Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > May > 17 > Entry
When it pays to take an extra test
This is the best example I’ve read lately demonstrating how insanely complex many state testing program have become. That is, insane to the point where doing something totally irrational actually makes sense.
In Miami, the school district has decided to require about 5,000 English language learners to take a special, extra test this week and pay teachers to hand score it rather than wait two or three days for the results of a state test these kids have already taken to come in.
Sound crazy? You have no idea. Take a few minutes and read along as the Miami Herald’s Matthew Pinzur walks us through the reasons why the district ultimately decided this was the best course of action. Pinzur’s clear and careful play-by-play will leave you shaking your head.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Testing
Comments
By Mary
May 18, 2006 11:57 AM | Link to this
I am not fixated on anything but trying to squeeze the truth out of spin and doing my part to fix a broken system. This blog is not for fighting ridiculous CEO and athletic pay. However, I think the education system does a lot to subsidize and nurture the latter.By Oldprof
May 18, 2006 11:01 AM | Link to this
Just for perspective, let’s also compare the poor military grunt to the truck drivers who are making $20,000 per month as contract working for Halliburton in Iraq. Our military’s morale is suffering by the comparison, as it should. You, Mary, seem to have a fixation on teachers being satisfied at being underpaid and being expected to work extra on nights and weekends for free. In 1950, teachers were in the top 30% of salary range for college graduates; now they’re in the bottom 17%. In the final analysis, people are NOT paid according to value to society; if they were, teachers would be making six figures and Bob Guccione would be shopping at Goodwill. I say that work deserves pay, and a society that lionizes a CEO who negotiates an obscene salary should also support the teacher’s union that negotiates for a merely good one. Moreover Usually, you get what you pay for, and we’re not paying top prices for a top-notch faculty.By Mary
May 18, 2006 9:38 AM | Link to this
Old prof you seem to have a thing about game show hosts. How many exist? I agree they, many CEOs and athletes are overpaid and the bill is on us consumers, but that does not mean we should also overpay teachers or any other public employee. The examples you mention are private or commercial, not public, employees. Compare the plight and pay of the teacher to the average military grunt serving today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today’s USA today has an article on the front page about all the health care benefits promised for public employees that we cannot afford.By Oldprof
May 17, 2006 10:44 PM | Link to this
Gosh, no other professionals? Game show hosts make millions and work six weeks per year. Radio announcers (shock jocks) get hundreds of thousands for a four-hour day with generous time off. Professional athletes make millions for a six-month season. For that matter, many construction workers make more than teachers for an eight-month year (bad weather November-February). MEANWHILE Mary, none of those professions requires working during the “time off” for professional development or continuing education to maintain licensure. Next time, before saying “all” or “none”, you really should educate yourself about the full range of the phenomenon. Unless, of course, you don’t mind making others correct you.By Mary
May 17, 2006 8:21 PM | Link to this
Any other professionals would not expect to get paid extra and would hang around to get the job done. Most professionals do not roll up the carpet for summer. That is the part that bugs me. What is it about people in education who think that teachers are salaried professionals when it comes to money, but hourly minimum wagers when it comes to hours, overtime, responsibility, and ownership.