Get Schooled

By KA

March 6, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this

I am not a fan of any standardized tests that determine who advances. Why can’t we return to the day when the professionals (aka teachers) assessed their students progress based on schoolwork, homework, and in class tests, and passed those that had earned the grades and failed those that didn’t? The CRCT and the ‘cut’ scores is just a shell game used to produce statistics that say what the educrats want them to say.

By teach overseas

March 6, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this

Great idea KA!

Ooopps- that would mean that the administrators would actually have to stand behind the decisions of the teachers!

Can anyone imagine a principal saying to an angry parent: “Mrs. Jones has taught reading for 20 years now and she says that little Johnny is not ready for 4th grade- I’m sorry that this makes you unhappy, but that’s the way it is.” NOPE! Much easier to ring their hands in helplessness- “it’s not ME! It’s the TEST!”

Standardized tests give the illusion that it’s all fair and that old fashioned “professional judgement” is not used to determine if Johnny goes to 4th grade or not.

By KA

March 6, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this

teach overseas, you are right. I guess I am living in the past. Too bad.

By KA

March 6, 2007 9:17 AM | Link to this

WHO is served by these tests? Not the students who perform poorly on standardized tests; not the students who should not be promoted because they didn’t learn the material, or can’t read well enough to even take the test; not the teachers who know who is learning and who is not, but who must promote the failing students; not the school systems or state educrats who manipulate the test cut scores and success statistics. Nobody is served by these tests. Nobody is fooled. The emperor is not wearing any clothes, but who will tell her and her court?

By jim d

March 6, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this

Sorry KA,

But yes the educrats do benefit. Many of these folks hold elected positions and are quite content to continue to use the bogus numbers being generated from these tests to pull the wool over the eyes of voters. Many others are appointed to positions that pay rather handsomely and will do whatever the deem neccessary to protect those that placed them in those positions.

Unfortunately, none of them give a real rip about the children or real learning.

Sad state of affairs, isn’t it?

By V for Vendetta

March 6, 2007 9:53 AM | Link to this

KA, You make some good points. Many of these tests serve no purpose other than to allow people to “pass the buck”. As you said, it is much easier to blame things on a test than on a person. On top of that, the tests seem to fail at serving their intended purposes. Most kids get some kind of reprieve or excuse to continue on in school even after failing the standardized tests miserably.

I like your idea of letting the teachers actually decide who is ready and who is not, but teach overseas is right, that would never happen.

So what do we do? How can we fix this monumental problem? Well, first off we need to ditch NCLB. I think we’re all in agreement on that one. Next, we need to force our state and local counties to support teachers with something resembling a backbone. When it comes to a child’s education, unfortunately many parents don’t have a clue. The decisions should be taken out of their hands. If their child is most obviously not ready for the next grade, or is most obviously not Honors/AP Gifted material, then there should be no way for that parent to “force” the school to place a child in one of those classes.

It seems like common sense. You’d THINK it was common sense.

By KA

March 6, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this

jim, as I said, the emeperor has no clothes, and no matter how well paid, has no credibility with us the lowly subjects because we all know the testing and reporting is manipulated.

By KA

March 6, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

V, I cannot take credit for the idea to let the teachers assess their students! That’s the way it was when I was in school….

By SET

March 6, 2007 10:17 AM | Link to this

I don’t have a problem with the concept of state tests on a reasonable time schedule. It’s important that all the states’ students are compared to an objective standard at least once a year.

I agree with Vendetta that parents should hit a brick wall when their child is so far below his/her peers that the child should be barred from honors classes and removed from what used to be that child’s peers due to the inability of that child to keep up. The parents need to be told that once little Johnny falls below certain objective standards the school is no longer willing to talk about keeping him with normal kids. The parents have the usual options of homeschooling, alternative placement, or trying private schools.

You know, this does sound like 1960 again. Maybe the system worked better then. Maybe we should re-adopt some more of the school policies from that era.

By JustMe

March 6, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this

As a teacher, I will voice the “other side” of the coin…

I teach high school. And I regularly see teachers that are very poor teachers. They are often more concerned with the students ‘liking’ them than with the students actually learning the content. They figure if the students ‘like’ them then they won’t complain to their parents or the administration. If they never give homework and they give all (or mostly) A’s, then the students will like them even more. So, those teachers also give ridiculously simple tests, if any.

Administrators seem to love these teachers. There are rarely, if ever, a complaint about these teachers. The students love them and request them when registering for the next course. So, even the counselors are ‘impressed’ that all of these students are requesting that teacher.

In high school, this alone is a reason that the high school graduation test and the EOCT are needed! After all, a high school diploma SHOULD represent that the student has mastered the CONTENT, right?

Interestingly, these same teachers may teach AP or IB courses and their students score horribly on their tests (to no ones surprise), but no one seems to care.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 11:20 AM | Link to this

Just me,

these tests are so bad that not even the school systems place much weight in them. If they did you’d see zero waivers being issued that allow a failing student to move on. So why even spend the money?

By mmm

March 6, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

Bridget—you’ve just provoked me into blogging. It took me 3 minutes to find the related ITEM on the Agenda for “committee of the whole” meeting tomorrow at 1:00 on e-board under “other business items” on DOE’s e-board website. They are going to vote on letting the superintendent make the decision. “It is recommended that the State Board of Education authorize the State Superintendent of Schools to approve recommended GPS-based performance standards or cut scores for the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests for mathematics in grades 1, 2, and 7 and for science in grades 3, 4, and 5.”

Obviously she will take a committee of internal expert’s advice—consult with her campaign manager—and come up with something. If you would like to do some reporting, go to the meeting tomorrow afternoon and ask when you can see and write up the details.

Can I be a reporter now?

By teach overseas

March 6, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this

Just Me-

Don’t you think that some of these “poor” and “easy” teachers would get a backbone themselves if they were supported by administration?

Back when I was a younger teacher I was eager to “set the bar high” and give the hard tests and challenging homework. But guess what? Kids complained, parents complained and I found myself being “counceled” by my department chair to ease things up (on the direction of the principal!)

So, I smartned up real fast. Next year, I was one the coushy teachers. Kids liked me, parents liked me, counselors put kids in my classes who wanted out of harder teachers classes. My department chair smiled upon me and I was rewarded with a bigger classroom. And when I left, that same principal wrote an outstanding letter of recommendation for me stating that I “had the knack for making each student sucessful”.

Load of crap? Sure! Principals have ways of making teacher’s lives miserable when they don’t play the game.

As long as teachers are not backed up by the adminsitration, you will get good teachers who could be really good if they didn’t have to go along to get along.

By JustMe

March 6, 2007 11:49 AM | Link to this

teach overseas -

And that is exactly why EOCT and HSGT are needed!!!

jim d -

Notice that the schools that don’t like the standardized tests are the ones with high percentages of failure rates. That should tell you something…. And, if you are not in favor of testing as a way to assess student mastery of content, what do you suggest?

By jim d

March 6, 2007 11:53 AM | Link to this

TOS,

Da ya think maybe—just maybe—- if the vast majority of teachers found some backbone, that school adminstrators would be forced to support them?

Realistically they can’t fire all of you and surely making the majority of teachers under their command unhappy by making their lives miserable would yeild unfathonable problems for their administration.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this

I have no problem with standardized tests. It is the end purpose of the results that I often object to. When schools actually use the results as a means to learn where they need to improve their delivery I heartly support the use of tests.

By teach overseas

March 6, 2007 12:06 PM | Link to this

Just Me-

I agree with you.

But we wouldn’t need all these lengthly,expensive and tragically flawed tests if the principals would back up the teachers in the first place!

We are all running around creating tests and programs that relieve us of having to say “this is juniors grade” We CYA ourselves to death, hiding behind THE TEST.

If I could actually give Junior a C and then send his hysterical mother to the principal who would support me and his grade, then we woudln’t need to play these games. Back up the teachers!

By nel

March 6, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this

jim d:

Don’t you think though that if the parents who give a rip about the standards of education around here started showing up at the state capital like every other group who wants to get attention to their “issue” does, the elected heads would think twice? People do what they know they can get away with and that goes for the politicians, incompetent teachers, administrators, and children. The good always suffer for the bad. We parents need to start holding some feet firmly to the fire.

By OldSchool

March 6, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this

I can understand the use of standardized tests. Scores are black & white proof that students either know the material (covered by the test) or not…right.

Dare I bring up the “A” word…accountability? It is far easier to be accountable when one has numbers to back him/her up than when armed with only a “gut feeling” or “based on 20 years of experience.” Numbers can be printed out and waved around. “Knowing” what is best for a student opens the teacher up to being slammed by the parent who is positive that little Johnny is going to UGA despite the fact that he cannot read or do the simplest math.

Until someone realizes that the way improve education is not with sweeping reforms but targeting the weak teachers (everybody knows who they are in every school) and doing what is needed to bring them up to higher standards of quality. Let the good teachers teach. I promise they’ll use the QCCs or Performance Standards or whatever they’re calling them as the basis for their instruction. Teachers will TEACH. Students will LEARN. And the ones who won’t teach and the students who won’t learn will be filtered out.

It will be tough because we will have bunches of students dropping out but I think it would work.

OR: we could start teaching kids HOW TO BE GOOD PARENTS. Lord knows no one is modeling that behavior at home…just watch Nanny 911 and Super Nanny!

By JustMe

March 6, 2007 12:12 PM | Link to this

jim d -

Your posts never fail to entertain…

Think of school administrators as the ‘boss’ and the teachers as the ‘empolyee.’ The ‘boss’ tells the employee what to do and how to do it. If the ‘employee’ doesn’t measure up to the expectations of the boss, they are penalized and/or fired.

The only time ‘employees’ can stand up to their ‘boss’ with confidence, even when they are in the right, is when there is a real labor union to support them. And, the State of GA is a Right to Work State that doesn’t legally allow labor unions.

So, teachers absolutely cannot stand up to administrators. We must appease them. Some administrators are more academically minded and will support teachers trying to raise the proverbial academic bar. Other administrators simply don’t want conflict from parents or students and therefore tell the teachers to ‘suck it up.’

When I first started teaching, we had an academic Principal, and he supported all teachers efforts to get students ready for college and to raise the bar. Since then, the administration has become more and more spine-less with them telling teachers to not ‘rock the boat’ and to do whatever it takes to ‘keep the peace.’

To fully understand and appreciate the dynamics of these relationships, you really should teach in a school for a time.

When you suggest for all teachers to stand up to administrators because they ‘can’t fire us all’, you are asking for the impossible. There are some teachers that love to do the minimim effort themselves and get that paycheck - they will not join the revolt. There are some teachers with aspirations of becoming administrators and so they need their administrators recommendation - they will not join the revolt. There are some teachers that are just kiss-a$$ and enjoy that relationship with the administrators - they will not join the revolt. And, I am sure that there are others.

Don’t you get it?

By BB

March 6, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this

I am retiring at the end of this school year, and my daughter will be graduating from high school. All I can say is “Thank you God!” I am so glad to be leaving public education!

By JustMe

March 6, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this

Old School -

I love your idea of teaching kids how to be parents. I suggested that type of thing before. However, a number of the bloggers here jumped on me because they said that they did not want the ‘government’ to tell people how to raise kids. What a load of crap!

By catlady

March 6, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this

At our school (pop 630) NOT A SINGLE CHILD WAS RETAINED LAST YEAR EXCEPT ONE WHOSE MOTHER SAID, “HE DID NOT DO THE WORK, SO HE WILL NOT GO ON.”Every other child, even the 60+ failing the CRCT in Reading or Math in 3rd and 5th went on. Why is there no investigation of this?!?! And, as jimd and others have said, the cut scores are manipulated. We teachers cannot even check on this because we are forbidden to informally grade a few of the tests. Talk about no accountability!

By catlady

March 6, 2007 1:32 PM | Link to this

Calling it a guessing game is waayy too innocent-sounding. It is a lot more nefarious-there is no guessing about it-it is pure manipulation, like changing the standard scores.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 2:32 PM | Link to this

Yep I get it!!

What you’re saying is that many Los profesores son maravillas gutless.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 2:41 PM | Link to this

Just me,

And here all along I thought slavery had been made illegal in this country.

It has been said that “No civilized nation today still allows slavery” Yet teachers are actually inslaved to this day in the US. But then it’s really a self induced slavery isn’t it? When y’all going to grow some balls? Or ya just planning on continuing to whine about all the injustices perpetrated on teachers?

By Bridget Gutierrez

March 6, 2007 2:58 PM | Link to this

mmm: You could have saved yourself the three minutes by just clicking on one of the links I provided, which would have taken you to the agenda item you quoted.

Of course, I would attend the meeting tomorrow if I weren’t out of town on another assignment. But you can watch the meeting yourself online.

By JustMe

March 6, 2007 2:59 PM | Link to this

jim d-

I could do what many have done/are doing in the teaching profession - leave. So then no, it is not “slavery.”

If a person working for Coca-Cola wants to keep their job, is it “slavery?” You would probably say yes.

Trying to work in a system the best an individual can does not infer ‘having balls’ or ‘not having balls’.

And finally, the purpose of blogs is to have a place to voice individual ideas, suggestions, complaints, etc. If you don’t like ‘whinning’ that I suggest that you stay away from all blogs, especially this one!

By jim d

March 6, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this

Excuse me, just me,

“the purpose of blogs is to have a place to voice individual ideas, suggestions, complaints, etc.”

Uhm. does that work both ways or is it the educational establishment method of only working to your advantage? You know, the silence the opposition method.

By hs sped

March 6, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this

catlady-We had one that failed (failed the classes, failed the CRCT)and was supposed to move on to 9th grade. His paperwork came over during the summer. We couldn’t find him when school started. The parents had intervened and he stayed back. Guess what? He was placed in 9th grade at the beginning of the 2nd semester. This was all done at the county level. No explanations were given. We just have to deal with it. Deal with a kid that failed 8th grade and missed the 1st half of 9th grade.

jim d- I’m female, so I’ll probably never grow a “set!!” In the meantime, because I like my paycheck, I will keep my mouth shut. One day I will find the time and money to go back to school and learn another trade and then I can move on (if I’m not too old). For now…I do my job and don’t ask too many questions!

By Janine

March 6, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this

Hello everyone…..Just a reminder…as has been said above and many any times here:* Ga has no teachers’ unions. What has not been said so often….States that DO HAVE teachers’ unions rank at the top in academic achievement. ANd one more time: wherever the CUT OFF scores are set, IT’s going to be too low!! And it’s going to mean absolutely nothing because *[1]in does not give a true picture of the child’s achievement level and [2] it is not used to determing who proceeds to the next level and who does not.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 3:59 PM | Link to this

Ok just me,

One last comment then I’ll leave the final comment to you re;this subject.

I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone in any position that continues to work at a job they truly aren’t happy with. It may just be appearance, but this seems to really be enhanced by many people in the field of primary and secondary education I suspect this may be largely due to the added job security that teachers hold over just about every other occupation I can think of. So don’t keep telling me how bad you have it.

Janine,

Unless I’m mistaken Georgia is a right to work state. Which I’m right confident means you don’t have to belong to a union as a condition of employment. It does not mean you can’t belong to one.

y’all have sick days don’t you?(rhetorical question). Who knows when a panademic will hit every teacher in a school?

y’all have a great evening!

By HS Teacher Too

March 6, 2007 4:04 PM | Link to this

JustMe and Teach Overseas —

You two are dead-on today. That’s part of why I left teaching to attend law school. (oops, might be giving away part of my identity here.) Jimd — because I do have a backbone, and intend to return to the education world to make a positive difference from the perspective of teachers, not administrators, parents, or special needs lobbies.

I’m pretty sure I might be the only one out there beating that drum… at least, teaching where I taught in Georgia, that sure was the sense I got.

Oh, and one more thing. I got out because I do have a backbone, but I’ll tell you this — there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t passionately miss teaching. Not the %$(^*@##! that came with it, but the kids and the teaching? Not a day goes by … but I justify it this way: I will be an even better teacher when I return.

p.s. to JustMe and Teach Overseas — I, like everyone else, had colleagues who taught traditionally difficult classes but were too concerned with being their students’ best friends; being cool … no, there weren’t a lot of parent complaints — but there were plenty of TEACHER complaints when those kids made it to the next class!!!!

By jim d

March 6, 2007 4:12 PM | Link to this

HS II,

I tip my hat to your courage and convictions. Shame there aren’t more like you.

By HS Teacher Too

March 6, 2007 4:16 PM | Link to this

forgot to say — and then in turn there were plenty of parent complaints when that next teacher, who did have a sense of rigor, didn’t dole out the easy A’s like candy. So those “I-want-to-be-popular” teachers really make more work, more headaches, and compound the lack-of-administrative-support problems that the teachers with standards already have to deal with.

Gee, can you tell on which side of the fence I often found myself?!

My only consolation was, and continues to be, the kids who tell me after they’ve left my classes that they are well-prepared and glad, after all, that they had me.

By HS Teacher Too

March 6, 2007 4:20 PM | Link to this

jimd —

Thank you for the compliment.

Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to just conform, to stop fighting, to try to avoid the waves. And when you teach in a county-based system, and you love teaching, it’s not as simple as changing schools — for many folks, that would mean actually packing up and moving their homes to make it a reasonable proposition. (I’m also incredibly lucky in that I didn’t work for the income, and I realize that afforded me, and continues to afford me, many luxuries that many teachers can’t afford. One of those luxuries is the ability to “up and leave” and return to being a full-time student.)

I just cross my fingers that TAG can make a difference.

By Joy in Teaching

March 6, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this

We live in a society where we all SAY we want accountability until someone is actually held accountable.

I just finished composing an email to a parent of a 6th grader that I’ve only had for 8 weeks. The parent is concerned because her gifted son has a 75 in my class and was upset because she claimed that she had not been given adequate warning that her son has not been doing well. In the past 8 weeks, I have stapled 9 notes in his agenda, written 7 personal notes in his agenda, sent 14 emails to her (to which she has replied), and have made personalized comments about his progress in my on-line gradebook which she has said that “she’s been keeping up with.” It’s a good thing that I keep strict notes. In this last email(which was VERY long), I responded with dates in which I had contacted her and then CCed it to my administrator as I’m getting pretty dad-gummed tired of her making excuses for him. A C isn’t going to hurt anyone…and might actually get his attention before he goes farther in his academic career.

Jim, its easy for you to say that teachers don’t have balls when you are not a teacher yourself. You do not understand the school climates or the unwritten power that a principal really has. I think most teachers have balls originally, but they tend to get neutered over time by whiney parents, irresponsible students, ridiculous working conditions, and a curriculum that is constantly getting watered down by NCLB.

I easily spend over an hour each day responding to emails from parents who are making excuses for their children. I’ve gotten to where I spend at least 10 minutes a class period writing notes in student agendas.

I am not a difficult teacher, but I do have standards that I insist my students meet. Students and parents are informed of that the very first day of class, but do not really understand what being held to a standard means. As a result, I’ve gotten the reputation of being one of those “hard” teachers, although my students always score extremely high on standardized tests. I’ve been called “mean” simply because I’ve assigned strikes and detention because kids make the choice of disturbing class or coming unprepared to class…even when they’ve been given a written and verbal warning to cease.

I would seriously love it if the the establishment would say, “We have standards…and this is it…and your child must either meet those standards or be held back until he does.” And then ACTUALLY DO IT.

By jim d

March 6, 2007 4:50 PM | Link to this

JIT,

Just for the record.

“The National Labor Relations Act provides for employee rights to organize, join unions, and engage in collective bargaining. It is unlawful for an employer to interfere with an employee’s right to join a union and engage in union activities, including discharging or otherwise discriminating against employees because they engage in union activities. Employers also are required to bargain in good faith with a union. Georgia has a “right to work” law which prohibits interference with employment to compel any person to either join or refrain from joining a union.”

By jim d

March 6, 2007 4:59 PM | Link to this

Oh yeah and then there’s this little thingy.

Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

By Lisa B.

March 6, 2007 5:02 PM | Link to this

No profession is perfect. Even with the problems, I love teaching. I am not afraid to make waves, but chose carefully which waves to make. I tend to get more action from my administrators that way. The current testing craze, while annoying, will likely change completely as time goes by. One thing I’ve noticed in this profession, is that about the time something works, it gets changed, and about the time one is completely sick of something, that too, is changed. Kids still need to be educated. That part never changes, so here I am.

By KA

March 6, 2007 5:32 PM | Link to this

The question is WHY do some companies and professions have a cordial and respectful culture and others like teaching, don’t? I am reading a most fascinating book that I think answers that question. I think you teachers should read it and work toward changing your culture. It’s The No A*******hole Rule, Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, by Robert I Sutton, PhD. Each teacher here should buy one, read it, then send it to your principals, superintendants, to the State Bd and Super. Start a movement, a revolution in your profession. Save each other!

By 30 year Teacher

March 6, 2007 6:05 PM | Link to this

With all the talk about unions I have two comments. Here in FL we do have unions; however a teacher who strikes will lose their FL certification. Needless to say union power is rather ineffectual in many areas, particularly salary. Unions say they will protect in cases of litigation etc. but I have found I can add an addendum to my household insurance which gives almost the same if not better coverage than the local union.

The other is my personal opinion. Teaching is and should be a professional occupation. I consider, rightly or wrong, unions to be blue collar organizations. I do not belong to a union here and have through the years been pressured to join since it was not right that I “should experience the union benefits without belonging” (paying dues which are rather high I might add). I do not believe that unions are the answer to teacher woes. We do need supportive administrators and they are becoming rare. Unions will not supplant this lack and certainly have no influence on the testing situation all states find themselves in.

By Janine

March 6, 2007 6:05 PM | Link to this

THanks KA…I will definitely buy it…even though I got “balls” and left teaching. However, if one loves teaching, [that would be without all the “stuff” that the gov’t showers on us ], and you know that if you complain/make waves/join a union, if there were a union to join/speak up… that your life will be made so=o=o= difficult…..aand you will never get what you ask for [materials, resources, etc..] , it may be that making waves will make one’s life unbearable…So the question becomes…Is it better for a dedicated teacher sit down and shut up …close his/her door and do what he/she believes to be best for the students…or stand up…have every eye on him/her, preventing the teacher from doing his/her best.. because what the “system ” says is best is definitely NOT>>>

By KA

March 6, 2007 7:07 PM | Link to this

Janine and others, Here’s the link to the book on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/A*****-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446526568/ref=pdbbssr_1/102-1897248-2780148?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173225934&sr=8-1

By thomas

March 6, 2007 7:13 PM | Link to this

To Bridget and all you others out there worrying about cut scores and the CRCT— let’s stop the nonsense, shall we?

The bottom line is cut scores are meaningless. If the state wants more students to pass a particular test, they don’t have to alter the cut scores. They can simply change the scoring formula or insert a few easier test questions. What is a 300 or 800 anyway. We (everybody except the DOE and Riverside Publishing) don’t know what it takes to score a 274, 300, 318, 357, or 418 on any of these CRCT tests anyway. The actual breakdown of student test responses isn’t released. All we, even teachers, ever get is a numerical score. No item analysis.

Besides- Even if a student were to fail the test at one of the so called benchmark grades (3, 5, or 8), he or she would be passed anyway. In my last two years teaching fourth grade (in two different school systems), I have had students who were technically classfied as third graders (because of failing the third grade CRCT), but were placed in the fourth grade. After a few weeks, they miraculously became fourth graders.

ALMOST NO third, fifth, or eighth graders are ever retained. So what’s all the hoopla over some silly test.

By Lisa B.

March 6, 2007 7:55 PM | Link to this

Thomas,

You are exactly right!

I have yet to see a child retained due to CRCT scores. Retention still occurs, like it always has, at parent request. A few parents know their children are behind and can’t pass the tests, and want them retained. It is nearly impossible to retain children whose parents oppose the retention. Actually, its nearly impossible to retain children of oblivious parents as well. The parents pretty much have to demand their children repeat grades.

By fedupparent

March 6, 2007 7:56 PM | Link to this

As a parent, you have the power to end this testing nonsense. Keep your children home that week. What do you think will happen if they give the test and nobody shows up? GAME OVER. That’s what. Think about it.

By Lee

March 6, 2007 8:48 PM | Link to this

All this talk about cut scores and testing reminds me of the “chicken or egg” analogy.

We forget the reason for all this testing is that schools were passing along and graduating students who could not complete the most rudimentary of tasks.

From the comments above, I see that nothing has changed.

In other news, in today’s headlines, we see two more teachers arrested for having sex with a student. One teacher had prior drug arrests (how’d that get by the background check??)

It’s pretty much going to take a grassroots effort by BOTH parents and teachers in order to enact any meaningful reform in our schools. Sadly, as long as teachers receive accolades for not making waves and the football team makes the playoffs, no one seems to care.

By JustMe

March 7, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this

jim d -

Thank you for quoting the constitution. It is oh-so-helpful.

But, what you completely miss is that the State of GA is a right to work State. This means in non-legal terms that unions have no power. While in other States where unions can strick and their jobs are ‘protected’ by state laws, GA is not like that.

Teachers in GA ‘joining’ any union would be a waste of money because the union can do nothing for us. The State laws in GA have stripped any potential authority or power from unions. It is particularly true for teachers since we are considered State employees in the State of GA.

I really hope that you understand at least to some degree. If you are still mystified, I encourage you to speak to a labor lawyer for more details.

By HS Teacher Too

March 7, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this

jim d — okay, so we have the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances, but what, exactly are those grievances? Won’t the government — in this case I am guessing the school system — do what GCPS does and chalk it up to a handful of disgruntled folks, and simply dismiss it?

I appreciate your stance that we have rights and ought to fight for them, but what there is theory and there is reality, and I fear never the twain shall meet.

By iron maiden

March 8, 2007 5:07 PM | Link to this

I’m extremely concerned, and sickened, about the lack of student accountability. Standardized tests are dumbed way down because students take so little responsibility for learning. Often the tests themselves are “Christmas-treed”, with bubbles randomly filled-in, as a serious student effort is just not a consideration. My county believes in promoting all CRCT failures. It also requires teachers to develop a “student recovery plan” so that any missed, or failed assignments, can be continuously recovered throughout the school year. We were told that a grade of “20” should be recoverable, even two weeks before school is out. The recovery projects I have thoughtfully developed for my high school students have had very few takers. But even those “no attempts” are not considered viable teaching efforts on my part if the parents weren’t fully informed of all the new assignment details. I see no hope for this situation. Many of my colleagues resorted long-ago to spoon-feeding correct responses immediately preceding a short-answer quiz. The failure rate is still well represented. I find those methods insulting to the education process. Where is the integrity in making little or know effort? Testing doesn’t teach anything; neither does teaching for students who have no need to meet any requirements but their own.

By Lisa B.

March 8, 2007 5:50 PM | Link to this

Iron Maiden,

I agree with you totally. Why should the students try when the teachers are accountable for everything? The students know teachers will do anything and everything to make them pass. Students can sit, play, sleep, whatever, while the teachers kill themselves to pass them. After dragging students through subjects enough so they can earn C’s, the parents call me wondering why I didn’t make their children have A’s.

This student lack of accoutability is going to come back to haunt us one day.