tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post6717705399618136935..comments2024-03-28T23:38:22.511-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Louisiana Governor Drops Common Core and its Assessment GroupMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23677633228327725122014-06-22T02:23:00.928-07:002014-06-22T02:23:00.928-07:00swk: given the problems inherent in trying to tes...swk: given the problems inherent in trying to test small children (and the foolishness of wasting their (the kids') time doing so), that is one point for the Smarter Balance tests. <br /><br />We should have gotten rid of MAP for K-2 when we got rid of it for high school. Leaving aside my opinion that we should get rid of it altogether, maybe the next whack at the MAP apple ought to be getting rid of the K-2 component. At least then we will only be burdening the 3rd through 8th grade kids -- so we will have cut the damage (and the cost) in half. The fact that we don't drop it for K-2 has far more to do with the ed reform notion that we need it there to evaluate and fire teachers than it does with any notion that teachers need the test to evaluate kids.<br /><br />JanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84627676206908869882014-06-21T11:18:34.148-07:002014-06-21T11:18:34.148-07:00n, as I have stated previously, the state has no p...n, as I have stated previously, the state has no plan to assess K-2 students using the Smarter Balanced (CC) tests. Smarter Balanced hasn't even developed tests for K-2. There are only tests for grades 3-8 and 11.<br /><br />If Seattle plans to test K-2 students using MAP and/or another standardized test against the CC, that is the district's policy and is not required by the state nor even the feds.<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-39412291301430691122014-06-19T20:29:54.256-07:002014-06-19T20:29:54.256-07:00I'm afraid you misunderstood. I was referring...I'm afraid you misunderstood. I was referring to LEV's blog. Disgustednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-67129164857867187412014-06-19T19:33:58.997-07:002014-06-19T19:33:58.997-07:00I think this is all much more complicated than wil...I think this is all much more complicated than will be resolved by any one post or poster but I do appreciate the specificity of swk's responses. <br /><br />However, I also think the CC is bound to change significantly. I agree that it is far from developmentally appropriate for primary kids. I don't mind the standards as a guide but I do definitely think that any sort of mastery at K-1 or even two is unrealistic and we shouldn't even test for mastery at those levels. To think that any teacher should be evaluated on those standards for early learners is just plain ignorant.<br /><br />To JS: I totally agree about primary and maybe all elementary teachers and math. I love math but I have a lot to learn as well. I take it on with gusto. Most teachers do not. Even my interns in primary come to me admitting they didn't really do well in math. We need to be much more rigorous amd demanding about who we allow into schools of education. Finland has a very rigorous entrance procedure and they take only the very best.nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23818231094396988522014-06-19T18:22:59.018-07:002014-06-19T18:22:59.018-07:00Disgusted, so why are you here?
Does LEV allow f...Disgusted, so why are you here? <br /><br />Does LEV allow free expression? Nope. Do we allow almost any thing to be said? Yup. Do CHarlie and I stand our ground? <br /><br />What is that about heat and the kitchen?Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71282756978617947582014-06-19T16:48:13.760-07:002014-06-19T16:48:13.760-07:00I think this is a great conversation for another b...I think this is a great conversation for another blog. Unfortunately this particular entity likes to control the message. I mean..."moderate".Disgustednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20184677249732823122014-06-19T15:50:47.272-07:002014-06-19T15:50:47.272-07:00Now why does it do that? WSDWGNow why does it do that? WSDWGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77007680211773263992014-06-19T15:50:08.891-07:002014-06-19T15:50:08.891-07:00The worst of which - TO THEM, I should say - are s...The worst of which - TO THEM, I should say - are secularist and socialist ideas. <br /><br />WSDWGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68616855099992647572014-06-19T15:48:18.677-07:002014-06-19T15:48:18.677-07:00However much we doubt it, the Republicans are boun...However much we doubt it, the Republicans are bound to win back the presidency sooner than we think. And who among CC supporters will like the winner's choice for Secretary of Ed and the orgasmic reaction the markets will have to a Republican's hand on the til that Arne Duncan'is is currently on? <br /><br />Many conservative-led states are objecting to Obama's presiding over CC via Duncan, mostly as a bulwark against Federal control over what goes into their kids heads, the two worst of which are socialist and secularist ideas. <br /><br />Ironically, as a two-time Obama voter, I am more fearful of the damage he and Duncan are inflicting on public ed than what Republicans can do, given that they come right out and tell us they want religion in schools and market-driven policies. Democrats, like DFER, lie through their teeth, pander to disadvantaged groups, and pretend to care for people as they fleece the flocks accumulating power and profit for their ironic and cynical "non-profits." <br /><br />The devil I thought I knew has been completely trumped by the one I didn't, and the deception goes on. If anyone thinks CCSS is about anything besides money and power, they need to go back to school and study history & economics.<br /><br />What does Wall Street salivate in unison when they hear the phrase "take it to scale" as Dopey Duncan says over and over? Answer: Markets, people. Markets. <br /><br />WSDWG<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45778483067540035272014-06-19T12:55:23.579-07:002014-06-19T12:55:23.579-07:00Yikes!
--- swkYikes!<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75594336215827041552014-06-19T12:20:12.819-07:002014-06-19T12:20:12.819-07:00People are entitled to their opinions. I think we ...People are entitled to their opinions. I think we all might disagree, as we view the coverage of CC, what direction it is headed. I'll put up a few more stories and you tell me.<br /><br />We sometimes get insiders here and sometimes they stick around. <br /><br /> Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3044493764532230652014-06-19T11:57:26.483-07:002014-06-19T11:57:26.483-07:00I will add, the teacher will use this test for ext...I will add, the teacher will use this test for extra credit. Nice. My child is stressed with multiple high level tests and is being used to "test a test".<br /><br />SWK only thinks she knows everything. I suspect for her position--this makes her very dangerous. I say- BS to her.#BSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23323092351611932872014-06-19T11:53:10.169-07:002014-06-19T11:53:10.169-07:00I don't think SWK has any children.I don't think SWK has any children. Annoyednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23830218945567110322014-06-19T11:51:21.563-07:002014-06-19T11:51:21.563-07:00My high school student recently informed me that h...My high school student recently informed me that her teacher provided a final exam that was not aligned to the curriculum.<br /><br />I checked with the teacher on this issue. The teacher informed me that the state/district is piloting a new test and the teacher wanted to see the test and provide feedback. I was informed that 1/3rd of the questions were thrown-out.<br /><br />What is my child's real abilities regarding this class? Who the heck knows.<br /><br />I'm tired of my children being used as guinea pigs.#Enoughnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57528182319083444432014-06-19T11:29:36.626-07:002014-06-19T11:29:36.626-07:00Will someone give swk a valium- please?(!!)Will someone give swk a valium- please?(!!)Gadsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21714598665028606782014-06-19T11:22:50.555-07:002014-06-19T11:22:50.555-07:00Oh, it's your conjecture, Po3, that CC is dead...Oh, it's your conjecture, Po3, that CC is dead. Thanks for clarifying.<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5556715814990867302014-06-19T11:20:57.363-07:002014-06-19T11:20:57.363-07:00Yesterday I had the opportunity to chaperone a mid...<br />Yesterday I had the opportunity to chaperone a middle school field trip. I had the opportunity to talk with a math teacher that will be retiring early. Here is what the veteran teacher said to me: " I went into teaching 31 years ago. It wasn't a highly respected profession, and the loss of respect has only worsened.". In essence, this individual was throwing in the towel- early.<br /><br />I learned that our middle school has 46 homeless students. The school had a "mattress" appeal to the community because we have students living in tents. One family was sleeping on crates, to stay off of the ground.<br /><br />I expressed concern that too many students were forced to learn abstract math concepts before their brains were ready. It is important to realize that there can be as much as a year difference in a particular class...depending where a child birthday falls. the math teacher agreed.<br /><br />I express concerned that Common Core standards will lead to higher rates of drop=outs. The math teacher agreed.<br /><br />The below article rings true. <br /><br />In the meantime, shall we thank LEV for carrying out Gate's agenda and for drowning out the voices of teachers and parents- with their "research", of course.<br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diann-woodard/bill-gates-common-core_b_5489233.html<br /><br />Reality Checknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20759792561268073552014-06-19T11:12:02.021-07:002014-06-19T11:12:02.021-07:00Common core is dead for a couple of reasons. As mo...Common core is dead for a couple of reasons. As more and more states realize how much it costs, the testing involved and the work involves to implement they will opt out. As more states begin to opt opt, more states will opt out. (Domino effect.)<br /><br />Obama does not enough time in office to "solidify" common core, especially with the opt out craze starting. <br /><br />New admin will bag Common Core and probably RTTT and a new shiney toy will be placed the storefront for every district to purchase.Po3noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35828639692994278042014-06-19T10:55:21.791-07:002014-06-19T10:55:21.791-07:00Ann D, I will make an attempt to answer your quest...Ann D, I will make an attempt to answer your questions: <br /><br />(1) RTTT winning states may lose part of their RTTT grants if they do not follow through with what they committed to. For example, New York is currently in jeopardy of losing part of their RTTT grant for not following through on their commitment to tie test scores to teacher evaluation. I doubt states will have to pay back any grant money but they may not receive portions of their allocations. FYI - No state that has been awarded a RTTT grant has dropped Common Core.<br /><br />(2) States can certainly lose their waiver if they drop Common Core (assuming they committed in their waiver application to adopting and implementing the Common Core) without replacing them with another set of college and career ready standards. To be more specific (as you put it), the Common Core State Standards per se are not required to be adopted in order to receive an NCLB waiver. Two states (off the top of my head) have waivers but have not adopted the CCSS --- Texas and Alaska. They did, however, adopt a set of college and career standards approved by their state's colleges and universities as conferring college readiness.<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59894093498678557282014-06-19T10:37:36.551-07:002014-06-19T10:37:36.551-07:00To be more accurate then, let's be more specif...To be more accurate then, let's be more specific about what is going on with Common Core.<br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/k-12reforms/standards" rel="nofollow">US Department of Education website</a>:<br /><br />"The federal government has supported this state-led effort, in part, through ESEA Flexibility [NCLB waivers], which is helping to ensure that higher standards are being implemented for all students and that educators are being supported in transitioning to new standards. ESEA flexibility has enabled states to replace overly prescriptive and burdensome, "one-size-fits-all" aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) with state-developed accountability systems. All states approved for ESEA flexibility have engaged in one of the following endeavors to raise expectations for students' academic performance:<br /><br />Upgraded their existing standards to make them more rigorous by working with their four-year public universities to certify that mastery of standards ensures that students will not need to take remedial coursework upon admission to a postsecondary institution in the system; or<br /><b>Adopted and implemented common standards developed by a consortium of states</b> that build toward college and career readiness.<br />Additionally, <b>federal policies have encouraged states to adopt high-quality assessments aligned with new, higher standards.</b><br /><br />To support this effort, the U.S. Department of Education has <b>provided more than $350 million to two consortia of states to develop high-quality assessments that are benchmarked to new standards.</b> Forty-five states and the District of Columbia are preparing to implement those assessments in the coming school year.<br /><br />As states are taking the lead in developing college- and career-ready standards and assessments, federal policy also has encouraged states to use measurable indicators of student learning and growth to inform educator professional development and evaluation. For example, <b>under ESEA flexibility [NCLB waivers], states are developing systems that will evaluate principals and teachers based in part on student growth on test scores</b>, along with measures that may include observation, peer review, feedback from parents and students, and classroom work." <br /><br />So in order to get out from the penalties of not being able to have all students at grade level by this year, due to Congress neglecting to revise the ESEA the Federal Department of Ed decided to try to coerce certain changes in state education management and policies -- and succeeded.<br /><br />That the states went with Common Core was due to heavier scores on Race to the Top grant applications, in the middle of a massive recession where state tax coffers were hugely diminished.<br /><br />What will happen to states that don't go along with these "voluntary" endeavors? Will they lose or have to repay their RTTT grants? Lose their NCLB waivers? <br /><br />Ann DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-41009379834809233522014-06-19T08:50:23.434-07:002014-06-19T08:50:23.434-07:00"Standardized testing is a different issue an...<br />"Standardized testing is a different issue and not required by the Common Core."<br /><br />What an interesting way to phrase that. No, CC doesn't "require" testing but all the states (except those not using CC) are part of one of two groups creating assessments based on the CC. Those two things - CCSS and their assessments - will bookend the learning. <br /><br />If you think a standardized test is the best way to find out if a child's in trouble with learning, you are waiting way too long. Teachers do in-class assessments all the time and frankly, I'd believe those a lot more than one single test.<br /><br />As for who is tested? Well, in Seattle we already test our 5-8 year olds on MAP (all the better to get them ready for CC). So let's not kid ourselves that we're not prepping that age group for testing. <br /><br />Here's the thing about some of the comments - they suppose that one person or another is an expert and we know no such thing.<br /><br />Everybody's done their research and can put up what they've found. No one here is THE expert.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3405860697660090012014-06-19T06:57:47.319-07:002014-06-19T06:57:47.319-07:00Disgusted, sorry you thought I was suggesting that...Disgusted, sorry you thought I was suggesting that your children threw up during the tests. My statement was rhetorical. But, I imagine that's not the only thing you believe I've said that reflects poorly on me. C'est la vie.<br /><br />And let's get some other things straight: (1) Who are these 5-8 year olds, especially 5 and 6 year olds, that will be taking tests? Our state currently tests students in grades 3-8 and high school. The Smarter Balanced tests will be for the same grades. Unless you're referring to some 5 and 6 years who have been advanced to 3rd grade or higher, I don't know who you're talking about.<br /><br />Also, there is no evidence that standardized statewide testing has increased the state dropout rate. Students drop out of high school for a multitude of reasons and there is no evidence at all that the state tests are a major contributor.<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7359256251732555692014-06-18T23:52:44.084-07:002014-06-18T23:52:44.084-07:00I can’t find anywhere on the Common Core site anyt...I can’t find anywhere on the Common Core site anything at all about testing. I’m guessing the basic idea that kids in a given grade are taught the same “core” set of topics, independent of where they live, makes sense to most parents. Let’s not forget that, “Decisions on how to implement the standards are made at the state and local levels.” For example, Seattle still had the option of choosing from a variety of top math programs that aligned with the Common Core. <br /> <br />Standardized testing is a different issue and not required by the Common Core. But even the idea that kids are periodically tested on what they've learned is something most of us grew up with. As a society, don’t we want to know if a school or teacher appears to be failing so that someone can figure out if in fact there is a problem, and if so intervene to fix it?<br /><br />The standards, the aligned teaching materials, the aligned tests, implementation in the classroom, and policy decisions about when to give tests and how to use the results, are each separate issues. The policy decisions around testing seem to be the most contentious, but they largely existed before the Common Core. Confusing testing policy with the standards won't lead to the right solutions.<br /><br />Meanwhile in Louisiana, regardless of what the governor does, over time, new books will be purchased, new teachers will be trained, and college bound juniors will take the ACT and the SAT. And they will all be heavily influenced by the Common Core. I agree, the original roll out has changed, but that's to be expected, and it doesn't change the overriding vision.<br />Another Parentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8582811603513032052014-06-18T21:42:26.867-07:002014-06-18T21:42:26.867-07:00Yes, swk, I'm sure you have been at this "...Yes, swk, I'm sure you have been at this "game" for a long time, and your "hypothesis" may differ from medical professionals. <br /><br />Get ready for teachers to head-out to Costco and buy a great big container of red licorice vines to reward 5 and 6 year old children for being "good" and taking those ridiculous tests and they are thriving. Motivate- you know.<br /><br />I will also add that at least one teacher has fold her 3rd grade students that he/she will be fired if child doesn't perform well on MAP and I predict we'll see an increase in the amount of stress placed on both students and teachers.<br /><br />Maybe 3 states have "dropped" Common Core, but more students will "drop" out of school.<br /><br />You really shouldn't suggest my children have vomited- it reflects poorly on you. Besides, I don't have my children take those ridiculous tests. <br />Disgustednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29100001248098513312014-06-18T17:46:54.641-07:002014-06-18T17:46:54.641-07:00The governor of South Carolina signed a bill last ...The governor of South Carolina signed a bill last week that requires the Common Core to be replaced by the 2015-2016 school year.<br /><br />Another Parent, I would somewhat agree. But if Common Core is amended, dropped, or changed, I see that as a backing off from the original roll-out. <br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.com