"Teacher of the Year" quits over Common Core tests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Testing scores are rigged so most kids fail:

http://www.longislandpress.com/2015/03/12/anti-common-core-fury-intensifies-on-long-island-protest-draws-more-than-1k/

Anti-Common Core Fury Intensifies on Long Island; Protest Draws More Than 1K


Diane Ravitch contended to the crowd that the cut scores [the grades set by the testing consortia to signify passing grades] were devised in such a way as to fail a set percentage of students and present an “invented crisis” in the education system. Based on her seven-year tenure on the governing board of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Ravitch described that the cut scores were based on proficiency levels set by NAEP, a threshold that a known minority of students were expected to reach.

“They knew well in advance that only 30 to 35 percent of students in most states have ever scored proficient by these standards,” she slammed. “The Common Core tests are designed to fail the majority of students and that is exactly what happened in New York State. But you have to understand that the cut scores are not based on science. They are not based on objective measures, but subjective judgment.”

Wait, wait, wait. On the General Education Forum, I read that the cut scores are deliberately designed so that everybody fails. But on the Maryland Public Schools forum, I read that PARCC hasn't even decided on the cut scores yet! So confusing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-03-11-why-the-smarter-balanced-common-core-math-test-is-fatally-flawed

Why the Smarter Balanced Common Core Math Test is Fatally Flawed

Why do we care what this guy says? What are his credentials? (What are his conflicts of interest?) Anybody can write anything and put it up on the Internet.

He's a teacher. He's taken the time to go through the testing and give his reasons why they are flawed. Is that not what you have been begging for for thousands of posts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Testing scores are rigged so most kids fail:

http://www.longislandpress.com/2015/03/12/anti-common-core-fury-intensifies-on-long-island-protest-draws-more-than-1k/

Anti-Common Core Fury Intensifies on Long Island; Protest Draws More Than 1K


Diane Ravitch contended to the crowd that the cut scores [the grades set by the testing consortia to signify passing grades] were devised in such a way as to fail a set percentage of students and present an “invented crisis” in the education system. Based on her seven-year tenure on the governing board of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Ravitch described that the cut scores were based on proficiency levels set by NAEP, a threshold that a known minority of students were expected to reach.

“They knew well in advance that only 30 to 35 percent of students in most states have ever scored proficient by these standards,” she slammed. “The Common Core tests are designed to fail the majority of students and that is exactly what happened in New York State. But you have to understand that the cut scores are not based on science. They are not based on objective measures, but subjective judgment.”

Wait, wait, wait. On the General Education Forum, I read that the cut scores are deliberately designed so that everybody fails. But on the Maryland Public Schools forum, I read that PARCC hasn't even decided on the cut scores yet! So confusing!

Take a look at the test results in NY and Kentucky. Kentucky has been teaching CCSS for 4 years, and testing for three. Looks like CC is making little headway in improving students' learning.

Note that in high school only 55% of all of their students could pass the CCSS reading test and fewer than 40% could pass the CCSS math test. Among their minority, ESL and low income students only about 40% could pass their CCSS reading test and 27% could pass their math test! And the results in Kentucky are not unlike the results found in New York, the other state that has CCSS test results of two or more years available. Analyze New York's results here. Kentucky here.

[Anonymous]

above link:

http://restoregedfairness.org/latest-news/41-numbers-are-out-nationwide-many-fewer-students-are-taking-and-passing-the-2014-pearson-vue-ged-test

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-03-11-why-the-smarter-balanced-common-core-math-test-is-fatally-flawed

Why the Smarter Balanced Common Core Math Test is Fatally Flawed

Why do we care what this guy says? What are his credentials? (What are his conflicts of interest?) Anybody can write anything and put it up on the Internet.

He's a teacher. He's taken the time to go through the testing and give his reasons why they are flawed. Is that not what you have been begging for for thousands of posts?

Actually, no. The Smarter Balanced tests are not the Common Core State Standards. Even if the Smarter Balanced tests are flawed, that still doesn't demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards are bad.

Meanwhile, here's another teacher who says that the PARCC tests are good:

"PARCC is the best accountability test I've ever seen," says Phyllis Hedlund, chief academic officer at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. "This is the way we should be asking kids to think." The old tests set such a low bar, she says, that they were really "a waste of time."

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/26044/anxiety-abounds-as-dc-schools-roll-out-new-harder-tests/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Take a look at the test results in NY and Kentucky. Kentucky has been teaching CCSS for 4 years, and testing for three. Looks like CC is making little headway in improving students' learning.

Note that in high school only 55% of all of their students could pass the CCSS reading test and fewer than 40% could pass the CCSS math test. Among their minority, ESL and low income students only about 40% could pass their CCSS reading test and 27% could pass their math test! And the results in Kentucky are not unlike the results found in New York, the other state that has CCSS test results of two or more years available. Analyze New York's results here. Kentucky here.

Again, that doesn't demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards are bad. Nobody ever said that they would fix every problem in education.

In any case, didn't you (or somebody) just tell me that the cut scores were arbitrarily and deliberately set so that most students would fail?

[Anonymous]

I love how the CC lovers want "data" that the Common Core Standards are bad. You won't possibly have that data now, because the standards are so new. You do see inklings of massive failure in New York and Kentucky -- all the the CCSS flimflam goes like this: The tests are bad! But we MUST have testing so everyone is common and to prove the standards are working.

We'll get our data all right, just like we got all the data the NCLB is an utter failure. Unfortunately, it will be at the expense of another generation of children.

[Anonymous]

Again, that doesn't demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards are bad. Nobody ever said that they would fix every problem in education.

You are either a troll or have nothing but Koolaid in your refrigerator. Plenty of proof has been presented that the standards are poor and are not working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Take a look at the test results in NY and Kentucky. Kentucky has been teaching CCSS for 4 years, and testing for three. Looks like CC is making little headway in improving students' learning.

Note that in high school only 55% of all of their students could pass the CCSS reading test and fewer than 40% could pass the CCSS math test. Among their minority, ESL and low income students only about 40% could pass their CCSS reading test and 27% could pass their math test! And the results in Kentucky are not unlike the results found in New York, the other state that has CCSS test results of two or more years available. Analyze New York's results here. Kentucky here.

Again, that doesn't demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards are bad. Nobody ever said that they would fix every problem in education.

In any case, didn't you (or somebody) just tell me that the cut scores were arbitrarily and deliberately set so that most students would fail?

They aren't arbitrarily cut. It's very calculated --- and Diane Ravitch just explained it.

And here is the LINK to the fact that the cut scores have been set:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/11/17/13sbac.h34.html

In a move likely to cause political and academic stress in many states, a consortium that is designing assessments for the Common Core State Standards released data Monday projecting that more than half of students will fall short of the marks that connote grade-level skills on its tests of English/language arts and mathematics.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test has four achievement categories. Students must score at Level 3 or higher to be considered proficient in the skills and knowledge for their grades. According to cut scores approved Friday night by the 22-state consortium, 41 percent of 11th graders ...

[Anonymous]

Really? That doesn't leave a lot of time for teacher feedback, testing, vetting, piloting, and publishing of data and documentation showing that the standards are good and developmentally appropriate. In fact, I don't even need to look at the standards to know that such a flawed process could only have produced flawed standards. Get rid of these untested, unproven South Carolina standards before they ruin our children!


^^^also, please provide the names and credentials of every South Carolinian who wrote the standards, plus every e-mail, memo, meeting minute, draft, presentation, and briefing involved in the development of the standards.

Why do you care? Do you live in South Carolina? These standards were written by a state as it is their prerogative to do so. It is up to the citizens of South Carolina to protest their new standards if they wish to do so.

[Anonymous]

I love how the CC lovers want "data" that the Common Core Standards are bad. You won't possibly have that data now, because the standards are so new.

So, now we have it! There is no data because they are new. Therefore, they were not piloted or tested. But, PP said that they did. I don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Again, that doesn't demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards are bad. Nobody ever said that they would fix every problem in education.

I wish I had a dollar for every time you have said this. Lots of problems, but CC standards don't seem to address any of them.

[Anonymous]

But you do have Kentucky and New York -- and their kids are doing dismally with the standards. In Kentucky after 4 FRIGGING YEARS! That's their entire high school experience shot to hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I love how the CC lovers want "data" that the Common Core Standards are bad. You won't possibly have that data now, because the standards are so new.

So, now we have it! There is no data because they are new. Therefore, they were not piloted or tested. But, PP said that they did. I don't understand.

Nobody has said that the Common Core State Standards, themselves, were piloted or tested.

Of course, the new South Carolina standards also haven't been piloted and tested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But you do have Kentucky and New York -- and their kids are doing dismally with the standards. In Kentucky after 4 FRIGGING YEARS! That's their entire high school experience shot to hell.

No, they're doing dismally on the tests, according to cut scores which Diane Ravitch says are deliberately set so that most students fail.

By the way, how well were they doing before adoption of the Common Core standards? Was everything was fine and dandy in Kentucky and New York schools, until the Common Core standards came along to ruin everything?