Monday, February 23, 2015

This is a test, this is ONLY a test


Dear PARCC Protestors and Panickers

I promise you, your 8-18 year old has spent many more hours on frustrating and pointless video games than they will on this test.

They will not be harmed in the taking of the test in any way. If you would have seen the NJASK intimidating booklets you would see this is merciful.

Will the results be valid and useful ?  We will never know if everyone REFUSES to take it RIGHT ?

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS ?

The education world has known this was coming for 5 years (even though social media has only erupted within the last few weeks. ) Schools have planned and purchased technology that they probably would not have prioritized if they didn’t have this deadline. (chalk one up for a good thing)

It is the 21st Century almost everything is managed on computers. Student assessment should be also.

We were forced to re-examine the way we delivered and assessed education when colleges and workplaces complained that students were entering college unprepared and couldn’t problem solve and think for themselves.

We adopted the Common Core standards. It is NOT a subversive national curriculum.
Please explore them if you haven’t         http://www.corestandards.org/

I am sure as a parent it was much more comforting to have a familiar looking math worksheet with one answer and one way to approach the problem. But unfortunately mastering that, doesn’t help you when life doesn’t present its math problems on an organized sheet for you.

And while straight memorization was predictable and impressive,  computer data bases have made that skill obsolete and now you actually have to know how to justify with evidence of any answers you do provide.

HOW WILL THESE RESULTS BE USED

Just like all results they will be a part of how schools make decisions on resources . And on the larger scale how the state decides to which schools they should give more attention ($) .  There is legislation pending right now that will postpone use of results. This is wise.

Teachers are assessed on a 4 point scale . 4 is excellent (perfect almost) and 1 is awful.  Just statistically everyone will receive a 2 or a 3 when you average student results. That is a small part of picture . Observations and other goal setting are other ways to factor in what will mostly be 2 and 3 . Just like a grade point average in high school and college… almost everyone will fall between a 2.0 and 3.5 …. If you have below a 2.0 for a few years in a row there are sanctions. There is no great prize in most districts for higher scores.

Sadly I see many of my perfection oriented peers, inciting parents on this issue.

I published a Keep Calm and Carry On post a few months ago. Just thought I would revisit the issue as the panic seems to be rising…. Really KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON…..

6 comments:

  1. HOW DARE YOU SIT THERE AND SAY IT WON'T HURT MY CHILD. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO ASSUME SUCH A THING. For your information my daughter ended up in a hospital over "IT"S JUST A TEST". My daughter has Tourettes Syndrome with comorbid conditions of ADD, SPD, OCD and Anxiety disorder. The stress of these test kick her OCD in to overdrive which in turns increases her anxiety which ultimately increases her ticcing. If you don't know what ticcing is I'll explain. That's where my daughter's body will completely jerk every other minute. Or where she will thrash her legs and arms uncontrollably. So keeping my daughter' anxiety and OCD in check is critical to her over all health. Don't even get me started on what forcing each child to conform to one way of learning and if they can't process information that way they are labeled a failure. Do you know what neing labeled a failure does to a young childs self esteem. It crushes it. So long after you're done using my child to collect your precious DATA and have moved on to another group of students my daughter will still be living with the with the negative affects your so called HARMLESS TEST have caused. So before you open your mouth claiming it's just a TEST DON'T.

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  2. I promise you, your 8-18 year old has spent many more hours on frustrating and pointless video games than they will on this test.


    WHAT A RIDICULOUS COMMENT. FIRST, YOU DON'T KNOW MY CHILD. SECOND, IT IS A LITTLE STRANGE TO COMPARE WHAT KIDS ARE DOING AT HOME IN THEIR DOWN TIME WITH SCHOOL - DON'T YOU THINK?

    They will not be harmed in the taking of the test in any way. If you would have seen the NJASK intimidating booklets you would see this is merciful.
    SO THE NJ ASK SUCKED MORE THAN WE KNEW? HMMM... SO THAT IS WHY THIS TEST IS OKAY? FAULTY LOGIC.

    The education world has known this was coming for 5 years (even though social media has only erupted within the last few weeks. ) Schools have planned and purchased technology that they probably would not have prioritized if they didn’t have this deadline. (chalk one up for a good thing)

    I DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT "PRIORITIZING TECHNOLOGY" WHAT ABOUT PRIORITIZING LOVE OF LEARNING?

    The education world has known this was coming for 5 years (even though social media has only erupted within the last few weeks. ) Schools have planned and purchased technology that they probably would not have prioritized if they didn’t have this deadline. (chalk one up for a good thing)

    It is the 21st Century almost everything is managed on computers. Student assessment should be also.

    We were forced to re-examine the way we delivered and assessed education when colleges and workplaces complained that students were entering college unprepared and couldn’t problem solve and think for themselves.
    EVERYTHING IS MANAGED ON COMPUTERS AND BEING PREPARED FOR COLLEGE ARE TWO THOUGHTS THAT IN NO WAY GO TOGETHER AND WHAT POINT IS THIS MAKING EXACTLY?

    The education world has known this was coming for 5 years (even though social media has only erupted within the last few weeks. ) Schools have planned and purchased technology that they probably would not have prioritized if they didn’t have this deadline. (chalk one up for a good thing)

    It is the 21st Century almost everything is managed on computers. Student assessment should be also.

    We were forced to re-examine the way we delivered and assessed education when colleges and workplaces complained that students were entering college unprepared and couldn’t problem solve and think for themselves.

    We adopted the Common Core standards. It is NOT a subversive national curriculum.
    Please explore them if you haven’t http://www.corestandards.org/

    I am sure as a parent ---
    HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU SO SURE? ARE YOU A PARENT. IF NOT, HOW ABOUT NO OPINION?

    I COULD NOT DISAGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS MORE. FURTHERMORE PERHAPS YOU SHOULD LOOK TO YOUR PERFECTION ORIENTED PEERS AND SEE WHAT THEY ACTUALLY OBJECT TO.

    Here is a hint: If you want to be listened to - don't be so arrogant. I don't agree with you and would ask you to consider the relationship between Pearson and the PARCC.

    Anyway, your article is kind of off base, I think.







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  4. Dear Susan and Karen - I am very sorry if you felt my comments were arrogant or directed personally to your children (I don't know you, and you clearly don't know me) If you read the rest of my blog you will see I am ALL ABOUT love of learning.

    I have been trying to communicate a calm clear message for the past 25 years to the hundreds of students I have taught. They are never about a single score.

    I have two children .

    In fact on a personal level my son "failed" every standardized test he ever took. He is reading disabled, ADD and high anxiety, but he got through testing fine because we never made a big deal about it and gratefully he had calm confident teachers. His low scores reinforced his need for an IEP and small group instruction which really helped him get a terrific education ( He is a sophomore in college now.)

    My message is to De emphasize high stakes testing and to discourage those that are "feeding the monster" by perpetrating negative energy about something that is inevitable and serving a purpose.

    Is it perfect , No, but having children take it with healthy support from families will help us hone in on how to use the scores to get schools and students the help and resources they deserve.

    Sorry again if you were offended.
    ~Holly

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  5. Holly, there doesn't seem to "panic", there seems to be a great deal of fact finding regarding the use of these tests. This isn't about a fear factor. Parents have long understood how useless these standardized tests are in isolation.

    Many have been outraged that the state has tied finances to test scores alone. Others are furious with PARCC being an underfunded mandate, one the state itself created, pushing even higher costs onto local districts and taxpayers, others agree that our kids shouldn't be used as guinea pigs in some experiment which has not even a pass rate, let alone reliability.Others question how this overuse of testing will help education when thus far the only outcome gained has been a widening of the achievement gap and a wasteful bloating of Federal State and local educational budgets. The state alone spends over 200 million dollars a year on testing and reporting of testing.

    The state has cut aid to nearly every district and concurrently forced a 2% local levy spending cap. As state aid has been cut, the local levy must make up the difference in costs and pay for the states underfunded state mandates.

    PARCC testing requirements and mandates are costing hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to each district's local tax levy, this additional force spending costs push district budgets over the 2% cap , causing increases to activities fees or causing cuts to programming and student services.

    While you may comfortable in your belief that this is only a test, others have done quite a bit of research on the current educational issues and have every right to be concerned about the direction our state has chosen in regards to PARCC testing..

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  6. Bob-

    Your comments are extremely knowledgeable and intelligent ( and calm) you didn't even yell at me in all caps once :)

    I don't pretend to have mastered the politics or economics of the PARCC situation. And to be clear I am not PRO PARCC or Pearson, I am PARCC tolerant. The decision phase of this decision was five years ago. PARCC wasn't the only option. As an educator I received many offers to be involved at different phases and since I didn't take advantage of those I don't feel I have the right to complain at this late date. I am mildly curious at the comparison between costs of ETS (prior testing service) and this.

    If the state agreed tomorrow that there would be 0 standardized tests , I would throw a party. But I think most admit the need to assess across districts.

    The " Panic " I describe is the many many heated questions and discussions now at the start of the test, about opting out. Most involving myths about the "harm" that the act of taking this test will inflict n the children. The scores are a baseline, they can't have meaning until everyone takes it. and now with many thinking that protesting is wise, the scores won't reflect a reality (resulting in lots of wasted money.)

    Also, I witness the harm that heated gossip and arguments about the topic and the lack of support for school districts has on the students. They do get quite confused and upset by this. I am hearing many parents (my friends) say "My kid wants to take it , but I am not going to let them"

    My thoughts were put together specifically in response to a few friends that vocalized "Hey I don't understand this PARCC situation. Is there an upside ? "Being a naturally optimistic person, I will find that no matter what. I have found that those concerned are not that interested in having sensible discussions. (you are an exception)

    Most of the costs related to PARCC were to become technology compliant, which was a desperate need for districts and will really help level the playing field educationally. I also am interested in your comment that the state has tied finances to test scores alone.I'd like to explore that more. I also wonder as a taxpayer in New Jersey how different it is for me if the "State" pays for it or the "local" does. Since I finance both ? For example I am very happy Chris Christie is agreeing to pay back into the pension fund. I am a bit sad, that I am the one who will end up paying it back.

    I wish all decisions about education were truly about students and how best to serve them. But sadly most are about money.

    I do appreciate your thoughts !

    ~Holly

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