"Teacher of the Year" quits over Common Core tests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you teach someone way over their head, they won't learn anything. They will shut down and go away (or become a behavior problem so that they can get away).

Have you ever taught?


So apparently your approach is, if you have a classroom with 25 4th graders, but 5 of them are at a 1st grade level, you dumb the whole class down to a 1st grade level so as to not teach over anyone's head, because you think it's "inappropriate?"

No, did I say that? You say that is my "apparent approach". You are making a leap there. I said nothing about "dumbing down the whole class". No, not at all. You need to have another teacher to help for the 5 so that they aren't LEFT BEHIND. Because they will be left behind if you don't. This is where the feds can help. The feds will continue to say that we are leaving those 5 kids behind if we don't get appropriate instruction for them. We will continue to have to test them using tests that are way over their heads and they will continue to fail year after year. They just get further and further behind. And, you are correct that we cannot meet their needs and there is nothing we can do about it if we don't get help. But we might be punished for something we have no control over.

NCLB identifies the ones that are behind and leaves it up to local control to figure out what to do about it, but it's at the local level where the ball is being dropped, and where the appropriate remediation is not happening. That control is with school administrators, that's where the failure is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

1. Increase the bargaining power of workers.
2. Raise taxes on the capital wealth of rich people.
3. Stop treating money as speech.

How are any of these things going to help people who do not have jobs? That is the problem. The problem is you want to split the pie instead of growing it.

Unemployment is the only problem?

And no, I actually want to grow the pie. What's the best way to get the economy to grow? Get money into the hands of the workers. In fact, this was a basic principle of that famous socialist class-warrior Henry Ford.

[Anonymous]

^^^not that it's actually possible to grow a pie, though it is possible to grow pie-plant.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that regardless of whether it's a "deeply understood" belief, regardless of it "resonating in the trenches" it's still WRONG. The fact that people who deeply hold that belief cannot post any concrete, specific and authoritative language that's actually coming from NCLB or Common Core to actually substantiate the belief that it is so restrictive and limiting should serve as a wake up call that there's something fundamentally amiss in that deeply held belief, and that the problem is in fact elsewhere, it's with school administration, not NCLB or CC.[/quote]


This is not just a problem in one district or one state; it is widespread. Maybe there is a problem with school administrators and not with teachers. Maybe if test scores were part of administrators' evaluations there could be some sanctions placed on them? Like we could get rid of the "bad ones"? Apparently there are many out there that need to leave.

Because the problem can't possibly be with NCLB.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if test scores were part of administrators' evaluations there could be some sanctions placed on them

That basically occurred with NCLB --as the schools were evaluated, not the teachers. It hasn't helped. Believe me, there are some poor teachers and administrators--but that is not the cause of the achievement gap. It starts at home and income equality is not the cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe if test scores were part of administrators' evaluations there could be some sanctions placed on them

That basically occurred with NCLB --as the schools were evaluated, not the teachers. It hasn't helped. Believe me, there are some poor teachers and administrators--but that is not the cause of the achievement gap. It starts at home and income equality is not the cause.

Then what is? "Culture"? "Values"?

[Anonymous]

NCLB identifies the ones that are behind and leaves it up to local control to figure out what to do about it, but it's at the local level where the ball is being dropped, and where the appropriate remediation is not happening. That control is with school administrators, that's where the failure is.

Could part of the "failure" have to do with SN and ELL students? If so, the ball is not so much being dropped as the system is forced to give tests that are not appropriate?? Some humans are born with problems that are not going to allow them to get to the levels that the standards require (and I'm not trying to let people out of teaching by saying this).

[Anonymous]

That control is with school administrators, that's where the failure is.

And, you know this, how? Do you think you will get any administrators in the inner city if you base their job on test scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That control is with school administrators, that's where the failure is.

And, you know this, how? Do you think you will get any administrators in the inner city if you base their job on test scores?

Their jobs have been based on test scores since 2002.

Also, "poverty" and "inner city" are not synonyms.

[Anonymous]

Also, "poverty" and "inner city" are not synonyms.

No, but most inner city schools have very poor kids. I think you know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Also, "poverty" and "inner city" are not synonyms.

No, but most inner city schools have very poor kids. I think you know that.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02791.pdf

[Anonymous]

Also, http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/pdf/254_2013.pdf

[Anonymous]

LOL! I don't think NW or Montgomery County hardly count as "inner city".........

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The problem is that regardless of whether it's a "deeply understood" belief, regardless of it "resonating in the trenches" it's still WRONG. The fact that people who deeply hold that belief cannot post any concrete, specific and authoritative language that's actually coming from NCLB or Common Core to actually substantiate the belief that it is so restrictive and limiting should serve as a wake up call that there's something fundamentally amiss in that deeply held belief, and that the problem is in fact elsewhere, it's with school administration, not NCLB or CC.[/quote]


This is not just a problem in one district or one state; it is widespread. Maybe there is a problem with school administrators and not with teachers. Maybe if test scores were part of administrators' evaluations there could be some sanctions placed on them? Like we could get rid of the "bad ones"? Apparently there are many out there that need to leave.

Because the problem can't possibly be with NCLB.

Not every school is having problems with NCLB - and that's because not every school district has incompetent administrators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Maybe if test scores were part of administrators' evaluations there could be some sanctions placed on them


That basically occurred with NCLB --as the schools were evaluated, not the teachers. It hasn't helped. Believe me, there are some poor teachers and administrators--but that is not the cause of the achievement gap. It starts at home and income equality is not the cause.


Then what is? "Culture"? "Values"?

I am also interested in the PP's answer to what is the cause. What is different about those homes? Is it single parent homes?