Archives for category: Common Core
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Writing Expert: Computer Scoring by PARCC-Pearson Tests Is Fundamentally Flawed

By dianeravitch
June 17, 2014 //
27

Les Perelman, who was in charge of MIT’sWriting Across the Curriculum program, wrote this opinion piece for the Boston Globe.

Perelman said that student essays written for the PARCC test, created by Pearson, would be scored by computers. Unfortunately, the computer scorers are unable to detect the meaning of language. Instead, they rely on length, grammar, and other measurable elements.

So, he says, the computer would give a high score to this gibberish:

““According to professor of theory of knowledge Leon Trotsky, privacy is the most fundamental report of humankind. Radiation on advocates to an orator transmits gamma rays of parsimony to implode.’’

A human scorer would recognize this as incoherent babble but the computer would be impressed.

He concludes:

“Education, like medicine, is too important a public resource to allow corporate secrecy. If PARCC does not insist that Pearson allow researchers access to its robo-grader and release all raw numerical data on the scoring, then Massachusetts should withdraw from the consortium. No pharmaceutical company is allowed to conduct medical tests in secret or deny legitimate investigators access. The FDA and independent investigators are always involved. Indeed, even toasters have more oversight than high stakes educational tests.

“Our children deserve better than having their writing evaluated by machines whose workings are both flawed and hidden from public scrutiny. Whatever benefit current computer technology can provide emerging writers is already embodied in imperfect but useful word processors. Conversations with colleagues at MIT who know much more than I do about artificial intelligence has led me to Perelman’s Conjecture: People’s belief in the current adequacy of Automated Essay Scoring is proportional to the square of their intellectual distance from people who actually know what they are talking about.”

Categories Common Core, Technology, Computers, Testing

Jesse Hagopian: Dr. Frankenstein Meets His Monster

By dianeravitch
June 16, 2014 //
34

Jesse Hagopian, a teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle, here describes the decision by the Gates Foundation to delay the high-stakes consequences of the tests promoted by—-the Gates Foundation.

Hagopian writes:

“How do you know the United States is currently experiencing the largest revolt against high-stakes standardized testing in history?

“Because even the alchemists responsible for concocting the horrific education policies designed to turn teaching and learning into a test score have been shaken hard enough to awaken from the nightmare scenario of fast-tracking high-stakes Common Core testing across the nation. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation issued a stunning announcement on Tuesday, saying that it supports a two-year moratorium on attaching high-stakes to teacher evaluations or student promotion on tests associated with the new Common Core State Standards.

“Labor journalist Lee Sustar put it perfectly when he said of the Gates Foundation’s statement, “Dr. Frankenstein thought things got out of hand, too.”

“The mad-pseudoscientists at the Gates Foundation have been the primary perpetrators of bizarre high-stakes test experiments in teacher evaluations, even as a growing body of research—including a report from the American Statistical Association—has debunked the validity of “value added method” testing models. The Gates Foundation has used its immense wealth to circumvent the democratic process to create the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with very little input from educators.”

After dissecting this surprising and welcome retreat, Hagopian calls on resisters to join a demonstration on June 26 and continue the mass civil resistance to the Gates Foundation’s undemocratic takeover of American education:

“This latest backtrack by the Gates Foundation shows they are vulnerable to pressure. But the question remains, will the Gates Foundation pursue its call for constraining the testing creature it created with the same zeal as it showed in creating the Common Core? Will the Foundation use its undue influence and wealth to pressure states to drop the use of high stakes testing attached to Common Core tests? On June 26th, public education advocates from around the country will arrive in Seattle to protest at the global headquarters of the Gates Foundation. You should join them and find out if the Gates Foundation is brave enough to answer these questions.

“While the Gates Foundation may be bending to the will of a popular revolt, it will take nothing short of mass civil rights movement to defeat its grotesque monster of high-stakes testing that is menacing our schools.”

Categories Common Core, Garfield High School, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Teacher Evaluations, Testing

Andrea Gabor: An Inspection of New York State’s Secret ELA Tests

By dianeravitch
June 15, 2014 //
44

Somehow, Andrea Gabor got a copy of most of the New York State English Language Arts Common Core-Aligned State tests.

 

She describes them here.

 

She writes:

 

Once again I am in possession of a bit of educational contraband.

For the second year in a row, I have received a copy of the New York State English Language Arts tests for grades 6 to 8, which were administered in April. (Though, this year, my set appeared incomplete as it contained only books one and two for each grade–not the three books that were included last year and that I was told were given this year. So my analysis here is confined to only two booklets for each grade.)

Anyone who has followed the controversy around the introduction of the New York State’s “common-core aligned” tests, knows that there has been a growing backlash–and not necessarily against the common core itself. Rather, a great many educators object to the quality and the quantity of tests–in addition to six days of “common core” testing, New York kids are now finishing the Measurements of Student Learning (MOSL) tests, the sole purpose of which is to evaluate teachers, as well as field tests for next year’s “common core” tests. In the fall, students as young as kindergarteners endured base-line testing for the MOSL.

Most importantly, educators are outraged by the secrecy in which the tests are cloaked.

 

Pearson, which has a $32 million contract with New York, will not permit teachers or anyone else to see the exams.

 

They are hidden by a gag order.

 

This is insane.

 

The value of tests is to learn what students do and do not know or understand

 

If the students, parents, and teachers are not allowed to review the tests, then nothing can be learned from them.

 

There is no point in having tests that are hidden from the view of those who most need whatever information they provide.

 

Of course, the gag order also protects Pearson from public scrutiny and possible discovery of poorly written or inaccurate questions, like the Pineapple questions.

 

So who benefits from the gag order? Not the students.

Categories Common Core, New York, Pearson, Students, Testing

Superintendents: Slow Down CCSS Implementation

By dianeravitch
June 14, 2014 //
41

American Association of School Administrators say the Common Core must be slowed down.

“Dear Colleagues:

As we move forward in advocating on behalf of school superintendents, one of the hottest topics right now is the Common Core State Standards. I am pleased to share with you that AASA, The School Superintendents Association, released today a report on the implementation of Common Core and other new state standards.

This report follows a survey of superintendents nationwide which received more than 500 responses from 48 states. The report’s findings echoed the position AASA has taken on Common Core: we need to slow down to get it right. Given enough time and resources, districts and teachers will have the opportunity to implement the standards and aligned assessments in a way that bolsters student learning. AASA opposes the overreliance on standardized testing and the use of one test to assess both student learning and teacher effectiveness, especially so early in the implementation of the new standards.

The survey’s key findings included:

Superintendents overwhelmingly (92.5 percent) see the new standards as more rigorous than previous standards.
More than three quarters (78.3 percent) agree that the education community supports the standards, but that support drops to 51.4 percent among the general public.

Nearly three quarters of the respondents (73.3 percent) agree that the political debate has gotten in the way of the implementation of the new standards.

Nearly half (47 percent) say their input was never requested in the decision to adopt or develop new standards or in planning the implementation.

More than half (60.3 percent) of the respondents who had begun testing say they are facing problems with the tests.

Just under half (41.9 percent) say schools in their states are not ready to implement the online assessment, while 35.9 percent say they lack the infrastructure to support online assessments.

A superintendent from Connecticut said, “don’t fly the ship while you are building it. Students shouldn’t be stressed about testing on something they have never been taught. Teachers shouldn’t be evaluated on the success of student on the tests when they have not been teaching the breadth of the (Common Core State Standards).”

The results from the survey demonstrate that districts are working with limited resources to implement the new, more rigorous standards, despite technology deficits, a dearth of quality professional development materials for school personnel and a challenging national debate. These results reinforce the AASA position that the standards will be a positive change, if districts are given the necessary time and funding to properly implement the new standards and assessments.

To access a copy of the report, visit http://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/AASA_CCSS_Report.pdf. Thank you to all who participated.

Sincerely,

Dan Domenech

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Common Core

Williams and Kilfoyle: Why “Reformers” Today Are Not the Civil Rights Movement

By dianeravitch
June 12, 2014 //
23

Yohuru Wiliams and Marla Kilfoyle explain here why reformers today are not entitled to claim the legacy of the civil rights movement. Their essay was written to mark the 50th anniversary of what was known as Freedom Summer, when advocates for civil rights risked their lives to advance the cause of freedom and equality.

They begin their essay:

“One of the more disturbing narratives employed by corporate education reformers, who support both Teach for America and the Common Core, is the claim that they are cast in the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement—specifically in the use of education as a tool to challenge economic and political inequality. The larger claim of the Common Core defenders is that it will close the achievement gap. Their rhetoric is that CCSS will increase “rigor” and make children “college and career ready.” The idea that a set of standards can erase child poverty, systemic racism that continues to exist in our educational system, and squash the rise of classist privilege is beyond absurd. To do this in the name of Civil Rights is insulting. Have the CCSS really leveled the playing field? Are they really doing what the corporate reformers say they will do.”

Williams and Kilfoyle go on to describe significant differences between then and now. One that matters is that none of the contemporary “reformers” are risking their lives. They are making monetary contributions in hopes of raising test scores. They are advancing the privatization of public schools. They are seeking to strip teachers of their rights. It is impossible to confuse the current movement–funded by the richest people in the nation–with a movement for freedom and equality.

Categories Common Core, Corporate Reformers, Teach for America

Eric Cantor, Republican Champion of Charters, Defeated in Virginia

By dianeravitch
June 11, 2014 //
22

The report from politico.com on Eric Canto’s defeat:

“HOUSE LOSES ‘CHAMPION’ OF CHARTERS AND CHOICE: Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor – crusader for immigration reform, school choice and charter schools – lost his primary race to Randolph-Macon College professor Dave Brat in an astonishing upset Tuesday night. Spectators said some of Cantor’s pet education issues aren’t necessarily at risk. “I wouldn’t call it a blow, but it’s disappointing to lose a leader who has dedicated so much of his life to ensuring that students have access to additional options,” said Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Rees said that if Cantor ran as in independent, he could win because he has so many supporters. (Although others point out [ http://bit.ly/1kZnnqf%5D that Virginia law would only allow him to mount a write-in bid.) And Anne Hyslop, policy analyst at the New America Foundation, said it doesn’t mean House Republicans aren’t supportive of school choice anymore. “But with Cantor such a big champion of choice and charter bills, it might create a more difficult path for them going forward if it’s not as high a priority for the next person in that role,” she said. POLITICO’s James Hohmann has five takeaways from Cantor’s loss: http://politi.co/1xHwmR4

– “I’m hoping there will be others in Congress who look to try to fill Eric Cantor’s shoes on [school choice] because few others were talking about it as much as he was,” said Michael Brickman, national policy director at the Fordham Institute. It’s unclear if Republican leadership will continue Cantor’s enthusiasm, he said.

– On Common Core, Cantor hasn’t been so outspoken. But Brat’s tea party politics put him at odds with the standards. In an April interview with FreedomWorks, Brat said he was “absolutely opposed to Common Core and top down education.” [http://bit.ly/1s4hhbQ] Kate Tromble, director of legislative affairs at The Education Trust, said Cantor was able to find some cohesion between the tea party and other Republicans. But “I don’t see how there’s any control” with Cantor gone, she said. The tea party becomes “emboldened.”

– On immigration, Tromble said, “Cantor … wasn’t in any way championing comprehensive immigration reform. And the DREAM Act has been fairly uncontroversial. … It’s hard to see a path forward for anything rational on immigration reform.”

– Randolph-Macon College – a private, four-year college with about 1,300 students in Ashland, Va. – might get some attention through November. Brat heads the Department of Economics and Business. Democratic challenger Jack Trammell is an assistant professor of sociology and director of disability support services. “Randolph-Macon College is blessed to have remarkable faculty and staff members who are passionate about their students and about making significant contributions to our society,” President Robert Lindgren told Morning Education. “We are proud of both Dr. Brat and Dr. Trammell for their desire to serve our country and wish them both the best of luck in November.”

– According to RateMyProfessor.com, both Brat and Trammell earned peppers for hotness. (Yes, I went there.) http://politi.co/1l6GwAw

Categories Charter Schools, Common Core

Peter Greene Dissects the Florida Miracle: All Testing All the Time

By dianeravitch
June 11, 2014 //
22

Peter Greene here picks apart an article by Patricia Levesque defending the Common Core, testing, and accountability.

Who is Patricia Levesque? She is CEO of Jeb Bush’s organization called the Foundation for Educational Excellence. It is safe to assume that she speaks for Jeb Bush in celebrating the Flrida miracle, Common Core, and the immense value of standardized testing and accountability.

Levesque is critical of those who question the value of a one-shot standardized test or the value of holding teachers accountable for their students’ test scores.

This, he writes, is what he learned from Levesque:

“Student success depends on testing and accountability. Not teaching. Not learning. Not supportive homes. Not a supportive classroom environment. Not good pedagogical technique. Not a positive, nurturing relationship with a teacher. Just tests. Tests with big fat punishments attache to failure.

“Perhaps what we need is an all-test district. Every day students file in, receive their punishments for the previous test results, take a new test. I mean, if testing is the whole key to learning, the whole key to a successful life itself, then why are we wasting classroom time on anything else? Let’s just test, all day, every day. “

Categories Accountability, Bush, Jeb, Common Core, Florida, Standardized Testing

New York Times: Gates Foundation Calls for a Moratorium on High Stakes Attached to Common Core Tests

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2014 //
85

Now, as we all know, Bill Gates paid over $2 billion for the Common Core standards. They are supposed to be the linchpin of a coordinated system: standards, tests, teacher evaluations based on test scores, school closings, turnarounds, etc. but a funny thing happened on the way to the millennium. Parents and educators got angry. Some hated the tests. Some hated the standards. Some hated the federal takeover of their public schools. A few states said they would drop the standards.

The Gates Foundation decided the best way to calm the protests was to slow down the implementation. Here is the story in the New York Times.

This afternoon, on one of my rare outings while I recuperate from surgery, I was sitting in the car outside the fish market, when I got an email from reporter Motoko Rich of the Times. She asked what I thought of the moratorium. This is the last quote in the story:

“Some critics of the standards and testing said that a moratorium was not enough.

“If the sanctions and punishments tied to test scores are wrong now — promoting teaching to the test, narrowing the curriculum, cheating, and gaming the system — the sanctions and punishments will still be wrong two years from now,” Diane Ravitch, an education historian and critic of standardized testing in schools, wrote in an email. “The opposition to high-stakes testing will not go away.”

Categories Common Core, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Testing

Gates Foundation Wants to Delay High-Stakes for Common Core

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2014 //
37

Realcleareducation.com reports that the Gates Foundation favors a moratorium on the consequences of Common Core testing. Since the standards were bought and paid for by the Gates Foundation, it is only right that it should call the shots. Now we know who is in charge of American education. Perhaps the foundation hopes that a delay will defuse the growing movement against Common Core.

Realcleareducation writes:

“Good morning, it’s Tuesday June 10. This morning at RealClearEducation we have news, commentary, analysis, and reports from the education world. This morning Vicki Phillips, Director of Education, College Ready at the Gates Foundation, will call for delaying the attachment of any consequences to the new Common Core State Standards, bolstering the position of those calling for an accountability moratorium. Depending on your perspective that will help or hinder implementation of the new standards more than 40 states are adopting.”

Categories Common Core, Teacher Evaluations, Testing

In Kentucky: A School Without Standardized Tests

By dianeravitch
June 10, 2014 //
14

Kentucky was the first state to implement the Common Core standards, and the first state to test them. The state has another distinction: It is one of the few states that has no charter schools. Communities in Kentucky are committed to their community public schools–so far.

Kentucky has a school that is very different from most other public schools: this school has no standardized testing.

Bate Middle School in Danville, Kentucky, decided to ditch the tests and to adopt performance assessments. As they searched the nation looking for a successful, they discovered New York City’s Performance Standards Consortium, which has been thriving without standardized tests for years. Students are expected to create projects to demonstrate what they have learned. This is the model that Bate selected, and it is working well.

98% of the staff voted to approve the new test-free plan. But the legislature was divided:

“A bill to allow Danville to skip the state tests unanimously passed the House in April of this year but was shot down in the Senate. The state Department of Education says discussions to find alternatives are ongoing. Regardless of what happens, the district will still give the ACT and its practice tests in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades. (ACT scores are tied to scholarship money for public university students in Kentucky, and the nationally recognized test will help them benchmark student learning.)

“But the yearly grind of prepping for weeks for state tests is over for now. Swann says it’s making a big difference in what teachers do every day, especially in their ability to tailor instruction to each student’s needs and interests.”

Bate may have found a felicitous combination: the schools uses the Common Core standards, but not the Common Core tests.

Categories Common Core, Kentucky, Standardized Testing
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