Real Life Skills

How many students could benefit from something along these lines?

Posted on Fri, Jun. 30, 2006

EDUCATION
Life Skills Center grads defy odds, stay the course
The Life Skills Center of Miami-Dade allows teens who couldn't attend a traditional high school the chance to earn a diploma.
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

Brianna Benish spent most of her teenage years in a juvenile detention facility in her home state of Iowa.

''My friends didn't think I would ever graduate from high school,'' said Benish, 19. ``The way I was going, they thought I would end up in prison. I did, too.''

On Thursday night, she proved them wrong.

Benish and six other teens donned caps and gowns, and as a computer played Pomp and Circumstance, walked across a makeshift stage to pick up their high school diplomas.

They are the first graduates of the Life Skills Center of Miami-Dade, an alternative charter school that opened in August.

The center's curriculum allows teens who have dropped out of a traditional high school -- or are at risk of doing so -- to complete their schooling by attending daily four-hour sessions.

Don't be fooled: This is no GED class. Life Skills students, all of whom are between 16 to 21 years old, earn a diploma that is recognized by the state. And like other high school students, they must pass the state-mandated FCAT.

The difference is that Life Skills students do much of their work on a computer at their own pace. They must also work or volunteer at least 360 hours.

''This is high school stripped to the core,'' said Administrator Jose Filpo, the school's equivalent of a principal. ``We can't really do assemblies and gym and lunch, but we can help the students to get the school work finished.''

That schoolwork includes run-of-the-mill classes such as English, science and math, plus additional classes in life skills such as interviewing for jobs and paying bills.

''We want our students to know that there is life after high school,'' said Rubén Sánchez, the administrator charged with helping students find employment. ``And life takes hard work and responsibility.''

The Miami-Dade campus is one of 37 Life Skills Centers throughout the United States; there are several in Broward County. Still, the center in Miami is a public school, and tuition is free.

This year, roughly 110 students are working toward diplomas there, Filpo said. He estimates another hundred are on a waiting list.

Even on the day of graduation, the school is buzzing with teenagers. It operates year-round, and students can start and finish at will.

In the main computer lab, a poster on the wall reminded students: ''Minimum effort. Minimum wage.'' Five teachers circulated the room while 33 pupils plugged away at math, history and science lessons.

A handful even listened to iPods: a privilege in the lab.

''In any given classroom, we have many students working on different subjects: math, sciences, foreign languages,'' said Mercedes Tanus, a teacher who specializes in math. ``We as teachers help them in every field. We help them with life skills, too.''

For the new graduates, finishing the curriculum was a daunting task.

Merianne Pamias said the hardest part was time management. In addition to her school responsibilities, Pamias, 21, also worked full time managing a Winn-Dixie supermarket, and took care of her 16-month-old daughter, Yaelis.

''It was hard,'' said Pamias, running her hand through Yaelis' blond curls, ``but I had to do it for her future.''

. . .

The Accountability Machine

Seeing the Danger of SCHOOLING Machines: An Accountability Malfunction Voting Can't Fix?

Thoughts about the vagaries of voting machines today put me in mind of the mandatory tests used once upon a time--not just in the South either -- to prequalify voter fitness by virtue of proving oneself to the government already in power by passing whatever tests it sees fit to impose on you without your consent to be governed by it.

Talk about a high stakes Catch-22! I feel a rant coming on --

It's not a rant. It's a thing of beauty. Click and read and think about it.

A "Plunge Into Pedagogy and Poverty . . ."

Click on over to this blog -- it's well worth the read:

Failing Children, Accountability and Testing [FCAT] ©

Candidates for FL Governor

The candidates spoke . . .

Gubernatorial hopefuls divided on schools, FCAT
By Brian E. Crowley
Palm Beach Post Political Editor

Saturday, June 24, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — Florida's four candidates for governor offered strikingly different views of the state's education system Friday, with Republicans talking about great gains and Democrats arguing that Florida schools have suffered severe setbacks.

Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP-led legislature have brought the state better schools, more accountability and higher scores in reading, argued GOP candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher.

Not so, said Democrats Jim Davis and Rod Smith. Both argued that Republicans have turned schools into testing centers, while failing to increase teacher pay and reduce class size.

"I'm proud of what Gov. Bush has done to bring more accountability to schools," said Crist, Florida's attorney general.

Crist, a former education commissioner, told a gathering of the state's newspaper editors that he is a "product of public schools" and as governor he would "invest more in education."

Gallagher, the state's chief financial officer and also a former education commissioner, said, "I recognize that a world-class education is the most important thing we can do for our children."

He went on to tout state statistics that show dramatic increases in reading and other skills. Those numbers are at odds with other national studies that show Florida ranking near the bottom.

"I love how these guys tell you they spent more on education," said Smith, a Gainesville area state senator.

Smith said that while the state has spent more in "raw dollars" for education, it has not kept up with student growth, and per-student spending is well below the national average.

Smith also criticized the FCAT, saying Republicans have used it to turn schools into "test preparation factories in lieu of teaching" children.

Davis said he would not do away with the standardized tests known as the FCAT but would use the test as a "diagnostic tool" to help parents and teachers determine the strengths and weaknesses of students.

The Tampa-area congressman also said Republicans were wrong to cut spending for summer schools.

"We can't afford not to have summer school," he said.

After speaking about global warming (they all oppose it) and rural growth (they all favor controlled growth), the candidates were asked their feelings about stories detailing their divorces and personal foibles.

. . . at which point, I lost interest.

Every Year

We go through this ridiculous exercise every year. A waste of time and money and good teachers.

District struggles to come up with another teacher-bonus plan

By Christina DeNardo

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, June 25, 2006

By all the measures that seem to matter, Anita Foster is a good teacher.
Her students rush to say hello when they see her outside class. She gets positive reviews. She leads the business department at Palm Beach Central High. This year, her peers nominated the 20-year veteran for the prestigious William T. Dwyer award.

But when the district handed out performance-pay bonuses a few months ago, Foster didn't get one.

The district didn't care that Foster knows the names of all of the 180 students who roll through her classroom every day. It didn't consider the time she volunteers as sponsor of the Future Business Leaders of America. Or how many students she recruits into the business program. Or how many go to college.

But when the district handed out performance-pay bonuses a few months ago, Foster didn't get one.

The district didn't care that Foster knows the names of all of the 180 students who roll through her classroom every day. It didn't consider the time she volunteers as sponsor of the Future Business Leaders of America. Or how many students she recruits into the business program. Or how many go to college.

. . .

Pamela Joy Swift, a special education teacher at Wellington Landings Middle, said how a student performs in school has more to do with the student's motivation, upbringing and his parents' income than his teacher's ability.

"They should give the money to the students, then," she said. "It's not necessarily directly related to how well the teacher taught."

Candidates for governor eye FCAT changes

Posted on Mon, Jun. 19, 2006

EDUCATION
Candidates for governor eye FCAT changes
Democrats hoping to become Gov. Jeb Bush's successor will face an uphill battle if they try to revamp Florida's testing program in public schools.
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

The FCAT test, the centerpiece of Republican Gov. Jeb Bush's A+ education program, is the favorite whipping boy for the Democrats who want his job.

U.S. Rep. Jim Davis promises that if he is elected, the FCAT will be used simply as a ''diagnostic tool.'' State Sen. Rod Smith also vows sweeping change in Bush's program, which bases school grades, student promotion and additional funding on test scores.

''I will not use this test to grade schools for money,'' Smith recently told Democratic activists in Miami, who hissed at the mere mention of the FCAT. ``I will not use this test to pay schoolteachers. I will not use this test to keep students from advancing.''

Not so fast.

Much of the FCAT system is enshrined in law and could not be overhauled without support from the Legislature -- which is certain, barring a major miracle, to remain in Republican control after the election this November. A Democratic governor could do little to the testing program single-handedly.

''This is is not a monarchy,'' said Cathy Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. ``We have a system of checks and balances. The new governor will have to work with the state Legislature.''

The gap between stump speeches and political realities is commonplace in campaigns, in which complicated policy positions are often condensed into sound bites for 30-second commercials or one-page fundraising letters.

But even a voter paying scant attention to this year's contest to replace the term-limited Bush would know that the FCAT provides one of the starkest contrasts between the two parties.

. . .

See the link for more. And see the links to Davis's and Smith's websites.

What A Waste!

Jun 18, 2006

No Child law affecting all teachers

By TIFFANY LANKES
tiffany.lankes@heraldtribune.com

Students in Janice Eitelgeorge's literacy assessment course at the University of South Florida spend an entire class learning about standardized tests.

They talk about about bubble sheets, scan trons and trend lines. They debate whether those tools -- all part of the standardized testing process -- can actually gauge how much a student has learned.

Lessons like these are becoming more common in teaching schools across the country as the federal No Child Left Behind law forces colleges to prepare teachers to help students do well on standardized tests.

Professors are finding it's no longer enough to equip future educators with traditional teaching strategies. Now, they must also prepare them for an education system where schools are judged -- and funded in part -- on how well their students perform on these tests.

"There's no education school in the United States that isn't talking about this new accountability and testing," said Arthur Levine, president of Teachers College at Columbia University. "The reality is that students are going to be tested."

Education colleges are adding courses on topics like interpreting data and using scripted remedial programs required by the No Child law.

Discussions and debates on the merits of the legislation have also worked their way onto nearly every college course syllabus.

. . .

Even lessons on just interpreting the No Child law and its mandatory programs have worked their way into nearly every classroom.

"You start to feel the pressure of this testing craze that we're in," Eitelgeorge said. "It's something that we must deal with."

In one of Eitelgeorge's graduate courses at USF Sarasota, students spent a recent Thursday night discussing the reading programs endorsed by the law.

They talked about reading skills such as fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. And they debated how well a teacher can really gauge a student's abilities with a single test.

Most of the students in Eitelgeorge's class are already teachers and came back to school for additional course work. Many had already seen the classroom effects of No Child.

"What do you think about this kind of accountability?" Eitelgeorge asked them. "What do you see happening in your classrooms?"

Her students responded with anecdotes about spending hours of classroom time taking practice standardized tests.

They talked about what the data show -- and what it doesn't.

They questioned what it means when teachers have to sacrifice time reading books to their students in exchange for regimented programs that prepare children for a test.

"What good is going to school and learning all of this if I just have to go in my classroom and read off a script?" questioned student Jewell DeMarco.

. . .

And for some college educators, the No Child law is just the latest trend in education reform, and there's no guarantee it will last.

Those professors are holding onto their lesson plans on what they believe are the best ways of teaching children.

And they're continuing the debate on standardized testing on their own turf -- in their classrooms.

"No Child Left Behind sort of cemented this whole push for teaching and learning in terms of test scores," said Marilyn Cochran-Smith, a professor at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. "But does it, can it, should it influence how you teach on a regular basis?"

Some Good Questions for Parents

Parents should be upset about FCAT

. . .

Does anyone have any idea how many students were told they did not pass the FCAT by only a few points? Does anyone see a credibility problem here with the scoring? Could a senior with a 3.0 have been denied a diploma because they didn't pass the FCAT, graded by someone who, possibly, could not have passed it himself?

. . .

There are more good questions -- go ahead and read the whole thing at the link above.

In Case You Thought . . .

. . . it was just Florida --

More at Risk of Repeating Fifth Grade

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: June 17, 2006

More than 8,900 New York City fifth graders are in danger of being held back because of failing scores on annual reading and math tests, city education officials said yesterday. That contrasts sharply with last year when a big rise in scores led Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to say that his effort to end social promotion had improved student achievement.

. . .

While the results were mixed, it was the fifth grade numbers that drew attention because the most stellar increases on city exams last year were in that grade.

In interviews, city education officials offered many explanations for the poorer fifth grade results, which saw the number failing to earn promotion rise to 8,921, or 15.2 percent of students subject to the mayor's promotion rules, from 5,450 students, or 8.6 percent last year.

. . .

But some analysts said the latest data lent credence to skeptics' assertions that last year's steep jump in test scores of fourth and fifth graders was too good to be true.

"There is some evidence here to suggest that the grade four test results last year were inflated," said Robert Tobias, the former director of testing for the city schools and now a professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education.

Lori Mei, the city's current testing director, disputed any notion that the new results cast any doubt on last year's success. "I am saying categorically no," she said.

Unlike the last two years in which Mr. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein held triumphant news conferences to tout test results, this year's promotion data was e-mailed to reporters by Mr. Klein's press office yesterday. Officials said a news conference would be held when the full state test results are released in August.

. . .

Critics of standardized testing seized on all of these issues to yet again condemn the city's use of the exams. "It goes to prove one more time that these tests are really a sham," said Jane Hirschmann, of the Time Out From High-Stakes Testing, a leading anti-test group, accusing the city of making decisions in a way that no test expert "would validate or find reliable."

It's not.

More Math for You

Here are more numbers for you to think about. They aren't getting any prettier!

Jun 16, 2006

2 Democrats say education chief should quit post

The Associated Press
Picture

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's education commissioner ought to resign and the state should take over scoring standardized tests because most temporary graders working for a private contractor are unqualified, two Democratic state senators said Friday.

A review of 2,947 employment files showed 1,845, or 64 percent, lacked degrees or teaching experience in subjects they were grading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as required by the contract, said Sens. Les Miller and Walter "Skip" Campbell.

For some of the FCAT graders, their only other work experience was in non-education jobs including hair styling, pizza delivery, store clerk, janitor and popping corn at a movie theater.

"We think this is an F - a failure of the system," said Campbell of Tamarac.

He said Education Commissioner John Winn's resignation would restore the FCAT's credibility and bring "true accountability to government at the same high level that we demand of our schools."

Winn said he would resign only if the State Board of Education asks him to. The board, appointed by Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, hired Winn, a former Bush staffer.

. . .

There's more info at the link.

Today's Math Questions

Today's math questions:

What is 2500 divided by 1255?
What percentage of 1255 is 674?

For once, these are not meaningless bubble-in questions. These are real numbers in the real world.

2500 divided by 1255 = 1.99.
And 674 is 53.7% of 1255.

Or you can think of it this way:

50% of the job applications for FCAT graders (1 out of 1.99) have been checked. The rest haven't been checked yet.

Of the ones checked, over half (53.7%) of the applicants did not meet the requirements for the job.

Now to the question -- yes, the raw numbers are in this new article and several others floating around -- Who grades the graders? -- but we have to do the calculations above and then think about what this means.

The thinking -- that's the important part. Articles with figures like 1255 out of 2500 and the figures we have come up with above -- these have no meaning on their own. We have to think about what they mean.

Does it matter that over half the people grading the tests that determine promotion, graduation, school funding and teacher salaries, not to mention student self-perception, are not qualified?

Did the original meaning of the qualifications for this job miss the mark? Doesn't it matter who grades the FCAT tests? Maybe it doesn't. Maybe anyone could do it.

I tend to think that the whole test is meaningless. And maybe the graders use an answer sheet that eliminates any need for them to understand the content of what they are grading.

And, as long as your child doesn't deviate from the essay formula, bubbles in the practiced answers, and simply regurgitates what was drilled, then all is well. No creativity or actual knowledge required on anyone's part!

But to think a bit further -- is this what we want? Is this what we think we are paying for? Is this why we send our children to school every day?

Things That Come in a Crock!

Let's see: there's cheese . . . what else? Oh, yes. There's this --

Gap grows in how schools graded

Gov. Jeb Bush says Florida’s system gives a better picture of how well children are learning than the federal standards his brother imposed.

By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
Published June 14, 2006

---

TALLAHASSEE— A record number of Florida schools earned A and B grades this year, but an increasing number also failed to meet federal standards, according to data released Wednesday.

The disconnect isn’t new.

But for the first time since the state and federal grading systems began clashing four years ago, Gov. Jeb Bush said Florida’s system is a better gauge than the one that anchors the education agenda of his brother, President Bush.

Asked at a Tallahassee news conference whether parents should pay more attention to the state’s school grades than the federal report card, Bush said, “Absolutely.”

“With no disrespect to anyone in Washington, D.C.,” he said, “I believe our system is the most comprehensive system of measuring how schools are doing based on student learning, by far.”

Our meaningless bubble-in test is better than yours??

Two hours later, Education Commissioner John Winn went a step further. He said he didn’t foresee the state planning for the takeover of hundreds of schools next year, which is one of the options prescribed for schools that continue falling short of the federal “adequate yearly progress” standard.

No, of course not. He'll use the loophole explained below. Changing little or nothing for the better. Taking forever to consider changes that do nothing more than provide more test prep.

. . .

The federal standards causing frustration in Tallahassee are at the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act, the sweeping 2002 law that initially enjoyed bipartisan support but has since come under fire from liberals and conservatives alike.

As recently as last year, Florida education officials were praising the law and winning concessions from the federal government on how to measure student achievement. But they have since been rebuffed on other requests, including one to shield A and B schools from federal sanctions. And Winn has testified before a national commission on the need to make the federal system more flexible.

Wednesday’s federal report card was the big downer on an otherwise sunny day.

Some 2,074 Florida schools, or 75 percent statewide, earned A’s or B’s this year, up from 1,843 schools and 67 percent last year. Most dramatically, 87 percent of middle schools landed in the top tier, up from 63 percent a year ago.

School grades are based on math, reading and writing scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is given to students in grades 3-10 every year. This year’s scores showed, for the first time, substantial reading gains among middle schoolers.

The number of D and F schools also plummeted, from 308 to 153, though part of the decrease stems from new legislation that allows alternative schools, which cater to students with behavior and attendance problems, to be rated by a point system instead of letter grades.

. . .

After the news conference, Bush said he believes the success of the FCAT and the school grading system will shield it from attack after he leaves office in January 2007. Polls show a majority of teachers and parents do not like the high stakes use of the FCAT, despite national yardsticks that show Florida elementary school students are making some of the biggest gains in the country in reading.

Meanwhile, both Democratic candidates for governor are promising big changes.

For more than just this glancing blow, check the links on the home page here to read more about the Democratic candidates' positions.

“Now people can see that you can, if you organize yourself right, make sure that all children learn,” Bush said.

Or maybe not . . .

The federal report card offered a different picture.

This year, 72 percent of Florida schools failed to make adequately yearly progress, up from 64 percent last year.

More than 500 of them are high-poverty schools that failed to meet the federal standards for a fourth year in a row, which means they will be in line next year for a potentially dramatic shakeup.

. . .

The federal report card offers parents valuable information that can’t be found in a school grade, and better pinpoints which student groups need more attention, said Dianne Piche , executive director of the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.

“If I look at my son’s GPA and I find that he has a 3.0, that might look really good,” Piche said. “But if I look at his actual report card and I see he’s bringing home a C in math ... I can take some remedial action to get his math grade up.”

Reports cards? What are those? Doesn't Ms. Piche understand that these antiquated little pieces of paper -- the ones where the actual teacher grades the actual student and maybe even has time to make actual comments, request an actual meeting with the parent, and set up a helpful new plan for the actual real-life student -- don't matter. Not today. Today's it's all about bubbles!

. . .

Under the federal system, sanctions apply only to schools that receive Title I money, which is offered to those with high proportions of low-income students. The penalties get more dramatic every year a school fails to pass muster.

. . .

Title I schools that fail to make enough progress for a fifth consecutive year, which could include more than 500 Florida schools next year, must prepare for one or more of the following options: takeover by the state, takeover by a private company, conversion to a charter school, firing of top staff, or some other major restructuring.

“Once you get in the fourth year, the clock is ticking,” said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C. “What it does undoubtedly is create more pressure on principals and teachers” to improve.

But other observers say No Child’s tough language comes with a big loophole.

So far, most districts in the handful of states where the Year-Five options have come into play have used the last option — any other major restructuring — to impose much more modest changes on their schools.

In Florida, there is no indication districts will do otherwise, and Winn’s comments Wednesday suggest the state will not force them to come down harder.

Whew! Sounded like we were going to have to do something there for a minute!

But, not so much. Just more content for the crock.

It Doesn't Matter?

That seems to be the answer from Tallahassee. Yes, there are people grading the tests who shouldn't be. But it doesn't matter.

And, in the long run, can we disagree?

The whole thing is a farce so who cares how the tests are graded . . .

Oh, right, the actual children involved . . . hmmm . . .

FCAT scoring is accurate, governor insists
Bush calls criticism 'political posturing'
Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau

June 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he is confident in the scoring accuracy of the FCAT, despite criticism that some of the temporary workers who grade the high-stakes tests are unqualified.

"There has not been any evidence that there has been any problems with the folks who are grading these tests," Bush said. "Not one problem."

Bush also said, "There is not evidence -- and there's extensive auditing procedures -- that not even one test has been graded improperly."

. . .

I'm not even going to comment on the grammar of those statements . . . he doesn't have to pass the FCAT . . .

He's Not Happy

Well, that's really too bad. Or maybe that's what it takes to get something done. Mr. Winn has to be unhappy.

The kids being pushed out by various means, the parents struggling to keep their kids interested and on track in the face of endless FCAT harassment, the kids who throw up on their tests, the teachers who quit, just quit, rather than have their profession denigrated -- all of these unhappy people don't count.

They complain about not being allowed to really teach, having to stick to a script that they know is wrong for half their class. They complain about their kids who are completely stressed out, freaked out by the grownups all around them telling them their entire future and their school's welfare depends on them. They complain about lost months and years when real learning could have been happening.

These folks, teachers and parents and kids, are unhappy. But none of that unhappiness counts. None of that matters in the face of magical thinking. None of it counts in the world of the standardized tests -- and the campaign donors who produce them -- that do count.

We are supposed to believe -- really, suspend our disbelief and just go along with the grand plan -- that these tests actually mean something. Of course, anyone else -- the ones who don't count, the teachers, the parents, the kids -- can and will tell you that they are not impressed with the curative qualities of the FCAT or other standardized tests. These people could and would tell you who needs help and why.

But these are not the people who count. Their unhappiness does not count. They get a pat on the head and are told to believe in the magic of the FCAT. That everything will be straightened out THIS time. "Really, we really mean it this time. Mr. Winn is unhappy so we're going to . . . well, we're going to do something or other. . . ." and all these months and years will not have been the waste that they feel like now. "Really, trust us."

Article published Jun 13, 2006
FCAT scorers' qualifications to be monitored more closely
By Marci Elliott
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Commissioner of Education John Winn said Monday that a more stringent monitoring system will be used to track the hiring process for people scoring the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, beginning with the 2006-2007 round of scoring.

Winn said he was "not happy" with the hiring practices of CTB/McGraw-Hill, the Monterey, Calif.-based publisher of standardized achievement tests that developed and administers the FCAT.

The Department of Education has completed an investigation into the company's hiring processes and that found 30 percent of the candidates applying don't make it through to becoming test-scorers, and that many of those who do get hired don't possess the qualifications the DOE requires for scorers, Winn said. The questionable candidates didn't have bachelor's degrees in or related to the fields they scored on the FCAT.

. . .

Winn said he discussed his concerns about unqualified test-scorers Monday morning with a CTB/McGraw-Hill representative, who Winn said assured him the company would cooperate with the DOE and its wishes for stricter monitoring of scoring candidates.

From now on, Winn said, candidates for the hiring process have to have bachelor's degrees in the appropriate fields and show documentation of the degrees.

"I am not happy with CTB/McGraw-Hill," Winn told reporters throughout the state. "We are communicating to (the company) that we are putting into place a monitoring program to ensure candidates' degrees are in or related to the fields of the tests they score."

No one from CTB/McGraw-Hill could be reached for comment later Monday.

The DOE awarded a three-year $82 million contract to CTB/McGraw-Hill to serve as the primary contractor for the FCAT from 2005 to 2008, Winn spokeswoman Cathy Schroeder said. The contract includes a two-year, $58 million option to renew from 2008 to 2010.

Build a Better America!

Maybe if we send the politicians enough building materials. . . :)

'Screw NCLB' Joins 'Million Erasers' Campaign as the Latest Way Public Can Express Discontent with the Very Flawed No Child Left Behind


Teacher/author Debra Craig is encouraging the public to not only send erasers, but screws to Governor Tommy Thompson letting him & Congress know that NCLB is screwing up public schools with its “almost evil” overemphasis on raising test scores, impossible goals, and creating the hysteria that all public schools are failures.

Moreno Valley, CA (PRWEB) June 6, 2006 -- High school teacher, author, and anti-No Child Left Behind activist Debra Craig has been so encouraged by the initial launch of her “Million Erasers” campaign, that she is expanding it by adding a “Screw NCLB” message. “I’m stepping up the intensity a notch with this new campaign because I’m just so angry that many in the media continue to believe the rhetoric from the government that No Child Left Behind is this panacea for public education. It is not! It is just an insane piece of legislation, a mistake, and must be erased from our public schools! If left in place for long, I'm also worried it will screw up public schools even more than it already has, thus explaining the idea of sending screws.”

“Forget about it not being funded correctly. Forget about the “highly qualified” teachers. I work at a low, socio-economic school. I know firsthand what public schools are up against. Just like in life there are loser adults, well I have news for the government: those loser adults were probably loser students who once attended public schools and just didn’t care about an education. Yes teachers should try to motivate these students, but we’re not miracles workers. Yet the government continues their mantra that “No Child can be Left Behind and teachers are solely responsible? Wrong! Parents and students must be held accountable as well!!! It is only fair.”

In fact, that subject has been the inspiration for Debra’s second book which should be out late this fall called, “No Parent Held Accountable: Plus 45 Other Reasons Why Public Schools Struggle.” Like her successful first book, Why Is the Teacher’s Butt So Big? Plus 111 Other Mysteries of Public Education, her new book will also help educate the public on why No Child Left Behind is bad for public schools as well as enlighten people on what our schools should be focusing on.

“I want to make one thing clear. I’m not saying get rid of accountability or standardized tests altogether because both have their place in public schools. But schools need to worry less about what a student’s standardized test score is in math and English is and more about what MSN educational columnist Tamim Ansary wrote about in his column called “A National School System.” He stated that for us “to compete in this world, our country needs (and has) the dynamic creativity to invent, initiate, explore. Let's not lose that. Our schools must keep nurturing inventiveness. If they do, we'll change the world--in unpredictable ways that will make many of our current skills obsolete.”

“Yes, exactly!” comments Debra. “And we’re not going to get inventiveness with students just being taught to pass tests."

“In addition, we now have the hindsight that George Bush’s legacy will be one of failure…decisions and policies that not only didn’t make sense, but have been bad for our country. Let’s not forget that NCLB was the one that started it all.”

Debra would like people in support of creating public schools that are more about creating responsible, inventive citizens and not ones who do well on meaningless standardized tests, to send erasers or screws, whichever one a person is most comfortable in sending, along with a card that just says 'NCLB,' to Governor Tommy Thompson, Commission on No Child Left Behind, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20036.

“We have a long way to reach our goal of one million erasers, but to quote that famous verse…A journey of 1,000 miles begins with that first step.” Debra hopes to take her campaign national in August as parents are buying school supplies for their children.

People sending erasers or screws are asked to email her at StopNCLB.org so she can keep track unofficially on how many have been sent. “I’ve also heard great suggestions from supporters like sending broken pencils with erasers and old dirty erasers to the Commission on No Child Left Behind. Also please remember that even though it may way less than an ounce, additional postage might be needed because the letter has to be hand cancelled.”

For more information on the “Million Erasers” or “Screw NCLB” campaigns, please call Debra Craig at (951) 247-6980 or email her through the secure link to the right.

Smith Movie

http://www.rodsmith2006.com/blog

I hadn't seen it before today. Maybe you haven't either. It's one of those online movies. Just click and watch Rod Smith talk about what he'd like to do about education if he is elected Governor of Florida.

Nance

Transform Education

Check out the new link under "Blogs Worth Reading." This is a keeper! Be sure to bookmark it.

Transform Education

Our public schools help create the people of the future. The people of the future create the world. For there to be social and economic justice in our world, our goal must be to prepare all children for the conversations that create the future. We can transform education and we can close the educational achievement gap only if we are willing to address the real sources of this gap and only if we are prepared to stand up for free, high-quality education for all children as their civil right.

http://transformeducation.blogspot.com/

And they have a terrific interview with our wonderful Gloria Pipkin! :)

Just Stop! Look at the FCAT and Toss It!

T-O-S-S, toss.

L-O-O-K, look.

S-T-O-P, stop.

J-U-S-T, just.

Just Stop. Look at the FCAT and Toss It!

Take the spelling words above, use them in a sentence, and write to your newspapers, your representatives, your school board, your Governor and your President. Tell them you are sick of all this and want a better way. It is time to stop playing twisted games and actually do something to help individual children get on with their learning.

These are spelling words being drilled into 3rd graders at summer camp. For some, it's not their first trip through 3rd grade. And this is what they are spending their summer doing. Parroting back words they should have mastered years earlier. More of the same that has not worked to help them pass the meaningless FCAT in the past.

And the whole point of this? Not to ensure that any real reading is going on. Not to ensure that these kids have a chance of learning more about the world. But to get them over the 3rd grade FCAT hurdle so that -- stupidity heaped on top of stupidity -- they can then be confronted again with the only thing the system accepts as proof of their learning -- the FCAT! Which, to no one's surprise, many do not pass even though they have been shoved into a 4th grade slot.

Why, if a child needs an alternative method of evaluation in 3rd grade, would you dream that he wouldn't need support and an equally individualized alternative the next year? How many years will this child be beaten with the same stick before someone takes it away from the grownups!

Use your words, folks! Write to somebody for real change. Maybe your children can help you -- when they get home from their FCAT prep . . . er . . . summer school.

What a concept!

This just caught my eye . . .

Wal-Mart honors ACCS teacher


Altoona Central Catholic School middle school teacher Steve Cogan was named Wal-Mart teacher of the year.

. . .

“Mr. Cogan is a hands-on instructor who helps the students to enjoy learning,’’ said Maucieri.

“He has that special gift of a true teacher that knows his students’ abilities without looking at standardized testing results,’’ Maucieri said.

. . .

The Convenience of Being the Grownup

You know what must be really convenient? Being the one who gets to decide what is morally right and wrong. For other people.

It is OK to bribe young children but it is bad, oh so bad, to cheat on the FCAT.

Got that? It's fine, just fine and dandy, for the adults to prod and push and retain and coerce and entice with goodies. And now it's OK to bribe -- with cold, hard cash. Anything to get those kids to try a little harder.

Because, apparently, that's why Johnny can't read. He's just not inspired enough. The endless drilling hasn't pumped him up. So let's try some money. A couple thousand should do it!

Gainesville Sun
May 31, 2006

Does it pay to reward students for success? Schools using performance
perks

But to bend the rules the other way? Oh no!! That would be bad and evil and worthy of immediate expulsion.

Got that? If you are the kid in this equation -- the one not trying to pad next year's school budget or your own salary -- you might think of some "creative" way to look better on this test, some way that may have, in an earlier, purer time, seemed a smidge unethical -- because, heck, who has ethics anymore -- they're bribing us, aren't they? Of course it's OK to cheat. . . .

Well, if that's what you thought, youngster, you'd better think again. Only the grownups get to act smarmy!!

It must be nice to be the one who gets to pick and choose what is ethical each year . . .

May 31, 2006

Polk Schools to Crack Down on Cheaters

New rule, which will apply mostly to FCAT, says students could get
expelled if caught.