Yinzercation–the Pennsylvania blog written by education activist Dr. Jessie Ramey–posts here a brilliant statement about why she is opting out on religious grounds. Under state law, she is not required to state her beliefs, but she does. I hope you will read it all.
Here is an excerpt from a powerful post explaining Dr. Ramey’s religious beliefs:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Every child is valuable – priceless – and has the human right to a rich, full education. Respecting the inherent worth of every child also means treating each student as an individual, and not a widget being produced in a factory. Standardized testing, tied to an ever more standardized common core curriculum, sorts students into categories (“below basic,” “basic,” etc.) There are serious consequences to this sorting and labeling (see below), but the underlying premise of this standardized high-stakes-testing is to compare and rank students – not to support the individual learning of each student.
This is clearly evident when schools use standardized, normed tests, which force all students into a bell curve, guaranteeing that a large proportion of the children will fail. To get that nice bell shape of test results, with exactly half of the children falling on the “below average” side of the curve, the tests are carefully designed with purposefully misleading questions. For instance, test makers will use tricky sound-alike answers to intentionally trip up English language learners, or culturally specific clues most easily decoded only by students from wealthy families. Pittsburgh is subjecting students to the normed GRADE test not once, but three times a year (a result of accepting state money that came with testing strings attached). Teachers have been reporting the problematic GRADE test questions for years, but the test-maker has not changed them because this “assessment” requires a set failure rate. In what way does this kind of standardized testing respect the inherent worth of our students? When students’ test scores are then displayed for all to see on “data walls” (an increasingly common practice in our schools), how does this respect the dignity of each child?
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
While advocates claim that high-stakes-testing will hold teachers and schools accountable for student learning and therefore promote equity, it often does the exact opposite by reinforcing inequality. High-stakes-testing labels our schools as “failures,” but never results in additional resources to actually help kids. Instead, “failing” schools are often targeted for closure. When you look at the pattern of school closures across the country – including here in Pittsburgh – you can see that districts have closed schools in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods, displacing some students multiple times. Our communities of color have been harmed the most, with places like Oakland and Hazelwood turned into education deserts without a single neighborhood public school.
Schools labeled as “failing” on the basis of student test scores are often targeted with other “reforms” that rarely help children. Our own beloved Colfax provides an excellent example of the “disruptive innovation” imposed on supposedly failing schools. Nine years ago when our family first started at Colfax, its large achievement gap had recently earned it a designation as a “turnaround school.” The district fired every single teacher and the principal then handpicked an entirely new teaching staff. The idea, of course, was that we had to get rid of the “bad” teachers and hire only “great” teachers and that would solve the problem of low test scores. Fast forward almost a decade and you can see that this didn’t work: Colfax still has one of the largest achievement gaps in the city (which is really an opportunity gap made highly visible by the presence of families from some of Pittsburgh’s wealthiest and poorest communities together in the same school).
During this same decade, Colfax students also experienced a relentless series of “reforms,” all aimed at increasing test scores. When we started, Colfax was a Spanish language immersion school, then we lost the extra language instruction to become an “Accelerated Learning Academy” focused on reading and math. We got an America’s Choice curriculum that was supposed to solve everything and added extra periods of reading. We got a longer school day and a longer school year. We got a Parent Engagement Specialist. Then we lost the curriculum, lost the extra time and days, and lost the parent specialist. The district changed to a 6 day week, so we could cram in extra reading and math periods, since these are tested subjects, resulting in a net loss of music, art, language, and physical education. With state budget cuts we lost more music and athletic programs, and we even lost our after school tutoring program aimed at those very students whose test scores continue to cause so much alarm. And class sizes ballooned to 30, sometimes 35 and more students.
Imposing constant churn and disruption on our most vulnerable students in the pursuit of higher test scores is not education justice. Worse, the relentless high-stakes-testing has served to re-inscribe inequality. We recently heard from Jon Parker, a Pittsburgh high school teacher, who explained what high-stakes-testing is doing to students’ sense of self worth in his classroom. Every year, he asks his students to write him a letter introducing themselves. In his class of struggling readers this year, over half of the students included their most recent PSSA rating as part of their introduction. They literally said things like, “I’ll work hard but I’m below basic.”
If Hobby Lobby can use religion to deny female workers coverage for birth control, then parents should be able to use religion to opt-out. Both are lame arguments, but you can thank SCOTUS for opening the door.
“The inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
“Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.”
Literally the mirror opposite of self-proclaimed “education reform.”
Just consider the recent postings on this blog alone concerning the Atlanta cheating scandal.
Almost everyone involved was devalued, their dignity attacked, justice unfairly meted out, equity denied, and compassion thrown aside.
But for the rheephormsters: $tudent $ucce$$!
And just what DO we get from the “thought leaders” and enablers and enforcers of the “new civil rights movement of our time”?
From this blog:
[start excerpt]
What’s astonishing is to read defenders of “reform” finding silver linings or straws to grasp at. Some claim that Cami has plenty of supporters, others say that success is around the corner. Just be patient. Christie’s state commissioner says, “Christie, through a spokesman, declined to comment. According to Christie’s education commissioner:
“It will take time to see the type of progress we all want,” he said. “Whatever we’re doing, we need to double down.”
[end excerpt]
Link: https://dianeravitch.net/2015/03/04/lyndsey-layton-governor-christie-fails-in-newark/
That’s all these [rhetorically] cage busting achievement gap crushing 21st century creative disruptors have:
Double down on whatevers.
Others have a different idea.
“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.”
What does that mean?
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
Frederick Douglass. Right then. Right now.
Opt out. Starve the education establishment of its blood money.
Time to begin working again on genuine learning and teaching.
😎
KrazyTA.
Right on!
Today the LA Times reports in a long lead article on the sentencing of teachers in Atlanta. It does not even mention why these teachers changed test answers and barely touches on RICO charges (racketeering statutes meant to contain gun toting murderers like Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel, not 3rd grade teachers brandishing erasers). Nor does it mention NCLB nor RttT as the prime motivators for changing test scores to save schools Federal financing and from being shut down based on test scores, and to save teaching jobs.
No where does it mention that Michelle Rhee was purported to be aware of the same kind of situation when she was Chancellor in DC….but she was never charged nor investigated.
When the corporate print media (mostly run by Wall Street investor/supporters) fails to tell the whole story, and to educate the public fully and accurately, how can anyone get a fair determination when accused of any crime? And this judge sounds rather demented as he keeps changing his mind about sentencing. All the accused are black elementary school teachers, but their jury was not representative of their peers.
Who will now support these teachers families while they are banned from teaching and sit in jail for years?
Why won’t the LA Times tell the whole story of how the privatizers influence the American court system, and our legislators?
Why doesn’t anyone report on the parent accusers who seem to be ignorant and jealous of the educated teachers?
Why are the same banksters who falsified loan documents and brought down the whole economy, now held harmless with no indictments, and now have they turned to promoting public education as a prime investment opportunity (scheme)?
The judge said this was the “sickest thing ” he’d ever heard in this town….guess he doesn’t get out much.
I support Our Constitution and it is being dismantled by greed and power.
This letter should be read in its entirety by everyone! One of the most eloquent, moving, reasoned arguments I have read yet on why testing is out of control. Bravissima!
I concur.
“High-stakes-testing labels our schools as “failures,” but never results in additional resources to actually help kids. ”
This is the actual ed reform advocacy record, is it not? How can they continue to claim testing results in more support for schools and students when the ed reform record on securing adequate funding for public schools is so poor? They’re not very effective advocates for funding, especially considering there are now so many career, full-time ed reform advocates.
“States are providing less per-pupil funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did seven years ago — often far less.”
I guess it’s like…moral support or something. Maybe they mean pep rallies for testing in the gym?
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4213
April is National Poetry Month.
If you work with or know elementary age children, please share these two websites: gigglepoetry.com and shelsilverstein.com Children’s poet, Bruce Lansky hosts the giggle site and he also has some great poetry writing lessons. Shel narrates some of his poems. The animations can be found under Fun & Games
I hope you all have the chance to use computers the RIGHT WAY with kids this season.
Diane, what is your email? I pasting this good news about FL, and the right-wing Gov who “saw the light”….GOOD NEWS IN FL
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Dear Colleague:
Earlier this year, the UTD Executive Board took a strong position regarding District Developed End Of Course Exams (DDEOC’s.) Last month, UTD sent you advisory information recommending that you not create these tests.
After an outcry from around the state, including years of lobbying from UTD and FEA, pressure from our friends in the PTA/PTSA, and other civic and social groups, and additional concerns raised by school boards and districts, the governor signed HB 7069 yesterday.
This bill has many implications regarding the operations of our schools, but specifically allows districts to not give DDEOC’s effective immediately. We will be working through the changes made by the new law in the months ahead, but want to take this opportunity to update you on where we now stand:
1. DDEOC’s are no longer required by law. State developed EOC’s must still be given.
2. Currently, IPEGS Standard 1 is based on your VAM score and makes up ½ of your evaluation. The change in law now allows for Standard 1 to be reduced to 1/3 of your evaluation. This means the impact of VAM can be reduced through negotiations.
3. The law now allows for 1/3 of a teacher’s rating to be based on professional practices or observation which is currently Standards 2-8.
4. The law creates a potential new section of teacher evaluation that can be based on a student/parent survey, peer-review, professional portfolio or some other method for 1/3 of the teacher’s rating. This will require contract negotiations.
5. The law limits the time students can take in-state required testing to no more than 45 hours each school year.
6. The law requires that test data be returned to the school prior to the end of the school year (current testing contracts exempted).
7. The law requires that the state-wide tests be validated before there are consequences for schools, teachers and students.
8. The law allows for changes in current double-dosing policy for low performing students, allowing students to get a more well-rounded education.
These are changes in the right direction. They do not go far enough to fix many of the testing problems that we have but they are positive movement. These changes are due to activism by all of the stakeholders involved in our schools, and we need our allies to continue pushing to make changes to help education work correctly in Florida.
Finally, this bill is a win but it’s also a new start. Please continue to call, email, and use social media to voice your concerns about what is happening in your school. The legislature has not gone far enough. We still over-test our students and use far too much instructional time on testing. We still have an over-reliance on test data with all of its negative implications. Our work is not done, but with your activism we are making a difference.
Click here to contact your legislators.
In Unity,
Fedrick C. Ingram
UTD President
This is a brilliant summary of much that is wrong with the CCSS and the unproven and untested standardized test experiment that is forced upon our students and their unsuspecting parents. KUDOS. This should be sent and printed in UUWorld. It is of such importance that UUs everywhere need to understand the travesty of what is being perpetrated on our children and American public education. Very well put.