The Biden administration chose a pro-testing advocate, Ian Rosenblum of Education Trust New York, to announce the decision that states must administer the federally mandated tests this spring. Miguel Cardona has not yet been confirmed as Secretary of Education nor has Cindy Marten been confirmed as Deputy Secretary. Who made this decision? Joe Biden? Jill Biden? Ian Rosenblum, who has not yet been confirmed as Deputy Assistant Secretary? (The Assistant Secretary has not even been announced.) Is the Obama administration back?
Joe Biden said unequivocally at a Public Education Forum in Pittsburgh when he was campaigning that he would end the federal mandate for standardized testing. Denisha Jones, lawyer, teacher educator, board member of Defending the Early Years, and the Network for Public Education, asked candidate Biden if he would end standardized testing. Watch his answer here.
This is hugely disappointing, first, because it is a broken promise; second, because it imposes standardized testing in the midst of a pandemic when access to education has been grossly uneven and unequal; third, because it diverts the attention of teachers and students to a meaningless exercise.
Please read this article that I wrote a few weeks ago for Valerie Strauss’s blog: What You Need to Know about Standardized Testing. It begins with the history of IQ testing, which was the forerunner to standardized testing, and shows its relationship to eugenics and racism.
In the middle, I summarize the pointlessness of the tests:
Politicians and the general public assume that tests are good because they provide valuable information. They think that the tests are necessary for equity among racial and ethnic groups.
This is wrong.
The tests are a measure, not a remedy.
The tests are administered to students annually in March and early April. Teachers are usually not allowed to see the questions. The test results are returned to the schools in August or September. The students have different teachers by then. Their new teachers see their students’ scores but they are not allowed to know which questions the students got right or wrong.
Thus, the teachers do not learn where the students need extra help or which lessons need to be reviewed.
All they receive is a score, so they learn where students ranked compared to one another and compared to students across the state and the nation.
This is of little value to teachers.
This would be like going to a doctor with a pain in your stomach. The doctor gives you a battery of tests and says she will have the results in six months. When the results are reported, the doctor tells you that you are in the 45th percentile compared to others with a similar pain, but she doesn’t prescribe any medication because the test doesn’t say what caused your pain or where it is situated.
The tests are a boon for the testing corporation. For teachers and students, they are worthless.
Standardized test scores are highly correlated with family income and education. The students from affluent families get the highest scores. Those from poor families get the lowest scores. This is the case on every standardized test, whether it is state, national, international, SAT, or ACT. Sometimes poor kids get high scores, and sometimes kids from wealthy families get low scores, but they are outliers. The standardized tests confer privilege on the already advantaged and stigmatize those who have the least. They are not and will never be, by their very nature, a means to advance equity.
In addition, standardized tests are normed on a bell curve. There will always be a bottom half and a top half. Achievement gaps will never close, because bell curves never close. That is their design. By contrast, anyone of legal age may get a driver’s license if they pass the required tests. Access to driver’s licenses are not based on a bell curve. If they were, about 35 to 40 percent of adults would never get a license to drive.
If you are a parent, you will learn nothing from your child’s test score. You don’t really care how he or she ranks compared to others of her age in the state or in another state. You want to know whether she is keeping up with her assignments, whether she participates in class, whether she understands the work, whether she is enthusiastic about school, how she gets along with her peers. The standardized tests won’t answer any of these questions.
So how can a parent find out what he or she wants to know? Ask your child’s teacher.
Who should write the tests? Teachers should write the tests, based on what they taught in class. They can get instant answers and know precisely what their students understood and what they did not understand. They can hold a conference with Johnny or Maria to go over what they missed in class and help them learn what they need to know.
But how will we know how we are doing as a city or a state or a nation? How will we know about achievement gaps and whether they are getting bigger or smaller?
All of that information is already available in the reports of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), plus much more. Scores are disaggregated by state, gender, race, disability status, poverty status, English-language proficiency, and much more. About 20 cities have volunteered to be assessed, and they get the same information.
As we approach the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act — the successor law to No Child Left Behind — it is important to know this history and this context. No high-performing nation in the world tests every students in grades 3 to 8 every year.
We can say with certainty that the No Child Left Behind program failed to meet its purpose of leaving no child behind.
We can say with certainty that the Race to the Top program did not succeed at raising the nation’s test scores “to the top.”
We can say with certainty that the Every Student Succeeds Act did not achieve its purpose of assuring that every student would succeed.
For the past 10 years, despite (or perhaps because of) this deluge of intrusive federal programs, scores on the NAEP have been flat. The federal laws and programs have come and gone and have had no impact on test scores, which was their purpose.
It is time to think differently. It is time to relax the heavy hand of federal regulation and to recall the original purposes of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act: to distribute funding to the neediest students and schools; to support the professional training of teachers; and to assure the civil rights of students.
The federal government should not mandate testing or tell schools how to “reform” themselves, because the federal government lacks the knowledge or know-how or experience to reform schools.
At this critical time, as we look beyond the terrible consequences of the pandemic, American schools face a severe teacher shortage. The federal government can help states raise funding to pay professional salaries to professional teachers. It can help pay for high-quality prekindergarten programs. It can underwrite the cost of meals for students and help pay for nurses in every school.
American education will improve when the federal government does what it does best and allows highly qualified teachers and well-resourced schools to do what they do best.
Reblog?
“Standardized test scores are highly correlated with family income and education.” Saul Geiser’s landmark research on the SAT, which was important to the U. of CA system going test free and jettisoning test requirements in undergrad admissions altogether, showed that family income, parental education and race all correlated independently and significantly with SAT scores, in increasing measure. The quoted sentence leaves out race, the factor currently with the strongest correlation (in the 900,000 applicants to the UC over 17 years in his study) to SAT scores.
Sick, and sad, and stupid.
This whole thing seems so nonsensical. Did Ian Rosenblum explain how this would happen remotely?
Thud!
“…states could give shorter, remote, or delayed versions of the exams…” We could give a test with one question: How are you today?
A. Fine, leave me alone!
B. My grandma died of Covid yesterday, leave me alone!
C. Upset that Joe Biden is on Betsy DeVos’ side!
D. I was doing okay until I found out Joe Biden doesn’t have my back. Stop wasting my time!
Diane, is it time to start using the F word yet?
Just write F—-.
Wait, this is a good thing. Remember what trying to give the AP tests online did to the AP tests. The Biden administration is about to destroy the state tests!
Imagine trying to give tests online to third graders.
Ha ha ha ha.
I thought Biden said he would return science to the Oval office.
Maybe he said seance?
Maybe he intends to bring back Betsy DeVos from the great beyond? Or at least from Michigan.
Yeah the remote AP tests were a disaster, so I’m sure this will go really well (sarcasm)..
And what about those of us in “failing” schools? Are we doomed (yes).
The problem is that College Board gave students too much time . An eternity — 45 minutes!!
They need to pare it down to ten or even five minutes and things will go swimmingly.
Any first grader who can’t complete these tests in ten minutes is a complete failure and really does not even deserve to be going to school because it is obviously not helping them. Better to put them to work in the Clean Coal (TM) mines of Appalachia.
For context, Biden made this promise shortly after Senators Warren and Sanders had, all drawing cheers from teachers.
But strangely, Biden never added this policy to his website, never mentioned the promise anywhere else, and was conveniently never asked the question anywhere else.
The promise was also omitted in media reporting. I saw Biden’s promise was mentioned by Reema Amin in Chalkbeat once, but just today, her colleague Matt Barnum omitted the promise in his article.
This is the moment – Biden made a promise to win over teachers, downplayed it ever since, and now breaks it. How do teachers feel about this, maybe a little like Charlie Brown lying on the floor seeing stars?
I don’t care if he made it once or 100 times. He made a public commitment to an audience of educators. He lied.
Biden has nothing to lose by breaking his campaign promises.
He’s too old to run again and he undoubtedly knows it better than anyone else.
Harris has something to lose, but I doubt she’s calling the shots.
And she can always say she wasn’t the one to make and break the promise.
Shouldn’t Warren and Sanders be speaking out? Not to attack Biden for breaking the promise but to demand that he explain why he thinks that testing is necessary and having both Bernie and Warren going on record right now that they absolutely oppose the Biden Administration requiring testing this year. I’d like to hear AOC and her squad say that too. “We oppose all mandated state testing this year”. Now is the time for them to state that loudly and clearly.
I would like to see Biden and/or Warren threatening to hold a Senate hearing in which the Biden DOE would have to testify to explain why they believe the learning of a student can only be judged by their state test results and if they are going to stand behind that, will they condemn private schools that won’t opt in to state testing as not caring about their students’ learning because they have no idea how their students’ are faring without that?
It would be great to see Sanders and Warren speaking out but I don’t see them doing so now that the die is cast. They are also trying to get Biden to forgive student loan debt (through an executive order) and I hear today Biden is now backtracking on the $15 minimum wage he also promised to support.
But now is a good time for teachers and parents to give Joe Biden and @DrBiden some feedback online. They said teachers will always have a partner in Joe.
Labor asked Biden to support the union organizing effort at the Amazon warehouse in Alabama. He decided not to do it because it would upset Silicon Valley tyrants. Neera Tanden was their choice for OMB.
The tech oligarchs want the race in 2022 and 2024 to be close which is why a neoliberal like Tanden is a Biden appointee. She played a part in Hillary’s loss and the loss of 1000 Democratic seats before that when the states became GOP.
Linda,
Maybe Neera Tanden is the source of all evil like she is portrayed, but I suspect she has been treated the way so many women have been treated and held to a double standard.
She is likely to lose the confirmation process because the right wing REPUBLICANS absolutely despise her!
I think Bernie Sanders has been critical of her but as far as I can tell he hasn’t specifically said he would oppose her nomination yet. If progressive Senators decided to join the right wing Republicans in voting against her, she would not be confirmed.
Even though I disagree with her on some issues, I find it refreshing that she didn’t mince words when calling out the repulsive Republicans.
If you want to be confirmed, be careful what you say on Twitter. Unless you are Trump.
^^I can’t post links, but if you read The Guardian article, Feb. 23, 2021 “AOC criticizes Manchin over apparent targeting of Biden’s nominees of color”
Double standard even AOC recognizes, despite having some policy differences with Biden nominees.
I assure readers my anger would be as great if John Podesto had been nominated by Biden. I would write to my Democratic senator to oppose Podesto just as I wrote to Sen. Brown stating my objection to Tanden.
Tanden’s tweets are in no way similar to Trump’s. And, the tweets of hers that I’ve read are irrelevant to my opposition. If AOC tweeted what Tanden tweeted I would cast a vote for AOC in a nanosecond. If AOC wanted to destroy America’s most important common good, I would vote for a different Democrat if one ran. If AOC had said what was said about the nurses union, I would expect the party to negatively assess her ability to strategize.
I recall an article posted at Jezebel that described the neoliberal woman’s view of gender equality. It is limited to her ability to make bank for herself.
The next time the gender card is played in behalf of Neera she should be asked what is the average pay and job security for a teacher in charter schools as compared to a union teacher in the public system.
Linda:
From the Washington Post, June 25, 2019
“Democrats abandon charter schools as ‘reform’ agenda falls from favor”
“People in the Democratic primary are moving to a new agenda that will actually address improving our schools by improving the quality of the workforce by paying people decently,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
She noted that charters educate just 6 percent of all public school students and are concentrated in urban areas, and suggested they have been oversold. “Charters have not proven to be the one thing you do to improve public schools across America,” she said.
She really gets a bad rap from people who are NOT Bernie and AOC! They criticize her because she will go on the attack, but they don’t demonize her.
I think AOC and Bernie know their enemies and Tanden isn’t the enemy. She is not progressive, but she also can’t be dismissed as a neoliberal unless the new definition of neoliberal is someone like Biden who is moderate on some issues but will still support some progressive legislation.
Do you know Tenden’s biography? It’s pretty interesting — she was raised by a single mom who had to go on welfare and use Section 8 vouchers for a few years when her husband left her with two young kids. She went to UCLA, a public university. I don’t agree with all of her policies, but she has been demonized in a way that has no relationship to what she deserves. And she has been unfairly mischaracterized in the exact same way that “she who may not be named” was mischaracterized in 2016. When AOC and Bernie tell me that Neera Tanden is an evil, greedy person whose only desire is to advance the interest of her corporate and Wall Street CEO overlords, I will believe it. She is far more progressive than someone like Joe Manchin who has already said he will vote no because he is worried she will be too strong an advocate for the progressive policies that REAL neoliberals like Manchin and his Republican friends like Collins and Romney oppose. Or you can believe their lies that they are voting against her because she has tweeted “mean” criticism and Trump enablers like Manchin and his Republican pals just can’t condone anyone mean.
People who defend Neera Tanden should review Michael Moore’s piercing question to John Podesto in the film 11/9 about who advised Pres. Obama to betray the people of Flint. The question could be perceived as informed innuendo. Setting the standard for reasoned judgement about where a leader will steer the country shouldn’t require the incredibly rare voluntary admission of wrongdoing in a public forum. Is Tanden on public record saying she made poor policy decisions because she lacked a conscience and the foresight to see that racist Gov. Talmadge’s proposed privatization of schools was a very bad idea in both his and this century?
The case of the Pennsylvania GOP leader who recently said Toomey wasn’t supposed to use his conscience in D.C. is instructive in the Tanden situation. If she isn’t just mouthing words (CAP posted in the fall of 2020, an agenda for the first 100 days, it included a statement about charter schools and public school districts cooperating), are Democratic voters supposed to wait until public outrage finally delays the plots of billionaires, before political leaders change course to do the right thing?
It seems Tanden criticized Joe Manchin’s daughter for exploiting the price of the Epi-pen in her capacity as CEO. Makes Manchin’s opposition seem personal.
Linda,
I can’t find anything about Michael Moore interviewing Podesta so if you can link to a transcript or clip, that would be great.
But if you are implying that President Obama took his marching orders from Neera Tanden and that explains his actions in Flint, I don’t believe that unless I see some evidence.
NYC-
Watch the movie.
Christine- Manchin’s daughter was widely criticized for Epipen and, how she got her degree from West Virginia University. So, it seems a reach of the Tanden PR machine to convince us that the criticism is what drives Manchin’s vote.
The defeat of Tanden sends a message to Biden about the lack of support for CAP’s education policy. In late 2020, various sites reported that CAP endorsed the Trump/DeVos policy of continued standardized testing during the pandemic, denial of requests for waivers and, calls for additional assessments.
I think CAP is likely responsible for bringing us Ian Rosenblum, testing czar.
Public education supporters should contact their Democratic senators and ask them to oppose Tanden because of CAP’s cozy partnership with billionaires who are intent on bankrupting Main Street by taking community tax dollars intended for local kids’ educations.
I think it says it all that Tanden is demonized because of CAP while other male politicians are not. I think it says it all that there is clear evidence she is not afraid to call out democrats like Manchin and corporate interests while other politicians make wishy washy statements that lead nowhere. I think it says it all that there is a double standard where male candidates endorse and devote their limited time and energy campaigning for pro-charter DFER Democrats to defeat pro-public school Dems in Virginia to help make Virginia a pro-charter state like California and New York (where certain progressive politicians refused to endorse the pro-public education candidate running against Cuomo but were forgiven – because he is male?) Thankfully, the evil “CAP” candidate defeated the “perfect” DFER progressive in Virginia kept Virginia one of the few remaining states where DFER does not rule.
I can understand demonizing a politician because of their associations with DFER but it’s weird to have politicians demonized because of their association with CAP when there is no evidence that they themselves are anti-public school — and there are specific statements by that CAP person that point out the truths about charters, which is something I am still waiting for most progressive politicians to do.
When it comes to education, I strongly prefer “CAP” associated Ralph Northam over DFER Democrat Tom Perriello, even if Northam is associated with CAP and Perriello is associated with Bernie Sanders. When it comes to education, it is a politician’s association with DFER, not CAP, which proves what their education policy would be.
So what about raising a ruckus? Diane, would you post all the emails of those who should hear from us about this.
Start with your home state senators, then reach out to those in the Education Committees in both Houses.
Nothing surprises me at all. I have been remaining skeptical of Biden administration since the beginning of last year. I didn’t believe his administration truly understands how the crisis of public education has been manufactured and abused by deformers, pundits, pseudo-education leaders, consultants, hedge-fund managers, etc.
Like his predecessors, he has so many people who have shared interests with powers-that-be'(i.e., test makers, reformers, consultants, political think tanks) rather than teachers and students. I really don’t know how much Miguel Cardona Jr. would help if he would get confirmed for Secretary of Education. Hope he would not get swayed by the waves of privatizers and standardized test worshippers.
Cardona is not anti-testing
Diane -I’m confused. I got this press release right after your latest blog. Appears waivers are available – but at what cost?
Lee P. Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT
178 ABITA Oaks Loop ABITA Springs, LA 70420 985-789-8304 Blog: geauxteacher.net
>
Why doesn’t he just add standardized testing to his first 100 days goal while he is at it?
“We will vaccinate 100 million Americans in 100 days and test 60 million school children in 60 days. And don’t even think about opting out, you antiVaxertesters!”
“And don’t try to tell me standardized tests cause testism, cuz I know it’s not true!” — Joe Biden
We should develop a mandatory test for legislators. I am concerned that many do not understand basic government concepts. They should also know basic history, economics, etc. A good understanding of all of these subjects should be REQUIRED. Legislators should also show proficiency in skills such as writing bills – there are too many that use others to write bills for them! Those wishing to be candidates for public office should be required to pass the test. If any area of the test is failed, candidates cannot run unless they pass remedial education courses! There are many teachers who would be glad to make themselves available to develop and score these tests!
AOC said she was shocked to see lobbyists writing bills. Many legislators spend a lot of time trying to squeeze money out of wealthy donors when they should be serving their constituents.
Could this be the first big step the Democrats take to losing the White House in 2024?
I watched Mike Bloomberg pour millions of dollars into the Pennsylvania TV market one year ago….and it got him how many votes?
Sure, the pro-testing, charter school, phony “reform” forces have some bucks.
But on election day, it’s still one person, one vote. (Well, that’s if the G.O.P. actually lets citizens vote.)
Biden did not win some of the states by much, including Pennsylvania.
I wouldn’t vote for Trump if you held a gun to my head. But I know teachers who did back in 2016 because they were like, hell, what’s the difference….
Educators have been burned before and I’d bet many are us are just waiting for this sort of treachery again. I know I am.
I will be writing to my representatives, that’s for sure.
Biden’s also burning industry labor. He won’t support the union organizing at the Amazon warehouse in Alabama.
First, I can’t get a COVID vaccine here in GA and we’ve been teaching in person all year. Now, my one shining light for this year—no standardized testing—and that has turned to a very dark tunnel. I hate 2021 as much as 2020.
Hopefully the State Superintendent will keep the value at .01% GRRRRRRRRRR
I certainly hope there will be a very loud statement coming from AFT and NEA.
Doubtful. They support standardized testing too.
The union heads also supported Common Core, and VAM, and Bill Gates. And Race to the Flop, and all the other crap that has been forced down teachers’ throats over the last two decades.
They were for all of that before they were against it.
But they get a pass because that’s the way it works when you are in the exclusive club at the top.
“Race to the Flop”
Love that! Thanks…it was a grueling day
What the standardized test folks, who I am sure have been lobbying like crazy over this, and the Biden administration, which has thrown students under the bus, don’t seem to realize is that even if the tests don’t “count,” they waste two commodities that are always precious, but are especially precious this year: time and money.
How DARE they demand that kids who have missed put on a fair amount of instructional time this year give up weeks to the Big Standardized Test?
And how DARE any of these people say that opening schools is , “important for students’ mental health” when they would push these stressful and unnecessary tests onto stressed students?
They should ALL be ashamed of themselves. But they won’t be, because there’s all of that sweet tax money to gobble up to pay for these completely wasteful and damaging tests.
You can also be sure that if the test scores go down these people will use the test results to prove “learning loss” (whatever the hell that means. These clowns never even define their terms)
Other than by test scores, a circular argument if ever there was one.
As I said before Biden was ever elected. He’s a neoliberal through and through.
BTW, you’re in good company. He’s also broken his promise to get $2,000 checks (not $1,400) out the door immediately (not months later). He’s broken his promise to get the kids out of the cages (in fact, he’s putting more in and building more cages). He’s broken his promise of a public option. He’s broken his promise that he had a plan for fighting COVID, unless you think Trump actually had a plan, because Biden’s is the same – re-open schools and get the economy running.
But at least he has kept his promise not to ban fracking and his promise to his big money donors that nothing would fundamentally change. Oh, and we had a candlelight vigil for half a million dead and nice cut-out hearts on the White House lawn, so it’s all good.
Most progressive president since FDR!!!
Dienne,
Biden disappoints but he’s still a zillion times better than the lying fascist Trump.
“Hours after being sworn in, Biden moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, revoke a permit granted to the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline and place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic.”
I had to look up the “kids in cages” remark and I find that every right wing media source is repeating that, but longstanding and hard working progressive politicians whose views this person supposedly reflects do not. It’s not Bernie or AOC who use this misleading language to demonize Biden and try to misinform about him, it is the NY Post and other right wing news sources who use that language. Why do so many of these posts repeat the misleading talking points of the Australian writers who are the favorites of pro-Trump fanboys, instead of the intelligent progressive critics like AOC and Bernie?
Biden has already done some good things that are completely ignored by this person and other “anti-neoliberal/pro-Trumpsters” who only wants to focus on the bad.
If “neoliberal” means Biden now, then I guess that Bernie Sanders, AOC and I am far more “neoliberal” than I thought and if “not being an evil neoliberal” means defending Trump and pushing right wing talking points that Biden’s rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and pushing comprehensive immigration reform and science didn’t really happen and anyway, it’s not worth mentioning, then I guess that “not being neoliberal” means being just like the rabid pro-Trumpsters.
AOC and Bernie don’t use the misleading and dishonest right wing rhetoric that this person does — does that make them “neoliberal” too?
Believing in science — “you neoliberal”. Protecting the environment — “you neoliberal”. Offering comprehensive immigration reform — “you neoliberal”. It’s a handy word signifying nothing at all.
“Bernie Sanders, AOC and I am far more “neoliberal””
I think you misunderstand what neoliberal is, but no wonder, because the term is designed to be confusing; to think that it has something to do with personal freedoms to the people. No, it’s about supporting freemarket ideas. Libertarians are the hardliners of the neoliberals. Neoliberals are the “freemarketers” or “neoconservatives”.
Is there any chance this is some kind of coup by the Education Trust people to make the policy in advance of Cardona’s confirmation? (Coups are so fashionable these days, many people are saying.)
In MA, the South Shore Education Justice Alliance is holding a zoom Action Mtg. Thursday 3/4/21 6:00 PM to hit the state’s MCAS testing. Here’s a link to RSVP:
https://actionnetwork.org/events/sseja-mcas-testing-action-mtg-thursday-3421-600-pm/
Here’s a flyer for the event if you’d like to share:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qcM6HOGeFV9Iy9itJqFV1wN27paxJ2bN/view
Concerted opposition is what we must have.
Leonie Haimson calls this a pre-emptivecoup, struck before Cardona was confirmed.
He is not anti-testing but unlike Rosenblum, he was never paid to advocate for tests.
Leonie is spot on as usual. But that means we should put the pressure on Cardona, right?
Yes to pressuring Cardona. He might listen.
Chances are, the Gates-voices will deafen all other voices out. I hope teachers and students and parents will have much less patience this time around, and will refuse the tests immediately.
This is heartbreaking news. We have been betrayed. Everyone must protest! Opt Out! Refuse to comply.
Yes! Opt out.
Protestors against the war in Vietnam used to say, “Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?”
Suppose they gave a test and no one took it?
R-E-L-A-X
As if kids will even notice. The results may in fact be revealing in a good way.
They won’t necessarily “reveal” anything because there are too many factors involved .
Even in a normal year, there are a wide variety of factors that affect test scores that have nothing to do with what students learned.
But with the pandemic, the number of outside factors has obviously increased substantially.
But the real issue is (and has always been) not what the tests reveal or don’t reveal.
The issue is what people claim they reveal.
It’s actually not a huge stretch to think that test scores might be lower this year than before the pandemic for a wide variety of reasons that may have nothing to do with “learning loss” (whatever that means).
It makes no sense to give standardized tests in such an environment even if there are no consequences, since precisely what they mean will be about as clear as mud.
Even arguing about the meaning (or lack thereof) will be a waste of time.
To say nothing of the time wasted giving the tests.
“some state officials have acknowledged that they have little ability to force students to show up to sit for an exam, and remote testing brings concerns about the accuracy and validity of the results — particularly because students who have lost the most learning might be the least likely to take the tests.”
Ya think? LOL.
As usual when govt regulations defy all rationality, follow the money.
Or the power/ politics/ et al $ substitutes.
In this particular instance, we may just be looking at the careful choosing of battles, where ed rates so low on the politimeter it’s rarely chosen. No way this mealymouth announcement provides much fodder for any faction: yes tests but not reqd to follow format, no stakes, no schedule.
That didn’t take long. What a waste of a pandemic– it could have been an opportunity to actually change/update/fix our education system. But nope. Politicians are beholden to their donors, and the publishers pay both sides well.
“Waste of a pandemic”- Biden won’t even support the union organizing at the Amazon warehouse in Alabama.
Prolly cuz be doesn’t have any comfy shoes to walk the pocket lines with the workers in
Maybe he can borrow Obama’s brand new ones , which were never taken out of the box.
Poet-
I appreciate your sarcasm and anger. I feel the same.
If I am not mistaken,it was Rahm Emanuel who said “Never let a good pandemic go to waste”.
I wonder who is working in the background that made Biden break a promise within the first month of his presidency. In case of Trump, we called this lying to the public.
Who is hiring staff at Dept of Ed? Not Cardona.
Daily Beast reports that Biden won’t support Yellen’s plan for a wealth tax.
Is there anything good happening?
(1) Climate change action because it is an issue about which neoliberals care. (2) Repair of the U.S. image on the international scene because the elites in particular care. (3) Women from the Clinton wing of the party who fancy themselves policy wonks have good things happening to them. (4) A vastly improved U.S. Justice Department assuming Garland is confirmed.
On the other hand, labor, public education, fair distribution of wealth, a fair SCOTUS, etc- no progress which means the elections in 2022 and 2024 will be tight again.
The cult of competition permeates our culture, dichotomizes people in the most fundamental areas of being, although each person is a unique individual shaped by unique human experience.
This core cultural drive to compete engenders a pervasive imperative to compare, judge, stereotype, glorify or demonize individuals. Standardised testing of individuals clearly defies the sanctity of the unique individual characteristic of the human being.
Some alternatives to this competitive core of our culture might be in the philosophy which encourages to ” leave no footprint,” to “follow your own bliss,” to measure only yourself against you own personal goal.
Submitting yourself to sit for a standardized test is an act of being measured against others. It promotes a spirit of conformity and brings about vulnerability to the goals of others who may have agendas unseen by you, diverting you from your own authentic self. These unseen agendas can be political, financial, commercial or some aganda of their own that they judgementally impose upon you, shaping you from your authentic self to something twisted, smaller.
Needless to say, I’m not surprised. It’s going to be the first of many disappointments and his wife is a teacher!!!!! Just goes to show you can’t trust anyone! Jill Biden should know better!
I think we should switch our focus from depressing and doomed Biden to Bernie and AOC, and see what they are up to, what help they need. They are the ones working for our future, their ideas need to win 4 years from now.
Nah, hate to disagree, but we have to focus on Biden and the people in the ED Department.
With enough public pressure, we can turn them around.
Trump would never listen to us, nor would DeVos.
We can organize, opt out, make noise, fight back.
No time to prepare for the next war.
Fight this one.
So you think this time the Obama years won’t repeat themselves, when the admins in Washington seemed deaf to teachers’ and and parents’ complains?
Who are the politicians in Congress who listen? Better yet, anybody with a strategy to fight, say, vouchers and standardized testing (besides AOC and Sanders)?
(These are real questions, since I have no insight)
Jamaal is a start. The big problems in Congress are Patti Murray of Washington State, who heads the Senate committee, and Bobby Scott of Virginia, who heads the House Ed Committee.
Who appointed these people with the big problems?
Obama promised the same thing. Etc. Etc.
What else is new! They are all pawns of big business….
Any thoughts on the rationale? Does anyone else feel that there is a hidden agenda? What is it?
Someone wants the data because the data are good for “equity”
I have an acquaintance (the parent of one of my students) who does education research and she swears these tests will not be punitive but informative of where deficiencies are in student learning especially in terms of the impact of covid especially across states. She took offense to me commenting on how I oppose Biden’s move and kind of took it personally as if I was criticizing her and her work. Needless to say, it will be awkward going forward in that I teach her child and she accused me of insulting her. =-o So what is the purpose of these tests? Well, I’m not allowed to ask her questions because I’m not having a “collegial discussion” when I question her work as if it’s way over my head. She also prefaced her comments with “most teachers historically make bad decisions.” I took her to task on that comment and she accused me of attacking her. So she would have us all believe that those in the business of education research believe that these tests are not being used for nefarious reasons. I asked her to comment on the NPE article on this topic that was posted on Facebook but she joked that she was too tired to respond. What exactly will these tests be measuring and what is going to be done with the data? This is the question. If it is not punitive which she swears it is not—she opposes tests being used in this fashion—then will they be used to secure funding for those districts that need it? How do we find out? I cannot continue my conversation with her because to do so would be detrimental to my professional standing.
LG,
It’s not worth a fight with a parent. You won’t convince her. She won’t convince you.
When you give the tests, are you allowed to see the questions?
How long does it take to get the scores back?
Do you learn which questions your students got right or wrong?
What do you learn as a teacher that you didn’t know before?
I do not see any harm in asking these questions from the parent, but no need to argue with her about the answers. Like if she answers “No, the teachers won’t be able to see their own student’s solutions to the problems on this test” one can ask “Why is that?” but no more.
The questions in themselves are not offensive (and they should be asked that way) and if the parent takes offense it’s because she knows there are serious issues with these policies.
“then will they be used to secure funding for those districts that need it? How do we find out? ”
My understanding is that these standardized tests are ultimately used to determine which schools deserve (not need) funding.
But yeah, this parent seems to believe that these tests should be independent from teachers. In fact, teachers should be involved in them in any way.
After this conversation, it seemed to me that those in education research are more concerned with staying in their own bubble and only speaking to their research subjects within the context of the study. I suppose that is so they are not influenced outside of the parameters of the work. However, if they operate on a specific premise that “most teachers historically make bad decisions,” wouldn’t it be intriguing to any teacher? I found that comment a bit disconcerting especially without the data available to back it up. I asked more about the studies that brought this result and she told me I was rude and inappropriate. She can’t name her employer, she can’t talk about any of the studies in-depth—why the secrecy? Of course, teachers will want answers and will question…that is what we do. But to call that insulting makes me think there are people trying to dismantle their authority to perform such studies. Her reaction was intense. She claims their work has assisted in identifying areas in teaching that can be improved and has helped improve education quality. I don’t doubt that it’s important work, but why can’t we have these conversations casually?
In any event, I could not get anymore information about the use of these tests and I will not pursue this any longer with her due to then nature of my teaching relationship with her son. Like you said, Diane, it isn’t worth it.
“After this conversation, it seemed to me that those in education research are more concerned with staying in their own bubble and only speaking to their research subjects within the context of the study. ”
That would be a terrible mistake from an education researcher. Any theory needs to be verified in the real world. The “theory” of standardized tests have failed in the real world. Those doing testing research are often funded by million dollar grants.
You might want to gently remind her that 20 years of test score data have produced no significant improvements in instruction or learning. Standards based reform has instead decreased learning opportunities for those who need more doors opened instead of just the two doors marked “Common Core Math” and “Common Core ELA”.
I really think that the ESSA testing fight is misplaced; the root of the problem lies in the poorly crafted and age inappropriate Common Core standards combined with the misuse of scores in the evaluation of schools and teachers.
The optics of teachers arguing against testing while also refusing to teach in person is a very bad (political/PR) look.
PR? Not teaching in person without vaccination is a health issue, not a PR issue. And who claims that the most important part of F2F learning is testprep?
“My understanding is that these standardized tests are ultimately used to determine which schools deserve (not need) funding.”
Schools in which children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of enrollment are eligible to use Title I funds to operate schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school in order to raise the achievement of the lowest-achieving students. Funds flow to districts based on their counts of students in poverty, which is determined by the Census Bureau. Districts determine which schools get funds by rank-ordering schools based on poverty levels.
Schools are actually penalized for low standardized test scores and failure to improve graduation rates.
I was so hoping that President Biden’s regarding standardized testing would be upheld. The ONE politician I had faith in has changed his position to one that I cannot abide. Everything we do in education is supposed to be to make things BETTER for the kids. Standardized testing DOES NOT DO THAT. This testing does NOTHING POSITIVE for the children of America. It simply ranks kids with others of the same age/grade. It provides NO FEEDBACK to show parents & teacher how to help a child improve. Results ( ranking) comes 4-5 months after the test into a new school year where a new teacher is trying to figure out how this testing score relates to his/her new student who he or she knows next to nothing about. How can a child truly move forward if they are not instructed in where they made their mistakes? They need to be remediated based on their own scores- not just assigned a percent in the ranking of the test scores. Our kids deserve more ! They deserve to be taught and tested in a manor that enables them to advance, not just become a statistic or a percentage point on a testing graph. Let TEACHERS TEACH and TEST. They know what they are doing. They are HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS!! Give them the opportunity to do their job! The pandemic has placed immeasurable stress on our children. Testing stresses many children to the point they can hardly function. Tears, physical symptoms and emotional shutdown all accompany the onset of testing. Our children have been through enough! Leave them alone and let them return to some sense of normalcy without the added stress of testing. None of the scores obtained this year will be valid. How can they be when our children have been exposed to so much during the pandemic? Their whole world has been turned upside down with disease, fear and death. The only winners in this situation are the testing companies. They will make a great deal of money while the children continue to suffer.