Jason Stanford wrote a blistering critique of the misuse of testing in Texas and Sandy Kress responded. Sandy Kress was the architect of No Child Left Behind, which imposed a testing regime on the entire nation. Kress is now a lobbyist for testing giant Pearson.
Stanford summarized his original column, called “Let Them Eat Tests,” as follows:
- Texas taxpayers are paying Pearson $470 million for the STAAR test.
- Sandy Kress, the father of No Child Left Behind, lobbies for Pearson in Texas.
- The school taxes I pay fund a system that corrupts the classroom experience for my two sons who attend an elementary school in Austin by requiring them to learn test-taking skills to pass Sandy Kress’ tests.
- Sandy Kress, enriched in very small part by my tax dollars, chooses to send his children to private schools where they don’t have to take his standardized tests.
Kress took this as a personal attack, as well as an attack on the concept on the value of testing and accountability. Read his response. In fact, read the whole exchange. It is a very thorough airing of important issues that concern every state and every citizen these days.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I know that I am very idealistic and naive but what would the public school system be like if it were not a political football? Now due to the greed of corporations, the element of profit has been added to the mix. So what would it be like if teachers, parents, school administrators, and community leaders came together to create a learning environment in which all children had an opportunity to receive a quality education?. Tests would only be used to guide the teacher not obstruct her/him from providing a positive experience for the students so as to create positive results.
Just what’s needed: a big firm lawyer represnting a client, doing “education reform.” Geez o man.
This study http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020024329.htm would suggest that whoever ends up eating the tests should also eat their brains too….which is ironically appropriate considering the zombie like generation system we are turning our schools into. I learned about this study on Wisconsin Public Radio (another public good Gov. Scott Walker wants to defund) last October when the lead researcher Cathy Price was interviewed. I’ve been doing as much as I to try to get people (policy/law makers) to pay attention to this here in Wisconsin as it as some pretty substantial implications about how we use tests for measuring intelligence, learning or firing teachers, privatizing schools, teaching inner city kids, etc. No one really seems to be that interested in it. Probably because it brings far to many things into question than anyone is comfortable with. Thoughts anyone?
Let’s start with the lead sentence, “IQ, the standard measure of intelligence,” There is the crux of the problem. Since there is no agreed upon scientifically valid definition of “intelligence” and that since “intelligence” is a fluid concept then any attempts to “measure” it will be “vain and illusory”. IQ tests have changed dramatically over the years in a futile attempt do the impossible, measure the immeasurable.
There is no doubt the the brain is an amazing part of our bodies with plastic capabilities all our life until we die, however, we will never be able to “measure” its output.
Duane, great points. Keep in mind though that this was a news story about the study. I don’t know that the “standard measure” terminology is used in the actual study published in the Journal Nature.
Duane, it does in fact refer to it as a standardized measure in the literature review sense, which I think is what the researchers were trying to…well…research. Their conclusions bring into question the “standardness” so to speak or lack there of for that matter.
When a person of influlence becomes defensive, you can almost bet that there is something illegal, inappropriate, or at least easily scrutinized and found lacking going on. NCLB has caused more trouble and harmed more children than we will know for a generation and has done things like leaving behind 16 year olds in the 8th grade and 12 year olds in the 4th which has a high correlation to illegal activity and going to prison. I know a young lady who dropped out after she became 16 and in the 6th grade, only being socially promoted to the 8th. And what is real strange is that when a student is behind officials do not see to it that they get into special education, or at least Title 1 resource and 504 accommodations or catch-up programs so they can receive the extra help they need on an ongoing basis. Plus they tend to have behavior problems. We had two middle schools in Baton Rouge that were chartered that were packed full of overaged children thanks to standardized testing.
The fact that Sandy Kress has his kids in private school is very telling. He does not want them exposed to his own tests and his own law. The public schools are not good enough for the only children he cares about. This is characteristic of conservatives. Gov. Bobby Jindal supported Chas Roemer for the BESE Board in Louisiana in addition to his three handpicked appointed members. Chas Roemer is an attorney. His kids go to Catholic school. Jindal supported him over Donald Songy, the recently retired superintendent and career teacher of one of the consistently most successful school systems in terms of test scores and even actual learning in Louisiana, Ascension Parish.
When we look at the recent controversy over Mitt Romney’s tax returns, there it goes on a different level.
There needs to be a required and expected level of transparency in government and companies and agencies that influence government. And if anyone wants to have influence over the public schools they must be required to have a stake in those schools, namely a child, grandchild, sibling, or they themselves as current or very recent public school students.
Well connected, wealthy parents taking their children out of public schools and into well run private schools is hardly a Republican action alone. The President himself sends his children to a $30K+ a year school and as been previously mentioned on this blog, Penny Pritzker of the Chicago School board sends her kids to a fabulous private school as well. I think we need to look beyond blaming one party or another because both sides seem actively engaged in this. Many of these new accountability measures are being pushed by the brain trust put in place by the President and we see them being put in place by Republican governors as well. This is a strange, bi-partisan move and turning it into a typical political football is a distraction I think they want. The unions have gone along with this, much to our detriment I am afraid because you have people who are too far disconnected from teaching; they are essentially business people hired to run things and they want to stay in the Washington cocktail scene, so they bend to whatever political winds blow, consequences be damned for us in the classroom. I do not care what the letter is after the name, I care about the actions and both sides have some particularly stupid and misguided people pushing this pap at us.
Every aspect of a politician’s life should be available for public scrutiny except their diet, personal hygiene, and what they do in the bedroom. This reminds me of celebrities complaining about the paparazzi. If you don’t want the hassles, whether a politician or a celebrity, and cannot live in the glass house that comes with the fame, then don’t be a politician or a celebrity! Choose another line of work.
I’m surprised that Dr. Kress took time to personally respond to a blogger. I would’ve expected Pearson media dept to advise against b/c it invites spiraling social media criticism. I’m guessing Kress is getting an education! I did wonder where he, himself, was educated because this whole issue smacks to me of economic class. Public schools have always been middle/lower economic class oriented. The upper-middle/rich crowd has usually gone to private school for decades. This idea that school educates to each student’s potential is pure political fantasy. Each economic class has gotten a different framework of education to match their roles in society. We’ve all been expected to conform to expectations, including well-known bigwig researchers. Selecting a private education for his own children seems like social conformity to me! Personally, I’d like to see us abandon this hierarchical model altogether. We’re still on the “all people are equal, but some people are more equal than others…” viewpoint. It’s past time to throw it over.
It doesn’t sound like Sandy Kress will ever really understand the issue.
In his response (linked above), Sandy Kress writes, ” Let’s consider the recent poor results that have been reported on writing. Are we sure the results are wrong? Or might they validate the college teachers and employers who say in unison that most of our high school students are not taught how to write well?”
My response? As a Florida teacher of 8th grade Language Arts, I know first hand just how overwhelming the Pearson produced “FCAT Writes” pressure can be on our children. Because results for writing are used in the school’s grading formula, as a means to achieve “safe harbor” (a cushion in the school’s grading formula used to help boost reading and math scores), the pressure to write well (to the test) is incredible. It, truly, leaves little time in our curriculum for any other kind of writing.
Here is the kicker: The type of writing that we train these kids to write, specifically for Pearson’s test, is not useful in any way in the child’s future. When Mr. Kress says that college professors and employers complain about writing skills, he is correct. But, he is also the problem. He (Pearson) lobby for, produce, and score these ridiculous writing tests. They know very well that the type of writing they are accessing, and requiring us to focus our curriculum on, is not useful anywhere in our world or life (aside from FCAT testing). Take a look at what is required in FCAT Writes, and decide for yourself.
For the FCAT Writes, the students must brainstorm, write, and revise a 5 paragraph narrative, expository, or persuasive essay in just 45 minutes. There is no research involved, no use of sources, and no use of technology in the editing. In fact, they only get one sheet of paper on which to write this essay.
Not to mention, the prompts are ridiculous. For instance, Pearson sent a writing prompt to Florida 4th graders asking them to write about a ride on a camel. Of course, the only camels our 9 year old Floridians have ever seen, if ever, were at the fair, so many wrote of that. Quite a few thought Camels were cigarettes (because, they are). I am guessing that these students did not receive a high “Focus” score. As schools didn’t get scores until late in the year, and still no sign of scored tests, it is difficult to know just how Pearson scored their responses. Regardless, I am guessing the majority of those 4th graders will never see, ride, or own a camel – or will ever need to fabricate a story about riding one. This is what many would call a colossal waste of time.
Would that time be better spent teaching students how to read and respond to literature and informational text? Absolutely. Would that time be better spent teaching students how to write for technology, business, and pleasure? Absolutely. Would that time be better spent teaching students how to use the current technology to write, as expected by employers and colleges? Absolutely.
Is there time in the curriculum for those real world, necessary skills after we teach to the ridiculous Pearson produced FCAT Writes? Nope. Will we abandon teaching to the test and risk not reaching safe harbor on scores, risk losing federal funding, and risk closing our wonderful public schools? Never.
Are our kids suffering? Absolutely. Is Pearson profiting off that suffering?
Duh.
So, if you happen to chat with this Kress fellow one day, Diane, please let him know that we resent him for lobbying our public schools to sell out to these ridiculous tests …. while his company profits and he uses those profits to buy his own kids a chance at real learning.
I couldn’t agree more with these comments. Kress and Pearson are expert manipulators of media and public opinion. They have instituted a long term campaign that began in the 80’s ( or even earlier) to incite fear and insecurity about public education in order to scare states and politicians into believing our only hope is to be saved by standardized testing and curriculum. It is a process they have perfected over many years, and one that sped right under the radar of educators because we have been busy trying to respond to these fears and defend our profession. Pearson has built an empire on propaganda and has made standardized testing a “standard” part of the public discussion on education. I think he and his fellow investors are on the defensive because they have finally been exposed–the lights have been turned on and they are scattering. They have to artificially “raise” standards about every 10 years because our kids master the format and expectations of their tests and get too successful. This means they are testing themselves out of a job, so they stir up the and hill, blame high scores on a too easy test (that was touted as being WAY more difficult than the previous set of tests when they pushed them through the last time) and simply change the format and wording with very little info on the changes other than they will be more “rigorous” and send kids and teachers into the test blind. In a few years, we will figure out this format and kids will start to respond in the new format and this whole song will start over again. What’s even scarier is Pearson has their tentacles in the GED testing as well as many home school and private/charter school curriculum, so they benefit whether our public schools fail or flourish. Much like the banking mortgage scam that put our housing market into the pits–they are playing both sides of the ball. Ingenious, actually. Certainly not about our kids or future workforce, of course. Unless you are talking about the families of Pearson execs and their pet politicians.
There has been no refutation, that I know of, of Wilson’s “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577 nor of his review of the standardized testing bible, “The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing”–“A Little Less than Valid: An Essay Review” found at: http://www.edrev.info/essays/v10n5index.html
I challenge Kress and Pearson to read, understand and then rebut Wilson’s arguments about educational standards and standardized testing. I’ll gladly await the response but will not hold my breath in doing so.
Come on Kress, step up to the challenge! You can send the rebuttal to me at dswacker@centurytel.net .
duane, i’d like to, if i may, challenge them to do the same with robert sternberg’s book “successful intelligence”
Sounds like I need to read Sternberg, then. Just did a quick read of his triarchic model/theory of learning. Seems fairly usable, in the sense of the classroom teacher incorporating the three categories, creativity, analytical and practical types of knowledge into practice. It has the added advantage of being simple. Also he doesn’t discount learning facts/memorizing information but sees that as a part of the process.
Thanks for pointing out Sternberg to us.
By the way, have you read the Wilson studies to which I often (maybe too often) refer?
The more families who opt out of the national test mania the better. If parents are informed about their rights to opt out and if it were to happen on a grand scale they would be shattered.
No test takers, no tests. Parents across America is start.
How do we get the word out to parents all over the country?
Linda send me information on how they can do that!! abelardo.garciajr@gmail.com
Searching now……there is information this site…www.parentsacrossamerica.org
National Resolution against High-Stakes Testing
http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/04/national-resolution-against-high-stakes-testing/
I will post more information soon.
I will email more to you soon.
This has been one huge shock. Think of the things that could be done with the amount of $$$ these damned test companies are gulping down!! If this is not madness I dont know what will qualify as such. Soneone please follow up with me on how parents can opt out? If this is a fact and we can help spread those news then by all means!! I will make a HUGE banner and rally a meeting before the next state assesment rolls around! And just think on the $$$ that will be saved by NOT packing in special boxes, NOT issuing out all those administration manuals, by just NOT allowing Pearson to continue to get rich at public educations expense. My email is down in the comment to Linda’s post.
Reblogged this on Abelardo Garcia Jr's Blog and commented:
My colleagues and interested readers, please take a read and bear witness to the unruly amount of money being siphoned away from public education by the Pearson company which is the creator of STARR. Then tell me if that money could not be used somewhere else. Outrageous.
A quick question. If Pearson creates the test, shouldn’t school districts buy their Longman Dictionary of American English Assessment Edition?