This we know:
1. Standardized tests are not worth the paper they are printed on. This includes NCLB tests, MAPS and NWEA and Scantron tests, and the hallowed ACT and SAT tests. What these tests purport to measure is better measured by other means. Research tells us this!Further, these tests are a waste of kids' time and involve no student learning.
We are teaching to the test.
We are testing to the test.
We are doing test prep drills for the tests that test to the test.
Insanity.
2. Educators started the grade retention of students, and educators continue to promote the practice despite a mountain of research evidence against the practice. Educators need to end it.
3. Many educators are not committed to lifelong learning. This is a problem. Many educators hold others responsible for giving them their PD when, how and where they want it. And, it needs to allow them to stay within their comfort zone.
I read people gnashing their teeth about getting more people to use free PD like Twitter. "How can we get more people to use Twitter?"
Put the P back in PD.
Make the P responsible for PD.
4. Many day-to-day, and long-term, decisions made in schools/districts are made in the interests of adults at the expense of students and learning.
We need to be vigilant, dedicated.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The enemy is us ...
Standardized testing:
"I have no problem with that."
"We need the results faster."
"We need a growth model."
"Value-added? Where do I sign up for the conference?"
"The tests will take care of themselves if we do the right thing by kids."
"Our school goal is to raise our reading test scores by 5%."
"We need to have a handle on how our schools are doing."
"The tests need to be web-based for quicker turn-around to teachers."
"Exciting - quarterly tests with 24 hour turn-around that predict how the kids will do on the NCLB tests?"
Have you said any of these? I have to admit I have said one of them. And look what we have created, by not sending a clear message. We knew it all along. Come on. We learned it in undergrad, elaborated in grad school, read it in our professional journals, had it reinforced in PD. The tests do not serve kids. Say it. Good. Lather, rinse repeat. Wiggins, Stiggins, McTighe, et. al. Educational Leadership, The School Administrator, etc.
We have states, districts, schools, and teachers rated by tests.
We have them published on school websites, by the popular media, on State Department websites.
Now, we have teachers being compensated based on them. Teachers and Principals losing their jobs over them.
AT BEST, THE TESTS ARE A ROUGH SCREENING INDICATOR OF WHERE A SCHOOL/TEAM/TEACHER NEED TO EXPLORE FURTHER. AT BEST!
Borrowing from the politicians, we need to get back on message.
"I have no problem with that."
"We need the results faster."
"We need a growth model."
"Value-added? Where do I sign up for the conference?"
"The tests will take care of themselves if we do the right thing by kids."
"Our school goal is to raise our reading test scores by 5%."
"We need to have a handle on how our schools are doing."
"The tests need to be web-based for quicker turn-around to teachers."
"Exciting - quarterly tests with 24 hour turn-around that predict how the kids will do on the NCLB tests?"
Have you said any of these? I have to admit I have said one of them. And look what we have created, by not sending a clear message. We knew it all along. Come on. We learned it in undergrad, elaborated in grad school, read it in our professional journals, had it reinforced in PD. The tests do not serve kids. Say it. Good. Lather, rinse repeat. Wiggins, Stiggins, McTighe, et. al. Educational Leadership, The School Administrator, etc.
We have states, districts, schools, and teachers rated by tests.
We have them published on school websites, by the popular media, on State Department websites.
Now, we have teachers being compensated based on them. Teachers and Principals losing their jobs over them.
AT BEST, THE TESTS ARE A ROUGH SCREENING INDICATOR OF WHERE A SCHOOL/TEAM/TEACHER NEED TO EXPLORE FURTHER. AT BEST!
Borrowing from the politicians, we need to get back on message.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
You asked ...
Those of us who are critics of NCLB and/or state blueprint plans, particularly the rush to retain kids and high-stakes test them, have been challenged to put up some ideas. Below is a start.
Beliefs:
1. Schools ought to run for students.
2. Students need to own their learning, and be in charge of it.
3. Transparency.
1. Student Assessment
- Schools will develop interdisciplinary dispositions for students. They will be published.
The dispositions will be based on the 4 C's, adaptability, etc. Skills that the literature has identified are necessary to students to be successful - in any and all senses of the word - in THEIR future.
- The schools will develop a performance-based opportunity for students to exhibit their progress in the attainment of the interdisciplinary dispositions. These exhibitions will occur at approximately the following age intervals, at least: age 8-11, 12-14, 15-18. The students will have unlimited options in exhibiting their progress on the interdisciplinary dispositions.
- A trained team of teachers, parents, business/community leaders shall provide formative feedback to each student. This is following the student presenting evidence of progress to the team, place, time, form, and substance to be determined by the student.
- Once in each interval of age 9-11, 12-14, 14-17, the school is required to administer a *standardized test to all students. The school will be required to develop and **publish the following:
a. Results on the test.
b. What the school has concluded regarding the test results in terms of implications for the school curricular and instructional program AND in terms of implications for individual students. Specifically:
- Are the results reliable, are they a true indicator or an aberration? How was that determined?
- Are the results valid, meaning, are they important? How was that determined?
- What is being done in response to the results as part of improvement plans for school?
- What is being done for individual students as a result of students spending time on this test?**
* Standardized tests: NWEA, MAPS, Scantron, WKCE, ITBS, FCAT, MCASS, PSAT, EXPLORE, PLAN, SAT, ACT.
** Publication must adhere to student privacy laws.
2. Freedom
- Grade retention of students is banned. Nationally.
- Schools and districts are given freedom from the Carnegie-unit system.
- Schools are given freedom from seat-time/student attendance requirements.
Rationale: This is the 21st Century. Students do not have to "physically be in a school building" to "be in school", or learn.
- Schools can abandon the traditional "curricular/extra-curricular" paradigm and implement a student interest-driven, passion-based model. Certification requirements, limiting schools to traditional subject-area silos, are waived. Content fidelity under this model is to the inter-disciplinary, application-based dispositions as referenced above. rather than discrete subject area knowledge.
3. Highly Qualified
Each student is entitled to a "highly qualified":
- teacher.
- principal/administrator.
- parent/guardian/community advocate.
- school board.
- state legislature.
4. Role of State Legislature
The state spends approximately 50% of their budget on education. Therefore, they are required to spend 50% of their time working on education, and learning about what kids need for tomorrow from their education today.
5. Role of State Educational Agency
- Educate the state legislature.
- Help schools.
- Work in cooperation with the State Legislature to develop and implement models to ensure each student is provided the highly-qualified team identified in #3 above.
6. Role of US Dept. of Education
Report card to Congress and the people, to include identification of:
- State legislatures in Need of Improvement (SLIFI).
- State Education Agencies in Need of Improvement (SEAIFI).
Suggested criteria: Google Vincent v. Voigt for finance needs, proficiency of each unit in duties assigned above, other.
Beliefs:
1. Schools ought to run for students.
2. Students need to own their learning, and be in charge of it.
3. Transparency.
1. Student Assessment
- Schools will develop interdisciplinary dispositions for students. They will be published.
The dispositions will be based on the 4 C's, adaptability, etc. Skills that the literature has identified are necessary to students to be successful - in any and all senses of the word - in THEIR future.
- The schools will develop a performance-based opportunity for students to exhibit their progress in the attainment of the interdisciplinary dispositions. These exhibitions will occur at approximately the following age intervals, at least: age 8-11, 12-14, 15-18. The students will have unlimited options in exhibiting their progress on the interdisciplinary dispositions.
- A trained team of teachers, parents, business/community leaders shall provide formative feedback to each student. This is following the student presenting evidence of progress to the team, place, time, form, and substance to be determined by the student.
- Once in each interval of age 9-11, 12-14, 14-17, the school is required to administer a *standardized test to all students. The school will be required to develop and **publish the following:
a. Results on the test.
b. What the school has concluded regarding the test results in terms of implications for the school curricular and instructional program AND in terms of implications for individual students. Specifically:
- Are the results reliable, are they a true indicator or an aberration? How was that determined?
- Are the results valid, meaning, are they important? How was that determined?
- What is being done in response to the results as part of improvement plans for school?
- What is being done for individual students as a result of students spending time on this test?**
* Standardized tests: NWEA, MAPS, Scantron, WKCE, ITBS, FCAT, MCASS, PSAT, EXPLORE, PLAN, SAT, ACT.
** Publication must adhere to student privacy laws.
2. Freedom
- Grade retention of students is banned. Nationally.
- Schools and districts are given freedom from the Carnegie-unit system.
- Schools are given freedom from seat-time/student attendance requirements.
Rationale: This is the 21st Century. Students do not have to "physically be in a school building" to "be in school", or learn.
- Schools can abandon the traditional "curricular/extra-curricular" paradigm and implement a student interest-driven, passion-based model. Certification requirements, limiting schools to traditional subject-area silos, are waived. Content fidelity under this model is to the inter-disciplinary, application-based dispositions as referenced above. rather than discrete subject area knowledge.
3. Highly Qualified
Each student is entitled to a "highly qualified":
- teacher.
- principal/administrator.
- parent/guardian/community advocate.
- school board.
- state legislature.
4. Role of State Legislature
The state spends approximately 50% of their budget on education. Therefore, they are required to spend 50% of their time working on education, and learning about what kids need for tomorrow from their education today.
5. Role of State Educational Agency
- Educate the state legislature.
- Help schools.
- Work in cooperation with the State Legislature to develop and implement models to ensure each student is provided the highly-qualified team identified in #3 above.
6. Role of US Dept. of Education
Report card to Congress and the people, to include identification of:
- State legislatures in Need of Improvement (SLIFI).
- State Education Agencies in Need of Improvement (SEAIFI).
Suggested criteria: Google Vincent v. Voigt for finance needs, proficiency of each unit in duties assigned above, other.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Further Outside My Comfort Zone?
As I concluded my preparations this afternoon, excited to start my 9th year teaching School Law to graduate students at Cardinal Stritch University, the changes I am incorporating caused me to reflect: is this even further outside of my comfort zone than what I did less than 3 months ago?
Consider:
1. Graduate Class - 24 adult students in downtown Milwaukee, Wis. School Law for aspiring Principals or Curriculum Directors in a degreed program, taught using a real-life, application, problem-based, inquiry/discussion format incorporating Smartboard use, BYOD, Twitter and backchanneling. (I am very excited to start!) Tomorrow night.
or
2. Teaching 1st-7th graders, class sizes of 35-55, literally halfway around the world (South Sudan, Africa), no electricity, no student textbooks, no lighting, no running water, no computers, no WI-FI, cultural differences, using the Ugandan curriculum. Two and a half months ago.
It's fun to just contemplate - which is further outside my comfort zone.
I am committed to having my grad class model some of the components the students need to see in 4K-12 classrooms by having them experience it first-hand.
Consider:
1. Graduate Class - 24 adult students in downtown Milwaukee, Wis. School Law for aspiring Principals or Curriculum Directors in a degreed program, taught using a real-life, application, problem-based, inquiry/discussion format incorporating Smartboard use, BYOD, Twitter and backchanneling. (I am very excited to start!) Tomorrow night.
or
2. Teaching 1st-7th graders, class sizes of 35-55, literally halfway around the world (South Sudan, Africa), no electricity, no student textbooks, no lighting, no running water, no computers, no WI-FI, cultural differences, using the Ugandan curriculum. Two and a half months ago.
It's fun to just contemplate - which is further outside my comfort zone.
I am committed to having my grad class model some of the components the students need to see in 4K-12 classrooms by having them experience it first-hand.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Amazing Ride Home from Christmas!
(Drove home from Door County today. Surfing the dial, a couple of great items came over the various channels.)
***************************************************************************
NPR Report:
A 17 year old student, Ms. Bechtel of Pennsylvania, has invented a device for detecting IED's using sound. How?
She explained in the interview, paraphrased here.
When I was in 8th grade, I was practicing my piano in my room. I am a musician. I noticed the frequencies from the keyboard caused the metal on my banjo hanging on the wall to vibrate. I thought, 'maybe I could use that principle to creat an IED detector using sound.
She used metal tins and authentic IED casings to test it in her backyard. It worked great, other than a few false positives from bottle caps, etc.
She has been sharing her invention in various science fairs and competitions.
I have learned more science from science fairs than I ever learned in school.
Career aspirations? I think she called it a "Molecular Particologist"?, and to work for a company in Sweden.
Wow!
*****************************************************
"WGLB - radio station featuring music from the 60's and 70's. Check us out on Facebook!"
The irony of an classic rock station on Facebook just hit me.
***************************************************************************
NPR Report:
A 17 year old student, Ms. Bechtel of Pennsylvania, has invented a device for detecting IED's using sound. How?
She explained in the interview, paraphrased here.
When I was in 8th grade, I was practicing my piano in my room. I am a musician. I noticed the frequencies from the keyboard caused the metal on my banjo hanging on the wall to vibrate. I thought, 'maybe I could use that principle to creat an IED detector using sound.
She used metal tins and authentic IED casings to test it in her backyard. It worked great, other than a few false positives from bottle caps, etc.
She has been sharing her invention in various science fairs and competitions.
I have learned more science from science fairs than I ever learned in school.
Career aspirations? I think she called it a "Molecular Particologist"?, and to work for a company in Sweden.
Wow!
*****************************************************
"WGLB - radio station featuring music from the 60's and 70's. Check us out on Facebook!"
The irony of an classic rock station on Facebook just hit me.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thinking about "Content" ...
Content: What we teach in classrooms!
The information explosion is putting increased pressure on the classroom teacher, and what "content" is included in the time they have the students.
Where is the time going to come from to memorize all this new information, this new history, etc.?
Classroom Implications?
- The amount of information known about the world doubles
every ... What is the latest number you've heard? 18 months, 15
months, 12 months, less?
- Everyone has access to information - anytime, anywhere!
- The 4C's, entrepreneurship, adaptablity over-arch all content!
- NCLB tests are info-trivia contests.
- Change rates are increasing exponentially.
- All learners are connected.
Intriguing Thoughts - From Twitter
1. Teachers: Don't ask the question if you can Google the answer.
(Multiple sources on Twitter)
2. Teachers: Don't ask the question if you (the teacher) know the
answer. (@irascol)
The information explosion is putting increased pressure on the classroom teacher, and what "content" is included in the time they have the students.
Where is the time going to come from to memorize all this new information, this new history, etc.?
Classroom Implications?
- The amount of information known about the world doubles
every ... What is the latest number you've heard? 18 months, 15
months, 12 months, less?
- Everyone has access to information - anytime, anywhere!
- The 4C's, entrepreneurship, adaptablity over-arch all content!
- NCLB tests are info-trivia contests.
- Change rates are increasing exponentially.
- All learners are connected.
Intriguing Thoughts - From Twitter
1. Teachers: Don't ask the question if you can Google the answer.
(Multiple sources on Twitter)
2. Teachers: Don't ask the question if you (the teacher) know the
answer. (@irascol)
Sacred Cows
Capitals of the States
Bones of the body
US Civil War
Are we ready to have students graduate K-12 education never having memorized the capitals of the states or the bones of the body?
NEVER HAVING STUDIED THE U.S. CIVIL WAR?!!!
*******************************************************************************Are we ready to have students graduate K-12 education never having memorized the capitals of the states or the bones of the body?
NEVER HAVING STUDIED THE U.S. CIVIL WAR?!!!
If we maintain our fidelity to the 4C's, entrpreneurship, adaptability, etc., does the content matter? Can it vary from student-to-student? Can it be passion-based?
Monday, December 5, 2011
If NCLB focus is successful, kids lose, we hold the bag!
"Obsession" "Knockoffs" "Malpractice"
*******************************************
Goals to improve test scores? Test prep sessions?
Test prep materials? Compensation for ANY school employees based on test scores? Data retreats focused on NCLB test results?
*******************************************
If Our Obsession with NCLB Works:
- All kids become proficient selecting the most correct of 4 options
by filling in the bubble. A deductive reasoning task based on test
makers' judgement of the least wrong/most right bubble option.
- All kids are proficient at regurgitation of information. NCLB tests
require lower level Bloom's taxonomy information recall.
- Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents will all get merit
increases for raising test scores. Or, at least they won't be fired
for NOT raising test scores.
***************************************************************
"But, our education system is failing and not preparing kids for their future!"
NCLB-TYPE THINKING IS NOT THE ANSWER!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/when-an-adult-took-standardized-tests-forced-on-kids/2011/12/05/gIQApTDuUO_blog.html
Uh-oh. So, we're:
- NOT preparing kids for their future.
- NOT doing what is best for our country.
- NOT doing right by kids.
We know about quality assessment, assessment for learning, assessment AS learning. But it is not fast, cheap, easy, quick, and internet-based. It is kid-affirming, instructionally prescriptive.
**************************************************************
NCLB "Thinking" - Knock-offs
standardized tests
value-added testing (VAT)
NCLB waivers (still test-obsessed)
Race to the Top (RTTT)
NAEP
**************************************************************
All experts - futurists, visionaries, business executives, educators, parents, psychologists - agree on what kids will need in the future.
To be successful, in every and all sense of the word "successful", students need to:
- innovate
- create
- collaborate
- critical thinking
- communicate
- adapt
- become entrepreneurs
NO NCLB TESTS ADDRESS THESE AREAS!
*******************************************
There is an obvious mismatch between the educational accountability system and preparing kids for their future. Why?
NCLB tests are fast and cheap, computer-scored, easily comparable.
Politics, lack of courage, lack of commitment to the reasons educators got into this business.
Culpability. We are culpable. We are abdicating our responsibility to give kids our best.
Yes, culpability. If not:
1. Stop the test increase goals! At ALL levels - classroom, grade,
grade clusters, building, district, state.
2. SEA's: Get those test score comparisons off your website!
In, Wisconsin, that is the DPI. You know better!
3. Serve kids, educate parents and the public. Choose kids' futures
over the path of least resistance. Give them the education they
need, deserve.
4. Speak out. Engage in the dialogue of kids' futures.
**************************************************************
When the mismatch, between the ecucational accountability system and what this next generation needs, plays out, we will be left holding the bag. Culpable. Malpractice. Educators, the public education system, will be blamed for culpability or, at the very least, acquiescing.
**************************************************************
"Sacred cow" moment
Let's go there.ACT/SAT?
Really?
Best practice - no way. Teachers use better assessment in their
classrooms EVERY DAY!
The best predictor of college/university success - try how the
student did in High School.
(We now return you to your regularly-scheduled reading.)
*******************************************************************************
Contrary to commonly-held belief, the video below is a reaction to the idea of a 6th consecutive year of NCLB standardized tests, followed by at least 1 more in high school, ALL before taking the SAT/ACT. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_KIzbktgJk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)