Over protests by teachers and students, the Rhode Island state board of education gave state Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist a two-year contract extension.
Teachers objected to Gist’s top-down management style. Students opposed Gist’s insistence on using a standardized test as a requirement for graduation. Gist had the support of Governor Lincoln Chafee, Secretary of Education Duncan, and the business community.
Gist is a member of Jeb Bush’s ultra-conservative Chiefs for Change, which supports test-based accountability, charters, vouchers, and other market-based strategies.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It will be interesting to see what happens in RI. Faced with considerable criticism of reading and writing tests that students had to pass in order to graduate from high school, and faced with significant percentages of students who had failed in the “practice” math tests, the Minnesota legislature voted this year to eliminate the requirement.
Students now will be asked to take tests that help them understand how they compare to entrance requirements of Minnesota’s public colleges and universities. They will not have to pass the tests to graduate.
Currently about 40% of Minnesota public high school graduates who enter the state’s public colleges and universities take at least one remedial course in reading, writing and math.
I have long advocated that students take tests like this in 10th grade so that they get the results back before enrolling in 11th and 12th grade classes. In this way the students and parents will know what courses they need to get ready for entry to college should they want to attend and be able to take preparatory courses for free. If colleges want to work with HSs and parents to help prepare students, this would do the trick… Giving the test later than this time frame makes it impossible for the student and HS to intervene…
Oh, we’re so fortunate. Gag.
Deborah Gist is also a graduate of the Broad Superintendent’s Academy – Class of 2008
http://www.broadcenter.org/academy/network/profile/featured-deborah-gist
Also see:
Deborah A. Gist, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2008
http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/2011/03/deborah-gist-broad-superintendents.html
Providence is overrun with these fast tracked employees like TFA, Teaching Fellows, Broadies, Aspiring Principals, etc.
Anyway, a bit off topic, but:
In some of the schools the accelerated students are given to these TFAs and Fellows. When testing results are in, it falsely seems as if these people worked wonders.
“We’re on a road to nowhere”
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Going Nowhere Fast!!!!!!!!!!
A Rhode Island friend of mine said recently, that if he goes out for milk, he’s in Massachusetts. I wonder how many of these Rhode Island teachers will go teach in Massachusetts or Connecticut. Why stay where you’re obviously not wanted?
There’s plenty of bad stuff going on in those states as well. Vermont’s the best option for teachers in the northeast.
On the other hand, Gist lost the initiative and control of the message through this process, and she’ll never get it back entirely. It was not very long ago that she was presented in the media as perhaps the most popular political figure in the state. Now she’s “embattled.”
Also, this is hilarious: http://storify.com/bobplain/live-tweeting-executive-session
This is a small victory: She wanted three years, not two. A two year contract makes her a lame duck and gives her time to plan an escape route.
Re the Rhode Island high stakes graduation exams that students opposed: Were the high stakes consequences for students or teachers or both?
If subject area standards (I mean good ones, like those in California and Massachusetts that have been replaced by Common Core) describe “what students are expected to know and do,” it makes sense that they should be able to demonstrate “what they know and [can] do.”
That would force schools to end social promotion, social graduation and the fast track to remedial college courses (which are one of the biggest cash cows in some state colleges next to sports and schools of education). It would put the burden of responsibility back where it belongs:
a) Students and parents;
b) Superintendents/chancellors and boards of education that adopt fads and nonsense programs without making any effort to determine their effectiveness.
c) Schools of education that de-emphasize proven methods in favor of those that are more appropriately termed pop psychology.
It would shift the burden of blame away from teachers and allow for a more objective discussion of what constitutes effective teaching and learning, which the so-called “reforms” have only worsened.
Pssst! Wanna know a secret? The RI “high stakes” exams are anything but high stakes, at least for students.
1) They merely need to be PARTIALLY proficient on the assessments to graduate, not fully proficient. Almost every student can be partially proficient with a little effort, except kids who have severe learning disorders.
2) For the kids who do have severe learning disorders–and the kids who couldn’t care less and didn’t try on the first assessment–there’s an option that allows them to bypass that requirement providing they “show significant” improvement on some sort of alternate test.
Super rigorous, huh?
Somehow Gist has people in the business community imagining that the rigors of the NECAP tests are going to improve basic reading, writing and math skills for prospective employers.
All the NECAP tests do is provide an opportunity for the media to rank schools based on the scores, which provides the skewed “data” needed to justify further reallocation of resources into charter schools.
You have no idea what you are talking about, Jim. The 11th grade NECAP math test is the most difficult of its type I could find. That’s not based on RI’s scores, but NH and VT, which rank very well nationally and internationally.
See: http://www.tuttlesvc.org/2013/05/how-difficult-is-11th-grade-necap-math.html
I was at the rally yesterday organized by the NEA RI to oppose the renewal of Commissioner Gist’s contract, and watched the RI Board of Education meeting at CCRI through livestreaming because the meeting room was too small to accommodate all of the members of the public who were there. Gist’s contract was renewed despite the outpouring several weeks ago of many hundreds of teachers passionately articulating all of the reasons why her top-down/compliance approach of high-stakes testing and byzantine teacher evaluation (for which she was working on her PhD) is harming, not helping children, particularly the most vulnerable children. One of the former members of the Board of Regents spoke in the open forum and said that this was not a popularity contest–in other words, the clearly articulated and numerous negative judgments of Deborah Gist’s performance for the last four years, during which she achieved virtually none of the goals of the RI Dept. of Ed.–well, teachers just don’t like her. After the vote when she accepted her contract renewal, she actually said that she had read the transcript of the rally twice, and she looked ecstatic that the rally participants actually agree with her on goals! Does the Broad Academy literally brain-wash their graduates? Unbelievable! I just found out that the Board deliberated 45 minutes and then called Gist in to negotiate her contract renewal for 90 minutes. I’m beyond perturbed.
It is a Broad grad tactic to declare victory even if the lie is obvious. John White (la.) does this. The truth doesn’t matter, just the message.
Could anyone find a Broad Superintendents Academy whistleblower who would detail what really goes on in that process? I wouldn’t be surprised if they used mind-altering techniques, although I guess anyone who would opt to go there in the first place would already have that mind-set.
I am beyond dismayed at the Broad of Education, er…Board of Education in blatantly ignoring a majority of educators in our state. Gist is beyond “listening to teachers” – she has her own agenda and the higher ups in the state love her because she has brought in the money (RTTT). Unfortunately the money was held over the head of districts – sign on to the initiatives or no money for you – and has resulted in ONLY more databases to track students, teachers, test scores, and evaluations – none of which has improved teaching or learning! As far as the NECAP – let’s use the test for it’s purpose – improving curriculum at the district level. The test was NOT designed to be used as a graduation requirement – nor should it be. IF your own commissioner of education doesn’t understand psychometrics, then you have a real problem! You cannot make up your own rules as you go along.
I think the Board of Education has underestimated the educators and students of Rhode Island – keep your eye on us – this is not finished yet!