In this short video taken last night at the public forum on Long Island, a “highly effective” teacher demands that Commissioner John King be rated “ineffective” and fired based on the failure rate across the state on the tests he authorized. The crowd went wild. She said what the state is doing to children today is “child abuse.”
Folks, this is the local community in East Setauket, Long Island, New York. This is not the Tea Party.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Excellent!
Real Teachers have character, intelligence, ethics, dedication, care, stand up for children & parents, know laws, know their subject matter, know children & know that we HAVE to report CHILD ABUSE by Law! Done! Well Done!
Asking ALL TEACHERS to report any concerns related to Child Abuse EVERY TIME it happens.
Proud to be an educator.
really… why DON’T we actually fill out the paperwork for child abuse and file it? That is not a crime that I can think of. We can list our administrators as the abusers, and/or go up the “list” of powerplayers in our areas.
As a lifelong educator, I just love it when the ‘Teacher comes out in us’ when we need to take control and make an impact. We tend to exercise this involuntary response when Insanity, Harm & Nonsense collide. This video displayed this moment. I encourage millions of teachers to let: The Teacher Come Out in Everyone. These times call for the proper response. Must report abuse!
Awesome!
Here’s NY Education Commissioner
John King behind-the scenes reacting
to people who attempt to opt out from
testing, or who complain about
Common Core:
“Folks, this is the local community in East Setauket, Long Island, New York. This is not the Tea Party.’
So glad to read this statement. I have been “told” that I am “Tea Party” for fighting reform nonsense. I set that fallacy straight in short order.
I second that, Mercedes!!!
Ditto, Robert and Mercedes . . . .
It shouldn’t make a bit of difference if what was addressed to King came from a Tea Partier, an elephant, an ass or whatever other human association one chooses with which to associate. True statements can come from anywhere on the political spectrum (maybe not very often from the elephants and asses but that’s another day).
As someone on the fence about the CCSS, it matters greatly to me what other agendas these groups have.
What is there to be on the fence about concernedmom? It is too late to separate the standards from the high-stakes testing machine that comes with it. And as the standards were only written by a few people, and reviewed by 60 people (only one in 60 was a classroom teacher) and the validation committee really only a rubber stamp, and with no scientific data to suggest these standards do what they purport to do (college and career ready), it can’t be that you think this is a good way to go about a national curriculum.
I am on the fence because on a very personal level, my child is thriving in a public school and my state adopted the CCSS. I haven’t experienced any of the horror stories others have shared here. I guess people will tell me that I should be worried my child is doing well under the CCSS and he isn’t really learning anything of value, but I disagree.
How is it possible that high stakes testing can’t be removed from the CCSS?
How do I know that my state standards were developed with more insightful thought?
Also, CC or other, as Diane noted the real issue is poverty, not state, national or local standards. So how does spending all this energy against the CC help? Plenty of children in my district read below grade level well before the CCSS were adopted.
I’m glad your child is thriving, but has your child gotten the big CC tests yet? In Utah, this is our first year of CC testing, and the English test ALONE is 250 minutes. That’s longer than AP testing, the SAT, the ACT and the GRE. How is it that we won’t give adults a 4 hour and 10 minute test, but we’ll do it to 12 year olds?
My child is one year away from the big test. I don’t really care how my child performs on the test. I only care what my child’s teacher tells me during conference time and report card comments.
CM,
I would speculate that your son’s teachers have done a good enough job with him IN SPITE OF the CCSS and the testing.
“True statements can come from anywhere on the political spectrum (maybe not very often from the elephants and asses but that’s another day).”
Duane, I love your qualification and eagerly await your analysis of elephants and asses.
Concernedmom, you may not see anything until after the kids have been through one round of testing. If your school system is strong enough, they may resist teaching to the standards/tests although I would be watching what kind of curricular decisions they make. If all of a sudden they are dedicating resources to common core aligned curriculum that comes from Pearson or an affiliated company, keep your eyes open. So far, there has been little visible fallout in my district. The CCSS tests will not be fully implemented until 2014-15. Data collection has gotten to be an extreme focus and has definitely affected the teaching staff and the time they have to devote to paperwork. This is not information that teachers are necessarily going to share openly if they want to keep their jobs. If other children are struggling who haven’t in the past, pay attention. Watch for program changes that cut time in “nonessential” activities (recess, library, art, music, PE). You get the idea. I hope your district weathers the storm. If they do, I’m sure we will all want to know how.
It should trouble all tax payers that in NY Pearson not only designs the common cores tests but also sells materials aligned to those tests. Some of these Pearson materials contained passages that later appeared on the actual tests. So in effect Pearson is trying to extort money from school districts. Buy our materials and your kids will have a leg up on the real test. Education is the shadiest business around today. Regulate. Create a need. Make hundreds of millions of dollars meeting the very need you created. SHADY!
concernedmom, it’s wonderful that you are paying attention, reading, and thinking about what is going on in education–your child is really fortunate for that; keep it up 🙂 It sounds like he is also lucky not to have lost the joy in learning–hopefully he can dodge that bullet as long as possible!
The one aspect of the Common Core that perhaps you haven’t considered is the incredible waste of resources–money (and time) that could be used for countless other enriching activities as well as how much autonomy teachers have lost to do what is right for each of their students. This is a precious thing not easily recovered. (When testing began under NCLB, everyone said, “Oh, so what? It’s only 2 tests per year…”) In NY, we all have common standards and common tests; and now we have a common curriculum (as yet, this piece is optional–but for how long??) Read this account: http://theplainsatisfactions.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/teacher-ken-siders-not-to-miss-perspective-on-classroom-modules/
My advice is keep your eyes open; and stay informed.
Ann Gray,
Thank for your perspective. That is certainly something to consider about the CCSS – all the time and money involved. I wish they would double down on art and music in the lower grades instead of making sure my child is “college ready”. Thanks for the link – I was excited for those kids as I read about their experience and I can only imagine how wonderful it was for them.
Not only is it NOT the tea party, but also many of us are liberals and progressives from the most successful districts on Long Island, which tend to be the most liberal.
That was awesome!
Ole! Testing does not teach what it means to be educated. One wonders how many written tests Socrates took or gave.
I don’t know about the Tea Party, but this area is historically strongly Republican, and it has returned to those roots after briefly dabbling with some Democratic town leaders: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/gop-retakes-control-of-brookhaven-town-board-1.6395390
Way to go and I only wish that more people were allowed to voice their concerns…..Its to bad that they just sat there and never answered any of the questions asked of them…..Cowards …..they should be ashamed of themselves…..Like we said in June at the Rally in Albany GET IT RIGHT…FIX IT OR SCRAP IT…….go Moms and Dads , teachers and Administrators who are not afraid to step it up
Those of us who live out in Suffolk County LI know how huge and politically and economically diverse an area the attendees represent. This was not a tiny hamlet. Well over a million people live in the area covered by this forum held at the Three Village School Districts, and more than 25 school districts large and smaller were represented in the audience. These are Republican and Democratic leaning communities, and the parents and teachers organizing around the event have made ENORMOUS efforts to stay united and not allow partisan bickering and blaming to pull us apart. We all want the best possible public education for our children- and we all know that the CC and high stakes testing is a threat to our children’s well being, and to public education and its teachers. I am very proud to be a part of the BATs, Lace to the Top, and the LI Opt Out groups who by working together and staying focused have overcome partisan politics to fight corporate reform. On to Mineola and Eastport!
The current edu reforms are, in fact, bringing together everyone from all parties and walks of lfe to fight this madness. I was so proud to be there last night and provide 4 standing ovations to speakers. Your turn, Mineola! Go get ’em.
People who are opposed to the CCSS need to make an effort not to embrace every group that is against the CC. As someone on the fence about the CC, I worry when groups that are against the CC get exposure and when I dig a little deeper into their websites and comments, I see groups that want to push their own beliefs and values on everyone. In my opinion, some of these groups,are more damaging than how my child learns to read and calculate math problems.
While I believe that everyone who is against the CCSS is not a Tea Party, I worry that alliances are being made without considering future consequences.
concernedmom…when CC is brought down and there is a real debate and national forums about what a national curriculum would look like, or if there should be one, or if there should be guidelines or whatever comes after…then we can be concerned about who wants what. I am as anti-religious right as you can get, but I will work with them to get rid of CC…then I will fight like crazy to make sure that students everywhere in this country are taught the difference between real science and faith-based science. Until then, CC makes strange bedfellows….I believe it’s called bipartisanship…
Tracy,
My worry is you may lose that fight. I will not join forces with these groups especially since their issue with the CCSS has a lot to do with content. What will stop them from demanding content changes to more local standards?
Concerned Mom:
Many (most) teachers tell me they like CCSS, but not the testing.
(In NC). It’s the propaganda that has bothered me.
Joanna,
As always thanks for your insight,
I agree with concernedmon in that it makes me feel very strange when I watch Glenn Beck railing against the Common Core. Can I POSSIBLY share a belief with that man?
That being said, this video was awesome.
The Tea Party gets a bad rap from those in the establishment because they focus on actually following the constitution, fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and limiting the federal government, all things that both establishment democrats and republicans want to ignore. They are fighting against Common Core and Obamacare, among other things. The Tea Party is a decentralized movement so some local groups focus on social issues but most stick to government and economic issues. The problem was a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon a few years ago for political reasons because it was gaining traction. Overall, I believe the underlying principles make sense and if you look at how the establishment handles The Tea Party, it is typically with personal attacks, not actually discussing the issues because they have no excuse in many cases.
Agree with your post. By the way are you HU’s cousin?
The original premise of the Tea Party was all that you listed. Where I differ is they’re take on many social issues.
You are misrepresenting. The Teaparties are a bunch of racist, homophobic, pro-fetus but not pro-life sickos who would rather destroy America than have a black person in the White House. They are not about lower taxes. They are about subsidizing the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and poor. They will fight against anything Obama proposes and the idea that he proposed CC is why they fight it. I doubt if they even understand CC except for the idea that they think it is the federal government interfering with state affairs. The homophobia became obvious about 2 years ago when a teapartier was interviewed for a local TV show and asked about same sex marriage. The lady assured him they were against it. Now what does equal rights have to do with taxes????? Don’t let them fool you. They are nothing but extreme right wing fundamentalists who have more in common with the Taliban than even they will admit. Their recent government shut down disregarding the needs of babies getting WIC, if that did not show their true colors, nothing would.
The interviewer, by the way, was a gay man who was not obvious who was a borderline Republican who had said he would be one if not for their position on gay rights. I think that interview cured him.
My evidence is based on the behavior of Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, who is one as well as another man I know who helped found the Baton Rouge Teaparty and is an arch-conservative even though gay. When the President came to New Orleans last week to discuss improving infrastructure as a way to attract business, Jindal gave him a lecture about Obamacare. He is one of the governors who will leave many residents with no health insurance because he refuses to expand Medicaid despite the fact that the feds will pay for the expansion.
Beware of feds bringing “gifts” of money!
That is unless you’re part of the military and homeland security industrial complex then open your arms to cost plus, guaranteed profits contracts that will be renewed forever because the representatives won’t vote against a “jobs” program.
The beauty behind this revolution is it’s bipartisan. I find myself advocating alongside Independence party supporters, Democrats, Republicans and Tea Party folk all without regard to political rhetoric and without batting an eyelash. If there is a silver lining, it is solidarity against the plague that has brought us all together.
This teacher is amazing! And it is NOT an exaggeration to call this testing bullcrap child abuse.
One of my old Rutgers Public Policy profs used to say two things:
1.) Change is incremental.
2.) Real change does not occur until it hits middle-class suburban parents.
Guess what?
The problem with common core is that it wasn’t properly developed using educationally appropriate guidelines and field testing. Add to the list that it was thrown at teachers who were not given the proper training for implementation and then the students (and teachers) were evaluated with an irrelevant test developed by companies who were looking to make a profit. Side effects included schools where everyone affected was totally stressed out to the point that true learning was compromised.
A third of the parents got lucky, their children did well – this year. Do you want to take a chance on next year? Opt out.
“The problem with common core is that it wasn’t properly. . . ” NO! that is not the problem. The “core” problem, meaning central to the discussion is that educational standards which by definition must include standardized testing as a standard is both the measurement and the definition. And those two nefarious educational malpractices have been shown to be so rife with error that any results/conclusions drawn are completely and irrevocably INVALID.
Wilson has proven this in his never rebutted nor refuted study “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error.
So that when you, Ellen, say that “it wasn’t properly. . .” you are supporting “doing the wrong thing righter” and when one does that they get “wronger” causing more and more harm to the most vulnerable and innocent of society, the children.
Doing the Wrong Thing Righter
The proliferation of educational assessments, evaluations and canned programs belongs in the category of what systems theorist Russ Ackoff describes as “doing the wrong thing righter. The righter we do the wrong thing,” he explains, “the wronger we become. When we make a mistake doing the wrong thing and correct it, we become wronger. When we make a mistake doing the right thing and correct it, we become righter. Therefore, it is better to do the right thing wrong than the wrong thing right.”
Our current neglect of instructional issues are the result of assessment policies that waste resources to do the wrong things, e.g., canned curriculum and standardized testing, right. Instructional central planning and student control doesn’t – can’t – work. But, that never stops people trying.
The result is that each effort to control the uncontrollable does further damage, provoking more efforts to get things in order. So the function of management/administration becomes control rather than creation of resources. When Peter Drucker lamented that so much of management consists in making it difficult for people to work, he meant it literally. Inherent in obsessive command and control is the assumption that human beings can’t be trusted on their own to do what’s needed. Hierarchy and tight supervision are required to tell them what to do. So, fear-driven, hierarchical organizations turn people into untrustworthy opportunists. Doing the right thing instructionally requires less centralized assessment, less emphasis on evaluation and less fussy interference, not more. The way to improve controls is to eliminate most and reduce all.
Former Green Beret Master Sergeant Donald Duncan (Viet Nam) did when he noted in Sir! No Sir! that:
“I was doing it right but I wasn’t doing right.”
And from one of America’s premier writers:
“The mass of men [and women] serves the state [education powers that be] thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailors, constables, posse comitatus, [administrators and teachers], etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt.”- Henry David Thoreau [1817-1862], American author and philosopher
“The mass of men [and women] serves the state ” And they will
continue to IGNORE that to rationalize their complicity.
Protest CC, Inform the parents of the abusive nature of “Reform”,
Spell it out clear and often: It’s NOT for the children, It’s for
Financial Gain, BLA, BLA, BLA…Democracy BLA, BLA…
IGNORE the obvious, ABUSIVE TESTING is NOTHING
UNTILL IT IS GIVEN.
IT is given to continue employment…FINANCIAL GAIN.
GAGA
Duane, while you have a point, there does need to be some sort of guideline to public education, thus curriculum. NYS has a curriculum of study with Regents Exams for High School Students, a Social Study assessment in 5th grade (cancelled) and 8th grade, and a science assessment in 4th and 8th grade with a hands on component. The new assessments have been “recently” added over the past few years.
I think a nationwide curriculum is not a bad idea. Education does not appear to be equitable across state lines. At least the kids would be learning similar items. Isn’t the whole idea of public school to give our children a baseline of common knowledge to use as adults?
Are you advocating a Summer Hill model where teachers teach whatever depending on a particular groups interest?
A teacher needs freedom. I am against a scripted program. I am also against miscellaneous testing, especially when used as a tool to harass teachers, but there does need to be some benchmarks.
The problem is that the benchmarks are inappropriate. The curriculum is inappropriate. The testing is inappropriate. The creators of CC have been inept.
You want to throw the baby out with the bath water. I want to rethink the bath. The baby needs a bath, but not this one.
Ellen,
If I may continue with your metaphor. The water being the malpractices that are educational standards, standardized testing and the grading/ranking/sorting of students. Right now that water is scalding hot or freezing cold, take your pick. Immersing the baby in either is harmful, for some leaving lifetime scarring. Most may survive but why put them in the bath to begin with. We need to prepare water that is at the right temperature so that all the babies that are immersed can thrive, not just survive.
I am not advocating any particular educational program, only pointing out that the current educational malpractices should be stopped immediately and then let’s let the professionals, the teachers along with the parents decide what works best for each child. And what is best is different for different children at different times.
I often hear “Oh, well what solutions do you have to replace the ones you are tearing down?” My response is “I don’t pretend to have the answers, I do have a lot of questions, but it’s not my place to tell the rest of the world how to educate their children. However, I will point out whenever what is being done to the most innocent is harmful and dangerous to their well-being. I’m not the savior” (just the Quixotic old fart Spanish teacher who’d like to see psychometrics go the way of phrenology, eugenics and old time blood letting).
Duane, we agree. When random people decide what is best for education without regard to any proven educational practices then, yes, the baby’s water is definitely too hot.
And I do have some answers. There are at least seven or eight intelligences out there. Our current system caters to the book smart. My son, and actually many boys, do not respond to this method. He’s a hands on learner. He observes and thinks. In many ways he is a lot smarter than his sisters who got good grades in high school and college, yet he completed his education with a GED.
When he was in first grade trying to learn his ABCs, he was more concerned about the cosmos. How was the earth created? Where did God reside? When did God kick the devil out of heaven, before or after he created the universe? (A college professor in theology looked it up and it was before. He said it was the best question anyone had ever asked him – My son was six.)
This is not a stupid child, yet I had to fight to keep him out of special ed. (He made it through eight grade then shut down in high school.) And there are others like him who have unique talents but are failing because they cannot meet the so-called standards.
If so many kids cannot meet the standards, then perhaps it is the standards which are broken. It is definitely not our children. Something needs to change.
So, yes. We are definitely on the same page.
Agree with your first comment; don’t disagree with the second but am not sure which third of parents you are referring to…the ones in NYC?
CC Standards are not developmentally appropriate for early childhood students!
The third of the parents who got lucky is the 33% whose children passed the Math and ELA assessments this past year. The rest are not at grade level, according to the test results. The majority (or super majority) of students in NYS need remediation.
Most of these students were excelling in school last year. It appears they are suddenly intellectually moving backwards. Parents can’t seem to accept that their little prodigies are now stupid.
I am always amazed when an active teacher is willing to stand up, be identified, and call out a politician. This is job endangerment. I hope she doesn’t get fired.
I am too! But not to worry…! She works for a district with an awesome (supportive, protective) superintendent…
This was so powerful! I got chills 🙂
Me too!
She won’t get fired. I was out in front of Ward Melville H.S. (where the forum was held) walking the protest line with Beth’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joe Rella, who was one of the first administrators to stand up to the CC$$/testing madness. Momentum is on our side, and we’re not going away! King and Tisch deny this at their own peril!
YES! This is how a revolution begins. But, the “Mommies” have to speak up for their children just as publicly and just as fiercely.
I agree one hundred percent that this testing is ABUSE. This is the feeling from one end of New York State to the other. Please read the original text of my letter dated September 12, 2013 to the Buffalo News.
Marge Borchert
—————————————————————————————————————-
Wednesday September 18, 2013
The Buffalo News.com (/) Opinion
————————————————————————————————————–
Ironically, I first saw an article citing Cuomo’s pronouncement of the ‘death penalty’ on failing Buffalo schools at the NYS Hot Air Balloon Fest. A slap in the face on Labor Day weekend.
Since 9/11 schools are akin to prisons. Doors are secured and locked. As principal, I review our safety plan, and evacuation procedures.
Despite, the semblance of a penitentiary, “Do no harm” is our belief.
Last year third graders were sentenced to the hot seat for 90 minutes a day for three days in a row for the Language Arts tests. The punishment was repeated the following week for math. Requiring third graders to remain seated and focused for 90 minutes is maltreatment and abuse, especially when the exams are minimally two years above their reading level. We will not be making the determination about students moving to the “Big House” (college) when they are only eight.
The kingpins in state ed “magically” predicted a 38% drop in test scores. This drop could lead to the pronouncement of the ‘Death Penalty’. How does poverty factor into this statistical hocus-pocus?
$3 million to UK-based Pearson Publishing corporation to mass-produce these tests would have been put to better use addressing the poverty issues in our state.
Coincidentally, Pearson contributed $3 million dollars to both the Democratic and Republican Canidates in the last presidential election.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the kingpins pull a donkey out of a hat just in time for Cuomo’s presidential campaign in 2016. His campaign speeches will grant a “stay of execution” to failing schools because he will claim he magically rehabilitated them?
Holzer said it best: “ Abuse of Power comes as no surprise.”
We, the people realize that millions of dollars should have been appropriated to solve our issues of poverty, not for more hot air and political-speak.
We, the people want the maltreatment and abuse of children to stop. Cuomolot?? Not so Hot.
Marge Borchert, Principal
Allendale Elementary
West Seneca, New York
This past week one of the Assistant Superintendents was forced to resign (after a visit from NYS officials) because the schools she was supervising were not improving. Two of the three schools mentioned have a high concentration of immigrants and refugees. Unfortunately, these students have trouble passing the assessments. Could language barriers contribute to their low scores? The third school is a dumping ground for students who are not accepted to a better school. (Yes, students in Buffalo have to apply to high school.)
The deck was stacked against her. Cuomo’s rant was ill advised. Albany needs to do a little research before they point fingers.
I just wrote about CCSS and Tea Party politics on my blog: http://feeltheflotsam.wordpress.com Would love to hear feedback!
A national day of teacher protest has been planned for December 9.
We will be wearing blue.
Watching this video OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER… it never gets old… just makes me smile more each time… esp. when she talks about awakening the “mommies!” LOVE the play on words with “Awakening the Mummy.” 😛
You could tell she spoke with”institutional authority.” I sat up straight and listened in my best student mode when she spoke. She was too far away for me to judge her age, but I would like to think that she taught some of those mommies. I would have dared Tisch or King to look disrespectful. She commanded attention.
From internet guru guy’s blog this AM: “I define bullying as intentionally using power to cause physical or emotional distress with the purpose of dominating the other person. The bully works to marginalize people. In an organizational setting, the bully chooses not to engage in conversation or discussion, or to use legitimate authority or suasion, and depends instead on pressure in the moment to demean and disrespect someone else—by undermining not just their ideas, but their very presence and legitimacy.” Sound familiar? http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/11/bullying-is-theft.html
Trust me, the daddies are awake, too!
Diane, I think you’re confused. I’ve yet to see any Tea Party gathering get out of control. They never leave litter; they don’t rape neighbors in tents…they’re just the last of that small segment of society known as the middle class that’s been taxed enough already. You… must surely have meant instead, “occupy movement”.