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NAISON: Time for Commissioner King to Resign

By dianeravitch
October 14, 2013 //
21

When John King was booed at his first parent meeting, he got angry. He expected parents to listen to his wisdom, gleaned from his three years in a no-excuses charter school that is known for kicking out non-conforming students.

Most state superintendents understand that they are public servants, meaning they serve the public. John King thinks he was chosen to give orders to schools, teachers, principals, and superintendents. He confuses leading the State Education Department with leading a no-excuses charter school, where he can suspend or expel anyone who doesn’t follow his orders.

But the parents did not get the message. when he sternly lectured them about the glories of the Common Core and Common Core testing, the parents booed and jeered him.

He canceled all future meetings with parents so he can stay in Fortress Albany. There, his employees know how to take orders.

Mark NAISON, co-founder of the BATs, says King should resign. Now. He has made it clear that he doesn’t like children other than his own, and that he knows nothing about education, only testing.

Categories Common Core, New York, Testing

Carol Burris: Commissioner John King Has Lost All Moral Authority

By dianeravitch
October 13, 2013 //
18

In this post, award-winning Long Island principal Carol Burris catalogues the disasters associated with the New York State Department of Education.

The recent disastrous appearance of Commissioner John King in Poughkeepsie, where he first lectured the audience, and then was shocked when parents had opinions of their own, put his own lack of moral authority and lack of leadership skills on display.

The New York State Education Department’s educator evaluation system–that “plane built in mid-air”–is falling apart.

In Syracuse, not a single teacher in elementary and middle school was rated highly effective.

The State Education Department’s help line recently directed called to a sex line.

Small snafus are not surprising.

What is disheartening is that Commissioner John King repeatedly shows his contempt for teachers and parents.

Apparently he thinks he is the only person in the state of New York who has an opinion worth hearing.

He actually accused dissenting speakers in Poughkeepsie of being the tools of an unnamed “special interest” group, suggesting a degree of paranoia that was shocking.

King should practice listening. For a man so certain of his own righteousness, this will be hard, but it would be helpful to him if he ever hopes to gain the confidence of the people he works for: the people of New York state.

Categories Accountability, Administrators, superintendents, New York

Why John King Canceled All Future PTA Meetings: “Special Interests” Took Over

By dianeravitch
October 13, 2013 //
90

New York State Commissioner John King’s office issued a statement, explaining that the parents who booed and ridiculed him were being “manipulated” by “special interests.”

Who are these “special interests” that have the power to befuddle parents about what is in the best interest of their children?

Presumably, he meant the teachers’ union. Maybe he forgot that the AFT and NEA are big supporters of the Common Core.

So, dear reader, who or what are the “special interests” that “dominated” the discussion and caused parents to speak out against Commissioner King?

Does he think that parents are so easily manipulated? Does he think they admire the state for creating a Common Core test so long and so rigorous that most of their children failed?

Earth to John King: You have a real problem, and it was not created by “special interests.”

In the future, please explain who these “special interests” are, who is funding them, and exactly how they manage to manipulate the parents of New York state.

Please, sir, continue with your meetings. Next time, listen to the parents, don’t lecture them.

Try it.

 

Below is a statement from Commissioner John B. King, Jr.:

“I was looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with parents across the state.  I was eagerly anticipating answering questions from parents about the Common Core and other reforms we’re moving ahead with in New York State.  Unfortunately, the forums sponsored by the New York State PTA have been co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to “dominate” the questions and manipulate the forum.

“The disruptions caused by the special interests have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments.  Essentially, dialogue has been denied.

“In light of the clear intention of these special interest groups to continue to manipulate the forum, the PTA-sponsored events scheduled have been suspended.  My office will continue to work with PTA to find the appropriate opportunities to engage in a real, productive dialogue with parents about our students and their education.

“Parents don’t deserve to be dominated and manipulated.”

 

State education chief suspends LI Town Hall meeting

Published: October 12, 2013 10:48 PM
By JOAN GRALLA  joan.gralla@newsday.com

Photo credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan | Dr. John B. King, Jr., State education commissioner, speaks at an event at Hofstra University. (Feb. 2, 2012)

New York’s education commissioner said Saturday he had called off Long Island’s only Town Hall meeting on the Common Core curriculum and state testing after “special interests” hijacked the first such forum.

 

The meeting had been scheduled for Tuesday in Garden City and was sponsored by the state PTA.

 

Commissioner John B. King Jr. also put on hold the other three Town Hall meetings planned across the state, which for the first time would have let parents and teachers ask him about testing and the Common Core.

 

Hundreds of people attended a pair of at times adversarial and boisterous forums earlier this month — a debut Town Hall in Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley and an event in Whitesboro, near Utica.

 

King, in a statement, said he had been looking forward to speaking with parents.

 

“The disruptions caused by the ‘special interests’ have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments,” he said. “Essentially, dialogue has been denied.”

 

Dennis Tompkins, a King spokesman, declined to identify the special interests.

 

Carl Korn, the spokesman for New York State United Teachers, said, “Parents and teachers are not special interests.”

 

Noting that a recent Common Core forum in Buffalo was heavily attended, Korn said: “The fact that thousands of parents have shown up about testing in different corners of the state suggests a great deal of frustration that testing has come in front of instruction and the focus, the parents and teachers agree, should be on teaching and learning, not testing.”

 

King and the state PTA, which said the Poughkeepsie forum failed to “serve the intended purpose,” pledged to find other ways to allow parents to express their views.

 

Port Jefferson resident Ali Gordon, 41, a trustee on the Comsewogue Board of Education, criticized King, saying he was ducking a town hall she and “many, many others” planned to attend.

 

“It’s very disappointing to see the leader of our state Education Department essentially hide from parents and teachers who are so directly affected by the decisions that he makes and the rushed implementation of the Common Core in New York State,” she said.

 

National and state education leaders predict the phase-in of Common Core standards will enhance quality of classroom lessons by encouraging deeper analysis. But many parents and students say the state’s increased emphasis on testing has meant more classroom time devoted to filling in bubble sheets and other test drills.

 

The Education Department released data Aug. 7 showing that more than 60 percent of students in grades 3-8 in Nassau and Suffolk scored below proficiency on the tests, nearly double from the previous year.

Categories Accountability, New York

Anthony Cody Explains Why New York Parents Booed Commissioner John King

By dianeravitch
October 12, 2013 //
51

Few people have been more enthusiastic about the Common Core as StateCommissioner John King.

King brooks no dissent.

When he held the first of his meetings with PTAs in upstate New York, he lectured for over an hour, then encountered a hostile reception from parents.

Why?

Read Anthony Cody’s account and watch the videos.

John King has canceled all other scheduled PTA meetings.

The public is not buying what he is selling.

Here is another video from the same meeting.

Mr. King forgets that parents know more and care more about their children than he does.

Categories Common Core, New York

Parents Boo NY Commissioner John King and Boo the Common Core Too

By dianeravitch
October 12, 2013 //
78

New York Commissioner John King thought it would be a good idea to hold a series of town halls with parent groups around the state.

No doubt he expected to be showered with praise for his leadership in quickly implementing the Common Core.

He was in for a big surprise. He was met with outrage by parents who do not like the Common Core, hate the testing, and despise the State Education Department for imposing it on their children and teachers.

The parents booed and jeered. They ridiculed everything the commissioner said.

Anthony Cody has some of the video here; parents have sent me many more. They all show the same spectacle: the state commissioner as the object of angry parents.

Commissioner King has canceled all future public meetings with parent associations.

Did he learn anything? Will he reconsider the course that the state has embarked upon?

Don’t count on it.

The authoritarian mindset is impervious to change.

Lesson: in a democratic society, there are no shortcuts to the democratic process. This is supposed to be a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Bill Gates and Arne Duncan do not own our minds or our children. They are not for sale. The public will be heard.

Categories Common Core, New York, Parents

A Parent Writes New York Commissioner John King

By dianeravitch
October 9, 2013 //
20

This just arrived as a comment on the blog:

 

Not only have I opted out my child, but I sent back her scores with the following letter to John King:
October 1, 2013

Dr. John King
Commissioner of Education
89 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12234

Dear Dr. King,

Enclosed please find my daughter’s recent ELA and Math NYS scores. I am returning them to you because they are invalid. The scores on these tests are invalid for a multitude of reasons, including poor test construction, cut scores that were not developed until after the tests were administered, lack of oversight and transparency in the construction of the tests and the scoring process, and most importantly, they are not reflective of my daughter’s aptitude or knowledge.

In my opinion, you should be ashamed of yourself for submitting New York State’s students and dedicated teachers to this farce. These tests are a sham.

I refuse to accept that my daughter, who was on the honor roll for the entire year last year and received awards at her school for outstanding effort and academic achievement, is suddenly in need of AIS and considered as performing below proficiency as a result of a faulty test. I also refuse to believe that her teachers did not properly educate her last year or prepare her to progress to the next grade level.

Your education policies are abysmal. Common Core is nothing more than a way to channel much needed money away from Public Education into the pockets of Big Business. Your tests are an affront to hard-working and dedicated teachers and a blatant attempt to privatize education.

You may keep your scores. They mean nothing to my daughter or myself.

(Western NY Parent)

Categories Accountability, New York, Parents, Testing

When Testing Becomes “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”

By dianeravitch
October 9, 2013 //
52

A principal in New York told me the following story. He is
reliable. This is a true story.

He wrote to tell me that the state is requiring a student with Down syndrome to take the state’s new
Common Core test. It is an “alternative” test but just as “hard” as the regular test. She is almost certain to fail. Only 5% of students with disabilities passed the Common Core tests.

Then he told me an even more horrifying story. A child in his school has a rare
genetic disease that is fatal. His parents learned about it last
year, when he was in third grade. He has gone blind and deaf. He
has only months to live. The state demands documentation to excuse
him from state testing. The other children in the school are kind
to him. They hold his hand to help him maneuver the hallways.

The state is not kind. The state is cruel. The state loves testing, not
children. Is there even a touch of human kindness at he State
Education Department in Albany? Or are they blind, deaf, and
heartless as well? .

Categories New York, Special Education, Testing

Mother: My Son Is Not a Test Score

By dianeravitch
October 9, 2013 //
35

I received an anguished letter from a mother of a child with autism. She here describes–very movingly–her efforts to help him and the efforts of his teachers to help him. And when she reaches the point where he is assessed by New York’s new Common Core tests, she is in a rage. The New York State Education Department says he is a failure. She knows he is not. She knows how hard he has worked to achieve and learn. She knows how hard his teachers have worked on his behalf. My child, she says, is not a test score.

Every parent, teacher, and administrator should read her letter. So should Commissioner John King. And so should the members of the Board of Regents. See your handiwork. See what you have done.

Here is her letter:

Friday, October 04, 2013  

My son is not the ELA or Math score, so why does NYS assess him and his teachers on this? WHY?

Let me start with this- I am not a teacher. I am a true single mom of a child with High Functioning Autism.

 
The Backstory

My son was diagnosed with Autism at 22 months and was lagging greatly in his developmental growth across the board. Right after he was diagnosed he started receiving services at home. Several months later I brought him back to the Developmental Pediatric Doctor and it was clear and recommended he start full time early invention. So he was registered at a school that specialized in educating kids with Autism. And starting at age 3, from 9am – 3pm, 5 days a week for a year and a half, including summers, my son attended Crossroads. It was a 45 minute van/bus ride and bless his little heart, no naps and no free play were allowed. Work. Work. Work. He worked his behind off. He made leaps and bounds. At age 4 1/2, I put him in a mainstreamed preschool that was closer to home and that following September, at age 5, he started Kindergarten in a mainstreamed public classroom. He still received his services daily and at that point his diagnosis was changed to High Functioning Autism. He made it to 1st. He made it to 2nd.

2012-2013 School Year

Last year, in 3rd grade, he took the state exams for the first time, the NEW CCSS exams. His IEP states he is allowed time and half for all tests, including the NYS Exams. That means if a child is permitted 70 minutes, my son gets 105 minutes (70 + 35). When all of this test taking was happening last year, to be honest, he didn’t feel or realize the pressure that many of his friends felt; simply put “he just didn’t get it.” Right now he doesn’t have it in him to see the big picture; I know he will at some point. He believed it was just a test, a test where he sat down and was allowed to chew gum. And back then, only 7 months ago, it was “fine”. He was fine. I was fine. Why was it fine then and not now? Because I wasn’t educated about this and quite honestly there was a more pressing issue going on at his school in regards to the leadership, which has since been resolved. 

 

2013-2014 School Year

Currently he is in 4th grade. These past few weeks I have taken a great interest in the CCSS for NYS and am very concerned about how developmentally inappropriate the curriculum is. It seems that the CCSS program is a level or even levels, above those that are seen as developmentally “normal.” What is MORE concerning is how this CCSS is going to impact MY child, with Autism which is a developmental disability. So much so, that I scheduled an appointment with the school’s Assistant Principal, to discuss NYS testing and refusing them for my son. It doesn’t FEEL right. It isn’t right!  I am not a doctor. I don’t have the stats or a PHD to back me up, so lucky for me, this is not a scientific paper. I am a mom. I am a mom who has been reading about CCSS, looking over sample math problems and ELA reading passages and it scares me, for my son. I have felt hopeless about this for the past few days. My son is smart. He works hard to stay on task and up to speed with his schoolwork and his peers. And he does it! He really does it. Granted, his IEP has accommodations and modifications that allow him the opportunity to do the same work and feel successful alongside his classmates. Granted, he has a Special Ed Teacher that pushes in and works with him daily for Math and ELA. He works with a Speech and Language Therapist that helps him figure out the non-literal language and non-verbal cues. He works with an OT to help him with his handwriting, and all types of visual/spacial planning. And finally he sees the school Psychologist twice a month to help him with peer interaction. He is well liked. He is kind. He is social. He works hard. He is respectful. And he just needs a little help along with way.  What comes naturally to many others, it tough work for my son. There is no secret about it. I talk openly about this. It is what it is. There is no shame. We are ALL different in our own unique ways. 

Today 10/04/13

I received the NYS ELA and Math scores and even knowing everything I know about my son, I cried (the running joke is I always cry when it comes to him, and I do.) I cried because printed out before me on two sheets of double sided paper, was, at that point, MY son, who NYSED broke down into 5 categories.  

For the ELA:

·         Reading

·         Writing

 
For Math:

·         Operations and Algebraic Thinking

·         Numbers and operations– Fractions

·         Measurement and Data

I was kindly provided with the points my child earned in one column. Directly next to that column was a column labeled “number of possible points” and next to that one, the “state average.” As you can imagine, having a developmental disability, his “earned” points were low, well below the “number of possible points” and below the average.

According to NYS my son “performing at this level are well below proficient in standards for their grade. They demonstrate limited knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics that are considered insufficient for the expectations at this grade.”

 

The Aftermath

I let the fury get the best of me. Like I said, my eyes welled up with tears out of anger and frustration. You diminished my child to these 5 categories and to simplify the wording you chose, deemed him “too stupid to be in the grade level he currently is in.” Screw you CCSS and all the people that came up with this crap program. Screw you for its horrible implementation. Screw you for not considering the kids who are not on the right side of the bell curve. Screw you for not thinking about the kids who are developmentally delayed. Screw you for not thinking about the kids that aren’t developmentally delayed, but just don’t test so well. Screw you for putting pressures on the teachers. Screw you for allowing the kids to feel this pressure; it is bound to impact them. Screw you for allowing this chaos to spill over into homes and mess with our emotions, both child and parent. Screw you for APPR and evaluating my sons General Education teacher AND Special Education teacher on his test scores. Screw you for creating a problem in which our kids are the ragdolls and in which big businesses will be allowed to profit. I’m not a conspiracy theorist; I just call it like I see it. I am done with this. I’m not political. I’m for the kids, I am for the teachers and most importantly I am for my son.

I am still learning about CCSS and I don’t claim to know it all, as some do, but what I do know is this, he is not his score and neither are his teachers! I don’t care what he received on these tests, I never did and I told him the same. What I do care about and what I would hope you would too is what you can’t measure on these tests. The light in his eyes when he finally tackles a problem, be it Math or ELA, which he has been struggling to get and because of the help of his teachers he succeeds. The heart his Special Ed teacher has given to him for the past 2 years and what is now their 3rd year together. The hard work my son demonstrates at the dining room table, studying spelling. The joy we ALL feel because he has stood up for someone who was being bullied, thanks to the peer interaction help by the School Psychologist. The time when he conquered his fear of heights, outside of school on a Saturday, using tools he learned in school, from whom? Yes, from his teachers! I realize carrying the diagnosis of Autism is not the norm for most; however were children, like my son, in mind when CCSS was implemented? Because is sure doesn’t seem like it. 

I will say this one more time. My son, Liam, is not, your NYSED test score. He is a 9 year old boy, who works hard in all aspects of school, in the classroom and with his therapists. He receives tremendous support and kindness and life lessons from his teachers and therapists. He will be successful because of them, not because of this test. How do you evaluate that? That is my million dollar question.

Categories Common Core, New York, Special Education, Testing

A Comment from Western New York: Yes, the Tide Is Turning

By dianeravitch
October 7, 2013 //
28

Protests are gathering steam against high-stakes testing. Parents, students, and educators are organizing to fight the data-driven mechanistic view of schooling that is ruining education.

Politicians follow, they don’t lead. Most have no idea of the damage done by NCLB and Race to the Top. They think that “reform” is positive. They don’t know that the language has been distorted to hide the barrage of damaging policies now harming our community public schools and hurting children.

When our grassroots movement grows large enough, they will hear us. And they will rush to get in front of the parade.

This reader wrote:

“You are not overly optimistic Diane. The ground IS shifting, the tide turning! Western New York students are opting out of tests already this year. Like many other students, my kids are refusing any test used to evaluate a teacher. This is our way of protesting current education “reform.” But this battle will be won with everyone using their voice, and showing opposition, in their own way. The Partnership for Smarter Schools does not promote opting out or public protest. They are committed to bringing about real, common sense reform through legislation. They are playing an important role in the fight against the use of standardized, high stakes assessments.”

Categories Corporate Reformers, New York

Common Core Tests in NY Spur Opt Out Movement

By dianeravitch
October 7, 2013 //
62

The most amazing thing is happening. The Common Core tests were made so “rigorous” that most students were expected to fail, and they did. Less than a third across the state “passed” the tests because the passing mark was set very high and the content of the test was so challenging that many students couldn’t finish the test.

But parents didn’t get angry at their children’s school or their children’s teachers. They got angry at the New York State Education Department, which set the cut scores or passing marks. They got angry at Pearson, which constructed the tests.

And as a result, the opt out movement is growing by leaps and bounds. Parents are outraged, especially in the suburbs, where the local schools are an integral part of the community. Suburban parents know that their children are not “failures,” and they reject the labels that the state put on them.

And the movement to boycott the tests next spring is growing.

Even in Buffalo, not a leafy suburb by any means, the local community is furious. A few days ago, an amazing 2,500 people turned out to protest the tests. The audience included parents, teachers, administrators, and scholars from local universities. It was not just parents from Buffalo, but also suburban parents. They joined in common cause.

Here is a quote from the article about the event:

Reform of high-stakes testing for schoolchildren, a groundswell movement of lawn signs and small-scale protests, became an earthquake Wednesdayevening.

The Summit for Smarter Schools, organized by a group called the Partnership for Smarter Schools and hosted by State Sen. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo; Assemblyman Sean Ryan, D-Buffalo; and State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, filled Kleinhans Music Hall with more than 2,500 parents, teachers and school administrators.

Cheers erupted as Kennedy and Ryan called out the names of districts represented in the audience. It sounded like a school closing list in the middle of a blizzard, encompassing schools from Barker to Allegany-Limestone, with a couple from the Rochester area thrown in for good measure.

“We’ve had a lot of quote-unquote educational reform in the past decades aimed at poor schools in the cities,” Ryan said before the session started, “but now all schools are feeling the pain, regardless of their previous performance. This is why you see a lot of suburban parents here tonight. They’re all being treated poorly. They’re mad about these tests.”

The stage, decorated with a banner that read, “Get Testing Right,” looked like a Western New York State Legislature roll call. In addition to the hosts, there were Assembly Members Ray Walter, R-East Amherst; John Ceretto, R-Lewiston; Michael Kearns, D-Buffalo; and Jane Corwin, R-Clarence. State Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, was in the front row of the audience.

After the introduction by Kennedy, Ryan and Amherst principal Mike Cornell, a succession of speakers laid out the case against standardized testing in a series of 12-minute speeches that were followed by standing ovations.

West Seneca School Superintendent Mark Crawford charged that the tests fail to provide a diagnosis of student strengths and weaknesses.

“They only create a lot of anxiety for students and parents and teachers,” he said. “Why do we want to bunch children into groups of 1, 2, 3 or 4?”

Tonawanda Principal John McKenna argued that testing doesn’t take into account differences among students and communities, a point illustrated by Naomi Cerre, principal of Buffalo’s Lafayette High School, who talked about the difficulties of getting resources to work with and test students from 30 nations who speak 45 different languages.

Jaekyung Lee, dean of the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education, gave a PowerPoint outline that showed how high-stakes testing does little to improve student performances and how high-achieving nations like Japan and Korea are de-emphasizing testing and encouraging creative thinking.

Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I feel the ground shifting. I feel the tide turning. I feel the beginning of a grassroots rebellion that will sweep away the bad ideas that are ruining the lives of children, teachers, principals, and communities.

Get ready, friends. The Common Core testing may be the death knell for corporate reform.

Categories Common Core, New York, Testing
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