A reader forwarded this prediction and analysis of the forthcoming manipulation of school grades in Louisiana.
We will hear that scores are going up and that the achievement gap is closing.
Don’t believe it.
It is what as known as gaming the system.
This analysis was picked up and amplified by a blogger in Louisiana who knows the inside of the state Department of Education. This blogger describes the game as “John White’s White Lies”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
No wonder Michelle Rhee’s Students First is giving Louisiana their top grade for “reform” efforts. They are following her “Rheeform” blueprint to the letter… including the manipulation of student data to game the system. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/education/studentsfirst-issues-low-ratings-on-school-policies.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
Every time the politicians want to REFORM something, we get DEFORMS. Follow the money.
“John White’s White Lies Part 2” http://crazycrawfish.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/whites-lies-and-faux-student-improvement-part-ii-the-prediction-edition/
Are the Louisiana newspapers picking up on this? Do they have newspapers in Louisiana? Googling this I found some education blog that picked it up but I mostly saw how Louisiana is making such great improvements!
I had same results from my whistleblower revelations about scads of issues including schools that operate off the radar I call shadow schools. I got as far as an interview and some filming and verification of the existence of the unreported schools and then it was mysteriously yanked a few days before airing. That’s why I started my blog. Newspapers don’t want to offend readers or politicians so they decline to investigate or publish controversial issues and stick to regurgitating press releases from officials verbatim. They are no longer journalists, merely closely censored bulletin boards.
Tim, the papers are skittish about carrying the story. I have sent to the Advocate, Times-Picayune, and Monroe News-Star. Sometimes I get a message initially of interest, then silence. Herb has had the same reception.
The Advocate carried two articles about how well reform is working, written by Will Sentell, and the comments were even blocked.
I have been able to publish a couple of letters to the editor in the Advocate.
Gambit, the New Orleans free weekly, often has good, honest articles as to what’s going on. (I am in N.O.L.A. numerous times throughout the year.) New Orleans Magazine also prints articles RE: N.O. education (the January 2013 issue has a multi-page story about the school board). From what I’ve read about John White, the lies are pretty bad. (I’d always thought “white” lies were the kind told so as not to hurt others’ feelings!)
And this is in spite of the removal of the low performing students to also raise the scores. If what he is stating is correct won’t the teachers in the high performing schools be mad when they look like failures or are they protected in some sense to prevent this blowback?
George, John White plans to present an “exception” before our state board of ed this month regarding “highly effective” teachers being excused from student gains on standardized tests. In October, a top-scoring elem school had teacher declared “ineffective” because student scores did not increase. I expect he will continue to make exceptions for certain schools, as well, when the scores flatten for high schools– the “pick-and-choose” method. That is, if White is still around.
I will be on two radio shows in upcoming days: On Sunday (01/13), I will be on @ the chalk face (http://atthechalkface.com/) at 5p.m. EST discussing VAM. On Monday, 01/14, I will be on the New Orleans Imperative (wbok1230am.com) at 11:30 a.m. EST discussing school performance score inflation.
[…] high school scores. Herb also followed the dictums of Louisiana’s Bulletin 111 and determined what problems the 2013 scores will produce. (In short, in 2013, elementary and middle schools will be favored at […]