EduShyster has a guest blogger who graduated from the fine public schools of New Jersey, then went on to excel in the nation’s finest universities.
In this post, Sue Altman thinks that John King is the best thing that ever happened to the opt-out movement. The more he talks, the more he angers parents. She thinks he canceled his planned visit to Long Island because the parents and the students are furious about the state’s mandates.
Why would he want to show his face in Garden Cit?
Altman writes:
The testing opt-out movement, a boycott of standardized tests, is 10,000 strong on Long Island. Ten thousand!!! You think that has something to do with King’s avoidance of the place? Maybe he knows he might have trouble explaining himself to a crowd of well-informed, well-organized, angry Long Islanders.
Garden City might well have become an epicenter of controversy for thousands of angry, frustrated parents demanding answers from King. And, if that town hall had taken place, we would have heard stories from the students themselves (very eloquent and well-educated, despite what the make-believe scores say) about the countless hours of new testing, the anxiety starting in third grade, the stressed-out teachers and the crying in the bathroom. Maybe we would have heard about double sessions in reading and math. About lost time for arts and music. About how private school kids get those things in abundance, but students attending New York public schools don’t. The meeting, and King’s appearance, would have given thousands more confused moms and dads who have heard about the testing boycott, a chance to hear both sides before deciding what to do this fall.
Altman adds:
These New Yorkers refuse to believe that test scores, created by the Department of Education, scored by the Department of Education and calibrated by the Department of Education mean anything at all. They refuse to believe that these numbers measure the value of their child, the value of their child’s teacher, or the value of their school. The mantra “Our children are more than test scores” nails it. These parents are boycotting because they love their children, but also because they believe that something terrible, something big-picture, is happening in education. And, as history shows, boycotts are a means to empowerment when democracy has been suspended.
John King and the New York Board of Regents are so totally out of touch that they think that they are champions of education reform. If they actually believe that, they should start a new listening tour and hear what parents and students across the state think about the plans and mandates handed down by the Regents and the State Education Department.
John King’s gift to the people of New York: He has crystallized opposition to his agenda. And now he must deal with it by meeting the people affected by his policies. Why? Because we live in a democracy, not a kingdom or an empire.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
King’s blend of arrogance and cowardice on this issue is damning. With one dismissive wave of the hand, he has triggred a tsunami of outrage. King can hole-up until his office freezes over but this will not go away. Parents love their children too much to let this continue. The implosion is comming soon, to a school district near you.
LikeLike
Here’s NY Education Commissioner
John King behind-the scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvKVkitKOgk
LikeLike
Maybe communities like Garden City don’t want to tax themselves just to have their kids be data collection points for days on end just because some hare brained nerds want to get their jollies. Taxpayers pay for education, not endless testing.
LikeLike
Not to piggyback on a different article here but before you had posted an entry about the Austin school district’s use of standardized testing amounting to child abuse. Although conceptually interesting, it seemed to be deeply flawed, with lots of vague generalizations and few citations to research. Needless to say I’ve though of some suggestions. Now it appears that post and all the comments have been deleted. Did others bring up similar concerns? What’s the story?
LikeLike
I was asked by the author to take it down and delete any reference to the student mentioned by first name only. I did so and also removed the name of the school. It is back up.
LikeLike
The beginning of the “corporate ed reform” downfall is when their directives raise ire in the middle and upper class communities. Title one students have long been failing high stakes tests which do not accurately reflect their ability to learn and in fact impede their ability to learn when they spend inordinate amounts of time in test prep just to get through them so their teachers aren’t fired and schools are not closed ( and don’t confuse all this test prep with learning)! Now, common core has gone far enough that middle and upper class students are filled with anxiety and stress and are not doing well on the tests despite being very good students. I am not happy that the middle and upper class students are dealing with this nonsense either. But now perhaps they will have some kind of empathy for the title one students who are so much further behind academically than they are but still have to pass these harmful tests. All need to band together to put a stop to this constant testing and data mining. Maybe and hopefully NOW is that time.
LikeLike
When has the middle class ever organized to change anything? They are probably the ones buying more test prep materials described in your next post. It’s usually the college educated and the poor who mobilize through boycotts, etc. The middle class write letters at most. If I’m wrong, somebody let me know!
LikeLike
So this just came in my email…. and it is telling… King brags that demand for test prep materials is skyrocketing (more than 3 million requests for info)!!! Says it all… profit above all else! Here is the letter he sent with one deletion (the web address he cites… no free publicity for this publicity hound):
Dear Colleagues,
Now that the school year is in full swing, teachers have been working hard to bring the Common Core State Standards alive in schools across the State. As I visit classrooms each week, I’m impressed and excited to see evidence of the instructional shifts that are preparing our students with the skills they need to be successful after high school graduation. I’m confident that our teachers will help all students reach these higher standards — teaching is the core.
In an effort to help educators with Common Core implementation, New York State has developed and shared optional and supplemental resources that can be used in the classroom. And every few months, we bring together educators from across the State to work together using these resources, compare notes, and plan for next steps. Last July, over 1,200 New York educators joined us for five days of learning, discussion, and collaborative planning.
Demand for these optional and supplemental curricular materials has been skyrocketing. Since we launched (I deleted the website address lest he brag that the “hits” are ever-increasing), the website pages have been viewed more than 30 million times, and there have been close to two million downloads of curricular module resources.
While the curricular modules are optional for teachers to use, we are thrilled that so many have found them helpful. Some educators have chosen to adopt individual lessons or whole modules, which are a collection of learning materials that include lesson plans within a curricular unit. Some have chosen to adapt these materials and integrate them with district-provided or teacher-developed materials. As always, teachers and other school leaders are paving the way as we proceed with this incredibly important and challenging work.
Thanks for all you do to help our students learn.
John B. King, Jr.
Commisioner
Follow me on Twitter @JohnKingNYSED
LikeLike
“there have been close to two million downloads of curricular module resources.”
Well, let’s do some math. With approx 215,000 public school teachers and figuring some 60% do not need “curriculur module resources” that leave us with 86,000 potential teacher “users”. So he’s trying to say that on average each teacher had downloaded 23 “curriculur module resources” in however long the site has been up (surely not more than six months).
Something doesn’t add up!
LikeLike
Many have downloaded the modules simply to see what they entail. Downloading, of course, does not mean that the modules will be embraced and taught, more like read and rejected. Why would any sane English teacher teach Romeo and Juliet through EXCERPTS only? Tell me that’s how it’s taught and Sidwell Friends. I see the commish is now saying adapt or adopt and leaving out the”ignore at your own peril” that likely inspired countless superintendents to mandate the modules. NYSED actually has a PowerPoint that suggests that mere teachers are not truly capable of adapting materials. King has enraged parents, teachers, students, and administrators in high performing schools. What is that movie title? Won’t Back Down?
LikeLike
Educators do not find those modules helpful; they hate them. They are being forced to use them by their districts who are afraid to use anything else because they think they will prep students for tests.
LikeLike
Go, New York Parents! Parents across the nation need to band together and join the OPT OUT Movement.
LikeLike
Enrage NY modules are making kids hate school. They stiffle creativity and curiosity.They dull the senses and reinforce self-doubt.
LikeLike
If the opt-out movement wants to stop the testing they should focus on getting people to boycott the field tests. If the field tests don’t get enough student responses then there will be no questions for the operational tests.
LikeLike
Good idea, Howard! However, with Pear$on’s lousy track record and their increased “security” (because they don’t want any adults actually reading their faulty Q/A’s {terribly worded questions, questions that make no sense/answers that make no sense [remember “Pineapple” reading selection, Q’s/A’s-?] no correct answers, more than one correct answer, etc., ad. nauseum}), they will simply re-use previous questions or Q/A’s from test preps–they really don’t need the field tests.
And–let’s face it–they are really only using the field tests to $ell even MORE Pear$on material$, so the reason FOR the field tests themselves is, after all, to up tho$e Pear$on $tocks!
I don’t think a one of us following this blog thinks that the field tests
are really to make the tests more accurate or better.
Having said that–yeah, DO boycott the field tests anyway, because there’s certainly no penalty for students, & a boycott will lead to time better spent–such as, another “Field Trip” to Pear$on’$ NYC headquarters.
Kids, bring your “Pineapple” costumes!
LikeLike
Field test questions are now embedded into the state exams. No longer are they separate. Even more reason to REFUSE.
LikeLike
I spent years as an educational administrator in New York. I faced many challenging issues. Here is what I would have done as the educational leader of New York at the Poughkeepsie forum: 1) Get rid of the podium, pull up a stool, sit down with microphone in hand and say: “I am here to listen” and then do exactly that. The Commissioner’s leadership is non-existent, his listening skills are non-existent, His actions have stirred an already boiling pot. New York Board of Regents – don’t continue to make the same mistake – listen to your parents, your students, your educators. Do NOT let their legitimate concerns continue to fall on deaf ears.
LikeLike