Is This the Best Anti-Testing Video?

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1. formercheesehead says:

   November 24, 2014 at 9:22 am

   clear, simple = ethos, pathos & logos! Excellent!

   Reply
2. Fred Smith says:

   November 24, 2014 at 9:55 am

   Great Work.

   Visual Truth. The virus is spreading.

   Reply
3. SomeDAM Poet (Devalue Added Model) says:

   November 24, 2014 at 10:23 am

   “Driving Miss Crazy”

   Standards drive the testing
   And testing drives the teaching
   And teaching drives divesting
   From outcomes worth the reaching

   Reply
4. NYS Teacher says:

   November 24, 2014 at 11:32 am

   Superb. Kudos to Mr. Elliot
   I would only add that these tests are not “just” standardized tests. The Pearson math and ELA are TRAPS, not tests designed to trick, frustrate, confuse, tire out, and wear down young test takers. They have have been intentionally developed to produce an inflated failure rate. They have NO validity. Parents should not allow the results of these tests to mislabel their children. The damage to the psyche of the vast majority (70%) of young test takers in NYS can never be undone. After 3, 4, 5, or 6 consecutive years of failure, students will have lost all the confidence and hope necessary for success in HS.
   And then, with graduation on the line, they will once again be looking down the barrel of a CC algebra or CC ELA and they will know that they have no chance.

   Mr Elliot, perhaps you can make a similar film using teachers. Unfortunately too many are afraid to speak the truth out of fear of professional “consequences”. Fortunately, there are veteran teachers with nothing to lose and lots to say.

   Reply
5. Lloyd Lofthouse says:

   November 24, 2014 at 11:59 am

   Great video, but a perfect example of what I mean when I say there is too much great information like this that isn’t easy to share. If this video was on YouTube, many of us could embed it in our Blogs and in Tweets in Twitter reaching a much wider audience.

   Reply
   • dianeravitch says:

     November 24, 2014 at 12:51 pm

     Lloyd, there is a Youtube link and a mimeo:

     here is the youtube link
     
     and the vimeo link

     Reply
     • Lloyd Lofthouse says:

       November 24, 2014 at 1:08 pm

       Thanks. I found the You Tube link and have already added the video to Tweets on Twitter

6. Anne says:

   November 24, 2014 at 11:59 am

   All of my teacher friends say they won’t speak out because the administration told them not to. They are afraid of losing their jobs.

   Reply
7. Lloyd Lofthouse says:

   November 24, 2014 at 12:04 pm

   I take my words back for this video.. It took some hunting but I found the video on YouTube after I left my previous comment.

   Here’s a Tweet—just copy and paste and help spread this message far and wide as often as possible.

   Refuse the TEST
   Refuse the Common Core agenda
   REFUSE
   Stand and Fight Back!
   

   Reply
8. retired teacher says:

   November 24, 2014 at 12:09 pm

   I have reposted the video on my Facebook and on other parent sites. If others can do the same, it can be disseminated to more parents. The word needs to be shared!

   Reply
9. m4potw says:

   November 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

   Hopefully, Momma Bears, Bad Ass, and Tree will make similar to this particular video from teachers who are retired; take early retirement; must quit teaching job since common core infested; and are currently teaching with an option to change to other better career.

   I trust that American parents who are the second generation of immigrant from all other countries in the world will agree with a public high school teacher in Franklin County TN. She is a teacher from Bad Ass Organization, Mrs. Lucianna Sanson that:

   We must protect our freedom.
   We must protect our children.
   We must protect them at all costs.

   Our public schools are the last strongholds of our democracy. Back2basic

   Reply
10. ekangas2014 says:

    November 24, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    According to many educational experts three different types of tests are required to evaluate K-12 students, effectively. These tests include (1) Diagnostic-prescriptive tests that identify what specific skills a students should know or is deficient at a specific level. (2) Norm reference tests that evaluates and defines how students compare with other students of the same educational background level generally age; and (3) Criterion reference tests that measures the appropriateness of the tests by standards, generally national, state, or district. All three test types assume that the tests are valid and appropriate for the students being evaluated. The tests also assume that the student’s readiness to take the tests at that time is appropriate. Unfortunately and empirically, students in most K-12 schools are not promoted by the required proficiency requirement of the NCLB law nor common sense. The net result is that many tests are NOT appropriate for many students at that time by any, if not all, three test types listed above. The mismatch between the appropriate readiness of the student to complete the test(s) and the lack of the three type tests by educators, explains, in my opinion, why the video explanation by the respondents suggests that the testing situation was unfair and inappropriate. In truth, the tests were inappropriate in the respondents’ situations, but that does not mean that the tests need to be insignificant.

    However, the three types of tests mentioned above do serve an important purpose when applied appropriately. When students are promoted by proficiency as defined by NCLB law, NAEP( our national report card) and common sense effective testing does evaluate students fairly, honestly, in a meaningful mechanism fulfilling the needs of the student, parent, school, and society.

    For critics of standardized testing, how do you suggest students should be promoted from grade to grade in a fair, honest, empirical method, so that the student can effectively learn the next level of the discipline,especially in additive disciplines such as the STEM courses? Another question: Why do we have 13 grades in the USA K-12 model?.

    Since most students, parents, schools and industry wants a fair, honest and empirical method to determine the future readiness of the K-12 graduate for public and private employment, readiness for college or the military service, and to function effectively in society, some model must be developed to meet this need. Consider this current selection situation for entrance to a public university without a standardized testing model. San Diego State University has an enrollment, traditionally in the low 30.000. This year the school had 80,000 applicants for 5000 freshman openings. Question: Without standardized testing evaluation process, coupled with additional information such as student GPA’s, course completions, and other factors, how do you fairly select students for this public university, when only one out of 16 applicants can be chosen? .

    In conclusion, by developing many LEVELS of standardized tests that combine all three forms of evaluation, and promoting students into classes based upon prerequisite skills,
    standardized test can truly be fair, effective and meaningful for all .students. I know this to be true, because in our program we accomplished this goal. The program involved four levels of math, general math to algebra 2; 400 sections, 10,000 students( 90% black or Latino), more than 20 different instructors during a 22 year period. The DOCUMENTED learning rate applying the Stanford norm reference learning rate of 9.1%/year was 7-9 times the norm value.
    If questions or verification of comments contact me at ekangas@ juno.com
    .

    Reply
    • Linda says:

      November 25, 2014 at 9:10 am

      Ekangas,
      If the objective you describe is to funnel fewer students into opportunities for adequately paid work (a questionable goal), students, at 18, could be paid a stipend, not, to apply for slots in the military or advanced education. The “grit” and anti-tax proponents should be willing to fund “philanthropic” foundations for the purpose.

      The rewards for U.S. productivity gains, while earned by labor, have, for decades, been taken by the 1% or 0.1%. We can agree, a focus on correcting that problem, is of greater importance than filling the coffers of for-profit testing companies and tech corporations, jockeying to sell hardware and software for the tests, yes?

      Reply
11. m4potw says:

    November 25, 2014 at 12:14 am

    To ekangas2014:

    I truly appreciate your thorough analysis. American people are original immigrants from all over the world. Many of their common traits are honesty, integrity, hard working and caring for their freedom.

    Would you think children care to get in 5000 spots in university? Or is it because their parents force them to apply?

    You are better to believe that without corrupted and controlling business tycoons, Americans would have a decent lifestyle with proper healthcare, stable income, normal housing, and the BEST PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM at all levels from kindergarten to “graduate” PhD.

    Children from Middle class and some from poverty have more qualification to be in any legal, dental and medical faculties. However, the upper class try to control their privilege in all prestige university by rules, regulations, and mostly by seducing good students with scholarships.

    Middle class’ children lives are ruined because their parents are naive with the glamour and the prestige from scholarships from all private universities, or some “known” PUBLIC university under control of secret BIG DONORS.

    Please read more information about first year female students got gang rape from date rape drug mixing water and juice from all big name universities from Title IX Law.

    All appropriate tests are not as much valid as personality and attitude towards humanity.
    Who wants to have friends who are snobbish, selfish, cruel, and deceitful? Or who wants to be surrounded with all honest, loving, caring, and hard working friends?

    I guess that we get what we pay for. In other words, tell me who your friends are, I will know who you are.

    In conclusion, it is unacceptable to impose more hours of testing on third grader. Most of all, it is truly sinful to test on grade one. Again, we have a freedom to home school our children, to send them to public or private schools. Therefore, WHY should DOE imposes the invalid/dictatorial change on American Public Education without following proper guide and procedure???

    Should all parents withdraw their education tax?

    Where is democracy?

    Who is above the law? Back2basic

    Reply
12. M. Chazanoff says:

    November 25, 2014 at 6:08 am

    Enthusiastically shared this link on my FB page.

    Reply
13. Linda says:

    November 25, 2014 at 9:14 am

    To get the message out, all of us should ask our public libraries to open a dialogue on the subject of privatization and corporatization of our community-supported schools/accountability for our school tax dollars.
    This video would be an excellent starting point.

    Reply
14. m4potw says:

    November 25, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    Linda,

    Your suggestion is marvelous. Just a tiny weeny caution about the qualified audience and mostly the qualified mediator and qualified panel of judges.

    Please let not be the “buy out” or corrupted union leaders, or governors, or members of Charter schools ! ah ha! Better safe than sorry!

    Well prepare is the name of the luck. Back2basic.

    Reply