Archives for category: Florida
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Marco Rubio Opposes Common Core, Breaks with Jeb Bush

By dianeravitch
July 27, 2013 //
25

The biggest fight over the Common Core is within conservative ranks.

On one side, supporting Common Core, is Jeb Bush, Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, and big business (last February, 72 major corporations put out a full-page ad supporting the Common Core as necessary for the future of our economy).

On the other is Tea Party activists and other small-government conservatives who worry about federal control of education.

Jeb Bush is clearly the heaviest hitter pushing for Common Core.  When ALEC was about to come out against Common Core, Jeb persuaded them to stay neutral.

Now Senator Marco Rubio, one of Jeb’s closest allies, has come out against the Common Core.

We will watch and see how all this shakes out over time.

Clearly, Rubio sees some political advantage in attacking Common Core, even though his patron is its biggest promoter.

 

Categories Common Core, Florida

A Florida Parent Listens to Ben Austin About Parent Revolution

By dianeravitch
July 27, 2013 //
27

This is a hilarious description of a conference call in which Ben Austin of Parent Revolution joined with Congressman George Miller of California to discuss the value of parents seizing control of their schools.

Rita Solnet, the Florida parent activist who joined the conference call, quickly learned that parents were not allowed to ask questions, only journalists.

She heard Ben Austin claim that his organization, funded by the Gates Foundation, the Walton Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, is not only “grassroots,” but that it was vastly outspent by its opponents. Austin said they (the Parent Associations of Florida) have $8 billion (!) to spend, but he didn’t say where that $8 billion came from.

She heard him say that the Florida parent groups had more lobbyists than his allies in the charter industry. She counted 122 paid lobbyists working for the charter industry.

She heard George Miller decry the terrible status quo, but recalled that he has been writing the nation’s education policy for years. George Miller IS the status quo. In fact, George Miller was one of the architects of No Child Left Behind, and still defends it. Miller is a hero to Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ organization. DFER raises money for politicians who agree to support charters, and DFER has raised large sums for Miller.

This is a conversation you should read about.

Categories Charter Schools, Florida, Parent trigger

Principal: “Who Is Going to Help the Children of Florida?”

By dianeravitch
July 26, 2013 //
21

A principal writes about the sharp drop in school grades, caused by a change (again) in the grading system by the state:

“As a principal of a school in Florida who ‘fell’ from a B to a C, despite all the news press of the lack of reliability in the change in grades, our parents will still think our school is ‘getting worse’. In reality, our scores are the same or better than last year. Trying to explain this to parents and ensure their confidence in our school and teachers isn’t shaken is a difficult task.

“Jeb! and his cronies have done an outstanding job of convincing Florida parents that Florida’s public schools are bad and constantly getting worse, even while he tours the country bragging about how he improved the schools in Florida. The damage that has been done by another change in the formula resulting in lower grades will impact educators and students both. Imagine how children feel when they learn their school did worse? These test scores belong to children, children who are being told loud and clear that they are failures as well as their school. I would love for Jeb! to explain his grading formula to a third grade child who now has to repeat third grade because Jeb! and his foundation decided it was time to ‘raise the standards’ once again. How can the FCAT be called a criterion based test when the criteria constantly change for no other reason than we have too many A schools? Can’t have folks believing public schools might actually be doing a good job, you know.

“Frankly, I am very grateful I am close to retirement because the sadness I feel about our Florida public school system is becoming too great to bear. Of course retiring will help me, but who is going to help the children of Florida?”

Categories Bush, Jeb, Florida

End of Jeb Bush Miracle? Florida Grades Collapse

By dianeravitch
July 26, 2013 //
14

Jeb Bush has toured the country boasting of the Florida miracle. Central to the miracle is the letter grades for schools. But the state just reported that the proportion of A-rated schools fell from 48% to 29%.

Is the Jeb miracle over?

The schools didn’t suddenly get worse. The grading system is arbitrary, capricious, and meaningless.

As Fairtest points out, the state has changed the formula at least 30 times.

Here is the Fairtest view:

FairTest
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
for further information:
Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773
cell (239) 699-0468
for immediate release, Friday, July 26, 2013
FLORIDA SCHOOL GRADES ARE “WORSE THAN USELESS;”
ASSESSMENT EXPERT CALLS THEM “EXTREMELY MISLEADING,”
“PHONY LABELS FROM BY A POLITICALLY MANIPULATED BLACK BOX,”
AND “A CLASSIC CASE OF GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT”

Florida school grades released today are “worse than useless measures of educational quality,” according to a local expert on assessment. Bob Schaeffer, Pubic Education Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), explained, “Based largely on scores from the low quality FCAT exam, state officials change the grading formula each year to serve their political agendas.”

The result, Schaeffer said is that “Florida’s school grades are extremely misleading. Phony labels from a politically manipulated black box do nothing to improve educational quality. It’s time for Florida to end this cynical, failed experiment in bogus accountability.”

Schaeffer noted that the state admits to having made more than 30 changes to its school rating system since 2011. “This is a classic case of garbage in, garbage out. The standards for letter grades are not even consistent from one year to the next.”

Founded in 1985 by leaders of major education, civil rights and student groups, FairTest is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Schaeffer has lived in southwest Florida for 14 years while continuing to work for the organization.

Categories Bush, Jeb, Florida, Testing

Weston: Why Grading Schools Is a Fraud

By dianeravitch
July 20, 2013 //
31

Michael Weston, a teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida, explains here why giving letter grades to schools is a phony and a fraud that does nothing to improve education. It may be former Governor Jeb Bush’s proudest accomplishment and the linchpin of the “Florida miracle,” but it is still utterly worthless.

Weston, who is running for school board (and who was recently fired for being outspoken) writes:

“School grading does not improve schools. More important; school grading does not improve students. School grading does not promote “accountability.” What is accountability anyway? It is pressure. It is punishment. It is retribution. Taking a pound of flesh from Sligh Middle School will not improve the learning experience of its student body. School grading is an expensive, degrading, discriminatory practice that does not advance the cause of education. Our students, schools, and teachers have become footballs in a game of political righteousness.

“Students fail. This is the elephant in the room and it is not going away. We need to attack the root causes. We must change the conversation, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.”

Categories Accountability, Education Industry, Florida, Testing

The Negative Effects of Holding Kids Back in Third Grade

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2013 //
34

Jeb Bush goes across the nation boasting of the “Florida Miracle.” It consists of tough test-based accountability, charters, vouchers, and online charters, with plenty of profits to spur innovation.

Remember the much-acclaimed Texas miracle?

Here is a paper by Umut Ozek, a researcher at the American Institutes for Research, which debunks the value of holding back third-grade students, one of the key elements of the Florida “miracle.” It does raise fourth grade test scores when you keep the laggards out of the testing pool, but it has some awful consequences for the children.

Ozek writes:

“Test-based accountability has become the new norm in public education over the last decade. In many states and school districts nationwide, student performance in standardized tests plays an important role in high- stakes decisions such as grade retention. This study examines the effects of grade retention on student misbehavior in Florida, which requires students with reading skills below grade level to be retained in the 3rd grade. The regression discontinuity estimates suggest that grade retention increases the likelihood of disciplinary incidents and suspensions in the years that follow. The findings also suggest that these adverse effects are concentrated among economically disadvantaged students.”

Categories Accountability, Florida

FAIRTEST: Florida Grading System Is a Scam

By dianeravitch
July 16, 2013 //
11

A statement today from FAIRTEST:

National Center for Fair & Open Testing
for further information:

Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773
cell (239) 699-0468

for immediate release, Tuesday, July 16, 2013

FLORIDA SCHOOL GRADES ARE “POLITICALLY MANIPULATED SCAM”
ASSESSMENT REFORM LEADER CALLS FOR END OF
“FAILED EXPERIMENT IN BOGUS ACCOUNTABILITY”

Today’s Board of Education vote to again change the state’s school rating system demonstrates that “Florida’s test-driven school grading system is a politically manipulated scam,” according to a national assessment reform leader. Bob Schaeffer, Pubic Education Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), explained, “When the votes of seven political appointees can instantly transform a ‘C’ school into one rated ‘B,’ it’s easy to see that the grades have no real meaning.”
Schaeffer noted that the state admits to having made more than 30 changes to its school rating system in just the past two years. He concluded, “The standards for letter grades are not even consistent from one year to the next, let alone educationally useful. It’s time for Florida to end this cynical, failed experiment in bogus accountability.”
Founded in 1985 by leaders of major education reform, civil rights and student groups, FairTest is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Schaeffer has lived in southwest Florida for 14 years while continuing to work for the organization.
– – 3 0 – –

Categories Florida, Testing

Andy Borowitz on the Next Big Idea in Florida

By dianeravitch
July 15, 2013 //
19

Andy Borowitz at his best today.

He has figured out what ALEC really wants in Florida and everywhere else.

Categories Florida, Humor

Tony Bennett’s Excessive Devotion to Common Core and PARCC

By dianeravitch
July 6, 2013 //
12

At a time when many states are taking a second look at the demands of the Common Core and the associated testing, Florida’s Tony Bennett has become even more zealous as a cheerleader for both.

Coach Bob Sikes wonder where his priorities lie: with the needs of Florida or the demands of the Common Core and PARCC.

Oklahoma just announced it was dropping out of PARCC because it cost too much and the state just experienced massive computer glitches in state testing.

Bennett doesn’t care.

Is this about Bennett’s allegiance to Jeb Bush?

Categories Common Core, Florida

$$$$$$$: the Outrageous Story of Pitbull’s Charters

By dianeravitch
July 1, 2013 //
17

Hold on to your hat, sit down, then open this link, a bombshell post by Jersey Jazzman.

You will learn why Pitbull is a keynote speaker at the National Charter Schools Conference. It is not because he is a rapper who insults women.

You will learn that he and his family have perfected the art of using charters to become very rich.

You will learn about the sleazy deals that he and his family made with local politicians. You will learn that his family has built a multi-million dollar real estate empire with public money.

You will learn about Pitbull’s connection to Academica, South Florida’s largest and richest for-profit charter chain.

You will see how politicians profit, entrepreneurs profit, all on the public dime. Did I say “dime”? Sorry. Much more at stake here.

Should this man be honored or investigated? Jersey Jazzman reports, you decide.

Categories Charter Schools, Florida, For-Profit
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