Testing refusal rates in your district

[undertheradar]

That's as stupid as the people who rally against it simply because the union tells them to.

What an insulting post!

 

[undertheradar]

That's as stupid as the people who rally against it simply because the union tells them to.

If you read the AP article posted today about the opt-out CC "movement," buried roughly halfway through is the fact that the very unionized State of New York teachers are pushing this agenda against Governor Cuomo. This isn't about the testing or education as a whole, this is about setting an agenda against a governor who wants to hold educators responsible for poor results. Oddly enough, poor performance in most jobs will get you terminated.

 

[undertheradar]

Comments like theses just show how uninformed some people are. If only it were that easy. Do you know who made that decision in my state? The Secretary of Education who never taught a day in her life, who is a member of Chiefs For Change and sits on the PARCC Board, who used to work under Jeb Bush, who was appointed by the governor who is a possible running mate for Jeb Bush if he decides to run for president. The State Deparrment of Ed's are stripping rights away from the school boards. The school boards have petetitioned the PED numerous times for more time to prepare, for more time to get used to the curriculum, for more time to get technology up to snuff, but it all falls on deaf ears. Your comments make me wonder if you work for Pearson. Just because it works fine in your schools (which I seriously question), doesn't make it fine for every school and every child.

We are starting on round 2 of the tests on Monday. Yes, the testing window opens again for testing at the 90% of the year mark just after a week off for spring break and three weeks in the classroom. Now we get another 3 weeks of disruptions to teaching. The first round of testing was at the 70% mark, and now we are going to be at it again. Yay for the kids and teachers!!!

For the record, I'm not against standardized tests if they are given over 3 days for a couple of hours a day at developmentally appropriate levels. That's plenty of time and plenty of information that a school district needs. I'm not for corporate take-over of public education at the expense of our kids. The amount of money being spent on testing makes me ill and using teachers as scapegoats for the ills of poor parenting and poverty in our nation is plain wrong.

Since issues are being emphasized in a few states, how could you possibly question the statements of others? It is a known fact that in NYS, the teacher's unions are making a strong push against the changes being implemented by the governor. Posters on here keep listing grass roots efforts, out of context examples and excessive testing lengths that do not appear to match states without the same agenda. Many of the anti-testing organizations use the same spokesman, a hired voice for numerous grass roots efforts, how is that he is the highest paid member of these groups?

 

[undertheradar]

It is 15 days here, one week each for grades 6, 7 and 8. An hour and a half each morning. But I can only speak for my school (not in NY), other schools obviously have different protocols for testing.

Therefore, 5 days of testing per pupil? And these are not entire school day devoted to testing, just an hour and a half? Doesn't sound as time consuming as 17 day hype.

 

[Kbee]

I read that there were paper versions of the M-step for some schools. Someone had to make a decision about which schools got those.

ETA I admit I am fully uninformed about your State, all I need to be is informed about the tests in my State that my kids take.
That is why am asking questions in this thread about those in other states, I mean how else would we become informed? Sorry you don't like the line of questioning posed, and sorry you feel the need to insult those who don't agree with your stance.

 

[JanaDee]

What an insulting post!

As if you haven't been insulting people left and right in this thread.

 

[nugov2]

Comments like theses just show how uninformed some people are. If only it were that easy. Do you know who made that decision in my state? The Secretary of Education who never taught a day in her life, who is a member of Chiefs For Change and sits on the PARCC Board, who used to work under Jeb Bush, who was appointed by the governor who is a possible running mate for Jeb Bush if he decides to run for president. The State Deparrment of Ed's are stripping rights away from the school boards. The school boards have petetitioned the PED numerous times for more time to prepare, for more time to get used to the curriculum, for more time to get technology up to snuff, but it all falls on deaf ears. Your comments make me wonder if you work for Pearson. Just because it works fine in your schools (which I seriously question), doesn't make it fine for every school and every child.

We are starting on round 2 of the tests on Monday. Yes, the testing window opens again for testing at the 90% of the year mark just after a week off for spring break and three weeks in the classroom. Now we get another 3 weeks of disruptions to teaching. The first round of testing was at the 70% mark, and now we are going to be at it again. Yay for the kids and teachers!!!

For the record, I'm not against standardized tests if they are given over 3 days for a couple of hours a day at developmentally appropriate levels. That's plenty of time and plenty of information that a school district needs. I'm not for corporate take-over of public education at the expense of our kids. The amount of money being spent on testing makes me ill and using teachers as scapegoats for the ills of poor parenting and poverty in our nation is plain wrong.

I'm not uninformed because I disagree with you. FTR the testing companies have been making huge profits long before PARCC. I think poverty and poor parenting is a factor but I also think the teachers have culpability as well. The proof is in this thread and some of the ridiculous things they are doing including posting information that is exaggerated and taken out of context.

I have to just laugh at the rest of your rant. Just because it is working in my school doesn't make it a lie and you can dout it all yout want. I have posted multiple times I'm against the number of tests and time spent, but I'm not going to exaggerate to make that point. It is working with minimal disruption. Is it perfect, no but I stand by my statement some of the issues are brought on by the people at the schools and I think they should own it. As I've said a million times I am so thankful for the teachers and administrators in our district. They have really made smart choices and done right by our kids. This forum makes me appreciate their efforts and hard work even more.

PS I don't work for Pearson I am a former school teacher now stay at home mom.

 

[jodifla]

I'm not uninformed because I disagree with you. FTR the testing companies have been making huge profits long before PARCC. I think poverty and poor parenting is a factor but I also think the teachers have culpability as well. The proof is in this thread and some of the ridiculous things they are doing including posting information that is exaggerated and taken out of context.

I have to just laugh at the rest of your rant. Just because it is working in my school doesn't make it a lie and you can dout it all yout want. I have posted multiple times I'm against the number of tests and time spent, but I'm not going to exaggerate to make that point. It is working with minimal disruption. Is it perfect, no but I stand by my statement some of the issues are brought on by the people at the schools and I think they should own it. As I've said a million times I am so thankful for the teachers and administrators in our district. They have really made smart choices and done right by our kids. This forum makes me appreciate their efforts and hard work even more.

PS I don't work for Pearson I am a former school teacher now stay at home mom.

You certainly don't know what's going on in her state, and you are incredibly naive about how things work beyond your own "shining school on a hill" district.

 

[nugov2]

You certainly don't know what's going on in her state, and you are incredibly naive about how things work beyond your own "shining school on a hill" district.

Hello pot...like you know what is going on here, but Thank you for recognizing how top notch the district is that my children attend!! It makes the high taxes I pay worth it Also there are many other shinning districts on a hill not only in neighboring districts but in the city and in suburbs where I have friends who teach that share my feelings. We are not an anomaly. Maybe you can spend some of that time you spend finding completely skewed data to present to people on a message board looking for how districts are finding success with CC and their testing you could make an positive change in your district...or just keep spewing skewed data on message boards and Facebook pages, I'm sure it is going to make a huge impact on your child's education

ETA that I have only see big issues posted in NY, Florida and New Mexico(I believe those are the only ones with big movements ) so how is that representation of a nationwide issue with CC/testing ? Isn't that proof right there it is in implementation. Not every state has adopted them, but most have or have a very similar variation. It would make sense that almost all areas would be having issues, but that just isn't the case.

 

[zoemurr]

We live in a rather affluent district and my son took his NYS tests with pencil and paper, not on a computer.

 

[Colleen27]

Why not do the paper version of the test. Parents knew these tests were coming down the pipe so why not help by fundraising for a mobile lab. This didn't just get sprung on every district so I do feel like some is obviously budget issues that need time to be worked out and the paper version should be given, but some is also is helplessness to further agendas. There is definitely blame on both sides.

It kind of did get sprung on districts in my state because of legislative bickering over the test and common core as a whole. We'll be using yet another different assessment next year because this year's was a stopgap political compromise, not part of any long term plan. And fundraising like that doesn't happen in my blue-collar neck of the woods - many of these parents are working two jobs to make ends meet and need pay-to-play waivers for their kids to play sports. People just don't have the free time or money to support something like more computers in the schools for testing time. If that was going to be needed, and I'd argue anyone familiar with the testing should have known that it was, the state should be providing the necessary support to schools to make it happen. Instead it is just another unfunded mandate handed down at the same time as funding cuts. But this is making education better, right?

 

[Ceila]

If you read the AP article posted today about the opt-out CC "movement," buried roughly halfway through is the fact that the very unionized State of New York teachers are pushing this agenda against Governor Cuomo. This isn't about the testing or education as a whole, this is about setting an agenda against a governor who wants to hold educators responsible for poor results. Oddly enough, poor performance in most jobs will get you terminated.

Nice backtracking after posting an inane comment. You are just as bad as those who hate the tesst even though they have done no real research. Your facts and articles don't support your position, and you consistently use faulty logic. I'm sorry, but I just can't take you seriously.

 

[kimmar067]

If you read the AP article posted today about the opt-out CC "movement," buried roughly halfway through is the fact that the very unionized State of New York teachers are pushing this agenda against Governor Cuomo. This isn't about the testing or education as a whole, this is about setting an agenda against a governor who wants to hold educators responsible for poor results. Oddly enough, poor performance in most jobs will get you terminated.

....but you fail to say that poor performance is solely on the shoulders of the employee; not so in the case of educators. For instance, if an employee [in the private sector] comes to work late every day, it's THEIR fault, whether they wake up late, don't allot enough time for road traffic, rely too much on public transportation, etc. If students' test scores are lower, it is NOT necessarily as the result of poor teaching practices, but rather, can result from other outside influences of which the teacher has no control.

 

[IDoDis]

Hello pot...like you know what is going on here, but Thank you for recognizing how top notch the district is that my children attend!! It makes the high taxes I pay worth it Also there are many other shinning districts on a hill not only in neighboring districts but in the city and in suburbs where I have friends who teach that share my feelings. We are not an anomaly. Maybe you can spend some of that time you spend finding completely skewed data to present to people on a message board looking for how districts are finding success with CC and their testing you could make an positive change in your district...or just keep spewing skewed data on message boards and Facebook pages, I'm sure it is going to make a huge impact on your child's education

ETA that I have only see big issues posted in NY, Florida and New Mexico(I believe those are the only ones with big movements ) so how is that representation of a nationwide issue with CC/testing ? Isn't that proof right there it is in implementation. Not every state has adopted them, but most have or have a very similar variation. It would make sense that almost all areas would be having issues, but that just isn't the case.

Add Maine, Oregon, and Pennsylvania to the list. The opt-out movement will grow stronger next year when results are released and when tests begin to count towards graduation requirements. Next year the opt-out movement will be very strong in California like it is this year in New York. It will be stronger across the nation. And those "shining schools on a hill" will also be penalized when their students can no longer show growth because their students are already testing high. That happened here last year where the top schools in the district saw their letter grades (school rating) drop even though 85-90% of their students were proficient and highly proficient. Most states haven't implemented these consequences yet for schools and students, but it's coming. They've gotten a pass this year, but that pass has an expiration date.

 

[nugov2]

Add Maine, Oregon, and Pennsylvania to the list. The opt-out movement will grow stronger next year when results are released and when tests begin to count towards graduation requirements. Next year the opt-out movement will be very strong in California like it is this year in New York. It will be stronger across the nation. And those "shining schools on a hill" will also be penalized when their students can no longer show growth because their students are already testing high. That happened here last year where the top schools in the district saw their letter grades (school rating) drop even though 85-90% of their students were proficient and highly proficient. Most states haven't implemented these consequences yet for schools and students, but it's coming. They've gotten a pass this year, but that pass has an expiration date.

There are really no specific numbers from what I can find. Only the impression that the movement is growing in some areas. The Opting out movement doesn't impact the big picture here. It gets rid of a test in a best case scenario, but probably means another one will swoop right in and take its place (in a perfect world the numbers of testing would be cut but I don't see that happening any time soon) and our district will continue to roll with it putting the needs of our kids first and that keeping academic standards high provides good results. If the movement flops we still fare the same. I hope for areas with high stakes testing and schools that teach to the test get what they are fighting for, but as I said before I think you have picked the wrong way to approach it not that I think it is wrong to fight it. I hope you aren't cutting off your nose to spite your face, but only time will tell how the kids do on the test and what the real numbers are for opting out and if it made any impact. It will be interesting to see what happens when the results are out and what is going on at testing time next year. Good luck with your fight...hopefully you will get what you wish for!

 

[IDoDis]

Read the comments, too!

http://dianeravitch.net/2015/04/17/tim-slekar-opt-out-hits-a-nerve/

 

[Tinijocaro]

Read the comments, too!

http://dianeravitch.net/2015/04/17/tim-slekar-opt-out-hits-a-nerve/

Love this quote:
“Failure must be manipulated in order to SELL the cure.” This is Cuomo changing the cut score AFTER the test results come in.
These tests are "a solution looking for a problem". Plain and simple.

 

[sam_gordon]

Love this quote:
“Failure must be manipulated in order to SELL the cure.” This is Cuomo changing the cut score AFTER the test results come in.
These tests are "a solution looking for a problem". Plain and simple.

That might be how your leaders (school/district/state) are using the tests, but that's not the fault of the test.

 

[Ceila]

Read the comments, too!

http://dianeravitch.net/2015/04/17/tim-slekar-opt-out-hits-a-nerve/

I love this one: "'I refuse the tests because the union told me to,' said no parent ever!"

And it's true. The media claims that many opt-out parents are just pushing a union agenda are completely laughable.

I'm a teacher who is not a fan of the union and I'm against this style of testing. (Please note, I'm not against testing or accountability, but it needs to be structured so that the data is valid. The PARCC and similar tests are not.)

 

[Kbee]

Somebody's blog about somebody elses opinion and people commenting is no different than the info being shared here on the DIS.
Personally I don't care who led the movement, and I don't care that the NYSUT endores it or uses robo calls to urge parents to opt out. I found when I spoke to parents who opted their kid out they couldn't give me an answer to why except "everyone else is doing it". They aren't pushing some union agenda, they seem to not have a clue why they are doing it except to jump on the cause du jour bandwagon. I don't think that is much better LOL.


IN the end, it doesn't really matter how some blogger or their readers feel about some guy in Wisconsin opinion. All that matters is if the state (in my case NY) continues with its plan to use these test scores the way Cuomo has proposed. I've yet to see where they aren't, and have only read that they still plan too use the data. Only time will tell whether this had an impact or it just fizzled out and next year will be business as usual with these tests.