Tuesday Open Thread
Uh oh, testing in Tennessee came to a crashing halt yesterday, after the state spend $108M for on-line testing. From Diane Ravitch via Nashville NPR:
What about the SAT? Shades of our old state test, the WASL. From the NY Times:
Nearly 200 black men came to support the National African-American Parent Involvement Day yesterday at South Shore Pre-K-8. They had hoped for 100 so it was a great show of support for the school. That kind of community support, plus the $1M grant they receive each year, is the kind of thing that will support better outcomes.
What's on your mind?
The state commissioner, a huge fan of Common Core, blamed the vendor. She told schools to go back to the “worst case scenario,” that is, pencil and paper testing.The worry is that their computer system for testing cannot "perform consistently." This comes on the heels of the story that students who took PARCC tests on paper did better than those who did on a computer so see, maybe a silver linings. Hilarious comment from those involved:
"It is true that this [pattern exists] on average, but that doesn't mean it occurred in every state, school, and district on every one of the tests," Jeffrey Nellhaus, PARCC's chief of assessment, said in an interview.Hmmm, maybe this guy doesn't realize how the pattern got there "on average." Someday, all of Common Core may be the silver linings playbook for those who are the glass half-full types.
What about the SAT? Shades of our old state test, the WASL. From the NY Times:
Chief among the changes, experts say: longer and harder reading passages and more words in math problems. The shift is leading some educators and college admissions officers to fear that the revised test will penalize students who have not been exposed to a lot of reading, or who speak a different language at home — like immigrants and the poor.SPS is also asking for help in conservation/recycling and has a good webpage, Utility Conservation Programs, how your student's school can do it. Your school can get money back from the district in some programs.
Nearly 200 black men came to support the National African-American Parent Involvement Day yesterday at South Shore Pre-K-8. They had hoped for 100 so it was a great show of support for the school. That kind of community support, plus the $1M grant they receive each year, is the kind of thing that will support better outcomes.
What's on your mind?
Comments
We are opting out of the free SAT test given to all 11th graders across the country on March 2nd and will take the ACT, which is offered April and June at three locations in Seattle. Curious to see what other 11th grade parents are doing.
--LookingForward
Higher test scores, for better or worse, are still used for admissions and scholarship money at most colleges. The new SAT is supposed to be more like the ACT has always been, minus the science component. So don't look to escape wordy math problems by avoiding the SAT. If the testing itself is an issue for you, look at test optional schools. There's a list at fairtest.org.
SrMom
First the test not been normed. (Probably why they are giving it free to 11th graders across the country so they capture a gigantic pool of test data.)
Test results are also going to be delayed (sounds familiar? SBAC).
It is also slated to be very very hard, much harder than the ACT. (So why put a kid thru that, when every college in the country will take the ACT score?)
It is based on Common Core standards, which is not the set of standards this particular cohort has been exposed to.
The Math portion includes Statistics, a class that is not usually taken until 12th grade. (and other issues around the Math portion scared us off.)
Here are some articles that helped us make our decision for our student. Maybe a few years down the road we will reconsider the SAT, but not this time!
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/why-you-should-worry-about-the-new-sat-test/
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/new-sat-new-problems/384596/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/noodleeducation/2015/04/20/3-reasons-you-shouldnt-take-the-new-sat/#707cfdf212c7
On that point, tell your students to only fill in the minimum necessary for information. They also want to do massive data gathering on students.
If you are convinced that your child(ren) will do fine on the ACT, then by all means, skip the SAT. It's not a matter of how good or bad the test is, it's what it all comes down to when scholarships and admissions are handed out. Colleges don't seem to be changing the baselines for merit money based on the new vs. old SAT format.For our family, anyway, money mattered enough to go with both.
SrMom
EdVoter
CT
First up:
Act NoW for Washington Students. This PAC is composed of parents, LEV, DFER and Stand for Children. Act NOW for Wa. Student's main goal is to pass charter legislation. They have a PAC and have contributed $20K to key Democrats and Republicans. They claim to have the ability to raise $500K
Then, we have Excellent Schools NOW coalition. "The Excellent Schools Now coalition steering committee is comprised of: League of Education Voters, Partnership for Learning, Schools Out Washington, Stand for Children Washington, and Tabor 100." This group wants great teachers, "flexibility" serve students best (ahh...must be charters)and tools for accountability.
http://www.excellentschoolsnow.org/for-teachers.html
Inquiring mind
reader47
Thanks, reader47
I will check to see whether Act NoW considers themselves a lobbyist organization.
According to this article, Act NoW is a PAC.
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/education/2015/dec/18/charter-organization-forms-pac/
CT