The Detroit Free Press published this article last May about the state’s academic decline since 2003. That covers the DeVos era.
“In 2003, Michigan ranked 28th in fourth-grade reading. In 2015, the state was ranked 41st.
“We’re certainly not on track to become a top 10 state any time soon,” said Amber Arellano, executive director of the organization. “It’s totally unacceptable for the economy, for business and especially for kids themselves.”
Among the 2015 NAEP results highlighted in the report:
• Michigan ranked 41st in fourth-grade reading, down from 28th in 2003.
• The state ranked 42nd in fourth-grade math, down from 27 in 2003.
• It ranked 31st in eighth-grade reading, down from 27th in 2003.
• It ranked 38th in eight-grade math, down from 34th.
The report is focused on the fourth-grade reading results because of how crucial it is for students to be able to read well by the end of third grade. But students have also struggled in math.
The achievement problem crosses demographic lines. Consider how various demographic groups in Michigan compared with similar demographic groups nationwide in fourth-grade reading in 2015: White students in Michigan ranked 49th, higher-income students in Michigan ranked 48th, and black students ranked 41st.
The problem? Many other states are outpacing Michigan, which has posted mostly stagnant — and in some cases declining — results.”
Will DeVos inflict her failed methods on the nation?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
DeVos will do everything she can to take down public education. She’s UNFIT to serve. She has no experience teaching whatsoever and is a ditz.
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“Will DeVos inflict her failed methods on the nation?”
You are giving DeVos way too much credit. She has no “failed methods”. She was and is the moneybags behind those failed methods not the inventor or the mind behind those methods. Moneybags that’s all.
Be that as it may, to use NAEP scores as an indication of anything is to fall into the “metrics are everything” trap and terminology/discourse of those who seek to privatize and make profits off the backs of the most innocent in society, the children.
Those NAEP scores suffer all the inherent foundational conceptual (onto-epistemological) falsehoods and psychometric fudgings that Noel Wilson has identified that render the whole standards and testing regime COMPLETELY INVALID. To understand those errors, falsehoods and fudgings please read and understand his never refuted nor rebutted 1997 treatise “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700
Brief outline of Wilson’s “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” and some comments of mine.
A description of a quality can only be partially quantified. Quantity is almost always a very small aspect of quality. It is illogical to judge/assess a whole category only by a part of the whole. The assessment is, by definition, lacking in the sense that “assessments are always of multidimensional qualities. To quantify them as unidimensional quantities (numbers or grades) is to perpetuate a fundamental logical error” (per Wilson). The teaching and learning process falls in the logical realm of aesthetics/qualities of human interactions. In attempting to quantify educational standards and standardized testing the descriptive information about said interactions is inadequate, insufficient and inferior to the point of invalidity and unacceptability.
A major epistemological mistake is that we attach, with great importance, the “score” of the student, not only onto the student but also, by extension, the teacher, school and district. Any description of a testing event is only a description of an interaction, that of the student and the testing device at a given time and place. The only correct logical thing that we can attempt to do is to describe that interaction (how accurately or not is a whole other story). That description cannot, by logical thought, be “assigned/attached” to the student as it cannot be a description of the student but the interaction. And this error is probably one of the most egregious “errors” that occur with standardized testing (and even the “grading” of students by a teacher).
Wilson identifies four “frames of reference” each with distinct assumptions (epistemological basis) about the assessment process from which the “assessor” views the interactions of the teaching and learning process: the Judge (think college professor who “knows” the students capabilities and grades them accordingly), the General Frame-think standardized testing that claims to have a “scientific” basis, the Specific Frame-think of learning by objective like computer based learning, getting a correct answer before moving on to the next screen, and the Responsive Frame-think of an apprenticeship in a trade or a medical residency program where the learner interacts with the “teacher” with constant feedback. Each category has its own sources of error and more error in the process is caused when the assessor confuses and conflates the categories.
Wilson elucidates the notion of “error”: “Error is predicated on a notion of perfection; to allocate error is to imply what is without error; to know error it is necessary to determine what is true. And what is true is determined by what we define as true, theoretically by the assumptions of our epistemology, practically by the events and non-events, the discourses and silences, the world of surfaces and their interactions and interpretations; in short, the practices that permeate the field. . . Error is the uncertainty dimension of the statement; error is the band within which chaos reigns, in which anything can happen. Error comprises all of those eventful circumstances which make the assessment statement less than perfectly precise, the measure less than perfectly accurate, the rank order less than perfectly stable, the standard and its measurement less than absolute, and the communication of its truth less than impeccable.”
In other words all the logical errors involved in the process render any conclusions invalid.
The test makers/psychometricians, through all sorts of mathematical machinations attempt to “prove” that these tests (based on standards) are valid-errorless or supposedly at least with minimal error [they aren’t]. Wilson turns the concept of validity on its head and focuses on just how invalid the machinations and the test and results are. He is an advocate for the test taker not the test maker. In doing so he identifies thirteen sources of “error”, any one of which renders the test making, giving, and disseminating of results invalid. And a basic logical premise is that once something is shown to be invalid it is just that, invalid, and no amount of “fudging” by the psychometricians/test makers can alleviate that invalidity.
Having shown the invalidity, and therefore the unreliability, of the whole process Wilson concludes, rightly so, that any result/information gleaned from the process is “vain and illusory”. In other words start with an invalidity, end with an invalidity (except by sheer chance every once in a while, like a blind and anosmic squirrel who finds the occasional acorn, a result may be “true”) or to put in more mundane terms crap in-crap out.
And so what does this all mean? I’ll let Wilson have the second to last word: “So what does a test measure in our world? It measures what the person with the power to pay for the test says it measures. And the person who sets the test will name the test what the person who pays for the test wants the test to be named.”
In other words it attempts to measure “’something’ and we can specify some of the ‘errors’ in that ‘something’ but still don’t know [precisely] what the ‘something’ is.” The whole process harms many students as the social rewards for some are not available to others who “don’t make the grade (sic)” Should American public education have the function of sorting and separating students so that some may receive greater benefits than others, especially considering that the sorting and separating devices, educational standards and standardized testing, are so flawed not only in concept but in execution?
My answer is NO!!!!!
One final note with Wilson channeling Foucault and his concept of subjectivization:
“So the mark [grade/test score] becomes part of the story about yourself and with sufficient repetitions becomes true: true because those who know, those in authority, say it is true; true because the society in which you live legitimates this authority; true because your cultural habitus makes it difficult for you to perceive, conceive and integrate those aspects of your experience that contradict the story; true because in acting out your story, which now includes the mark and its meaning, the social truth that created it is confirmed; true because if your mark is high you are consistently rewarded, so that your voice becomes a voice of authority in the power-knowledge discourses that reproduce the structure that helped to produce you; true because if your mark is low your voice becomes muted and confirms your lower position in the social hierarchy; true finally because that success or failure confirms that mark that implicitly predicted the now self-evident consequences. And so the circle is complete.”
In other words students “internalize” what those “marks” (grades/test scores) mean, and since the vast majority of the students have not developed the mental skills to counteract what the “authorities” say, they accept as “natural and normal” that “story/description” of them. Although paradoxical in a sense, the “I’m an “A” student” is almost as harmful as “I’m an ‘F’ student” in hindering students becoming independent, critical and free thinkers. And having independent, critical and free thinkers is a threat to the current socio-economic structure of society.
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The truer question is, perhaps, What does “failure” look like to people like DeVos….
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a public school!! (sad isn’t it?)
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I just read an excellent look into DeVos on willyloman’s American Everyman ( https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/1287042/posts/39685) where I was taken with the statement that DeVos is simply (paraphrasing here) “a free market ideologue who worships nothing but Mammon.”
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DeVos wasn’t hired for her experience in education. She was hired for her experience in politics.
The position is a reward and recognition for her work in pushing Michigan further Right with her work on anti-tax measures, anti-labor initiatives and pushing vouchers.
She’s pretty good at politics, too. Michigan is definitely further Right as a result of her work. Not so good on education, though.
i feel bad for the people in public schools who work with the Trump Administration. They’ll get burned. This is a war to DeVos. She’s hell bent on eradicating labor unions and “government schools”. It’s all she’s ever done.
Public schools are collateral damage in this war. The weak schools will be closed and the stronger schools will be weakened and then closed. There’s no real effort to “strengthen” public schools in ed reform. No one in the “movement” even bothers with them other than for 2 weeks during “testing season”.
My son’s school hired an ed reform “consultant” 2 years ago. He spent the entire presentation pushing High Tech High. I have no idea why public schools are paying these people. It’s as if a charter school hired a consultant and the consultant came in and immediately started telling them they should convert to a public school. They add no value to public schools which isn’t surprising since they are opposed to the continued existence of public schools.
Imagine a situation where the Secretary of the US Department had worked for 30 years to replace charter schools with public schools. No one would be telling charter schools they should just suck it up and welcome that person. Yet that’s what ed reform is demanding of public schools.
I have NO obligation to “work with” federal employees who seek to weaken or eradicate my son’s school. That’s insane. No one in their right mind would welcome that. Why, again, am I supposed to do this? Because it’s polite to pretend this person wants to “help” me? Wow. That’s a lot to ask! I’m not sure I’m that polite!
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The “reform” people are infiltrating public schools, particularly when politicians make the appointments. They get assumed credibility even though they may just be a “Broadie” that knows less than the regular administrators in the district. States with relaxed credentials are inviting these foxes into the hen house.
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As many of you know, Gary Miron was a charter supporter in Michigan who became alarmed at what he saw happen to “ed reform” over 20 years in the state.
He’s never mentioned in ed reform circles – they oust the heretics, but you can read him here:
http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/03/in_michigan_charters_results_n.html
Ed reform BECAME far Right politics in Michigan. Ed reform BECAME opposition to labor unions (of any kind), opposition to taxes, opposition to minimum wage and worker protections- DeVos was a big part of that.
She’ll do the same at the federal level. This is 100% ideology and THAT’s why they chose a political actor rather than a policy expert. This wasn’t an error. They hired the right person for the job. They just don’t tell you what her job is.
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Chiara,
Why does the far-right love charters? It is a diversion from the root causes of low test scores: poverty and racial segregation.
During the Eisenhower administration, the marginal tax rate for the highest income people was 91%. For eight years, under a Republican president.
It is now 35%, and if you are as smart as Trump, it is 0%.
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I’m kinda worried about CTE under far Right ed reformers like DeVos. CTE could be an absolute cash cow in the “for profit sector”.
Imagine garbage for-profit providers at the high school level on CTE, just like for-profit colleges now.
You know public schools aren’t gonna get any funding to expand CTE- DeVos will exclude them as possible grantees. When she says she wants to create “new types of schools” that’s what she means- a whole for-profit sector for career and technical high schools.
Cha-ching. A whole new younger group of students to rip off. They must be lining up for the contracts as we speak.
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What is CTE? TIA, Duane
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Career and Technical Education.
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Thanks!
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I wonder who takes NAEP –just public school students, or are charter students included in the mix?
What do people here think could have caused Michigan’s decline relative to other states? Were they more or less gung ho about implementing Common Core?
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All students are sampled–public, charter and private–but they are not disaggregated in the reporting.
I inquired and learned that if one uses the NAEP explorer, you can contrast the public v. charter scores, but the private school sample is too small to be meaningful.
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Good to know. Thanks.
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Also, Ponderosa, regardless of charter v public scores on NAEP, remember that DeVos mantra is that choice improves all schools. That has not happened anywhere.
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Got it. So choice is very likely not helping MI –and, in fact, it could be one cause of the decline. I wonder what else could be the culprit. Why the decline relative to other states?
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The poverty rate in Michigan went up significantly during that time period.
For example, between 2006 and 2014, the percent of children under 18 living in poverty increased by over 4%, from 18.3% to 22.6%
Given the known relationship between income and standardized test scores, I would not doubt that this played a role in the score decline.
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Here’s the link to the state map that shows average score for 4th grade reading for Michigan over the period in question
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#reading/state/scores?grade=4
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Interesting.
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I read the article — not one statement alluded to or directly linked DaVos and neither dod it include her when addressing what the state needed to do to right the ship regarding NAEP “The state board heard from dozens of people during its August and September meetings and many more provided input through other means. The board in February approved a set of 31 strategies that the state should undertake. Among them:
• Parents, teachers and students should sign an agreement that outlines individual academic and personal goals for students
• The state should expand nursing, mental health services and health centers in schools
• Schools should be run more efficiently so more money goes into the classroom
• The state should ensure that all students have access to career and tech programs and postsecondary courses while in high school
• The state should expand access to publicly funded early-childhood programs
• The state should expand access to free adult education services and family advocacy support programs.
Some educators have cautioned about drawing too many conclusions from the NAEP data because the threshold for passing is so difficult, the exam is not based on any one state’s standards, and it’s taken only by a representative sample of students. In fourth-grade reading, for instance, 3,100 Michigan students were tested.
On the state’s difficult new exam, the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress – or M-STEP – nearly all students are tested. The first year of results were a cause for concern, however. The percentage of students passing in English language arts, for example, ranged from 45% in sixth grade to 50% in third grade.
Arellano’s organization last year launched its own top 10 effort, called Michigan Achieves, a campaign aimed at getting parents, civic leaders, business leaders and others involved in improving education in the state.
The decline has happened at the same time schools statewide have struggled financially, and during a time when schools officials say state funding increases — when they’ve happened — haven’t kept up with increasing school costs.
The report outlines steps Michigan must take, including ensuring students can read by the end of the third grade, having a fair funding system that addresses the inequities in state funding between high-poverty districts and low-poverty districts, having state leaders focused on what is right for students, having a strong accountability system for schools, ensuring all students have equal access to quality schools and rigorous coursework, and focusing on improved quality of school leaders and teachers.”
Don’t understand all the DaVos hyperventilating related to this article….
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Trying to figure out new terms: Is it “to betsify” when one testifies with utter nonsense answers?
Is it a “devosity” when one says something completely meaningless such as “needing guns in schools to protect against grizzlies” and then following up with “It was a valid illustration,” she says now. “It just probably wasn’t the best illustration I could have given.”
See: https://www.axios.com/what-betsy-devos-wishes-she-said-at-her-confirmation-hearing-2266444767.html
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I thought using grizzlies as a pretext for guns in schools meant you were “DeVosed from reality”
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But I like betsify very much.
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The problem I see with betsify is that there are many innocent Betsys would be tainted by the association. Maybe “devosify”??
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Good point, but I thought divosify meant spilt your investments between charters and vouchers.
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Always keeping in mind, of course, that folks like Trump and DeVos are unaccustomed to having to persuasively explain anything in clear and logical terms to others.
Au contraire, mon frère, in their experience it is OTHERS that must explain, justify and defend themselves to THEM.
So asking her or her boss or their peers to be clear and logical and consistent is an incomprehensibly vile insult against both the natural and divine orders.
If they weren’t supposed to be ordering US around, then how come THEY are in charge? Their very position, status and celebrity are, to them, an indisputable sign that WE need to remember our proper station in life. Hint: it has to do with hewing of wood and drawing of water.
¿Entendido?/Understood?/Wakarimashita ka?/Araso yo? [Span/Eng/Jap/Kor]
😎
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Diane,
I do not see a link in the article to her influence
Im not discounting it but holding judgement till there is definite fact – s supporting the headline
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I’m a PS teacher in MI. Making MI a RtW state, slicing away at power of teacher unions, disastrous legislation by state, AND the corrupt influence of power and $ by people like DeVos and Gov. Snyder are gutting ed. Low pay, erosion of benefits, large class sizes, decimating DPS, AND constant shifts in curriculum and tests do children/teachers in this state a great disservice. Plus, no mandate for Kdg and need high quality FREE preschool for all children!
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