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New York City’s Leading Private Schools Drop Entry Test

By dianeravitch
September 20, 2013 //
11

For many years, young children applying to enter elite private schools in New York City had to take the ERB, which was supposed to be like an SAT for toddlers.

Now these schools have decided to drop the ERB as an admission test because of the pervasiveness of test prep. According to a story in today’s New York Times:

Next year, the test, commonly known as the E.R.B., is likely to be dropped as an entry requirement by most of the schools. A group representing the schools announced this week that, because of concerns that the popularity of test-preparation programs and coaching had rendered its results meaningless, it would no longer recommend that its members use the test.

“It creates a lot of anxiety in families and kids that is unnecessary,” said Patricia Hayot, the head of Chapin School, who leads the group, the Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York. “We’re being brave. We’re trying to explore a new way.”

The decision quickly upended the frenzied arena of private school admissions. The association represents 130 private and independent schools, including some of the city’s most respected institutions: The Dalton School, Riverdale Country School and Packer Collegiate Institute, among others.

Now it is time for colleges and universities to drop the SAT as an entry requirements. Tutoring for the SAT is pervasive and very expensive. In New York City, the “best” tutors earn as much as $700 an hour. Getting prepped for the SAT is a very expensive proposition.

Consequently, SAT scores reflect family income even more than they had in the past. All standardized tests are reflections of socioeconomic status. Now the effects of family income are exaggerated by the families’ ability to pay for private tutoring.

When I took the SAT many years ago, the College Board insisted that coaching had no effect on the scores. Then they changed their story and admitted that coaching can raise scores. Then the money race was on. And the SAT scores heavily favor the rich.

Categories Testing

Is the Bridgeport Election the Beginning of the End for Corporate Reform?

By dianeravitch
September 19, 2013 //
57

[Forgive the posting of the headline with no text. I am at NY1, our local all-news station. No sooner did I put in the headline when I was called in to be interviewed by Sam Roberts of the New York Times. I closed my iPad, and the blank post flew into cyberspace. ]

The Atlantic has a comprehensive article about the education wars in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Democratic machine was shocked by the victory of the insurgent slate, which made clear that they are not fans of Paul Vallas. Of course, there is a fascinating backstory, and the article represents it fairly.

Most fascinating is that the article speculates that the Bridgeport election may indicate that the tide is turning against the corporate style of testing-accountability-privatization-teacher-bashing. Not just in Bridgeport. The public is catching on.

When the public catches on and demands change, the politicians follow.

With the election of Bill de Blasio in New York City, the discrediting of the grading system in Indiana, the resignation of Tony Bennett, the defeat of the deceptive parent trigger in Florida twice by Florida parents, the voter rejection of vouchers last fall in Florida, the indictment of the biggest virtual charter operator in Pennsylvania, the rejection of the Luna laws in Idaho……drip, drip, drip, drip.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Testing

FAIRTEST: Pearson’s History of Test Foul Ups

By dianeravitch
September 19, 2013 //
29

FAIRTEST has warned about the misuse of standardized testing for
years. As an organization, it serves an invaluable purpose and
exists on a shoe string. It should be funded by Gates, Broad, and
Walton. Instead it is funded by you. Here is FAIRTEST’s chronology
of Pearson’s testing errors over the years.

PEARSON’S HISTORY OF TESTING
PROBLEMS

compiled by Bob Schaeffer, Public
Education Director

FairTest: National Center for Fair
& Open Testing

Update August 14,
2013

1998
California – test score delivery
delayed 1999-2000


Arizona – 12,000 tests misgraded due to flawed
answer key 2000


Florida – test score delivery delayed resulting
in $4 million fine 2000


Minnesota – misgraded 45,739 graduation tests
leads to lawsuit with $11 million settlement – judge found “years
of quality control problems” and a “culture emphasizing
profitability and cost-cutting.”http://www.news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/25_pugmiret_testsettle/ 

FairTest consulted with plaintiffs’ attorneys)

2000 Washington
– 204,000 writing WASL exams rescored
2002 Florida — dozens of
school districts received no state grades for their 2002 scores
because of a “programming error” at the DOE. One Montessori school
never received scores because NCS Pearson claimed not to have
received the tests.


2005 Michigan — scores delayed and
fines levied per contract


2005 Virginia — computerized test
misgraded – five students awarded $5,000 scholarships http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_8014/is_20051015/ai_n41291590/
2005-2006 SAT college
admissions test – 4400 tests wrongly scored; $3 million
settlement after lawsuit (note FairTest was an expert witness for
plaintiffs)

2008
South Carolina –“Scoring Error Delays School
Report Cards” The State, November 14, 2008
2008-2009 Arkansas —
first graders forced to retake exam because real test used for
practice 2009-2010
Wyoming – Pearson’s new computer adaptive PAWS
flops; state declares company in “complete default of the
contract;” $5.1 million fine accepted after negotiations but not
pursued by state governor http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_d7fae426-7358-5000-a86b-aefcae258a2a.html
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_263ceb44-833a-11e0-911d-001cc4c002e0.html

2010 Florida –
test score delivery delayed by more than a month – nearly $15
million in fines imposed and paid. School superintendents still
question score accuracy —
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/florida-hits-fcat-contractor-pearson-with-another-12-million-in-penalties/1110688

2010 Minnesota
–– results from online science tests taken by 180,000
students delayed due to scoring error http://www.twincities.com/ci_15533234?nclick_check=1#

2011 Florida –
some writing exams delivered to districts without cover sheets,
revealing subject students would be asked to write about http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/testing/testmaker-pearson-replaces-faulty-fcats-missing-cover-sheets/1153508

2011 Florida –
new computerized algebra end-of-course exam delivery system crashes
on first day of administration http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-17/features/os-algebra-test-pearson-problems-20110517_1_tests-algebra-high-schools

2011 Oklahoma –
“data quality issues” cause “unacceptable” delay in score delivery
— http://newsok.com/errors-in-testing-data-hold-up-results-for-oklahoma-districts-students/article/3597297
Pearson ultimately replaced by CTB/McGraw Hill
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20120714_19_A1_Afters391504

2011 Guam –
score release delayed because results based on flawed
comparison data; government seeks reimbursement — http://www.guampdn.com/article/20111021/NEWS01/110210303

2011 Iowa –
State Ethics and Campaign Finance Disclosure Board opens
investigation of Iowa Education Department director Jason Glass for
participating in all-expenses-paid trip to Brazil sponsored by
Pearson Foundation — http://news.yahoo.com/formal-complaint-against-iowa-education-chief-190455698.html

2011 New York –
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman subpoenas financial records from
Pearson Education and Pearson Foundation concerning their
sponsorship of global junkets for dozens of state education leaders
— http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/education/new-york-attorney-general-is-investigating-pearson-education.html

2011 Wyoming –
Board of Education replaces Pearson as state’s test vendor after
widespread technical problems with online exam
(http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/state-education-officials-choose-new-paws-vendor/article_6ba18e9f-858c-5846-8274-db31c13494c1.html)

2012 New York –
“Pineapple and the Hare” nonsense test question removed from exams
after bloggers demonstrate that it was previously administered in
at least half a dozen other states – http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/nyregion/standardized-testing-is-blamed-for-question-about-a-sleeveless-pineapple.html

2012 New York –
More than two dozen additional errors found in New York State tests
developed by Pearson — http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304203604577394492500145150.html

2012 Florida –
After percentage of fourth grades found “proficient” plunges from
81% to 27% in one year, state Board of Education emergency meeting
“fixes” scores on FCAT Writing Test by changing definition of
proficiency. http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Passing-score-lowered-for-FCAT-Writing-exam/-/1637132/13396234/-/k1ckc2z/-/index.html

2012 Virginia –
Error on computerized 3rd and
6th grade SOL tests causes state to offer
free retakes. http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Error_on_SOL_Reading_Test_Gives_Students_Option_to_Retake_154191285.html

2012 New York –
Parents have their children boycott “field test” of new exam
questions because of concerns about Pearson’s process http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=322122

2012 Oklahoma –
After major test delivery delays, state replaces Pearson
as its testing contractor http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=19&articleid=20120714_19_A1_Afters391504

2012 New York –
More than 7,000 New York City elementary and middle school students
wrongly blocked from graduation by inaccurate “preliminary scores”
on Pearson tests http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ed_blunder_mad_grads_JI2z8N6tA6Td0FGiwYSraP

2012 New York –
State officials warn Pearson about potential fines if tests have
more errors http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/fines-bad-questions-state-tests-article-1.1187220

2012
Mississippi – Pearson pays $623,000 for scoring
error repeated over four years that blocked graduation for five
students and wrongly lowered scores for 121 others http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121025/NEWS01/310240052/Pearson-North-America-scoring-error-prevented-5-Mississippi-students-from-graduating-affected-121-others

2012 Texas –
Pearson computer failure blocks thousands of students from taking
state-mandated exam by displaying error message at log on http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local-education/computer-glitch-prevents-some-texas-students-from-/nTMCP/
2013 New York –
Passages from Pearson textbooks appear in Pearson-designed
statewide test, giving unfair advantage to students who used those
materials http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/practice-material-found-upstate-exams-article-1.1321448

2013 New York –
Pearson makes three test scoring mistakes blocking nearly 5,000
students from gifted-and-talented program eligibility http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/20/education/score-corrections-qualify-nearly-2700-more-pupils-for-gifted-programs.html

2013 Worldwide
– Pearson VUE testing centers around the globe experience major
technical problems, leaving thousands unable to take scheduled
exams or register for new ones http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/04/26/pearson-vue-test-centers-experience-major-problems

2013 New York –
Second error found in New York City gifted-and-talented test
scoring makes 300 more students eligible for special programs http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/education/new-error-found-in-test-scoring-for-gifted-programs.html

2013 England, Wales and
Northern Ireland – General Certificate of Secondary
Education exam in math leaves out questions and duplicates some
others http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10118879/Exam-board-apologises-over-GCSE-test-paper-blunder.html

2013 Texas –
State Auditor finds inadequate monitoring of Pearson’s contract:
vendor determined costs of assessment changes without sufficient
oversight and failed to disclose hiring nearly a dozen former state
testing agency staff http://www.texastribune.org/2013/07/16/state-auditor-finds-testing-contract-oversight-lac/

2013 Virginia –
4,000 parents receive inaccurate test scorecards due to Pearson
error in converting scores to proficiency levels
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/pearson-miscalculates-scorecards-for-more-than-4000-va-students/2013/08/13/5620cc42-042d-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html

Categories Education Industry, For-Profit, Pearson, Testing

Jason Stanford: When California and Texas Agree But Arne Duncan Says No

By dianeravitch
September 17, 2013 //
35

Jason Stanford has written a brilliant analysis of the efforts by state officials in Texas and California to cut back on unnecessary testing, and of Secretary Duncan’s rejection of both requests.

Just in terms of federalism, this situation shows how Washington has now taken control out of the hands of the states, which can no longer decide what is best for their students, even though they put up 90% of the funding.

In California, state officials want to drop the state tests so they can make the transition to Common Core testing, but Duncan said no. The California legislature voted to drop the state tests. This should lead to an interesting showdown between the state and the federal government. Someone might even remember the tenth amendment to the Constitution.

In Texas, state officials developed a plan to test the kids who needed testing and to reduce testing for the kids who don’t.

Stanford writes:

Meanwhile in Texas, the Department of Education rejected a common-sense reform in, of all places, Texas. Legislators and Gov. Rick Perry recognized that it wasn’t necessary to force every child to take every test every year to keep them on track. Under current law, a Texas schoolchild has to pass 17 tests to get to high school. This takes months out of the school year, costs millions of dollars, and produces data of dubious value.

For example, a child who passes a reading test one year is overwhelmingly likely to pass it the next year, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. The legislature asked for a federal waiver to let students who passed their state standardized tests in the 3rd and 5thgrades to skip the tests in the 4th, 6th and 7th grades. Teachers could focus on those kids who needed more help, students who had mastered the work would be freed up to learn new things, and taxpayers would save $13.4 million over two years.

This was a great example of government getting out of its own way, but there was a hitch. Because the Texas law conflicted with No Child Left Behind, Texas needed permission from the U.S. Department of Education to stop giving tests to kids who did not need them in order to produce data that told us nothing.

Unfortunately, Obama’s Education Department said no.

Gosh, when even Texas thinks there is too much testing, that should say something about how far we have wandered from common sense.

Categories Accountability, California, Duncan, Arne, Testing, Texas

United Opt Out Will Sponsor Book Club Discussion of “Reign of Error”

By dianeravitch
September 16, 2013 //
11

Three years ago, when my last book was published, I heard from a professor in Pennsylvania named Tim Slekar who asked if I would join the opt-out movement. I told him no. I thought it was too extreme. I don’t think so anymore. Testing has become extreme. It is now the driving force in education. The only way to make it stop is to stop cooperating with those who see children as data.

I support those who see children as unique human beings, not as Big Data or data points.

Testing is not teaching. It takes time from teaching.

Testing is valuable when teachers and students get prompt feedback and learn where students need help. But in New York, neither teachers nor students were allowed to see the questions and answers, only the scores. Of what value is that?

Peggy Robertson of United Opt Out informed me that her worthy organization has selected “Reign of Error” for its book club. That is great.

Opt out.

Categories Reign of Error, Testing

Art Teacher: Just Say “No” to Teaching to the Test

By dianeravitch
September 14, 2013 //
29

A retired teacher is happy that parents are opting their children out of state testing

She writes:

“I am a former elementary art teacher and I am thrilled parents are taking matters into their own hands. The testing culture is madness. I had to sit in too many staff meetings, and watch as the administrators devote all professional development time to students passing the standardized tests. It did not matter that students did not take tests in art, the specialists still had to sit there and listen for hours about how to teach to the test. All resources were put toward classroom teachers teaching to the test. All professional development days were used for classroom teachers teaching to the test. The specialists were told to find something to do on those days. I thought to myself, we as educators need to just say no. I am glad someone finally is saying no!”

Categories Teachers and Teaching, Testing

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Testing Errors Widespread

By dianeravitch
September 14, 2013 //
27

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Heather Vogell conducted a two-year investigation of standardized testing and discovered many errors in them.

Yet with all these errors, the test scores are being used and misused to make life-changing decisions about students, teachers, principals, and schools.

Standardized tests are a weak reed on which to base a decision for firing staff and closing schools.

Vogell and the AJC were key in exposing the widespread cheating scandal in Atlanta. Now the AJC reports:

Miscalculated scores, flawed questions and other errors on standardized tests have become near commonplace in public schools across the country, according to a new investigation by The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Repeated failures in quality-control measures have allowed mistakes to keep happening even as testing took on a more crucial role for students and teachers, the newspaper found. In some cases, students have been initially denied diplomas or entry into special academic programs because of incorrect scores.

The findings expose significant problems in the execution of the landmark No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which sought to use test scores to hold schools publicly accountable for students’ academic performance. The newspaper has previously reported other problems with standardized testing, exposing widespread cheating in Atlanta Public Schools. A follow-up investigation in 2012 revealed nearly 200 school districts nationwide had high concentrations of suspect scores.

In the current year-long investigation, the AJC’s Heather Vogell studied test design, delivery and scoring and reviewed statistical reports on the quality of more than 92,000 test questions given over two years to students in 42 states and Washington, D.C.

The investigation revealed that almost one in 10 tests nationwide contained significant blocks of questions that were likely flawed. Such questions made up 10 percent or more of those tests — threatening their overall quality and raising questions about fairness.

Anyone wanting to read about the built-in flaws of the testing industry should read Todd Farley’s book Making the Grades, which exposes the scandalous lack of qualifications of those hired to score test questions, their poor training and supervision, and the superficial attention they give to the answers students write.

Categories Testing

KrazyTA on Arne Duncan’s Rhetoric

By dianeravitch
September 13, 2013 //
29

Our frequent commenter KrazyTA was not pleased when Arne Duncan told California it could not stop state testing while introducing Common Core testing.

This was his observation:

This latest statement by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan needs to be viewed in context.

If you read his speech to the April 2013 American Education Research Association he is: for standardized testing and against it; it is useful and not useful and somewhat useful; education is all about testing and not all about testing and somewhat about testing; tests measure and mismeasure and somewhat measure learning and teaching; and to get to the point before his distinguished audience, schools and test experts need to get their testing act together. The clincher: “Some schools have an almost obsessive culture around testing, and that hurts their most vulnerable learners and narrows the curriculum. It’s heartbreaking to hear a child identify himself as “below basic” or “I’m a one out of four.””

Link: http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/choosing-right-battles-remarks-and-conversation

What is one to make of all this ‘word salad’ that wanders all over the place and seeks to placate and deflect? Teresa Watanabe let the cat out of the bag in the LATIMES of 8-29-13, “State academic performance slips, but L.A. Unified improves.” Her first paragraph: “California public schools lost ground this year in overall academic performance for the first time in a decade, but more than half met state goals for achievement on reading and math standardized tests.”

So just how important are standardized tests in the overall scheme of things?

“The achievement ratings, called the Academic Performance Index, are based on a 1,000-point scale compiled from standardized test scores. They are widely viewed as a comprehensive marker of school quality, affecting property values and triggering penalties, among other effects.”

Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-api-scores-20130829,0,447246.story

In other words, the quality of schools and student achievement and teacher effectiveness = scores on high-stakes standardized tests.

Am I exaggerating? Taking him out of context? Obviously not, for even when for good reasons—within the very strictures imposed by high-stakes standardized testing!—state officials take obvious action to forego for a short time one round of the Holy Edumetrics of $tudent $ucce$$ in order to prepare for another, the Secretary of Education suddenly grows a backbone and speaks his mind plain and simple:

“If California moves forward with a plan that fails to assess all its students, as required by federal law,” Duncan said in a statement released Monday night, “the Department will be forced to take action, which could include withholding funds from the state.”

Link: [the second above in Diane’s posting]

One of the great functions of this blog: to make it possible to put such folks on the spot with their own public words and actions!

Duane Swacker: I think this is a rare instance of you and I parting company on measuring qualities by quantities. I think that blind acceptance of the all-importance of the scores of high-stakes standardized testing can give us an excellent measure of the LACK of: creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, civic-mindedness, compassion, empathy, courage, imagination, and humility [not to mention others]. [taken from Gerald Bracey, EDUCATION HELL, 2009, p. 4].

Just look at the current Secretary of Education. He passed the high-stakes standardized test of “LACK of” with flying colors! He scored a perfect 100 out of 100!

🙂

Lastly, on the misuse and overuse of standardized testing in general, from THE MISMEASURE OF EDUCATION (2013) by Jim Horn and Denise Wilburn, p. 147:

“When the right thing can only be measured poorly, it tends to cause the wrong thing to be measured, only because it can be measured well. And it is often much worse to have a good measurement of the wrong thing—especially when, as is so often the case, the wrong thing will in fact be used as an indicator of the right thing—than to have poor measurements of the right things. —John Tukey mathematician Bell Labs and Princeton University”

Categories California, Duncan, Arne, Testing

A Science Teacher Writes to President Obama: Stop!

By dianeravitch
September 13, 2013 //
57

This letter was posted as a comment: “I just sent the
following post to the White House: Dear David Simas, I have
supported President Obama and the Democratic Party for some time.
However, I’m totally fed up and dismayed by Arne Duncan and the US
Department of Education’s assault on Public Education in America.
There are a lot of subjects I don’t have much in-depth knowledge
about. However, I have been a science teacher for the past 27 years
and I believe that I do know a little about educating children. I
want to tell you that the Race To The Top and it’s predecessor, No
Child Left Behind along with the excessive emphasis on Standardized
Testing are KILLING PUBLIC EDUCATION. “There are a lot of
experienced, knowledgeable, and well educated, respected educators
who are screaming at you to please stop this nutty policy which
includes Pay for Performance and the Common Core Curriculum. It is
certainly true that public education in America can be improved,
but not with the solutions that are now being implemented (without
documentation that they will actually work). “These thoughtless
policies are destroying communities, families, children and
teacher’s lives–all in the name of “improving education”. I now
believe that RTTT, NCLB, and the associated standardized testing
that now drives instruction throughout the country is doing greater
harm to our nation that George Bush’s War in Iraq. In its simplest
terms, children cannot be effectively educated by a top down,
force-fed curriculum. They hate it, get bored, and don’t see the
relevance of this test driven education to their lives. “Teachers
are not given the freedom to teach to the kids where they are and
build on their knowledge base. Curriculum content is dictated from
on high. This is the same concept that Joseph Stalin had in Russia
with his 5-year central economic plans. Didn’t work then, won’t
work now. “Educating children is a complex undertaking. It requires
two way, personal interaction between a teacher and student. If
class sizes are too large, that just can’t happen. If a teacher
cannot get his/her students interested and excited about learning,
educating the child is not going to be effective. There are 4 basic
ingredients to a good education: 1) Well trained and dedicated
teachers, 2) small class sizes, 3) adequate resources and a decent
environment to teach in, and 4) giving the teachers freedom to
teach. “Some will argue that this will just cost too much money and
that there are cheaper ways to educate kids. But it just ain’t so.
“Education is not about the money, it’s about the kids. It’s not
about international competition on standardized tests. Those tests
actually measure the wrong things anyway and cost waaaay too much
money. Public education is perhaps the most important bedrock
pillar that makes our nation great. Policies now being put in
place, including RTTT and Common Core Curriculum are destroying it.
Our children and our nation deserve better from you. I will no
longer support this President or the Democratic Party if they
continue on this self destructive path. “Al Tate
altate1122@gmail.com”

Categories Common Core, Democrats, Obama, Privatization, Race to the Top, Testing

Who ARE Those Guys? Do They Know Everything?

By dianeravitch
September 13, 2013 //
38

Butch Cassidy asked the
Sundance Kid about their pursuers, “Who ARE those guys?”

We could well ask the same about the posse now hoping to
standardize the nation’s children and teachers. What qualifies
Governor Cuomo, Chancellor King, and those others who are
cheerleaders for the Common Core (e.g., Joel Klein, Jeb Bush,
Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) to know
what children in the early and middle grades need to know to be
ready for college and careers?

This teacher writes: “As a 6-8 math
teacher in NYS, what I would like to see or find commentary on is
this question, “What qualifications do the Governor, Mayor,
Commissioner King, and others have to pinpoint precise benchmarks
toward ‘college and career ready’ in 3rd – 8th graders? I just
don’t believe the glide path toward readiness is accurate. Each
student’s path may be as varied and diverse as their own
backgrounds and motivations.”

Categories Common Core, New York, Testing
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