The state superintendent in Michigan has decided that testing students once a year in grades 3-8, as No Child Left Behind required, was not enough. He intends to test students twice a year, starting in kindergarten.
If he were a doctor, he would recommend frequent temperature taking as a cure for illness.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
…as diagnosis and remedy for early stages of cancer.
Kindergarten? Sick. And I need no thermometer.
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that’s a stinkin thermometer, eh!
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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)
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What’s up with Michigan?
http://www.christianpost.com/news/common-core-michigan-could-become-next-state-to-kill-effort-162591/
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Sad. Can’t wait for the backlash to make its way into legislation–could be a VRY long wait, though…
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“very”
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Michigan’s state superintendent has outlined his “vision” for student assessments, and it seems like students might be in for more big changes.
Brian Whiston addressed lawmakers from two State House education panels Wednesday.
The state currently uses the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) to measure student achievement.
This is only the second year for the M-STEP, which students take in the spring.
But Whiston, who took over as state superintendent in July, advocates a different approach.”
Of course he does. Less funding and constant chaos. God forbid they should stick to something longer than 5 minutes or do anything well. That wouldn’t allow for ‘vision”.
Testing and choice, over and over and over, for nearly 2 decades now.
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This is from the “Detroit Free Press.” Brian Whiston has been a student teacher, a legislative aide, a lobbyist, a university instructor and a local superintendent.
Whiston is not really properly trained for his position. He is mostly a politician; yet he holds the position of state superintendent. He has little to no understanding about the needs of young children, but he is in charge. What he does understand is how to please the reformers that put him in his position. He, of course, recommends testing and data mining for the youngest students that enter the system. Unless parents object and stand up for what is in the best interests of their children, their young children will be used as pawns in a political game of war.
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I knew they couldn’t stay on the wagon with testing.
They need a 90 day rehab. Stop them before they test again.
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Great, just put more undue pressure on the kids, make them not want to go to school.
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If what is being proposed is dropping the state summative assessment in place of a benchmark/interim assessment like the MAP or STAR that most or all districts are already doing for local universal screening and RtI, this would actually be a reduction in assessment and the amount of time used for standardized assessments. This is not entirely clear from the article, but the mention of representatives from NWEA suggests this might be what is being proposed.
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“Testing Priorities”
Test the kids?
Or test the water?
Latter rids
The led of former
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And will they add points to compensate for lower grades due to state sponsored lead poisoning?
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Re testing as a solution…
From a slim inexpensive paperback entitled HOW THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IS DAMAGING OUR CHILDREN AND OUR SCHOOLS: MANY CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND (2004, Deborah Meier and George Wood, eds.):
From page 9, a contribution by Linda Darling-Hammond:
“The biggest problem with the NCLB Act is that it mistakes measuring schools for fixing them.”
And that’s generously assuming that standardized testing measures anything at all, or at least (in a transparent, consistent, accurate way) what it purports to measure. *Google “pineapple” and “hare” and “Daniel Pinkwater.”*
2), From page 86, a contribution by Alfie Kohn:
“1. How many schools will NCLB-required testing reveal to be troubled that were not previously identified as such? For the last year or so, I have challenged defenders of the law to name a single school anywhere in the country whose inadequacy was a secret until yet another wave of standardized test results was released. So far I have had no takers.”
Testing to generate $tudent $ucce$$ for the very few is the misleading substitute for (and a toxic drain on) providing the resources necessary to ensure a better education for all.
And there is nothing cage busting or achievement gap crushing or 21st century about the main players in corporate education reform. Simply a new version of the same old same old:
“They had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.” [variously attributed, usually to Talleyrand in the 19th century, about the restored Bourbon dynasty]
And that mindset goes a long way in understanding the casual and arrogant sense of noblesse oblige that is a hallmark of the movers and shakers of self-styled “education reform.”
😎
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To bad this is not accurate. Current state law requires K an 1st grade testing. As State Supetintendent I do not support this additional testing and would like to see age appropriate observations and not paper and pencil testing. I would think people would check the accratecy of reporting before commenting. Brian Whiston , State Superintendent
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F on spelling.
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I am hopeful that this is a satirical post, given the errors.
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“Parental opposition to standardized testing in schools remains high, even as the latest cycle of tests is beginning in many states. Most parents now say there’s no need for any such tests at all.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 64% of American Adults with children of elementary or secondary school age believe there is too much emphasis on standardized tests in schools these days. That’s little changed from December but up from 57% in November 2013 when we first asked this question.”
Uh, oh. This obviously calls for another scolding, patronizing lecture. Is Arne Duncan available?
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/education/most_parents_say_no_to_standardized_testing
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. . . and our children die on the vine while the test companies (and their lackeys) rake in the profits. Sad, sad, sad.
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Diane,
Your comments and insinuations regarding Michigan State Supt. Brian Whiston are incorrect. As the new State Superintendent in Michigan, Whiston actually has reduced testing time for the state assessment between 2.5 to 8 hours, depending on the grade level.
He is developing recommendations to coordinate testing for the state and local districts that will further reduce the overall testing time for Michigan students. Many school districts in Michigan currently give tests in the fall and spring to measure growth through the year. Whiston is working to align these with the required state assessment and provide this information for all schools, educators, and parents.
Michigan law actually requires a state assessment for Kindergarten and 1st grade, and Whiston wants to do that in an age-appropriate manner — not with a pencil and paper test, but with an observational assessment so teachers and parents understand where the child is developmentally and academically.
If you want the facts first, before publishing something, please contact the Michigan Department of Education. Maybe next time….
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“As the new State Superintendent in Michigan, Whiston actually has reduced testing time for the state assessment between 2.5 to 8 hours, depending on the grade level.”
Please explain! Do you mean that each of the various grade level tests have been reduced anywhere from 2.5 to 8 hours? There were tests that took over 8 hours?
Not that it matters as any time wasted on standardized testing (that is not an individual diagnostic test to help determine where the student is in his/her learning or for discerning a disability) is time not available for true teaching and learning.
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Mr. Ackley.
How many, if any, of the people, working in Michigan’s Department of Education have been or, are associated with Gates-funded groups? How much money, if any, has the Department of Education received from Gates and other rich 1% er’s, who are intent on corporatizing and privatizing public schools?
If Dr.Whiston was appointed by a politician, how much and, from whom, did the politician receive campaign funding? As you are aware, there are formidable forces that want to make a profit off of the backs of taxpayers, the majority of whom, want their taxes to remain local and, to be used exclusively for public education, not charter schools.
Dr. Ravitch champions children of the 99%, for which we are grateful.
There is ample evidence demonstrating it.
What does Dr. Whitson’s record show?
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How on earth do they ever expect to attract any new business to Michigan? I certainly wouldn’t move my company there (if I had one) and I’d never move there as a potential employee, either.
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Is Snyder’s water, an asset? Is DeVos’ Amway, an example of good business practice?
Moving north?
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Then just where would one move. The entire country is troubled. There actually may be superior countries in which to live. The 21st century certainly does not show us to be all that special in concern for our citizens.
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Michigan dropped ‘disastrous’ common core standards today. Legislation cleared Senate.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/04/senate_committee_approves_legi.html
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Sorry, just a Senate committee, not the full Senate, yet.
Michigan, to drop CC standards . . .
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Nobody ever put weight on a cow by running her across the scales
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I wish the superintendent could’ve been in my classroom last week. My seventh graders were telling me how their lives are so negatively affected by all the testing. They talked about stress, anxiety, and feeling like the testing never ends. It made it very hard for me to hear because I know we are over testing our children. I lose so much time on instruction because of tests. It’s completely out of control
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