Duncan talks eloquently and kids lose

[proud2BlibKansan]

While the testing companies make great profits, the nation’s newspapers, having a vested interest in those profits, tout testing as the country’s salvation. The most visible touter is, of course Secretary of Education Duncan, who gives eloquent speeches that are, of course, printed in the Washington Post (who owns Kaplan Testing) . Here is an excerpt from one of them given in September, together with my comments:


Let’s build a law that respects the honored, noble status of educators – who should be valued as skilled professionals rather than mere practitioners and compensated accordingly. 



Duncan is saying that teachers are wonderful people so therefore it follows that No Child Left Behind is a great law.

Let us end the culture of blame, self-interest and disrespect that has demeaned the field of education. Instead, let’s encourage, recognize, and reward excellence in teaching and be honest with each other about its absence.



Then he says that we should like teachers a lot because they will help raise test scores.

Let us build a law that demands real accountability tied to growth and gain in the classroom – rather than utopian goals – a law that encourages educators to work with children at every level – and not just the ones near the middle who can be lifted over the bar of proficiency with minimal effort. That’s not education. That’s game-playing tied to bad tests with the wrong goals. 



more . . . http://educationoutrage.blogspot.com/

[msongs]

1. promoting the administration's privatize schools agenda for corporate profits nt

[zazen]

2. the longitudinal data systems they're going to build will scare the bejeezus out of you

On the one hand, I get the value of collecting birth-lifetime (like, Employment Security Commission) data to help in evaluation, policy-making, etc., etc. But the sheer magnitude of what they want to collect poses lots of issues, esp in that it's going to be linked with HHS and then across the country--that's where it's supposedly heading.

There are already models for linking end-of-grade student scores back to the teacher preparation programs where those teachers got their degree/certification, and evaluating/adjusting/"re" funding those programs as a result. I don't care how many caveats govt throws out about how the scores aren't the only measure of student and teacher achievement--it ends up being used that way.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. We are required to put up data walls in our schools

They list test scores, attendance, and even vaccination records.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. I'm supposed to be collecting data on collecting data.

Seriously... my union says reps are supposed to survey the staff to see how much time of classroom teachers is wast--, uhhh, I mean SPENT, on collecting data.

Even my principal got a kick out of that.

[LWolf]

7. We have data walls, too.

I didn't put up any data on those walls. They put up our standardized scores, since last year being part of a "data team" was optional, and I opted out.

This year, it's not optional. So, in the one meeting we've had so far this year, I said I wanted the team to work on formative assessments that would measure critical thinking skills.

Since we don't have any, we'll spend the year creating them.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. He shoots! He doesn't SCORE!!!! Again. I will say this for the man:

he talks ( speaks) as fast ( quickly?) as any "fast-talking" politician I've ever seen.


If one listens closely, he actually mispronounces words ( as in "swallows syllables")... at least he did this on MTP last week.

Not from any lack of ability, I'm quite sure. Much more likely an unintended by-product of schooling at the Daley Academy of Rhetorical Arts.

A moving target is hard to hit. I'm guessing that's what the thinking is.

[tonysam]

6. So much for the silly idea the Ivy League colleges graduate only the best and smartest people

This dipshit graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. Enough said.

[Dinger]

+ 1

tony does it again:)

[Dinger]

8. + 1

tony does it again:)