre-VAM 'current evaluation method[s]' to which you refer? Have teacher evaluations been conducted statewide according to a certain 'method', & if so for how long.
What are the pre-VAM 'current evaluation method[s]' to which you refer? Have teacher evaluations been conducted statewide according to a certain 'method', & if so for how long.
From Linda Darling-Hammond:
"There is a widespread consensus among practitioners, researchers, and policy makers that current teacher evaluation systems in most school districts do little to help teachers
improve or to support personnel decision making."
She is referring to traditional classroom observation, portfolio review, etc.
The ASA statement says:
"Attaching too much importance to a SINGLE item of quantitative information is counter-productive" (emphasis mine)
Most review agree that VAMs should not be the *sole* basis for high-stakes decisions. Many agree that VAMs could be a part of that decision making process.
To conclude with another quote from the ASA paper:
"Various studies have demonstrated positive correlations between teachers’ VAM scores and their students’ future academic performance and other long term outcomes. In a limited number of studies, teachers have been randomly assigned to classes within schools, thus reducing systematic effects that might arise because of assignment of students to teachers. These studies indicate that the VAM score of a teacher in the year before randomization is positively correlated with the test score gains of the teacher’s students in the year after randomization, but the correlations are generally less than 0.5. Also, studies have shown that teachers’ VAM scores in one year predict their scores in later years. "
"There is a widespread consensus among practitioners, researchers, and policy makers that current teacher evaluation systems in most school districts do little to help teachers
improve or to support personnel decision making."
She is referring to traditional classroom observation, portfolio review, etc.
The ASA statement says:
"Attaching too much importance to a SINGLE item of quantitative information is counter-productive" (emphasis mine)
Most review agree that VAMs should not be the *sole* basis for high-stakes decisions. Many agree that VAMs could be a part of that decision making process.
To conclude with another quote from the ASA paper:
"Various studies have demonstrated positive correlations between teachers’ VAM scores and their students’ future academic performance and other long term outcomes. In a limited number of studies, teachers have been randomly assigned to classes within schools, thus reducing systematic effects that might arise because of assignment of students to teachers. These studies indicate that the VAM score of a teacher in the year before randomization is positively correlated with the test score gains of the teacher’s students in the year after randomization, but the correlations are generally less than 0.5. Also, studies have shown that teachers’ VAM scores in one year predict their scores in later years. "
The Common Core standards are a specific list of skills for each subject on all grade levels. They are important, and it is wise for students to know these skills. Elementary teachers teach many subjects in one day, and they could use materials that are standard specific. High School and Middle School teachers have three or four levels to teach in their subject area. The skills listed for the Common Core were expertly researched and they are all important. In order to help teachers, the text book companies need to get on board with materials that align themselves with these standards.
If not testing to evaluate a student's proficiency, than what is the alternative? I see the unions wanting to opt out, but what is there accountability solution? We know that there is inequity in the education of poor and minority students, what assessment should be used to determine that these students and all students are succeeding in public schools? If my tax dollars are being used to support education, then I want some evidence, that I am getting a return on the investment that I am making in public schools. So yes I want some kind of measurement for this purpose. If standardized test are not working, then come up with a better assessment to measure success.
1
Our schools have been rated for eons by such factors as graduation rates, SAT scores, #of merit scholars, % accepted into college, which colleges they go to, etc as anyone who has ever looked at a school district before buying a house can tell you. When I moved from NYC to suburbs that the hugely-increased tax burden spoke to the difference in quality between poor inner-city schools and wealthy suburban schools. That difference in quality-- call it inequity-- has something to do with relative taxes, more to do with how the schools are run (administration), and mostly to do with the comparative educational advantages between poor and rich.
The very idea that poor schools should be tested till they're blue in the face-- knowing the scores will be lousy-- then scores used to fire teachers & close schools is lunacy. Originally the lunacy was sold as 'this is how we'll improve those poor schools'. Today the lunacy is, 'gosh darn it look how those poor folk are wasting your school taxes!' Ed-product profiteers make out nicely as long as weighing the pig is in style.
The very idea that poor schools should be tested till they're blue in the face-- knowing the scores will be lousy-- then scores used to fire teachers & close schools is lunacy. Originally the lunacy was sold as 'this is how we'll improve those poor schools'. Today the lunacy is, 'gosh darn it look how those poor folk are wasting your school taxes!' Ed-product profiteers make out nicely as long as weighing the pig is in style.
I am amazed that the New York Times doesn't mention that the tests are written by a for-profit company Pearson that has connections to Cuomo. The Governor has received millions from charter schools and wall street who want to privatize education using taxpayer money. Teachers don't mind being evaluated but you can't evaluate all teachers based on invalid testing. In the article, Edelman states that "we finally have the kind of improved tests that so many folks petitioned". Really, where are the studies to show that these tests are valid? The article doesn't mention that these tests in grades 3-8 have no bearing on the students academic standing. What are the students incentive to do well and how is that fair for the teacher? New Yorkers are waking up to this power grab from Albany that will not improve the quality of education. The state controls the cut score and will determine the outcome that meets their agenda. New York was the first state to pass laws for public education in America and it is the state that will stop this insane corporate agenda. Opting out is an act of civil disobedience and its time for the media to expose the true agenda of our elected officials in New York.
71
The ad featuring the father upset about his child"s hard tests to be truly embarrassing.
Attitudes like those are the reason why our kids don't stand a chance on the global stage.
Attitudes like those are the reason why our kids don't stand a chance on the global stage.
1
As a teacher and parent, I've three major concerns about common core and standardized testing. (1) Student performance on these standardized tests are highly linked to class and race. We must address these socioeconomic ills instead of blaming teachers. (2) These tests are not developmentally appropriate for our children. I really encourage parents and policy makers to examine the ways some of the questions are phrased as well as some of the content. Piaget would turn over in his grave if he saw what we are asking third graders to do. (3) Standardized tests, at best, measure only a slice of what students know and very little of what they can do in complex, real-world settings. They do not give a picture of student growth over time (such as portfolio assessments) nor do they give us a sense of students' multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner's theory that we have a multiplicity of intelligences, including emotional, artistic, etc). Instead of our narrow and misguided focus on standardized tests, our national discourse on education should be more layered and complex--just like the children that I teach.
28
Randi Weingarten's cynicism knows no bounds. She doesn't want teacher to be held accountable for their performance, in any way, at any time. She put in place a system where 99% of teachers were judged high performing, thank you Governor Cuomo for calling her out on that. The teachers union passes bills in Albany in the dark of night against teacher performance. After the public caught on that the teachers union is not a progressive force and not focused on children, what better way to distract the public than to fund political ads, encourage letter writing campaigns, and have their own teachers who are also parents be leaders of the "parent" opt out moment. I noted that most of the parents writing in support of "opt out" who commented on the Times article about the "parent" opt out movement were teachers. The huge pension and retirement obligation of the unions will be the legacy they leave to the children of the next generation, along with a second rate, factory style education that they have resisted every chance to reform. There are many teachers who are unhappy with all of this, and with Ms. Weingarten's $600,000 compensation package. Lets not get mad -- lets organize and throw her out!
1
Oh those bad teachers! They make a living wage! They have pensions! They want to teach! We can't have that! I doubt it you have talked with a teacher. I doubt if you know a teacher. I doubt if you have ever been in a classroom.
This article gave a very skewed view of the situation. This is not a union issue; it is a quality of teaching issue. It is laughable to think that teachers have enough control to manipulate 150,000 parents into opting out, as this article implies by ignoring the fact that parents are fed up with excessive and poorly thought-out standardized testing.
Many parents object to the Common Core and the associated tests which are untested (!) and appear to be almost a setup for failure (so that more schools can be given over to private corporations?). Other parents are unhappy with the time and money spent on standardized testing and the pressure that comes with it.
Education reform's emphasis on testing and evaluating teachers has resulted in huge numbers of excellent experienced teachers leaving the classroom in frustration and heartbreak. My daughter's high school went from the best in the county to a school where 60% of the teachers have less than 5 years experience. This is what education reform has in store for us. It is just as damaging for students as it is for teachers.
f parents want anyone other than Teach for America or brand new graduates teaching their kids, they are absolutely right to opt-out and to stand with the teachers, and that's what they did. That's the real story.
Many parents object to the Common Core and the associated tests which are untested (!) and appear to be almost a setup for failure (so that more schools can be given over to private corporations?). Other parents are unhappy with the time and money spent on standardized testing and the pressure that comes with it.
Education reform's emphasis on testing and evaluating teachers has resulted in huge numbers of excellent experienced teachers leaving the classroom in frustration and heartbreak. My daughter's high school went from the best in the county to a school where 60% of the teachers have less than 5 years experience. This is what education reform has in store for us. It is just as damaging for students as it is for teachers.
f parents want anyone other than Teach for America or brand new graduates teaching their kids, they are absolutely right to opt-out and to stand with the teachers, and that's what they did. That's the real story.
14
The problem is not the lack of commitment to higher expectations. The problem is raising the bar without putting in extra supports for both students and teachers. For years there has been a lack of alignment between what is taught and what is tested. Common Core is an attempt to address this misalignment. Teachers are not against testing, if anything testing should happen weekly. It is how the results are used is what is at issue. If testing is used as a diagnostic formative measure, then it can provide actionable information as to what students know and are able to do, and tell us what students need more help with. However, high stakes testing as it is currently being used is but a snap shot used once a year to label and to punish both teachers and students. The results are not actionable for the students who take them or for the teachers who give them. Punitive measures will not get us the buy in that needs to happen on the part of all the stake holders, including parents, for us to get to higher standards. Rolling out new standards and new tests obviously takes time and commitment. The most important thing we need to do is think about ways of supporting our students and supporting our teachers so that they can do their best work.
22
I disagree. I think the term "lowest common denominator" more correctly describes today's public education. A lower bar, not a higher one.
An excellent set of comments.
I'm a 25 year veteran teacher who LOVED the art of elevating student self esteem and knowledge level BUT students cannot be manufactured as an assembly line business product like cans of tomatoes or car assembling. Priorities in testing seem to greatly increase profits of companies that produce test materials and jobs created in testing chain. Teaching is art and devoted talent of reaching and enticing individual kids to love learning. Excessive testing kllls the spirit n robs the mind of inquiry.
87
Standardized tests defeat the purpose of authentic teaching and learning. A good teacher will plan and prepare a lesson, teach the lesson, then assess the lesson. If the tests tied to their evaluations are created by Pearson and other test creators then the test score is not a true reflection of their real ability to teach.
Additionally, the PARCC and SBAC assessments are very differently construed assessments, though they both are described as aligned to the Common Core, and states go with one or the other. If states can't agree on what the best standardized test is for their students, they shouldn't be using it as a means for evaluating the teacher.
Additionally, the PARCC and SBAC assessments are very differently construed assessments, though they both are described as aligned to the Common Core, and states go with one or the other. If states can't agree on what the best standardized test is for their students, they shouldn't be using it as a means for evaluating the teacher.
32
But we have some not so good teachers who don't teach the lesson much less assess the lesson. What then?
Standardized testing was introduced as a means to assure accountability in education. Unfortunately test advocates way over did it and favored testing to measure almost everything that needs measuring in education. Tests are necessary to measure individual progress and to give parents a general sense of the student population at their children's school. They should not be abolished but they must not be overemphasized.
27
Why am I not surprised that the Teacher's Union does not want to have their students compared against comment sense standards of achievement. Instead the Teachers just want more money for their salaries and benefits without having to prove the effectiveness of their teaching.
Shame on the Teachers. In any other field workers are constantly evaluated on their performance so why should it be any different in the field of teaching. In fact, with the poor performance that students currently demonstrate when compared to other countries we owe it to our children to hold Teachers accountable. And if we continue to find that progress is elusive then replacing the current crop with better qualified people would be the way to go.
Shame on the Teachers. In any other field workers are constantly evaluated on their performance so why should it be any different in the field of teaching. In fact, with the poor performance that students currently demonstrate when compared to other countries we owe it to our children to hold Teachers accountable. And if we continue to find that progress is elusive then replacing the current crop with better qualified people would be the way to go.
1
Teachers have always been evaluated on THEIR performance: knowledge, preparation and execution of lessons, engagement of students and the products that are created in the classroom. The new evaluations are based on students' performance on tests, not on teachers' performance. There are MANY factors that influence student performance, not just the teacher. (Do you recognize common sense?) And if you have been reading on the topic, you would know that the tests involved were not designed for the purposes for which they are being used, nor have the standards been shown to be cognitively appropriate across the board, especially in the elementary grades. They are not "common sense [sic] standards." Please don't think you know what teachers want. Teachers want to teach and to restore COMMON SENSE, among other things, to the education system in this country. And perhaps we should emulate what the more successful countries are doing -- the opposite of Common Core and the current trends in teacher evaluation. Do the research.
And look up the uses of the comma and the hyphen. (Sorry -- I taught writing, and I had standards.)
And look up the uses of the comma and the hyphen. (Sorry -- I taught writing, and I had standards.)
4
In any organization, non-profit or for-profit, this kind of oppositional-defiant behavior against the purposes of the organization would result in termination.
Prima facie evidence that teachers lack accoutnability for their actions.
Prima facie evidence that teachers lack accoutnability for their actions.
Teachers, you've got to love them. Summer off, great benefits, pensions, job security, all wonderful. If only that accountability thing was taken off the table the job would be perfect!
Most of the comments about this article have been written intelligently and clearly by informed, concerned people. Of course there had to be one person just aping anti-union talking points. If teaching is so easy, why aren't you a teacher? Get those great benefits - which most workers in the US had when most companies were unionized. Go for it! By the way, the summer off is without pay, as are all the other holidays. Fact: Teachers are paid for the school days in the school year. Then the salary is spread over 12 months - at least in NY. At one time it wasn't spread out - only divided over the school year. Fact: part of the salary goes directly into a pension fund, and pensions are paid out of that fund, not tax revenues. Fact: tenure is not permanent job security. It's DUE PROCESS so that a government worker can't be fired arbitrarily or because they won't support the supervisor's candidate for office - as was the case before tenure. And tenure isn't automatic - it has to be earned. So go for it! Just hope that you aren't assigned to at-risk students or those who rarely show up - or not at all - because YOU will be held accountable for THEIR test scores - or absences. And oh yes - warn your spouse that you will be unavailable evenings and for at least half the day on weekends or holidays - because you will be busy.
7
The education reformers are selling snake oil. Have we considered that these tests don't measure what they say they measure? AYP and student growth measures are based on junk science and bad statistics - they want us convinced that the product they are selling is objective. It is not, the tests are deeply flawed and have a stronger correlation with a student's family income level than with who their teacher was.
It is deeply insulting to hear that taking a standardized test is a civil right. Ivory tower liberals, pretending to make a difference by sticking it to teachers and schools, should spend some time in the trenches - doing the real work of educating our children, rather than trusting Pearson and their pet politicians to steer the ship. All this so-called education reform movement does is fill the pockets of publishers, charter school operators, and their pet politicians. Look to see who is filling the pockets of the civil rights groups now - they're getting cut big checks from "education reformers."
Our public schools are doing the best they can with what they're given - not enough resources, not enough support, and disadvantaged children saddled with the burdens of our unequal, segregated society.
It is deeply insulting to hear that taking a standardized test is a civil right. Ivory tower liberals, pretending to make a difference by sticking it to teachers and schools, should spend some time in the trenches - doing the real work of educating our children, rather than trusting Pearson and their pet politicians to steer the ship. All this so-called education reform movement does is fill the pockets of publishers, charter school operators, and their pet politicians. Look to see who is filling the pockets of the civil rights groups now - they're getting cut big checks from "education reformers."
Our public schools are doing the best they can with what they're given - not enough resources, not enough support, and disadvantaged children saddled with the burdens of our unequal, segregated society.
34
REALITY-CHECKS:
#1) The primary factor in how well children achieve academically in school isn't what teacher they have- It's the economic and educational status of their parents. Teachers certainly have a sizable input, but so does class-size, and the level of chaos that goes on in the school in question. The student achievement is dependent on many, many variables, that the teacher cannot control. When I was teaching in LA-Unified, I had about 180 students across 5 classes, and on any given week I would lose about 5-10 students, and gain another 5-10 students.
Teacher evaluation IS important, but relying on Test-Scores of their students is KNOWN to be unreliable(inconsistent), and has low validity. The only 'good' thing about this approach is that it is CHEAP.
#2) Teachers against Testing? Shame on you! If anything we need more. But mostly it should be, short, frequent, and VALID. It is no good to wait until the end of the school year to determine that a student hasn't learned the expected material for their grade level. We can simply pass them along, or hope that they can learn what they missed in Summer School. Students who are in trouble, should be identified within the first 6-8 weeks, and moved into a learning environment where they get the necessary help.
#3) WHO HATES COMMON-CORE?
The Test Publishing Industry, they don't want a single, legitimate testing system, they want to get paid to re-invent the wheel in every school district around the country.
#1) The primary factor in how well children achieve academically in school isn't what teacher they have- It's the economic and educational status of their parents. Teachers certainly have a sizable input, but so does class-size, and the level of chaos that goes on in the school in question. The student achievement is dependent on many, many variables, that the teacher cannot control. When I was teaching in LA-Unified, I had about 180 students across 5 classes, and on any given week I would lose about 5-10 students, and gain another 5-10 students.
Teacher evaluation IS important, but relying on Test-Scores of their students is KNOWN to be unreliable(inconsistent), and has low validity. The only 'good' thing about this approach is that it is CHEAP.
#2) Teachers against Testing? Shame on you! If anything we need more. But mostly it should be, short, frequent, and VALID. It is no good to wait until the end of the school year to determine that a student hasn't learned the expected material for their grade level. We can simply pass them along, or hope that they can learn what they missed in Summer School. Students who are in trouble, should be identified within the first 6-8 weeks, and moved into a learning environment where they get the necessary help.
#3) WHO HATES COMMON-CORE?
The Test Publishing Industry, they don't want a single, legitimate testing system, they want to get paid to re-invent the wheel in every school district around the country.
47
The test publisher doesn't hate Common-Core. They write the test once, keep the questions top-secret, and re-sell it every year to every school district without having to pay anyone to reinvent the wheel!
4
Disagree on number 3. Teachers, parents, progressives are united in their protests against Common Core. Pearson is making is profiting from it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/pearson-pays-77-million-in...
1
Sure, let's pay close attention to what the various unions representing teachers have to say. After all, the unions have proven themselves to be extraordinarily effective in implementing positive change in our schools over the past few decades. These people are the cream of the crop when it comes to intellect and research into pedagogical alternatives to the current "status quo." They are the product of a heralded teacher education system that has proven itself against international standards and competition over the past half century.
Go ahead, take a random sampling of the public school teaching population and their esteemed leaders. You will find an altruistic commitment to the profession,and an extraordinary love of children and a dedication to hard work, personal intellectual improvement, and making all the necessary sacrifices to make the American system of public education the best in the world. Without these amazing professionals we could not possibly have elevated the American system of public education to the glorious heights we are enjoying today!!!!
Go ahead, take a random sampling of the public school teaching population and their esteemed leaders. You will find an altruistic commitment to the profession,and an extraordinary love of children and a dedication to hard work, personal intellectual improvement, and making all the necessary sacrifices to make the American system of public education the best in the world. Without these amazing professionals we could not possibly have elevated the American system of public education to the glorious heights we are enjoying today!!!!
2
Love the sarcasm!
America slips further back in international rankings every year, but who cares? It's not like we have to compete with the rest of the world.
America slips further back in international rankings every year, but who cares? It's not like we have to compete with the rest of the world.
This article seems to paint those opting out as little more than pawns in a labor dispute, which I imagine must be quite insulting to the almost 200,000 families who made the choice to opt out of the exams last week. What of the actual concerns? It should be noted that the results of the NY state tests are not seen by teachers or families until the following school year - when the teacher no longer teaches that child. Neither the teacher nor the families receive diagnostic results from the tests. Neither are ever able to see what questions the students got right or wrong. They simply receive a score. There is no information on areas of strength or areas for support. Educators have a "gag order" in place surrounding the exams. Page 8 of NYSED's teacher direction state that educators aren't even allowed to look at the exams, let alone discuss them. That may sound hard to believe, but it's right here: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/sam/ei/eisam15rev.pdf. Children in grades 3-8 must also spend 7-10 hours taking the NY state tests. Of course students should be assessed. But many of those supporting the opt out movement would argue that the assessments should yield the pertinent diagnostic data that allows them to drive instructional choices for teachers and families... that the tests should take a reasonable amount of time... and should not be shrouded in secrecy. How does this article not mention the genuine concerns being raised by parents?
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I think the teachers' unions are on to something here. Maybe we should expand this movement to, say, diabetes blood glucose testing. No more blood glucose testing! Patients don't like it! It causes stress and changes behaviors!
So what if diabetics start start developing life-threatening infection, start going blind, and start having their limbs trimmed off like so many tree branches? We will at least be rid of that pernicious testing!
So what if diabetics start start developing life-threatening infection, start going blind, and start having their limbs trimmed off like so many tree branches? We will at least be rid of that pernicious testing!
1
The NY State tests don't give granular information. Kids sit through hundreds of questions and get a single-digit score between 1 and 4, after the child has moved on to the next grade. What if you got back your glucose results 6 months after your life-threatening infection and blindness set in? And what if those results were accurate +/- 50%? At least you'd have your data.
1
Well, I guess if I see any blind, limbless schoolchildren, I'll know to blame a teacher. A ridiculous, pointless statement perhaps, but no more so than your analogy.
In some health care systems, a physicians evaluation and compensation is partly based on how well he controls his patients' diabetes, even though many patients make unhealthy choices which are beyond their physician's control. You could call it "finger-stick and punish". Yet we feel that this is perfectly acceptable. Why, then, is it not permissible to hold teachers accountable for the intellectual development of their students, as evidenced by their test scores?
The "hammering" of teachers as opposed to celebrating them is a saddening affair beyond finding teachers useful in the matter of excessive testing. Listening to teachers from the beginning would have lessened the problems and opposition.
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Let me see if I get this. Teachers are opposed to testing because it takes too much time from the classroom environment. Therefore we have no standardized way to evaluate the students and indirectly the teachers. While the tests are an imperfect measurement they are at least a data point that can be a point for focus.. The parents opposed to testing will be the first to complain when young Johnny or Melissa don't get into the college of their choice. They will then turn around and blame the schools and teachers for not properly preparing students.
Standardized tests are a way of life in many professions and occupations. The red shirted teachers with nicely printed signs appear to be more concerned about their welfare than that of their students.
Standardized tests are a way of life in many professions and occupations. The red shirted teachers with nicely printed signs appear to be more concerned about their welfare than that of their students.
2
Most teachers are not opposed to all standardized tests. They are opposed to excessive standardized testing, poorly developed and inaccurate standardized tests, and the high stakes aspects of these tests. These tests give teachers no meaningful feedback about their students. Some of these tests aren't even being used to measure student achievement; they are being used to evaluate teachers.
1
Bill makes what seems to be a tempting argument: "While the tests are an imperfect measurement they are at least a data point"
But in reality, imperfect measurements are not the way to improve accountability or performance. Is it really worth dragging students and teachers through extended episodes of "teach to the test" just to get "a data point" that everyone knows is very weak, at best?
Some things are very hard to measure. Teachers' skill and success is one of them: it depends on lots of factors beyond teachers' control, it takes a long time to become manifest, and there are serious disagreements about what criteria apply. Do we measure students' income or happiness level, and do we do it 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years later?
It may be very tempting to say, "because it's hard to measure, but we'll use this poor measurement." But policy built on imperfect measurement will itself be profoundly imperfect, and may cause more harm than good.
But in reality, imperfect measurements are not the way to improve accountability or performance. Is it really worth dragging students and teachers through extended episodes of "teach to the test" just to get "a data point" that everyone knows is very weak, at best?
Some things are very hard to measure. Teachers' skill and success is one of them: it depends on lots of factors beyond teachers' control, it takes a long time to become manifest, and there are serious disagreements about what criteria apply. Do we measure students' income or happiness level, and do we do it 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years later?
It may be very tempting to say, "because it's hard to measure, but we'll use this poor measurement." But policy built on imperfect measurement will itself be profoundly imperfect, and may cause more harm than good.
4
I have no doubt there are many committed and competent teachers. I'd guess they would be equally happy to ally with parents to set high and reasonable standards for teaching and learning. Better training for teachers also help. For instance, if a teacher is unable to tell when to use "its" from when to use "it's," standardized testing would pose a headache. Schools face many challenges, and standardized testing is but one of them.
Teachers do not oppose innovation in schools. Since the Reagan administration's education policy based on "A Nation At Risk," teachers, public schools, and teachers' unions have been mercilessly attacked by the political right. The system of public education in the U.S., instead of being fully funded, has suffered substantial spending cuts, political attacks, and so-called educational innovation and reform programs that rely solely on standardized tests of questionable merit, The privatization of public education by way of the creation of charter schools that serve a limited student population has been the second front in this attack.
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" Since the Reagan administration's education policy based on "A Nation At Risk," teachers, public schools, and teachers' unions have been mercilessly attacked by the political right."
Teachers' unions were held in low esteem years before Reagan became president.
Teachers' unions were held in low esteem years before Reagan became president.