Even if we embrace the Common Core, there is still going to be a Maryland assessment this year," said Japzon. "I think that is a little bit problematic. It makes for a very unique year. We are kind of in between."
But Lowery said that since more is being expected of students, they should perform just as well on the old assessments. "If they are teaching the Common Core standards, they should do well on the Maryland School Assessments and the High School Assessments," she said.
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bs-md-common-core-20120823,0,7931078.story#ixzz2Zy6MbvgM
It's 2013, and we now know scores fell! MCPS, with the special Pearson curriculum, experienced one of the largest declines in scores on the State Assessments!
Knowing that the MSA was created to assess previous curriculum objectives and not common core, our children should not have been made to take these assessments last year nor should they have to take them this year if PARC isn't ready. It creates tremendous stress on teachers to learn a new curriculum and provide engaging instruction that promotes critical thinking and collaborative problem solving methods while being encoursged to continue antiquated test prep and BCR focus for a test that is no longer relevant. This stress is felt by our children who are additionally taxed by four days of interrupted instruction, prefaced by continuous reminders to focus on good eating practices and appropriate inappropriate testing strategies all for an assessment that serves no purpose. No need to focus on what the state superintendent said a year ago. More importantly we should focus
ReplyDeleteon suspending state testing until assessments relate to curriuculum. We owe that to these over-tested and over-stressed generation of students.
You are obviously a proponent of teaching to the test. In which case the entire exercise is a charade. Why wouldn't MCPS "world class", "we're #1" students do just fine on any test?
DeleteIf you mean I am proponent of relevant assessment that appropriately tests student knowledge and understanding of instructional material, then I guess you are correct Have you seen the MSA in action? Its format? Its inane questioning and difficult vocabulary in student directions? If I want kids, including my own who suffer through this yearly insult to their senses, to be assessed on whether they can write within a given dark box (not out of it or it won't be scored), fully darken a small circle (make sure it isn't too light or it won't be scored), or sit attentively in a chair for 3 hrs (test security makes any movement suspicious), then the MSA is perfect! If you really want to see the We're #1 students in MCPS then look at ongoing yearly progress on formative assessments not a once a year snapshot from a joke of an exam. BTW as a fourth generation graduate of MCPS, we are world class...no need to mock it in quotes.
DeleteMCPS isn't even #1 in the STATE OF MARYLAND. MCPS is far, far from world class! Hard to take your comments seriously when you repeat such PR.
DeleteIf sitting still is such a problem then where have teachers been advocating for their students? Apple Ballot? Union? Huh??? Silence.
What about teachers advocating for students that need accommodations to get through these tests? More silence.
Funny how Fairfax has more students receiving special education services than MCPS, yet about the same number of students. Why does Fairfax provide services that MCPS denies?
A "world class" public school system would not be charging students to attend public school classes in violation of their Constitutional rights. But, maybe you were taught that violating the law was OK?
In looking at the results for MCPS, Broad Acres Elementary School is at the very bottom of the results. How can that be? This was an incredible "turn around school", awards galore! The case study!
ReplyDeleteHigh praise for the administrators who turned the school around and then... fled.
Comments?
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/04/broad-acres-show-hits-new-york-new-york.html
Anonymous 10:28pm, why don't teachers step up do something about their union leadership instead of making excuses about the falling scores. Parents and taxpayers would appreciate that. MCEA is a key player in all the decisions, the budget, the Pearson contract, etc. We cannot open or operate our existing or new libraries, we don't have enough police or firefighters, all because your elected leadership endorses the $2.1Billion budget every year. If teachers are feeling 'tremendous stress' it is because that is what they want when they vote for their MCEA leadership.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! They aren't my elected leadership, but I am small voice in a liberal conversation about unions in general.
DeleteI have no idea what kind of conversation is going on within the teaching community, but teachers who complain but won't speak up and change their union leadership set a poor civic example for our children. It does take some courage to speak up, and begin to either reform the MCEA or start a new union, but that is clearly what is needed if enough teachers feel stressed or disnefranchised from the MCEA. Are those conversations taking place? Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteThat's right, more teacher bashing (no I am not a teacher, thank you.) Where is the administrator's union in this discussion? Have any of you forgotten how many administrators and central office staff there are? What about their union and the fact that they too are keeping it "status quo". They don't speak up so groups like this can continue to bash the teachers and ignore the role of administrators in these issues.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, the MCEA speaks out on the wrong topics and I think they need new leadership but when you are continually beaten down from all sides who wants to stick their neck out and get it chopped off? Will the Parents Coalition and others stand up for the teachers who do come forward for change? Will MCEA? Will MCPS? Chances are anyone coming forward will risk their jobs and families. Who wants to take that risk? I doubt many in the current anti-teacher/anti-education climate have the stomach for it.
Please, have at me for being sympathetic to teachers. God forbid I actually think there might be SOME out there who are working to make change within the schools, who like children, enjoy teaching, who might be good at their jobs and I don't lump them all into the category as the "spawn of the devil" and union sympathizers.
The Parents' Coalition was founded with teachers.
Delete"Bashing" is a fun, hip, happening word but means absolutely nothing. Want to talk facts? Fact is that the teachers are represented by their union at secret meetings that violate the MD Open Meetings Act. OK, I am waiting for 1 - any 1 - to speak up about that.
Let's look over at Rock Terrace. Did anyone - teachers, administrators, support staff speak out for those students?
Anyone?????
It's students who are "bashed" in this school system. Who is standing up for them?
Anonymous, the Parent's Coalition does speak up for teachers who come forward. When have we not? This blog is the only outlet for the information on how music and art teacher positions were being cut out during the secret MCEA/BOE/MCPS/PTA budget negotiations. You didn't read about it in the Post or the Gazette. Only here. You are right, where is the administrator's union? No idea. However, it is mostly teachers that post on this blog about how their MCEA representation does not represent them, and intimidates them. No one wants to stick out their neck and get it chopped off, but the more people do speak out, the less chance an individual will get it 'chopped off.' What you are saying is fascinating. You are explicitly saying that if a teacher steps up and exercises their civic rights, the MCEA will threaten their jobs and families.
ReplyDeleteSpeak out? Did that work out at Kemp Mill? The principal is still there and if you use the state's measurements, test scores, it is one of the worst schools in Maryland. The union, in bed with mcps and administrators, is very intimidating. Remember, mcea is REQUIRED not voluntary, because if you don't join you pay a "representation" fee that is almost exactly the same amount as dues! (By the way, I don't know any other "association" whose leaders are elected and then leave their job, continuing to be being paid by their employer to conduct association business during their elected term. Most I know do it on a volunteer basis while continuing to work in their job.)
ReplyDeleteLet's look at how many ineffective admins continue to run schools or get moved up through the ranks.
Speak out and be found out and it is career suicide as you will be blackballed, comrade. Best to keep your head down and influence the lives of those who come through your class each year. Until we as a community focus on the whole picture and demand that admins be held accountable and these principals who sit for decades at schools with strangleholds on the parents and staff are exposed, we will continue to be putting Band-Aids on a gaping wound.
I have two reactions to Dr. Starr's explanation and testing morritorium views.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, the explanation itself points out the cheap and amatuerish rollout of C2.0. Educators like Dr. Starr are cramming down an untested curriculum without any kind of planning or success measures on a whole cohort of kids. This will take place for the entire K-12 carreer of these kids. No, I don't give them a break because of the testing issue. If this curriculum is so important, then create a pilot program, test it out, and when you have the whole product done, including the testing, then get stakeholder buy-in and roll it out. Instead, they went with the cheap 'this is what we are doing' implementation plan where you roll an untested product to customers so the customers can work out the kinks. Personally, I think this is immoral to do this to this group of kids and it reeks of self-interest by business and career educators. I have lost all faith in the education policy makers in MoCo and this country.
Second, Starr told us that C2.0 is more rigourous. He said the material essentially moves all the kids up a grade level relative to the old curriculm (hence the need to eliminate acceleration and math pathways). If so, then help me connect the dots on why a test from a less rigourous curriculum is harder for kids in the new C2.0 curriculum than the old easy curriculum. Show me some MSA questions that address topics that are no longer tought for that grade?
Anonymous, 'C2.0' is the Pearson curriculum that was the focus of a contract the BOE signed with Pearson, to develop the curriculum. Pearson, according to wikipedia, is the largest education company in the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_PLC). It is a for-profit business. The children in this public school system are testing a curriculum that is designed to make a profit for this company. That's pretty much it. I hooe this helps you connect the dots.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is an interview in edtech digest with Erick Lang on the Pearson rollout. According to this interview, teachers received plenty of training. http://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/integratedcurriculum/
ReplyDeleteThis is annonymous from July 25 11:21pm.
ReplyDeleteWe are in agreement Paula. Do you know if Pearson will write the tests that will help evalulate their own Pearson C2.0 curriculum? That woud be another conflict of interest in my book.
At any rate, I would be embarrased to say that we can't test how the kids are doing with the new curriculum. Apparently, Starr and other educators are not embarrased, though.
Yes, Pearson is writing the assessments that students will be given THREE times a year. Yes, Superintendent - test moratorium - Starr is actually INCREASING the number of standardized tests that MCPS children will be taken. The Pearson assessments will be given EVERY year in elementary school, not just in certain years like MSAs. Starr is ramping up the testing and increasing Pearson's profit like crazy.
DeleteOh, yes. You realize that even thought the Pearson curriculum comes from MCPS, the Board of Education has to PAY PEARSON to use it.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2012/02/pearson-is-developing-performance-based.html
Deletehttp://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/09/state-board-of-ed-on-pearsonmcps.html
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