If you think that international test scores are a valuable indicator of educational success (I don’t), you should read this article. When poverty is recognized as an important variable, the scores of U.S. students are among the best in the world.
I don’t consider international test scores to be an accurate meassure of school quality. I am persuaded by Yong Zhao’s work that high test scores may be the result of relentless test prep, which distorts education and discourages creativity.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It
s a good time to also reread Jerry Bracey – since deceased – who wrote on this topic regularly. Anyone have a suggestion re the best source for his work? I think he wrote a book, aside from his regular KAPPAN column.
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Jerry Bracey wrote a few books. All on amazon
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debmeier: I cannot recommend highly enough his READING EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH: HOW TO AVOID GETTING STATISTICALLY SNOOKERED (2006, paperback).
For anyone put off by the title, I assure that he wrote the book for us numbers&stats/data analysis newbies—but he doesn’t talk down to us but to and with us. A first rate book that is more relevant today than when it appeared.
😎
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But all-knowing, God-fearing Mississippi State Senator says public schools aren’t serving special needs students. She introduced a bill that would give parents $6,000 on a debit card as a voucher.
http://excelined.org/2015/01/21/case-missed-senator-nancy-collins-calls-customized-education-special-needs-students-mississippi-eie14/
In Case You Missed It: Senator Nancy Collins calls for customized education for special needs students in Mississippi at #EIE14
January 21, 2015 • The EdFly Blog
“The injustice that was caused should not be forgotten.”
At ExcelinEd’s 2014 National Summit on Education Reform, Senator Nancy Collins stressed the critical need for educational options for special needs students in Mississippi. During the Summit, Senator Collins shared a story about Ericka, a deaf and blind Mississippi student who spent 15 years in the public school system without receiving the education she needed to be a successful learner. Senator Collins stressed, “All of us want an education system that’s flourishing for all of our children…to have an adequate education that’s going to help them succeed.”
This injustice is at the heart of new legislation spearheaded by Senator Collins and Mississippi Representative Carolyn Crawford, The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (HB 394).ESAs in Mississippi would allow families to customize their child’s education by directing funds to schools, courses, programs and services of their choosing that meet the specific needs of their child. According to Senator Collins, “I believe that when we use every tool we can for our most vulnerable children to succeed…we will succeed in turning this around.” “Providing an option like ESAs would save both parents and school districts money and time.”
Watch the full video:
– See more at: http://excelined.org/2015/01/21/case-missed-senator-nancy-collins-calls-customized-education-special-needs-students-mississippi-eie14/#sthash.JJCPlj2l.dpuf
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You should give this article to the state senator who wants vouchers for students with disabilities:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-06-23/news/mckay-scholarship-program-sparks-a-cottage-industry-of-fraud-and-chaos/
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“It’s like a perverse science experiment, using disabled school kids as lab rats and funded by nine figures in taxpayer cash: Dole out millions to anybody calling himself an educator. Don’t regulate curriculum or even visit campuses to see where the money is going.”
And let’s get all the tender-hearted voters to support it because of the poor special needs children.
Is she dumb or evil? I cannot decide.
I’m sharing the article. Thanks.
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One needs only to spend time in American high schools to see the same results. Removing poverty from the equation….in upper and upper middle class high schools, we see many high achieving workaholics with tutors their families can afford to pay for every test imaginable, starting with taking SAT’s in 7th grade so elite colleges will get their name as budding academic superstars (just like all the rest in that competition). They are so consumed, many cannot do the simplest of common sense tasks or solve problems outside a test constructed box.
Alternatively we see the creatives, not necessarily artist, but not consumed by tests or competition. These students are simply figuring out common sense tasks, enjoying life, and creating art, music, or their own joys by studying subject matter for the love of it.
Which child would you want to see as an adult?
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I used to regularly hire contract workers from certain test centric countries. While it is unfair to generalize, there was an unmistakable difference in how problems were approached.
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I used to see the opposite. I taught ELLs. Their academics were low, but many of them were very clever, inventive and resourceful at solving life’s mundane problems. Many of them had terrific social skills and a wicked sense of humor. Some of them seemed wise beyond their years due to what they had been through.
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” They are so consumed, many cannot do the simplest of common sense tasks or solve problems outside a test constructed box.”
Therein lies the danger of an educational malpractice that we are about to double down on! It is a very unnatural way to learn which is why it does not extrapolate beyond test taking.
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I agree with you on both scores. Yong Zhao’s work is very convincing about the damage done by high stakes testing and that these testing results do not measure good teaching or intellectual growth.
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We can also make the argument that such scores tell nothing about your own child’s school – which is what matters. Same issue with state tests comparisons.
It can only lead to invalid conclusions.
We can destroy education across states, even across the nation. We can only make education better school by school, classroom by classroom.
I cringe when I hear something like my state’s SAT scores rose by 3 points. What does that tell me?
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Finland does not do relentless test prep. Canada a little but not much. The US problem is with thd 20% poverty class. Other dev’t nations do not tolerate that kind of poverty.
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Even more interesting than the testing comments in this article is the scathing review of the corporatization of American education. They mention that the privatized movement is a “backdoor for corporate profits.” They show how corporate tax deferrals are harming public schools. They also mention how charters are more expensive to operate due bloated salaries for executives. Charters according to them are unproven and the expenses are “unsustainable for long term success.” The article is a succinct one-two punch to corporations.
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This study (or data set) sounds positive. Call me skeptical… There is no way this article sees the light of day in the corporate-based media.
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And what about all the learning that is done online? What about that data?
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Amen on the relentless test prep! Most students arrive at secondary schools with “advanced” tests scores, but they have been taught just the “tested” curriculum. HS teachers need them to have had instruction on the remainder of the written curriculum. As a result, we spend half a year building a foundation that is supposed to already be there. As a result, the HS tests scores suffer, because we cannot teach our curriculum.
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And here we go again in Arizona!! Please read what our state government is doing now! Apparently, they don’t believe our public schools are capable of educating our students. http://restorereason.com/2015/01/23/and-the-beat-goes-on/
I knew it was the beginning of the end with Gov. Ducey. I only hope that Senator Alexander listens to reason about the over-testing.
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