Who is refusing Common Core tests for 3rd-8th graders?

[Happy Snowman]

Our kids don't pay a fee to participate in High School sports. But this is Texas, home of the 60 million dollar HIGH school football stadium that you know, started to have foundation issues after a year of being open and they couldn't use. You have to pay to join the booster club for each sport but that isn't mandatory, just encouraged.

and how was that stadium funded??

 

[undertheradar]

Our kids don't pay a fee to participate in High School sports. But this is Texas, home of the 60 million dollar HIGH school football stadium that you know, started to have foundation issues after a year of being open and they couldn't use. You have to pay to join the booster club for each sport but that isn't mandatory, just encouraged.

At our CA high school, encouraged = strongly advised

 

[penn19]

and how was that stadium funded??

Bond proposal.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...chool-football-stadium-cracks-closed/9903781/

 

[nugov2]

More poor consequences from standardized testing, from testimony in Illinois:

http://mikkelstoraasli.blogspot.com/2015/02/testifying-on-parcc-in-springfield.html

"My name is Mikkel Storaasli and I am the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Leyden High Schools, located right next to O’Hare Airport. We have been 1 computing device-to-1 student district for three years, and we plan on implementing the computer based PARCC at the ninth grade level at both of our high schools. I would like to comment on the unique impact of the PARCC Assessment at the high school level.As you probably know, there are two administrations of the PARCC assessment, one at the approximate 75% point of the school year (the PBA) and the other at the 90% point of the year (the EOY)The PBA has 5 units (3 language arts and 2 math), and the EOY has 4 units (2 language Arts and 2 math)According to the test administration manual that we have recently received, the amount of time that the we must allow for testing, from the time the student enters the room until the time the next unit can be started are:

• PBA Language Arts (3 Units): 105 minutes, 120 minutes, and 90 minutes
• PBA Mathematics (2 units): 120 minutes and 105 minutes
• EOY Language Arts (2 units): 90 minutes and 90 minutes
• EOY Mathematics (2 units): 110 minutes and 105 minutes

This is a total of 935 minutes, or about 15 and a half hours of time spent in a testing room.We also have approximately 60 students who receive extended time accommodations. Each of those nine sections could take a full day for those students: that’s nine full days of testing for students with some of the greatest needs.The unique structure of the traditional high school day means that the 105 minutes spent on that first of five PARCC language arts units does not only impact the student’s language arts class. It will necessarily bleed over into other college preparatory core subject areas like mathematics, science, or social studies.

I don't think that anyone is arguing that parcc is the solution, but more that it's not the real problem either. It is unnecessarily long for sure and hopefully that will be reevaluated in the future and the sections that don't work will be tweaked, but that will not change the problems that a lot of failing districts have. I mean if you want to get technical the parcc test is about 1% of a students year if they don't waste tons of unnecessary instructional time teaching to it. I also know that in our district the kids are taking the test over 3 weeks. Our students take no more than one section at a time and have a minimum of 2 days off before the next test. My dd's testing schedule:

March 10th ELA 1
March 13th ELA 2
March 16th ELA 3
March 19th Math 1
March 23rd Math 2

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

$60 million football stadium. I rest my case.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Since Indiana was mentioned, here is the budget for the U of Indiana smaller college system. Pay special attention to U Indy's sports budget, a very, very, very small portion of the overall budget...and they have a very healthy sports program...one of the top DII programs in the nation..heck the Office of Multicultural Affairs has a bigger budget then the sports department at most of these schools....

http://www.indiana.edu/~obap/docs/obud_FY1213.pdf

Univ. of Indianapolis is not listed in this. That is a separate university from all the Indiana University campuses across the state. The Indiana University in Indianapolis is referring to IUPUI/Indiana Univ. Purdue Univ. of Indianapolis. Although, reference can be the same. It is a small school with sports, although not known for being very good at any of them.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Bond proposal.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...chool-football-stadium-cracks-closed/9903781/

Sounds like that construction company has some explaining to do...and I like how you gloss over that it's not just a football stadium and that same bond included a $23.3 million dollar performing arts center. Either way, it wasn't like the school board said "hey, lets build a stadium" and they did like the one poster is suggesting . Also, the revenue from an 18,000 seat stadium, which sounds like it would be full if you could use it, is probably sufficient to fund the football program so the kids don't need to pay....circling back to the statement that most football programs are self-sustaining.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

right....

And why is this??? Do you know how many kids wouldn't be able to attend college if they were not offered some assistance to come to these schools, not only in Indiana, but across the country?

Sorry, that was meant to quote the person you quoted.

 

[Happy Snowman]

$60 million football stadium. I rest my case.

What case, that a town that has 18,000 people show up for football games each week needs a new stadium...that was voted on by residents of that town to build?

 

[Happy Snowman]

And why is this??? Do you know how many kids wouldn't be able to attend college if they were not offered some assistance to come to these schools, not only in Indiana, but across the country?

Sorry, that was meant to quote the person you quoted.

Ok, I was just going to ask what you were talking about and your edit showed up...I fully support kids that want to play sports in college and have the talent to do so .

 

[IndyRnRfan]

What case, that a town that has 18,000 people show up for football games each week needs a new stadium...that was voted on by residents of that town to build?

Some people just don't get it. They live or grew up where things like this don't seem plausible.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Some people just don't get it. They live or grew up where things like this don't seem plausible.

or don't understand the benefits of playing sports, being in the band, being in the chess club, whatever.


We have a crazy huge football stadium (high school) down the street from us. It's a beautiful facility and seems like overkill, until Friday night when it's standing room only...not to mention the soccer games, lax games, band competitions, etc. I think it's about 10,000 capacity--not quite sure. Probably didn't cost 60,000,000 either, but it sure gets used.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

There is a theory going around (I personally don't believe it) about the Sport Turf fields possibly causing cancer because of the carcinogens in the chopped up rubber.

I am sure it does in California, everything causes cancer there.

 

[penn19]

Sounds like that construction company has some explaining to do...and I like how you gloss over that it's not just a football stadium and that same bond included a $23.3 million dollar performing arts center. Either way, it wasn't like the school board said "hey, lets build a stadium" and they did like the one poster is suggesting . Also, the revenue from an 18,000 seat stadium, which sounds like it would be full if you could use it, is probably sufficient to fund the football program so the kids don't need to pay....circling back to the statement that most football programs are self-sustaining.

I didn't "gloss" over anything. Its primary function is a high school football stadium. Yes it has a weight room etc….for the football players I would imagine. And yes it was voted on by the people along with other cultural things. I don't live in Allen so I can't tell you how it looked on the ballot. I wouldn't think you could vote on the proposal ala carte. So if you were in favor of one of the items, you couldn't obviously just vote on that.

And maybe (since Im not from the area originally) I just don't "get it" as another poster said but I do get that sports ARE king in this area. My town had an election in the last couple of years and if the bond issue wasn't passed (school officials said) that teachers would be laid off and oh no, sports would be cut to the point that people would have to pay for their kids to play sports. There was so much fear mongering about the issue and if you weren't in favor of it and dare to speak out against it, you were labeled anti school, anti teacher, anti kid. It was bad. So of course it passed. And everyones property taxes went up to support it. And this year? All incoming freshman get handed brand new Mac books. And I get that money comes from different sources and kids should? all have brand new shiny laptops. But coming on the heels of a doom and gloom future if a bond issue didn't pass?

But I digress and am off topic of the CC.

 

[sam_gordon]

But the thing is, no matter how many times you google, just because every school you know charges, doesn't mean that every school charges. You can only know about the schools your kids attended in MN and maybe a hand full of others, but your experience is not the universal experience and you can not possibly backup these unfounded claims.

That's also true for those saying sports kids don't have to pay anything to participate.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

or don't understand the benefits of playing sports, being in the band, being in the chess club, whatever.


We have a crazy huge football stadium (high school) down the street from us. It's a beautiful facility and seems like overkill, until Friday night when it's standing room only...not to mention the soccer games, lax games, band competitions, etc. I think it's about 10,000 capacity--not quite sure. Probably didn't cost 60,000,000 either, but it sure gets used.

Our local high school added a second gym about 12 years ago. People were up in arms that a school doesn't need two gyms. Well, since they've added this new gym they are able to host indoor soccer tournaments, AAU basktball games, clinics and many other functions outside of sports. An average weekend they will spend about $1000 on costs but profit between 3500 and 5000 per weekend of these tournaments which goes back into the athletic fund. I know bigger schools will do much more and I was told that gym was paid off after 10 years. All profit from there on out.

Basketball is king in Indiana like football in king in Texas. One of our middle schools has a gym that seats 7,373 people. We have 9 of the 10 largest high school gyms in the country. Texas has the other one.

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

Sounds like that construction company has some explaining to do...and I like how you gloss over that it's not just a football stadium and that same bond included a $23.3 million dollar performing arts center. Either way, it wasn't like the school board said "hey, lets build a stadium" and they did like the one poster is suggesting . Also, the revenue from an 18,000 seat stadium, which sounds like it would be full if you could use it, is probably sufficient to fund the football program so the kids don't need to pay....circling back to the statement that most football programs are self-sustaining.

To pay off a $60million bond (not including the interest) would take 334 games of perfect attendance with every man, woman and child paying $10 per head. How many games are played per year? It would never be self-sustaining.

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

Ok, I was just going to ask what you were talking about and your edit showed up...I fully support kids that want to play sports in college and have the talent to do so .

If they don't have enough talent to play D1, they should hang it up when they reach college age and form their own rec leagues or swim at the gym like other adults.

 

[sam_gordon]

If they don't have enough talent to play D1, they should hang it up when they reach college age and form their own rec leagues or swim at the gym like other adults.

See if you can get that passed. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[htmom]

She needs to get into the real world. In most schools these days, kids in 3rd grade are not 8, they start keyboarding in kindergarten and by 3rd grade can type very well. Our kids had essay questions like that way back when. Not ALL of the questions on the test are that involved either. See, standardized testing tests many levels, from the very basic up to the very difficult. Most kids won't be able to answer them all, and that is the point. Some kids will, and again, that is the point--the are a measure of where your child stands at that point and time. She's also looking at the results wrong. The tests are not there to garner material for her lesson plans, they are there to see if the students are working at grade level. If every student in her class performed below grade level, well, that would tell her something wouldn't it. It doesn't tell her that the material in section 3 on page 12 is something she should teach, it tells her that her students aren't grasping what she is teaching. I bet if someone came to her and complained that students in 4th grade couldn't read, she would fall back on her standardized tests and say "see, they were fine here...".

This is not a great blog.

No offence but where do you work that third graders are proficient at typing? Here they start "computer" class in kindergarten-first grade but typing is not even a class until fourth-fifth grade. That is pretty even across the board here where I live. (I have worked with seven local districts, a total of approximately thirty elementary schools)