Archives for the month of: April, 2014
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Can Creativity Be Measured?

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
95

The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who think that the world can be divided into two kinds of people and those who don’t. No, let me try that again: those who think that everything that matters can be measured, and those who think that what matters most cannot be measured. Count me in the latter group. What matters most is love, friendship, family, imagination, joy….I see no reason to develop measures for those things. And if they were developed, I would doubt their value or accuracy.

But here comes another attempt to measure creativity. This comment was posted by Laura Chapman in response to a discussion of the PISA problem-solving test:

“The PISA examples are math and logic problems. They are not tests of creativity. Look up the tests and informed theoretical work of Joseph W. Getzels and E. Paul Torrance.

“The Torrance tests, available from Scholastic http://ststesting.com/2005giftttct.html, are most often used to identify children, adults, and “special populations” as gifted. The pictorial and verbal tests measure three strengths in thinking: fluency, flexibility, and originality. In the figural tests, participants create simple drawings and respond to images. Scores are derived from evidence of qualities such as elaboration, expressiveness, storytelling, humor, and fantasy.

“Relatively few people are aware that the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a developing a web-based scale for measuring creativity, one of several in the “EdSteps” project—funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and operated by the CCSSO

“EdSteps had a low profile until July, 2010 when Newsweek announced a “The Creativity Crisis,” citing a steady decline in scores on the Torrance Tests of Creativity since 1990. The tests are widely used and respected, in part, because records have been kept on the childhood scores and the later-in-life creative accomplishments of each cohort of test takers since the late 1950s (e.g., citations in art publications, patents and awards, books and articles published).

“In response to inquiries, the CCSSO issued a press release that dismissed the Torrance tests and referred its own work on creativity, emphasizing that EdSteps is a project to “advance creativity to the highest possible international standards, and measure creativity in a way that is situated in a context of actual activity.” Creativity is defined as “the valued uses and outcomes of originality driven by imagination, invention, and curiosity.”

“The Edsteps creativity scale a work-in process. The website solicits work samples on any subject from people of all ages and abilities, “globally”…”in any form, genre, or media”…” “writing, videos, images, charts, or other graphics.” People who visit the site are asked to compare two submissions and decide which is the most “effective” (undefined, but the favorite word of Bill Gates).

“That process is carried out in multiple iterations, by multiple judges, with multiple examples. This process is supposed to result in a scale representing a progression of achievement from novice to expert, without the need for written criteria or explanations.

“The process is not different from a popularity contest, with samples of work identified by age, gender, ability level, geographic region, type of work, and the like.

“I could not discover how the EdSteps addresses this fact: Works created by children can be judged more creative than work produced by well-trained adults (e.g., a quote attributed to Picasso: ”It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child”). I cannot imagine how a single scale of creative achievement can be constructed from an “anything goes” basket of work from around the world, subject to further editing by EdSteps into web-friendly snippets. The release forms for the project are horrific.

“I think this effort is a crock, but I could be wrong. My sources: Bronson, P. & Merryman, A. (2010, July 10). The creativity crisis. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html .///. Council of Chief State School Officers (2010). CCSSO response to ‘The creativity crisis.’ Press release Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Current_News/CCSSO_Response_to_the_Creativity_Crisis.html //// EdSteps. (2010b). February 22). Developing the EdSteps continuum: Report of the EdSteps technical advisory group. Retrieved from http://www.edsteps.org/CCSSO/DownloadPopUp.aspx?url=SampleWorks/EdStepsScalingApproach_Long.pdf // EdSteps. (2011b). Creativity launches. Retrieved from http://www.edsteps.org/CCSSO/ManageContent.aspx?system_name=nP6iGdNaft7MEwLG6uDXXA==&selected_system_name=DRkDdjiObdU=”

Categories Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Testing

How is Common Core Like a Drone Warship? Susan Ohanian Knows

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
82

Here is a chance to send readers to two very important blogs.

Jonathan Pelto reprints Susan Ohanian’s post comparing the Common Core to a $5 billion fully automated warship.

Ohanian sees the writing on the wall. She fears that the full package, once deployed, will strip teachers of any autonomy or professionalism.

She notes the many professional organizations, including the unions, that have taken money to be aboard the train that has allegedly left the station. Susan, Jon, and many other outspoken bloggers and educators are proof that the train is sitting in the station.

Bottom line: when you get on a train, make sure it is headed where you want to go.

Categories Common Core

Practice, Practice, Practice!

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
61

You may recall that when I went to AERA and shared a session with the wonderful, dynamic Helen Gym, she managed to pick her way carefully through the crowd that lined the wall of the room, while I managed to trip over someone’s foot and fell flat on my face. No harm done, the room was carpeted, and I landed gracefully in such a fashion that I was unhurt, indeed bounced up and proceeded to the podium.

 

Well, it turns out that the fall in Philadelphia was merely practice for what happened two days later. On Saturday morning, I packed the car and drove from Brooklyn to Long Island for what I expected would be a quiet weekend. My dear partner was away for the weekend. I dropped the dog at Doggie Daycare (she is a 60-pound critter and she loves to run with playmates), then proceeded to the abode by the sea. I took the cat inside, then went to the car, thinking I would go for the mail and supplies. But something happened, I don’t know what. I tripped, landed on my left knee and couldn’t get up. I felt a snap inside my leg. There was no carpet, there was stone. At first I thought the pain would go away if I just lay there for a few minutes, but when I tried to get up, I couldn’t stand. So I dragged myself on my back up the steps and into the house, reached up to the phone and called a neighbor. She called emergency services, and within 10 minutes, there was an ambulance, a police car, and assorted other vehicles in the driveway. Literally 15 people were there to help me, and I was grateful for their kind and efficient care. I was taken away by the volunteer fire department ambulance to the local hospital in Greenport, where the doctor did an x-ray and told me I had no broken bones. As soon as he heard what happened, my son took the bus from Brooklyn so that he could take care of me and bring me home. Today, I saw a knee specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC, who told me I had torn my ACL, which seems to be a very valuable ligament in the knee. He told me that I did not need surgery but my basketball career was over (sorry, Arne).

 

The good news is that I am alive and well. I am fortunate to have friends and family who are kind and caring.

 

I will be in Louisville, Kentucky, next week to accept the Grawemeyer award.

 

What’s the moral of the story? Be careful. Slow down. Type faster. Walk slower. Watch your step. Try not to multi-task. Live in the moment.

 

I will try to remember the moral of the story.

 

 

Categories Personal

Parent in Nebraska: We Love Our School and State, But We Love Our Children More!

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
6

Jill Osler, a parent in Nebraska, wrote the following statement:

 

Parents Can Take a Stand Against Testing

Almost one year ago, I wrote an editorial stating my belief that high-stakes standardized testing is not necessary for, and even detrimental to learning. Teachers feel pressure to spend large amounts of instructional time preparing students for Ne-SA tests—which robs students of authentic learning opportunities while killing natural curiosity and passion for learning. No educational research supports standardized testing, yet districts must administer Ne-SA to comply with No Child Left Behind.

What can I do? This past year, I have contacted the Nebraska Board of Education, our former Commissioner, senators on the Education Committee, Nebraska State Education Association, our Governor, Secretary of Education, President, two school lawyers, and met with my state senator. I learned I cannot wait for the government and politicians to do what is best for kids.

Therefore, we are choosing to exercise our parental right to opt our children out of taking Ne-SA tests. I can no longer speak strongly against these tests, and then support them as I tell our children to do their best on them.

Is it possible to opt out? It is stated on page 27 of the Nebraska Department of Education’s Update: Standards, Assessment, Accountability 2013-2014, that parents or guardians can make a formal written request to the district that their student be removed from testing. No reason is required.

How will opting out affect our school? NCLB states that if fewer than 95% of a district’s students take Ne-SA, the district will not make Adequate Yearly Progress. However, I am doubtful any district will make AYP, because this year 100% of students are required to be proficient in Ne-SA Reading and Math. This is another reason I feel the time is right to opt out.

How will opting out affect our children? Our principal assures us they will never feel punished. On the Ne-SA results, our children will show a score of zero—which will not impact grades, future schooling, or graduation.

What will our children do during Ne-SA testing? We identified activities they could do independently, so direct supervision is not required. They are prepared to respond if peers ask why they are not participating.

It is up to us, as parents, to stand up for what is best for children. It is nothing personal against our school or state; it is a much larger issue. We love our school and state, however, we love our children more.

Categories Parents, Resistance, Testing

VAMboozled: Everything You Want to Know about VAM Research

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
19

I asked Audrey Amrein-Beardsley to compile a list of the most important VAM research.

 

Here are her recommendations for the top 13 research articles about Value-Added Measurement:

 
Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2008). Methodological concerns about the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS). Educational Researcher, 37(2), 65-75. doi: 10.3102/0013189X08316420.

Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Collins, C. (2012). The SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (SAS® EVAAS®) in the Houston Independent School District (HISD): Intended and Unintended Consequences. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 20(12), 1-36. Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1096

Berliner, D. C. (2014). Exogenous variables and value-added assessments: A fatal flaw. Teachers College Record, 116(1). Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=17293

Baker, E. L., Barton, P. E., Darling-Hammond, L., Haertel, E., Ladd, H. F., Linn, R. L., Ravitch, D., Rothstein, R., Shavelson, R. J., & Shepard, L. A. (2010). Problems with the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/bp278

Darling-Hammond, L., Amrein-Beardsley, A., Haertel, E., & Rothstein, J. (2012). Evaluating teacher evaluation. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(6), 8-15. Retrieved from http://www.kappanmagazine.org/content/93/6/8.full.pdf+html

Haertel, E. H. (2013). Reliability and validity of inferences about teachers based on student test scores. Princeton, NJ: Education Testing Service. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICANG14.pdf

Haut, M. & Elliott, S. W (Eds.). (2011). Incentives and test-based accountability in education. Committee on Incentives and Test-based Accountability in Public Education, National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://nfpcar.org/Archive/Education_Evaluation_12521.pdf

Hill, H. C., Kapitula, L, & Umlan, K. (2011, June). A validity argument approach to evaluating teacher value-added scores. American Educational Research Journal, 48(3), 794-831. doi:10.3102/0002831210387916

Newton, X., Darling-Hammond, L., Haertel, E., & Thomas, E. (2010) Value-Added Modeling of Teacher Effectiveness: An exploration of stability across models and contexts. Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 18(23), 1-27. Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/810

Papay, J. P. (2010). Different tests, different answers: The stability of teacher value-added estimates across outcome measures. American Educational Research Journal. doi: 10.3102/0002831210362589

Paufler, N. A. & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2013, October). The random assignment of students into elementary classrooms: Implications for value-added analyses and interpretations. American Educational Research Journal. doi: 10.3102/0002831213508299

Rothstein, J. (2009). Student sorting and bias in value-added estimation: Selection on observables and unobservables. Education Finance and Policy, 4(4), 537-571. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/edfp.2009.4.4.537

Schochet, P. Z. & Chiang, H. S. (2010, July). Error rates in measuring teacher and school performance based on student test score gains. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104004/

 

When asked for the top 25 (including the above), here is her list.

 

If your curiosity is not sated, here is an even longer list, thanks to Professor Amrein-Beardsley.

 

You too can be an expert.

 

 

Categories Teacher Evaluations, Testing

Helen Gym: What It Means to be a Champion of Change

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
10

I previously commended Helen Gym for her activism as a parent advocate for public education in Philadelphia.

She is on the honor roll as a hero and an exemplar. And, boy, Philadelphia needs her now!

Philadelphia is Ground Zero for the fake reform movement.

The fake reformers are well on their way to obliterating public education in that great American city and proud of it.

With all the wealth and power concentrated in that city and state, the power brokers and financiers have decided to extinguish public education.

One person standing in their way is Helen Gym.

Read about what she has done these past few weeks.

She gave a TED talk (and look at that slide over her head: $26,000 per child in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, vs. $14,000 in Philadelphia).

She was named one of the most powerful people in Philadelphia.

She was selected by the White House as a “champion of change.” (Ha! fighting the Obama administration’s rightwing education policies.)

She helped other parents fight the parent trigger.

She joined me at AERA and chastised the nation’s education researchers for abandoning cities like Philadelphia.

Helen Gym is a hero and an inspiration for us all!

 

Categories Honor Roll, Parents, Philadelphia

EduShyster: “Fishin’ 4 Schools” Is For Sale

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
6

Jon Hage cashed in on the charter industry in a big way. And where else but Florida, where for-profit schools are welcome no matter what their quality.

EduShyster tells the story here of Jon Hage, a non-educator who is one of Florida’s most successful charter entrepreneurs.

“Have you ever encountered a story so sadly tragic that you were forced to break your own rule regarding pre-noon winebox decanting? I have… Hankies at the ready, reader, for we are *going there.* I’m talking about the super sad true tale of Charter Schools USA founder and CEO Jonathan Hage and his wrenching decision to part with his yacht: the aptly named Fishin’ 4 Schools. In other words, onto every teak deck a little salt water must spray. It’s time to don your stripes, reader; we’re goin’ fishin’.”

She says the boat has been listed for sale for $350,000. Just like your typical superintendent’s boat.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Florida, For-Profit

Texas Superintendent Asks for Help in Stopping Failed VAM

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
20

This superintendent posted a request for help. I will be posting a summary of research on value-added-measurement later today. I think it is fair to say that while economists like VAM (they measure productivity), education researchers overwhelmingly oppose VAM because they know that most of the factors affecting test scores are beyond the control of the teacher.

 

 

I am a Superintendent in Texas and I’m looking for some insight into a connection I just became aware of. The state of Texas has begun the process of revamping principal and teacher evaluations. Recently (in the last few months) the Commissioner of Education reached a compromise with the USDE about NCLB requirements. Part of the compromise required Texas to include test scores in the teacher evaluation tool.

Now I see, taken from the SEDL website ( http://txcc.sedl.org/our_work/), that the states’ work on both the Principal and Teacher Evaluation systems are based on the priorities of the USDE. Unless I’m mistaken, the USDE priorities have been in place for several years. That would make the Commissioner’s “compromise” essentially a lie. He planned all along to implement a system like this. The best remedy to this kind of “in the dark” activity is sunlight.

Can anyone help explain these connections? I realize my explanation is short on details, best I believe the answers could be very enlightening when you consider the following points:
-Texas, especially our governor, has made a point of opposing EVERYTHING Washington
-Texas filed a waiver from NCLB and then pretended the result was the best it could do
– Educators are about to have an evaluation system imposed on them that will for all practical purposes, reestablish High Stakes Testing as a priority in this state by requiring student test scores be a SIGNIFICANT (emphasis TEA) portion of their evaluation

This stuff is not a coincidence, just look at the pattern of reform initiatives in other states. Its only just begun here in Texas.

My email is bendeancarson@gmail.com

THE BELOW INFORMATION IS FROM THE SEDL WEBSITE REFERENCED ABOVE

This project relates to the following USDE Priorities:

Identifying, recruiting, developing, and retaining highly effective teachers and leaders
Identifying and scaling up innovative approaches to teaching and learning that significantly improve student outcomes

 

Categories Education Reform, Teacher Evaluations, Texas

Update on United Opt Out Website

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
5

You may recall that the website of United Opt Out was hacked and taken down on the first day of state testing. It provides information to parents in every state on how to opt out. Here is the latest:

Diane,

I posted a fundraising account for the new website online this past Sunday. By the time I got home from work on Monday/yesterday we had raised the full amount – see here 🙂 http://www.gofundme.com/83if88 . Seriously overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone.

I filed a report with the FBI last Thursday. Have yet to hear anything. We are rebuilding our website with the K-12 News Network (see here https://k12newsnetwork.com/ ) who already hosts some amazing public education websites. They also offer a lot of additional tools and supports within the website that previously we had to seek elsewhere. Very excited and very very grateful.

Cynthia Liu – owner of K-12 News Network says she should have quite a bit of the website ready to go in ONE WEEK. Cynthia is also on the committee (along with Fairtest and United Opt Out) which created the resistthetest.org site which was launched shortly before the NPE conference. We are in good hands!!!! Just had to share the fabulous update.

Best,
Peg
http://www.unitedoptout.com (Rebuilding!!! We will be STRONGER AND BETTER!!!!)
http://www.pegwithpen.com

Categories Testing

Teacher: The Joy of Teaching Is Gone

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2014 //
25

A teacher in Syracuse writes, in response to comments by another teacher:

Teaching has lost its joy and spontaneity. It has become “all work and no play, which makes Johnny a very dull boy.” (that goes for teachers too)!

At least one third of the teachers in my elementary school are now looking for work outside the profession. My kinder class is doing literacy curriculum with imaginative play completely phased out and only 20 minute recess daily. It is a stressful, rigid, boring environment that causes children and teachers to lose their spirit.

There is very little opportunity for social interaction between the children, since most of their CCSS worksheets are designed for independent work. There is no opportunity for relaxed conversation or spontaneity in our classroom, since our rigid schedule is demanding and inflexible. I don’t really have an opportunity to get to know my students on a personal level, since we are expected to maintain our detached business like atmosphere. We do have one art/music/pe class weekly, but when those go away it will be very depressing. The atmosphere of our school has become gelotophobic.

As a teacher, I feel restricted and controlled in everything I do. I have no freedom to use my own creativity in designing lesson plans, which causes me to think I could easily be replaced by a computer. Maybe that is the goal of CCSS and the reformers?

Your choice of the word “eerie” is true: ” It’s eerie to see CCSS stamped on all current material and resources. Education has been branded like cattle.”

That is a good description because the hostile corporate takeover is turning schools into systems of management like those used for livestock! It is all about “conditioning” children to “perform for tests”, like little workaholics who can follow commands, but cannot think for themselves or be creative. Work and boredom has become normal.

I think it is “eerie” to see children who have blank stares and work in silence most of the day without spontaneity, imagination, or play. I think the reason Pearson designed CCSS materials to be confusing and frustrating is part of the plan to dismantle public schools. The more parents recognize their children are having anxiety and depression, the more they will be inclined to put them into private or charter schools.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Common Core, Real Education, Teachers and Teaching
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