Anonymous wrote:

Why shouldn't parents be able to move their kids to a school that performs better?

They do have that option. It's called moving. But instead of having the parents move, all you have done is move the school. You have forced one school to close down and now that community no longer has a school and all of their kids are being bused to other schools. You destroyed the sense of community that they had before (and that must count for something). These things happened because of the testing and the punitive measures tied to it. These were unfunded mandates that hurt poor communities even more. Where are those kids now and how are they doing? Better? The same? Worse? Did you follow up on that?

We shouldn't measure kids because they are all different. We shouldn't measure schools because they are all different.

So why bother at all?

With attitudes like the ones we keep seeing from the critics here, one wonders why schools bother at all with any kind of grades, tests or assessments whatsoever.

Seems pretty apparent that the critics aren't interested in whether students ever master any school content.

By the attitude of the supporters on here, education means nothing without a standardized test. (Which, by the way, we had long before Common Core/Parcc)

By the logic being exhibited here, grades are meaningless. Graduation is meaningless. And that in turn makes school meaningless.

With attitudes like the ones we keep seeing from the critics here, one wonders why schools bother at all with any kind of grades, tests or assessments whatsoever.

Seems pretty apparent that the critics aren't interested in whether students ever master any school content.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/04/8566718/cuomo-opt-out-tests-dont-count-against-students

Cuomo doesn't get it either.

Anonymous wrote:

NCLB did not force any school closures or firings. Choices to close schools and fire teachers were made at the local level.

Are you familiar with the NCLB rules? Doesn't sound like it. Maybe it didn't say you have to close schools or fire teachers, but when parents are guaranteed the right to take their child out of the school and put them in another school, it kind of puts on the pressure, doesn't it? Think about Atlanta.

Thinking about Atlanta, I think all the more that parents SHOULD have the right to move their kids out of a school that is corrupt and inept. If anything I might suggest following the Belgian model, where school funding follows the kid instead of going straight to public schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Why shouldn't parents be able to move their kids to a school that performs better?

Lots of factors involved. The kid may be doing just fine at that school and, in fact, have excellent scores on the tests. But, because a high percentage failed, he is guaranteed a spot in another school. If all the kids leave, the school is not likely to stay open.

You didn't answer the question.

Anonymous wrote:

People are opting out because the anti-CC folks are going around telling people that the testing is optional. Given the option, many people wouldn't take the test just for the pure sake of not taking it.

Why don't you ask people why they are opting out instead of assuming this? I don't think they will say it's because "somebody told me to".

And, sure, people don't like to take tests. Especially meaningless ones. Do you?

People aren't being told to opt out, they are being told they don't have to take it if they don't want to. The only statement anyone can draw from there on out is "we didn't take it because we didn't think we had to" - not "it's meaningless" or anything else.

The tests were NEVER "meaningless" but with test results becoming skewed by those who take it versus those who opt out, you end up breaking it and making it meaningless.

Why shouldn't parents be able to move their kids to a school that performs better?

Lots of factors involved. The kid may be doing just fine at that school and, in fact, have excellent scores on the tests. But, because a high percentage failed, he is guaranteed a spot in another school. If all the kids leave, the school is not likely to stay open.

Anonymous wrote:

NCLB did not force any school closures or firings. Choices to close schools and fire teachers were made at the local level.

Are you familiar with the NCLB rules? Doesn't sound like it. Maybe it didn't say you have to close schools or fire teachers, but when parents are guaranteed the right to take their child out of the school and put them in another school, it kind of puts on the pressure, doesn't it? Think about Atlanta.

Why shouldn't parents be able to move their kids to a school that performs better?

Anonymous wrote:

And here is where you are wrong. Instead of "suggesting some quality control processes", they forced the owners to close down factories. They displaced some workers. Now they realize that those actions did not change anything. Their quality control can only tell the workers that the bowls are broken. In fact, science has not progressed far enough to know how to prevent some of the bowls from breaking. Yet the outside inspectors think that the workers should truly know how to prevent the bowls from breaking. This is frustrating the workers to no end, yet the inspectors still do not understand why.

And, they refuse to admit that they were wrong. They think it is because the workers didn't understand the new process.

They also don't understand that some people may prefer green bowls over blue ones--or big ones vs small ones. No. They want all the bowls to be exactly the same.

NCLB isn't imposing a process. It's just highlighting the fact that there is a problem with process and is leaving it up to schools to improve their process.

NCLB did not force any school closures or firings. Choices to close schools and fire teachers were made at the local level.

Are you familiar with the NCLB rules? Doesn't sound like it. Maybe it didn't say you have to close schools or fire teachers, but when parents are guaranteed the right to take their child out of the school and put them in another school, it kind of puts on the pressure, doesn't it? Think about Atlanta.

Anonymous wrote:
Your comment:

Denial that it is local is a fail. The fact that things are different from one school to the next demonstrates the local disparities.

There is nothing stopping other public schools from switching their approaches and models, other than lack of will and general ineptitude.

my response:

All schools are not the same. All kids are not the same. What works in one school may not work in another. If you have any experience with schools beyond your own, you would know that.

Your response:

You must have a serious reading or cognitive dysfunction because THAT IS WHAT I JUST SAID - THINGS ARE DIFFERENT FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL!

My comment stands. You seem to think that a success in one school could be transferred to other schools.

Wow, you still have a major problem with understanding. I never said success in one school can be transferred to other schools. I said every school does things differently.

Anonymous wrote:

They didn't break any bowls. They just came in and noted the fact that some of the bowls were already cracked or broken and suggested that the factory might want to look at some quality control processes. If the people working there truly knew how to prevent breaking bowls there wouldn't be any broken bowls.

And here is where you are wrong. Instead of "suggesting some quality control processes", they forced the owners to close down factories. They displaced some workers. Now they realize that those actions did not change anything. Their quality control can only tell the workers that the bowls are broken. In fact, science has not progressed far enough to know how to prevent some of the bowls from breaking. Yet the outside inspectors think that the workers should truly know how to prevent the bowls from breaking. This is frustrating the workers to no end, yet the inspectors still do not understand why.

NCLB did not force any school closures or firings. Choices to close schools and fire teachers were made at the local level.