Anthony Cardinale is a third grade teacher who recently met with education commissioner MaryEllen Elia to discuss the Common Core and state testing in New York. She asked him to evaluate the released passages from the ELA tests. He found them to be developmentally inappropriate and summarized his finding in a report.
You can download the report at this link: cc-ela-passage-eval-2016-final-copy
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I really like this blog.
Lisa
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
I think that much of the current reform movement is “developmentally inappropriate”. We are trying to force kids to perform task and exhibit skill that are not developmentally able to perform. This is due in large part because the people that decided what should be taught and at what level are not educators, they are just rich.
The lack of recess and unstructured play time is a huge problem in many states. There are a few that are starting to see the light.
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They are not just rich- for the most part, their kids don’t go/didn’t go to public schools, or charter schools for that matter, where the children are subjected to rigorous testing, teaching to the test, and a lack of enrichment activities, the arts, and play time.
Their kids go to exclusive private schools with plenty of enrichment, field trips, exposure to the visual and performing arts, etc. And I’m betting that their kids get play time, as well. Probably on state-of-the-art playground and gym equipment and well-manicured playgrounds and playing fields.
But obviously, what was good enough for their kids, does not apply to the majority of the kids in this country.
Because they have made a lot of money, they come to believe that they are experts on absolutely everything.
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Well said…Amen
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“Reliable”, possibly. in the sense that the scores within each piece are sort of consistent.
“Valid”, certainly not.
These questions should be removed from the record.
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MANY agree that Common Core is developmentally inappropriate, harming children.
Colorado has an opportunity to make big changes, but will they take it?
Colorado is at a turning point on BOTH Common Core and PARCC.
The state is currently reviewing and revising its Common Core standards AND the elected State Board of Ed is also weighing options on PARCC, whether to renew its PARCC contract, per yesterday’s CDE press release: http://tinyurl.com/z9xbjyy
There is no legal requirement for Colorado to keep either Common Core standards or PARCC. As you can see by this report on state-wide PARCC participation rates, http://tinyurl.com/h6nsuf4 the people of Colorado have spoken: 74% of Colorado districts (pages 19-20) had PARCC participation rates below 95% in 2015-16.
Grassroots activists sent this urgent letter today, http://tinyurl.com/j8j2lac urging Coloradoans to contact the State Board immediately, asking them to replace PARCC but warning not to go down the hidden data collection path of “personalized” online ed, CBE, and data badging children.
The reformers’ dream of online “personalized” education has been pushed nearly to death in Colorado. Literally.
This year Colorado had what many called the Zombie bill http://tinyurl.com/hyw53yx for MANDATORY online education in ALL schools. This bill was killed here on May 5 BUT was MAGICALLY revived the very next day here *** (LISTEN) *** http://tinyurl.com/he5f59q because of “promises made to a colleague”. Politics as usual? Who knows?
One thing is certain, it would upset the data pipeline if Colorado replaces PARCC —and we know how much COLORADO LIKES DATA. See below, for a few examples like the k-16 workforce competency data badges for all children, per the Governor’s Executive Order on data badges.
Keep an eye on Colorado.
Denver Public Schools to track children starting at BIRTH http://earlyeducation.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Roadmap_FINAL_WEB.pdf
Governor’s Executive Order on k-16 Data Badges https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/atoms/files/B%202015-004%20BELC_0.pdf
Aurora / Lumina district-wide data badging pilot for Preschool, K-12 http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/co/2015/06/22/digital-merit-badges-coming-to-aurora-public-schools/#.VjwUYf-FM5s
Denver / LinkedIn data badging pilot for k-12 http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2015/06/23/colorado-markle-foundation-launching-digital-jobs.html
Bloomberg and JP Morgan Chase invest $9.5 Million in Colorado CareerWise, measuring children’s soft-skills, “Traits of a Young Professionals” http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/co/2016/09/14/with-powerful-backers-new-colorado-apprenticeship-program-seeks-to-build-middle-class-of-tomorrow/#.V-LJKrU2eL4
Naviance measuring Career Readiness, starting in Kindergarten. http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstories/hobsons-introduces-naviance-for-elementary-school-starting-earlier-to-level-playing-field-for-all-students/ar-BBrXx4V
The BEL Commission Workforce Data badge Pilot in Denver, Building Colorado’s Talent Pipeline https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/BEL%20Commission%20Presentation_11-4-15.pdf
Colo Workforce Blueprint involves k-12 in four major areas:
1. businesses, market demand dictating k-12 curriculum and
2. verifying competencies with k-12 badges and
3. aligning SLDS with all state databases to be interoperable, share k-12 data from SLDS
4. aligning academic and workforce content standards
Click to access Colorado%20Combined%20Plan%20for%20Public%20Comment.pdf
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Now that Elia has the information from the Fry readability formula, it will be interesting to see if she chooses to do anything about it. I think it shows that parents are totally justified in protecting their children from inappropriate testing through Opt Out.
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As a mother and retired special education elementary school teacher, thank you for your clear, precise reading passage analysis of the actual items on the ELA test. This is the nitty, gritty of hands-on teacher expertise in teaching and testing reading progress of students in elementary school. Periodic assessments such as DRAs uncover ongoing student strengths and weaknesses that teachers use to develop reading lessons to help students progress.
Where are the developmental psychologists and developmental educator experts input
and analysis of standardized tests BEFORE states agree to adopt such tests? Where are the education commissioners that demand developmental appropriateness BEFORE they commit to a specific standardized test for their state?
I agree that passages should range between 2nd to 4th grade. Why would a 3rd grader (ages 8-9) be expected to SUCCESSFULLY read and respond to 5th grade (ages 10-11) or 6th grade (ages 11-12) passages? What could be the motivation for structuring tests this way…so failure is implicit and, therefore, can be remediated by a variety of new, costly programs and technology?
The public should be warned and wary by the foisting of these kind of developmentally inappropriate tests on children and demand the transparency and readability levels of all reading test passages on standardized tests.
Finally, if this is how the tests are structured on grade levels, how would a special education student with an IEP EVER expect to show proficiency…or ever exit special education services?
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Debbie, you are absolutely correct.
There are no developmental psychology or educational experts involved.
And in fact, this quote from you gets right to the heart of the matter:
“so failure is implicit, and, therefore, can be remediate by a variety of new, costly programs and technology.”
The tech companies get to make more money, but additionally, they get to use the schools to produce future workers who will sit down, shut up, and accept whatever pay scale and working conditions those companies want to impose.
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Please don’t confuse the Common Core standards/testing with a serious attempt at legitimate education reform. The only way tests like this make any sense is through the lens of a scam artist. Just one more rigged game.
And like magic, the same NYS students who struggled in grades 3 to 8
with Common Core tests, find amazing success in high school Common Core ELA and math.
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BRAVO!!!
The developmentally inappropriate aspect of the Common Core and Common Core testing is addressed in our short documentary More … than a score; Renowned educators from teachers-administrators-professors and parents supported by extensive film clips of children engaged in learning raise many issues.
Please refer to my Facebook and web pages for actual launch date: Grandma Press LLC; Marie Amoruso; http://www.Grandmapress.com for the launch date later this month.
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Reblogged this on Mark's Text Terminal.
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Thank you, Mr. Cardinale.
I would like to add a footnote to your study. An analysis of the 2004 and 2005 Grade 4 ELA passages (also using the Fry Readability formula and charts) found the ’04 material to be much above the level of 4th graders, while the ’05 passages were at or below an acceptable level. The publisher was CTB/McGraw-Hill and statewide testing was administered only in Grades 4 and 8.
Sure enough the 2005 scores shot up. Mayor Bloomberg gave himself credit for the large gains recorded in NYC, which he attributed to mayoral control and his leadership/ policies concerning the school system (and the appointment of non-educator Joel Klein as chancellor).
The good thing then was that the public had access to the tests and to all the item statistics. The bad news ten years ago was that the stakes attached to results were starting to become too high.
The bad news today is the conduct of an inordinately high stakes testing program, flying under the banner of standards and rigor, with all the bad consequences it brings; the limited transparency the State Education Department allows, which thwarts scrutiny of the exams; the manipulation of the cut off scores that cause shifts in whatever direction Albany wants the results to go; and the perpetuation of a program with outcomes that cannot be compared from one year to the next–to the preclusion of better approaches to assessment.
The good news, however, is the growth of the opt-out movement; the existence of blogs and media to expose the problems; and the devotion of teachers like Mr. Cardinale who are able and willing to pursue evidence that sheds light on the quality of the testing program.
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The state of NY assigns designations such as Focus and Priority Schools based on the results of sub groups such as students with disabilities. 95% of all SWD in 2015 failed the test and 92% of all SWD failed in 2016. They assert that a test that most SWD could not read or comprehend is a valid measure of the student, the school, and the district. The schools and districts accept this exercise in absurdity without question. They should expose this practice and make those that impose it, defend it. I would love to see John King explain the logic.
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Seems to be another sad example of ppl confusing Common Core requirements (standards) with curriculum!!
I recommend PROPER research BEFORE judging.
Click to access 15_developmentally_appropriate_practice_and_the_common_core_state_standards.pdf
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Common Core is NOT THE PROBLEM! Failure of U.S. education to provide meaningful ways to improve is!! We need an INFORMED public to engage in discussions, NOT debates!! We need opportunities to be available to EVERYONE to allow LOCAL, NOT state control!!
Tests are implementations! WHY is the opposition to Common Core about what is NOT wanted instead of what IS wanted?? How can U.S. ed progress & improve when fighting about its present state fails to provide a meaningful process & path forward???
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