Pearson has a contract with the state of Texas for five years that is worth close to $500 million.
That ought to bring gold-plated service and products to the children of Texas, right?
Wrong.
Pearson is advertising for test graders in Texas on craigslist!
The graders need only a bachelor’s degree, and they will be paid $12 an hour.
They will be “trained,” of course, but think of it. Their snap decisions will decide the fate of students, teachers, and schools. If they aren’t that good at what they do, children will fail, teachers will be fired, and schools will be closed. Because of decisions made by a temp worker.
Shocking as this is, it is nothing new. Todd Farley wrote a book called Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry, in which he described his many years inside the testing industry.
For a quick read right now, be sure to open this article, Dan Dimaggio’s horrifying account of his experiences as a test grader.
Here is a sample:
“Test-scoring companies make their money by hiring a temporary workforce each spring, people willing to work for low wages (generally $11 to $13 an hour), no benefits, and no hope of long-term employment—not exactly the most attractive conditions for trained and licensed educators. So all it takes to become a test scorer is a bachelor’s degree, a lack of a steady job, and a willingness to throw independent thinking out the window and follow the absurd and ever-changing guidelines set by the test-scoring companies. Some of us scorers are retired teachers, but most are former office workers, former security guards, or former holders of any of the diverse array of jobs previously done by the currently unemployed. When I began working in test scoring three years ago, my first “team leader” was qualified to supervise, not because of his credentials in the field of education, but because he had been a low-level manager at a local Target.”
So Texas spends nearly $500 million to hire an army of low-wage temps to make fateful decisions about the future of students, teachers, and schools. And of course it is not just Texas. It is every other state in the nation.
Why trust the judgment of a fallible teacher or principal, when you can rely on the judgment of a $12 an hour temp, supervised by a Target manager?
This is crazy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow. So this is the merit, competition and data-driven model? Shameless fools are being handed the reins.
Thank you, Dr. Ravitch, for giving us the “behind the scene” information about the testing industry.
Despite the fact that the so-called “sophisticated” tests cannot accurately measure the complexities of student learning and intellectual growth, (To accomplish this would be akin to “touching the face of God”.) the testing machine continues to grind onward churning out more misery. That 500 million dollars could be put to better use. We have so many needy students.
Texas has become a breeding ground for absurdity.
So when are we marching on Washington?
AMEN!!!!!!
April 4th – 7th – Opt Out Campaign.
Well, it’s only “crazy” if you actually want to do what’s right for kids and our schools.
The “executive salaries” are probably huge at Pearson AND “the margins” their “investors” receive are undoubtedly off the charts.
From where they sit, the only thing that is “crazy” is that they didn’t think of this scam a decade ago!
And We The People are the only ones who can stop these miscreants.|
Yes, this is crazy but not surprising. These corporations are operating to make a benefit, and if they can get away with hiring temp workers instead of fully qualified educators they will. Given a full rubric with key works to look for in long answers, and the inability to think for themselves or understand the developmental stage, writing level or math abilities of students, these are no more than human scoring computers. Nothing will improve until we understand that education (just like health care) cannot be a “for profit” business, or has to be seriously monitored and audited.
Before you pass judgment on my entire state for this ridiculousness, which I agree, is absurd, realize there is a movement down here. From the state (and then Govenrnor) that brought you NCLB, comes hope that the testing perversion be stopped as the end-all, be-all accountability measure for schools (and students). Some lawmakers are actually listening to us too, which is different. That said, I agree, we were foolish to go into a contract with the monopoly that is Pearson. How soon until they rule the Ed world?
I don’t pass judgment on Texas. I am a native Texan. I love Texas.
I do pass judgement on the politicians who foisted the testing mania on the nation and won’t admit their errors. Especially since so many continue to be well paid to keep selling the same stuff.
We don’t need a march on Washington about this. We need a march on Austin. Unfortunately, Austin’s the only place in Texas with any significant progressive, activist community on education, testing or any other subject in the state. Until the political landscape in Texas changes, there won’t be any chance at all for change in their unapologetic anti-reform reforms. (Sorry, Diane, as I know you’re from Texas).
Don’t you see this whole edupreneur and testing business is an Obama strategy to create jobs and stimulate the economy at our children’s expense!
The high stakes testing madness, the Pearson “monopoly,” and the rest of the insanity are NOT an Obama strategy. NCLB was passed under the Bush administration. He was governor of Texas when it all began here. The edupreneur and testing business is a strategy of the right-wing conservatives who want to destroy public education and turn schools into for-profit businesses for themselves and their friends.
Why didn’t Obama stop it? Why does Duncan collaborate with the same people who love NCLB? Who does he work for?
Sorry, but RttT is worse than NCLB. As Diane points out, Obama could have ended the insanity. Instead he’s doubled down. The edupreneur and testing business is fully bi-partisan. After all, some of Obama’s best friends are hedge fund managers.
Wrong. Obama has done 10 times what Bush ever did to help proliferate the testing industry.
Bush just wanted AYP for schools. Obama wants AYP for EVERY teacher, and in order to get it – MORE TESTS (in every subject).
This has nothing to do with Obama. This has been going on for MANY years! I know-I have scored tests for Pearson and ACT.
How can you say this has nothing to do with Obama? Have you looked at RttT? The emphasis on standardized testing? The competition for federal funds based on standardized testing?
Duncan’s DoEd is tied to hedge funds according to a Chuck Grassley, R-IA. He collaborates with the same people who loved NCLB because they are the same people who own him and OUR Dept of Ed.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/grassley-questions-education-agencys-ties-to-wall-street/
This inquiry was in 2011. Why did Grassley back off?
Everything is bigger in Texas; even the testing scandals.
This is yet another example of how, in an effort to rely on METRICS instead of a supervisor’s professional judgement , we are moving further and further away from sensible decision making.
However, a “supervisor’s professional judgement” has its issues too, especially when dealing with incompetent supervisors.
I am from Texas, and this does not surprise me at all. Texas pays $500M to Pearson, yet had $5.3 billion in cuts to public education in the last legislative session. Also, if you dig deep enough to get to Pearson Education’s Investor page (follow the money) they brag about profits that increase year after year. Yes, they are increasing profits every year – on the back of my children’s education! Another interesting fact— Pearson is not even a U.S. corporation! The stock price is listed in Euros! The time is now for Parents to take a stand against the political games that are being played with our children’s education!
Unbelievable. A Craigslist temp worker, hired for $12 an hour, will now be deciding the fate of teachers, while Governor Cuomo in New York wants a bar exam for teachers! Will these same “dedicated, highly effective” Pearson employees be grading these exams too? Crazy just keeps getting crazier and crazier.
I agree with Marilyn Johnson, “we are moving further and further away from sensible decision making.”
Worry not. Computers will be scoring all of the writing in the near future. No low wage workers required.
They already have been, and perhaps that’s why Pear$on is advertising on Craig’sList. They were the co. that was “head & shoulders above” (I heard this myself when I stood outside & listened in to a meeting they were having in a New Orleans hotel.)
the other testing companies in the field of computer scoring. I guess my question is,”Well, how’d THAT work out for ya?” Perhaps, then, not so well. (Read Todd Farley’s post on The Huffington Education Blog–I think it was Jan. or Feb. 2012.)
Ms. Ravitch – I found the following as I was researching private schools for my son last night. The first part is a part of the homepage for a primary school affiliated with the middle school that Sandy Kress’ children have attended. The second part includes testimonials from the Sandy Kress. I removed his childrens’ names.
Why Paragon for grades 2-5?
• Central Austin Location
• Small class sizes
• Experienced and caring teachers
• Academic challenge
• Daily PE, plus Art, Music, Electives
• Selective admission
• Fully accredited
• No STARR test = more time to learn!
To schedule a visit – contact Headmaster ____________________________________________________
Testimonials for Paragon Prep
Paragon creatively concocts the perfect recipe for bright adolescents: begin with a classically driven curriculum seasoned with open-minded innovation, high moral expectations with a good dose of humor and a hilarious pinch of irreverence. Then add competitive spirit on the field and in the classroom, blended with genuine care so that each student and athlete feels a valued part of the school. But their secret and unique ingredient: the total focus is on the middle schoolers’ needs with the aim to provide the best preparation possible for high school. We as ourselves how is it possible that all this takes place in such a modest building with no aggressive fundraising or fancy bells and whistles. How do they turn out kids with a disciplined work ethic and a passion for learning? Now we know. Our son, _____, comes home everyday with stories of friendship, teamwork, and a mind brimming full of new thoughts. Paragon Prep is one of the smartest decisions we have ever made.
Camille and Sandy Kress
Parents of _____ Kress (Class of _____)
and _____ Kress (Class of _______)
________________________________________
Simply put, Mr. ______has a way of making our daughter strive toward excellence. What more could a parent want!
Camille and Sandy Kress
Parents of ____, a current student of Mr. ___
“But their secret and unique ingredient: the total focus is on the middle schoolers’ needs with the aim to provide the best preparation possible for high school.” OMG! Who Knew? Well, the secrets out now for the rest of us poor uninformed public schools teachers. (Sarcasm alert.)
Lots of interesting parent testimonials on the Paragon website. Well worth viewing. Seems parents at Paragon love that teachers are able to teach, and kids actually have fun learning.
It kind of makes you yearn for the halycon days of Mel and Norma Gabler, who merely controlled textbook publishers in Texas.
Pearson effectively owns public education. They write the state tests our students are forced to take (Texas); they write the tests our teachers take for certification; they publish the textbooks we buy; they own the software we use for online credit recovery. They may be making $500M a year from TX on testing, but they’re making a boatload more by other means. I find it difficult to fathom how one company gained so much control over public education–and how this seems generally to be regarded as no big deal.
Reblogged this on Cloaking Inequity.
Dear Dr. Ravitch, I keep waiting for someone of your national standing to question why Pearson is allowed to collect and retain biometric ID info on teachers and many other workers who use their testing services. A government-issued photo ID should be sufficient to identify each test taker. I am a public school teacher and National Board Certification candidate. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) requires us to take computerized assessments at Pearson Assessment Centers. In addition to our government-issued photo ID and NBPTS-issued “Authorization to Test” document, Pearson requires test takers to submit to a face photo (is it scanning our retinas?) and a digital palm vein scan that records imagery of a vein in the palm of our right hand. I think this biometric invasion is a dangerous violation of the right to privacy in a democracy, and question why a private corporation is allowed to amass this biometric identification database on teachers and other workers. I think the potential for abuse is alarming, considering the unbridled greed, ruthless unionbusting and shameless lack of ethics exhibited by corporate privatizers these days. There ought to be a law against this practice. Sincerely, Anne Zerrien-Lee Public School Teacher in Los Angeles
Wow, that does sound scary and totally futuristic. Why isn’t your union or the ACLU fighting this??? You should call the ACLU about this.
Reblogged this on Black History 360*.
My brother got a job as a computer help desk operator in the 1990s, having barely even used a computer before. He quickly figured out the system and became a supervisor. The conditions were so ridiculous and the job so frustrating that he began angling for a job in human resources and got it.
This company contracted with several hardware and software companies and the workers were asked to provide help for products they had never seen before, which is why it’s so frustrating to try to get help from a help desk.
So incompetence was sort of par for the course in that industry. One day he gives me a call and says he has to hire, like,800 temps to grade essays for a contract they got with some testing company. He wants to know what he should be looking for. I indicated that it would be tough to find that many English teachers in his area, but that’s what I would look for. He said,” Uh, I’m just hoping for English speakers.” I knew we were doomed when I heard about NCLB a few years later.
Just rips the veneer off the farcical testing industry, doesn’t it! I’d wager that many of these “graders” couldn’t themselves write a decent, passing essay if their life depended on it! This really shows AGAIN the pseudo-intellectual scam this is. Just because one has a degree, in God knows what, doesn’t mean he/she are editors, let alone, literary
critics of even a first grader’s writing. Having been an elementary teacher of grades first through fifth, I can tell you that I was often flabbergasted at the notes I would get from high paid business people who couldn’t compose a decent sentence! But to the educational gurus, their focus is $, and using their podiums to further that pursuit ($)
by trashing teachers, pushing charters and praising TFA guinea pigs, who in their
propaganda, miraculously outshine any degreed, experienced educator, shows the design behind the madness! Who cares if the facts are diametrically opposite this sophistic, spurious BS! How many exposes
of the testing regimes have to see the light of day before someone, somewhere will have the guts to end this corporate designed destruction of teachers and public education? Time is running short…
From on of the linked articles:
“Remarkably, for a company entrusted with assessing students’ educational performance, messages from Pearson contain a disturbing number of misspellings, incorrect dates, typos, and missing information. Pearson’s online video orientation, for example, warns scorers that they may face “civil lawshits” from sexual harassment. Error-free communications are rare. I was considering whether this was a fair assessment, when I received a message from Pearson with the subject “Pearson Fall 2010.” The link in the e-mail took me to a survey to find out my availability—for the spring of 2011.”
Too, too, too funny!
Why do we place ANY trust/ importance on these test scores?
And what Pear$on is doing–with respect to the test scorers–is akin to what the sub-
prime mortgage lenders (our “friends” at Countryside & Wells Fargo, et. al.) did with loan approvals–hired “contractors” (although these people were qualified, and several became whistleblowers, but were NOT listened to) to fly to another state, whereby a number of them would sit in a hotel conference room or area all day and night (sometimes up until midnight), approving sub-prime loans in files (30 + to a box, and the boxes were stacked up to the ceilings), within a relatively short span of time. Supervisors were told to tell the contractors to approve the loans, even if they appeared to be fraudulent. Best to see the PBS “Frontline” from 1/2213–“The Untouchables,” part of their Wall Street series–you can access it online–go to pbs.org Additionally, then, read Todd’s book, “Making the Grades” (go to Diane’s link & order it!), and you’ll quickly see it’s the SAME THING!!!!
Sub-prime loan approval=collapse of housing industry/economy.
Pear$on’$ education-fund-sucking testing & materials= collapse of public education.
Everyone on this blog should read Todd Farley’s book. It is an incredibly good farce. Too bad it’s true.
2old2tch”: been there, done that. Recently. Twice.
I will never look at standardized testing the same.
Unfortunately, the standardized testing farce is now a national tragedy.
Just put it (Todd Farley’s book) on order at our local library.
Been there done that in Florida. There was an issue with FCAT Writes graders a few years back.
This was being done in Florida in the 70’s and 80’s.
Where are the evaluations and testing done on these scorers? Florida is still using this system for FCAT Writes.
My first job out of college in 2001 was scoring 8th grade FCAT essays. We made $10/hour in a small office building in Arizona, and we churned out scored tests like Big Macs.
Sometimes the bossmen would test our overall consistency by having us score the same writing sample. One of these samples blew me away with its creativity and control of language. It had definite boy’s handwriting and was written in one solid block of text with almost a full blank page left over. Handwriting, paragraphs, and length weren’t supposed to matter according to the rubric, but half of the scorers gave the paper the lowest score. The sample paper was supposed to have received the highest score (6), but it ended up receiving every possible score.
I still don’t understand why we hate children so much in this country.
The funny thing is now the state legislature is saying they no longer want high-stakes testing and will find a way to take it out of the budget. They told teachers and parents, “We heard you!”. But many administrators, parents and teachers see this as a way of taking this monstrous contract away from the state and turning it over to the districts. There is no way districts can afford this financial burden A half a billion dollars!!!!
Funny how teachers and unions are being blamed the the economic ills, yet this company is slowing taking over the world just by sending a few politicians and school commissioners, etc. on a world-wide junket. Even my own union is not fighting the takeover of certification by Pearson.
A friend of mine was picked up in another state as one of those test graders. I couldn’t believe the story of her on the job “training” and the consequences for the tests she graded. She ended up walking out because of her personal integrity being insulted by what she was being asked to do.
As always I thank you for shedding light on the subject. I encourage all who read this to share this post. We often say, “If only everyone who needs to read this WOULD read it!” If we share and encourage others to do so, maybe we can reach some of the less-informed.
Here are the facts about how Pearson hires test scorers: http://www.pearsoned.com/just-the-facts-how-pearson-hires-test-scorers/
Yeah just like TFA gives their candidates, who have a 4 year degree in anything, a rigorous 3 week training course on how to teach a class room full of the lowest scoring kids in the nation… oh wait, they are still scoring low……………..
So true, and so hidden from the public’s knowledge by outright lying and fudging scores! Such documented sophistry used to be called “CHEATING,” now it seems no one cares! I have heard post graduates extol the TFA, three week prep system as adequate! THREE WEEKS?? How’s that to trash four year education degrees? I truly think that Wendy’s/Macy’s have more rigorous prep programs! Seems to fit the description of “Garbage in, garbage out” syndrome.
Todd Farley has paid a price for outing the testing machine. I hope all those who ate interested will purchase his book to give a bit of help to soldier of truth.
What do you mean?
I have thought for awhile that Pearson has too much of a say over the public schools curriculum in the state of TX …probably the United States. So much rides on their tests. I do not see fairness at all in it. Pearson is in the business for the money, and they make lots of it because of their control over schools, teachers, and students. I wonder how many representatives, legislators and congressmen are influenced/pd. by their lobbyist, or however they present their case to governing bodies. A lot of innocent people are being used so they can make the almighty buck, really tax dollar. I wish our state and national government would see this.
Concerned Citizen