The following letter was sent to Secretary Arne Duncan by Dean Lisa Vollendorf of the College of Humanities and the Arts at San Jose State University, in response to Duncan’s plan to rate colleges of education by the test scores of students taught by their graduates. Comments on this proposal will be accepted until January 2, 2015. Please send your to: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/12/03/2014-28218/teacher-preparation-issues
Dear Secretary Duncan:
As a committed educator who has devoted her life to public higher
education, I am dismayed by the onerous requirements put forth by this
proposal. At San Jose State University, which is part of the 23-campus
California State University system, we will find it fiscally impossible to
comply with so many requirements. In particular, it will cost us much more
than we can afford to track our graduates. Moreover, we are deeply troubled
by the connection between accreditation for teacher credentialing programs
and the test scores of those teachers’ students. The CSU is the largest
four-year public higher education system in the nation, and we are
committed to affordability and access. That commitment translates into
recruiting and training students who are in turn committed to working
throughout the community, including in low-income and under-served areas of
our K-12 system. By tying the test scores of those children to our
accreditation standing, the federal government is sending the message that
the only students we should be serving are those who are lucky enough to
live in privileged areas with a strong tradition of good schools. I am
proud to educate diverse students from all walks of life, and proud when
they go out into the diverse communities from which they hail to give back
and make society better. These new regulations will disincentive programs
and teachers from serving those communities. Please reconsider this overall
plan and think again about the adverse effects on those who most need
improved schools and those who prepare teachers to work in those
under-served communities. Public institutions will be so hard hit by these
regulations that we are concerned that we will no longer be able to afford
credentialing programs.
Lisa Vollendorf, PhD
Dean, College of Humanities and the Arts
San José State University
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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A totally failed education policy will serve as Obama’s shining failure. Could we have anticipated this massive misbegotten failure in 2008. So much hope, all for naught.
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All that Hope and Change (which Obama never for a moment contemplated, and in fact was chosen by the Over lass precisely because he could be expected to divert energies away from change) were just marketing slogans.
It’s no accident that Advertising Age Magazine awarded Obama the Marketer of the Year Award for 2008.
This chameleon was consciously chosen to forestall the possibilities of real change and reform, and to disarm the Left wing of the Democratic Party. Therein lay his “success,” and he can rightly expect to be well compensated for it after he leaves office.
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Sorry, “Overclass,” not “Over lass”
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Yes, Michael, “marketing slogans” is the truth, as were the two books to make him look viable to progressives. We were fooled by a Manchurian Candidate.
So now it looks like it will be ‘Billary’ v. Bush…where do we go from here?
Hope Elizabeth Warren changes her mind.
In California, the greatest number of elementary school teachers, and K – 12, are educated at the Ca. State University system. These ranks of students always filled the department to capacity until lately. Many of the teacher training students are first generation, and first in their families to attend university. It is a sad defeat to see them veer away due to all the negative govenment edicts, plus the ever increasing costs.
Similar situation at U. of California campuses which generally train more high school and higher ed educators. Everyone is running sad and scared. The costs of these two public university systems keeps going up, and students who take out loans are selling their souls for careers that will not be secure nor pay enough to ever relieve their debt. It all stinks.
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Some legitimate criticisms of the policy…but hardly a comprehensive critique.
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So now the Federal Government for the People’s Education Department is going to make rules for accrediting Teacher Preparation Programs based on future students performance on test scores on tests not yet developed? (In California at least).
We the people have lost control of the government. We are getting what we voted for and the fundamental change is: “ta Da” a government for the people not of the people by the people paid for by the 1% and their cop orate interests.
BTW The Consortium for Common Core State Standards (for the west coast states) is now to be located in the School of Education at UCLA. I hope all the other states in the consortium like what UCLA will develop for them.
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Jim…it is sickening.
And if you walk up the path about one block, you see the buildings with Eli an Edythe Broad ??? Hall in huge letters. I can deal with Rennie and Meyer Luskin Public Policy Building (have known them since we were all young) but seeing the Broad name on so many UCLA and other LA buildings (like LACMA) makes me ill. Yes, we have lost control of not only government, but of our public universities too.
Did you train with Madeline Hunter, or are you a young guy?
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Jim…are you in touch with John Rogers? You can email me at
Joiningforces4ed@aol.com
I would like to be in touch with my UCLA colleagues here.
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Hate to say it, & tell me if I’m wrong. But hasn’t CA been advertising it’s disinterest in paying for public ed since passage of Prop 13 in 1978? By the early ’90’s, public ed had a bad name & huge nos. of middle-class folk were paying for private K-12, fancy or Catholic– whatever they could afford. More recently, 2.5billion in budget cuts to CA higher ed 2008-2011, accompanied by making room for double the no. of higher-tuition out-of-state students? Does this decades-long trend indicate a long decline in CA economy, or a conservative revolt against paying for public ed, or a backlash against paying for illegal-immigrant ed– or some combination?
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YES…agree about selfishness re Prop. 13, then also Indian Gaming promise to fund schools, and on and on. The wealthy in California who are the financiers of the malicious and mendacious 30 second sound bites at election time, used to confuse rather than inform voters, will not give up their economic privilege to support public ed. These are the folks influenced by Eli Broad who believe the free market will, and should, enrich them and Public Education be damned.
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The designate secretary of education — a woman who has NEVER taught a day in her life, and as such, has gone a full four years without being confirmed by our state senate — has also decided to adopt this plan to rate teacher preparation programs in New Mexico.
It’s already bad enough that teachers have their entire evaluation tied to ONE test given in ONE week out of an entire school year. But now we are going to perpetuate this farce on the colleges. And New Mexico just re-elected the governor that fully supports her.
Pray for us here — and across our nation. We are going to need it!
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I don’t understand how they could possibly track all graduates and their respective student scores. This idea does not seem practical at all. The cost to benefit ratio does not add up, I don’t think. How does this help schools? What about “alternative” ways into the classroom? What comparable measure would be used for their recruits? (or does that not matter because they aren’t using publicly funded universities?) What problem are they seeking to solve?
I guess it’s this:
Arne believes—-colleges of ed produce sub-par graduates; they go into the classrooms and teach students who then flunk life and cost Americans money and jeopardize our place in the new world order. Is that right?
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Absolutely cogent comment Joanna. Can you imagine how many government hires it would take to investigate millions of students matriculation results? What are the costs of these new worker/detectives/data collectors in terms of pensions and health care?
It is insane. Maybe they will use the IRS workers to do this. I cannot fathom how Obama does not recognize that Duncan is one the most ignorant and inept functionaires that this government has ever had. What does it say about this president?
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Joanna,
I suspect the test grades from online testing of children could be placed into a national database. Then no matter where a teacher teaches, or how often they might change jobs, those student test scores could still be linked to an individual teacher’s name, and by extension, alma mater.
A chilling thought, eh?
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Yes, the logistics of it make no sense at all. Another unresonable policy that is a waste of time, money and resoures that should rightfully be used to help novice teachers get their footing.
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This crazy plan is the exact opposite of logical. The DOE is de-evolving and dragging us along with them, what a travesty if this plan is put into play.
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“Public institutions will be so hard hit by these regulations that we are concerned that we will no longer be able to afford credentialing programs.”
This is EXACTLY what Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, the Walton family, The Koch brothers, Eli Broad, President Obama and Wall Street want, and then they will be in charge of credentialing teachers through corporate recruitment programs similar to TFA until have have an army of low paid teachers who does what they are told with no protests.
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I agree, Lloyd. Enough with the hand-wringing over ‘nonsensical’ policies. The neolib govt agenda is, & has been for a couple of decades, to eradicate public ed [& postal service, & infrastructure, & prisons] from the bottom line, by whatever policy works. Stand up for public goods, America! We’re talking QOL in a democratic society! Outsourcing [or insourcing via H-1(b) visas] higher-paying jobs, privatizing public goods, allowing corp tax-shelters to avoid taxes by moving $ offshore– all of which shifts income to the top 1% — what do you get? A 3rd-world LA-style oligarchy. We can change this, or we can keep our heads in the sand. The turnaround can start with groundswell protest from parents & teachers on the ed front!
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Diane, here’s my comment, a very personal one:
I left teaching two years early because of the damage being wrought by RttT, and the misguided policies of this department. Your new proposed regulations will cause even more damage. Since I write mostly by telling stories of my students, I will paste in a blog post that tells what life is really like in the world of testing. This happened at a continuation high school, for students behind on their credits. These are students that no charter, especially the corporate ones would be willing to serve, yet they can be salvaged, and deserve that opportunity. Here is one story:
“SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2011
Thoughts on Testing
The state test scores arrive, and most correlate to the level of work I’ve seen from the students who took the test. Three very low scores seem out of whack. I check the state exit exam results and find that all three students have easily passed, so I decide to investigate. After discussing the discrepancies with my administrator, we decide to call the students in one by one to find out why they scored at the lowest level on a test that politicians want to use to evaluate teacher effectiveness.
The first student arrives in a foul mood, admits to “being bored” and deliberately tanking the test, bubbling whatever, then taking a nap. Since her score will have no impact whatsoever on her ability to pass her classes and graduate, she feels no need to make any effort during the annoying state testing season.
The second student had been out sick before the test, but dragged herself in to take it, with negative results. Schools can be punished if not enough students show up for testing, but can also be punished if students that come to school ill score poorly, a lose/lose situation.
The third student breaks down in tears, (deleted, but negative experience). She had been an emotional wreck, and unable to focus on the test. Nor had her life improved, as she was still dealing with the fallout.
Now if I were being judged on test scores, theirs would have lowered my ranking considerably, no matter how hard I worked or what curriculum I used. Did I have even an ounce of control here? Obviously not, but neither the press nor the educrats are looking at students as individuals with problems to match, so the cold hard data rules.
I’m all about the story. If a teacher can raise scores, despite the hidden hells that overwhelm some students’ lives, then good for that teacher. If not, we need to take the time and make the effort to truly understand why that student or those students did not or could not succeed on that test before we plaster labels on their teachers.
Hold me responsible for that which is within my control, but do not vilify or demonize me for what is not. Yes, teachers need to be evaluated, but there has to be a better way, one that does not treat students like widgets, but which honors their individuality.”
As a footnote to this story I would add that out of the 8,760 hours in our lives each year, I saw my students for a maximum of 180 hours, though usually less. That’s 2% of their time, yet you would hold me entirely responsible for their outcomes. You may call that logical. I call it insanity.
For reference, I am a twice certified National Board Teacher, and have received awards for my teaching, including the 2005 CCEA State Teacher of the Year, and a 2010 Platinum Apple Award from UTLA. I blog at http://maestrag.blogspot.com/ Check out my stories.
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This was really good. Thanks- I now know how I want to write my response about the higher education use of VAM’s. If I quote you- I will cite you!
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Thanks, Janna. Happy writing. Speak from your experience, which is real and valid, despite what the data-freaks would have the public believe. What the deformers fail to understand is that all young people are valuable. We need to meet them where they are, and help them to develop into the best versions possible of their unique selves.
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“Public institutions will be so hard hit by these
regulations that we are concerned that we will no longer be able to afford
credentialing programs.”
Again we have to wonder if this is a problem or a feature. Arne Duncan can’t really be so dumb, can he? There is so much research out there discrediting the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers. Why would anyone think that the same warped process could be applied to the teacher’s teachers?
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Killing off public institutions is a feature not a flaw of privatizers. These are the same people who believe competition solves all problems and then rig the regs to assure there is no competition. Arne is their tool.
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Well, they already have Broad Academy, Relay, TNTP and TFA – all could be the teacher training “schools” of the future when ed colleges are put out of business from the top down. Bingo. Could Walmart Academy be far behind?
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