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Benjamin Caulder

Standardized Testing: A Race to Nowhere | Dailycensored.com - 2 views

dailycensored.com/...ized-testing-a-race-to-nowhere

standardized tests

shared by Benjamin Caulder on 17 Nov 10 - No Cached
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 17 Nov 10
       
      This right here, is scary. When the group think has permeated so deep into our cultural perception that standardized testing as they are today are beneficial that even a teacher has bought in... shudder.
    • Ashley Muniz
      Ashley Muniz on 17 Nov 10
       
      This teachers view of testing is contradictory to most educators that I have encountered. In fact many educators vehemently disagree with mandated testing and its consequences. It is a scary thought when educators believe their is benefit for students in high stakes testing.
    • Elvira Ledezma
      Elvira Ledezma on 18 Nov 10
       
      I agree Ashley; I have not heard many teachers say that standerdized testing is good. Standardized testing is lowering down the curriculum I believe.
  • Jacob Eckrich on 19 Nov 10
     
    Standardized testing cripples cirriculum. It greatly limits the scope and breadth of knowledge. In fact, true knowledge isn't even really gained from this form of education. Not to mention, the idea of a standard in nearly all other areas of society is looked down upon. For instance, say that everyone should be held to the "Christian" standard. This would cause a frenzy, as"Chrsitian" ethics are not held in esteem by all. Yet when dealing with education, the opposite is assumed.
Linda Garcia

The Answer Sheet - What 'Superman' got wrong, point by point - 6 views

voices.washingtonpost.com/...-superman-got-wrong-point.html

shared by Linda Garcia on 03 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Promise Academy is in many ways an excellent school, but it is dishonest for the filmmakers to say nothing about the funds it took to create it and the extensive social supports including free medical care and counseling provided by the zone
  • Two-thirds of Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone funding comes from private sources
  • In New Jersey, where court decisions mandated similar programs, such as high quality pre-kindergarten classes and extended school days and social services in the poorest urban districts, achievement and graduation rates increased while gaps started to close. But public funding for those programs is now being cut and progress is being eroded.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • Most test score differences stubbornly continue to reflect parental income and neighborhood/zip codes, not what schools do. As opportunity, health and family wealth increase, so do test scores.
  • they reduce teachers to test-prep clerks, ignore important subject areas and critical thinking skills
  • But schools and teachers take the blame for huge social inequities in housing, health care, and income.
  • Unions have historically played leading roles in improving public education, and most nations with strong public educational systems have strong teacher unions.
  • The movie touts the benefits of fast track and direct entry to teaching programs such as Teach for America, but the country with the highest achieving students, Finland, also has highly educated teachers.
  • Charters were first proposed by the teachers’ unions to allow committed parents and teachers to create schools that were free of administrative bureaucracy and open to experimentation and innovation, and some excellent charters have set examples. But thousands of hustlers and snake oil salesmen have also jumped in.
  • And the Education Report, "The Evaluation of Charter School Impacts, concludes, “On average, charter middle schools that hold lotteries are neither more nor less successful than traditional public schools in improving student achievement, behavior, and school progress.”
  • The Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, concludes that only 17% of charter schools have better test scores than traditional public schools, 46% had gains that were no different than their public counterparts, and 37% were significantly worse. While a better measure of school success is needed
  • While a better measure of school success is needed
  • While a better measure of school success is needed
  • It is not a sustainable public policy to allow more and more public school funding to be diverted to privately subsidized charters while public schools become the schools of last resort for children with the greatest educational needs.
  • In spite of the many millions of dollars poured into expounding the theory of paying teachers for higher student test scores (sometimes mislabeled as ‘merit pay’), a new study by Vanderbilt University’s National Center on Performance Incentives found that the use of merit pay for teachers in the Nashville school district produced no difference even according to their measure, test outcomes for students.
  • approximately a third of America’s new teachers leave teaching sometime during their first three years of teaching; almost half leave during the first five years.
  • many of the top students have been lured to careers in finance and consulting.” It’s the market, and the disproportionately high salaries paid to finance specialists, that is misdirecting human resources, not schools.
  • They ignore the social construction of knowledge, the difference between deep learning and rote memorization.
  • This is a common theme of the so-called reformers: We are at war with India and China and we have to out-math them and crush them so that we can remain rich and they can stay in the sweatshops. But really, who declared this war? When did I as a teacher sign up as an officer in this war? And when did that 4th grade girl become a soldier in it? Instead of this new educational Cold War, perhaps we should be helping kids imagine a world of global cooperation, sustainable economies, and equity.
  • So the outcome of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top has been more funding for schools that are doing well and more discipline and narrow test-preparation for the poorest schools.
  • Waiting for Superman has ignored deep historical and systemic problems in education such as segregation, property-tax based funding formulas, centralized textbook production, lack of local autonomy and shared governance, de-professionalization, inadequate special education supports, differential discipline patterns, and the list goes on and on.
  • anonymous on 03 Oct 10
     
    This post corrects the misinformation in Waiting for Superman.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Benjamin Caulder on 22 Oct 10
     
    This is a good read. I don't know if its only me but "documentary" somehow implicitly means "true story". There really ought to be some sort of rating system, like G-NC17, for the accuracy of a documentary so the public doesn't buy the misinformation.
  • Evonne Villagomez on 18 Nov 10
     
    This is article is particularly helpful for me since my essay is on charter schools. I found this read interesting because it hihglights the areas in education which charter schools seem to be disregarding.
  • Kyle Dodson on 18 Nov 10
     
    I love the criticism if offers on the poster/ text alone. Many professors in the credential program are irate over the film and it's nice to see point-by-point what is wrong with the "documentary." I just love this article in general. It helps to be able to combat certain statistics in conversation too :)
Benjamin Caulder

Duncan, Bennett: NCLB caused standards to lower - CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs - 1 views

politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...nclb-caused-standards-to-lower

standardized tests NCLB

shared by Benjamin Caulder on 17 Nov 10 - No Cached
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 17 Nov 10
       
      This quote right here needs to be on every teacher's mirror for them to stare at as they get ready for their day: "This is the civil rights issue of our generation. There is also and economic imperative." I could agree more.
    • Ashley Muniz
      Ashley Muniz on 17 Nov 10
       
      In my opinion, the effects of NCLB are detrimental to student learning and success which I agree makes it a civil rights issue. I don't think it is fair that all students in a school must suffer because their school does not meet the required test scores. I think NCLB is good in theory but not in practice
    • Ryan Williams
      Ryan Williams on 19 Nov 10
       
      The NCLB is just horrible, we can see this just by reviewing the test scores of the students. I just don't see how anything good came out of this for both students and teachers. The students are failing more and who gets blamed for the low test scores?
Mallorie Fagundes

Thomas: Stop focusing on SAT - Editorial Columns - TheState.com - 4 views

www.thestate.com/...omas-stop-focusing-on-sat.html

shared by Mallorie Fagundes on 22 Oct 10 - No Cached
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 22 Oct 10
       
      A look at the SAT and why we shouldn't use it, hint: He argues against its credibility.
    • Stephanie Flores
      Stephanie Flores on 26 Oct 10
       
      Interesting... I don't see how colleges will agree with this statement. From my understanding colleges want students with higher scores and GPAs since that makes their overall numbers appealing to the state and other students wanting to attend. I believe that the goal is contradicting, but I also think that colleges becoming SAT optional won't be passed.
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 29 Oct 10
       
      I agree, I don't think colleges will give up on SATs, especially after reading Shor today. It doesn't mean that they shouldn't though. The SAT isn't a reliable exam for all college bound students as is so heavily biased towards the middle to upper middle class students.
    • Stephanie Flores
      Stephanie Flores on 26 Oct 10
       
      I don't agree with this at all. GPAs are subjective. Just like in one of the articles that we read in class, students learn how to "do school" and get grades that don't reflect their true understanding of the curriculum. I don't believe that the SAT should be banned because more students are encouraged to take it. Isn't that what we want to do for students, encourage them to their full potential even if they may not be NASA material? Also, poverty has and always will be an issue in the education system. This is not ground breaking news. Maybe if we encourage those with low SES to achieve higher standards they will in turn succeed in school.
    • Mallorie Fagundes
      Mallorie Fagundes on 29 Oct 10
       
      Keep in mind that he is only suggesting that SC not have the SAT anymore...so what I am wondering is if a student from SC wants to go to an out-of-state school, wouldnt that students have to adhere to that particular school's standards?? It doesnt really make sense, unless each college starts to have their "own" SAT, kind of like an entrance exam? I agree that students can learn how to "do school" and get by, but honestly as a student who had over a 4.0 in high school as I am sure most others in our class did as well, it is pretty difficult to fake your way through four years with straight A's without picking up something.
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 29 Oct 10
       
      That is what I got from that as well. Overall, I thought the idea was interesting. I also think that it would have a lot of merit if classrooms were actually like what we have been reading about (as the ideal, where teachers don't have to read a script) since GPA would be a fairer indicator of academic achievement that a SES biased exam like the SAT.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The pool of students taking the SAT 20 years ago, before we began to encourage more students to take the test, was a unique population that was more elite than the normal distribution of students.
    • Mallorie Fagundes
      Mallorie Fagundes on 29 Oct 10
       
      I wonder why he considers students taking the test 20 years ago "elite"? If more students are encouraged to take the SATs today, wouldnt that make today's group more diverse??
    • Mallorie Fagundes
      Mallorie Fagundes on 29 Oct 10
       
      What is "normal distribution"?
Elvira Ledezma

Why are standards important? - Academic Skills | GreatSchools - 1 views

www.greatschools.org/...why-are-standards-important.gs

shared by Elvira Ledezma on 06 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • . These standards become the basis for the way teachers are trained, what they teach and what is on state standardized tests that students take. For example, a first-grade math standard may state that by the end of first grade students are expected to count by 2s, 5s and 10s to 100.
  • . Although poor and minority students have made gains, there is still a big difference — commonly called "the achievement gap" — between what these students have achieved when compared to their more affluent and white peers.
  • Without standards, districts and schools don't have goals to shoot for.
    • Elvira Ledezma
      Elvira Ledezma on 06 Nov 10
       
      As adults we know this is not true, no standards is not equal to no goals!
    • Benjamin Caulder
      Benjamin Caulder on 06 Nov 10
       
      A developmentalist would laugh his/her butt off at that statement because it is impossible to have standards without goals, but not visa-versa.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Critics argue that having rigid standards and tests discourages schools from being innovative and inspiring creativity in their students.
  • Elvira Ledezma on 06 Nov 10
     
    What are national standards
Benjamin Caulder

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Results (CA Dept of Education) - 0 views

star.cde.ca.gov

standardized tests

shared by Benjamin Caulder on 05 Nov 10 - Cached
  • Benjamin Caulder on 05 Nov 10
     
    Nothing to read per say, but this maybe useful to some.
Justin Norris

ED483411.pdf (application/pdf Object) - 4 views

www.eric.ed.gov.login.hmlproxy.lib.csufresno.edu/...ED483411.pdf

CAHSEE Ethnicity classroom Education English

shared by Justin Norris on 28 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Justin Norris on 28 Oct 10
     
    I'm not sure if this link will work...but here is a great article that dives deep into the relationship between passing standardized tests such as the CAHSEE and school conditions and quality.
  • Justin Norris on 28 Oct 10
     
    Okay, I think the link works. Yay!
  • Mallorie Fagundes on 29 Oct 10
     
    That is really interesting. The methodology they used it kind of confusing; I didnt realize they used logarithms for this kind of data. Either way, I think I can use the data to investigate if their is a racial bias with the test.
Ryan Williams

Predictive Validity of an English Language Arts Performance Assessment. CRESST Report 729 - 0 views

This article describes how the CAHSEE tests students too late and that there should be more CAHSEE like tests applied to students before they reach the 10th grade.

http:__www.ppic.org.login.hmlproxy.lib.csufresno.edu_content_pubs_report_R_608AZR.pdf

started by Ryan Williams on 15 Nov 10 no follow-up yet
anonymous

California Governor Puts the Testing Juggernaut On Ice - Living in Dialogue - Education... - 1 views

blogs.edweek.org/...ornia_governor_puts_the_t.html

Testing CA Education

shared by anonymous on 18 May 11 - No Cached
  • anonymous on 18 May 11
     
    Interesting article about Gov. Brown's vision for education.
anonymous

Teachers can't be judged by tests  | ajc.com - 0 views

www.ajc.com/...ers-cant-be-judged-539080.html

shared by anonymous on 03 Jun 10 - Cached
  • anonymous on 03 Jun 10
     
    Teachers TeacherPrep
Mallorie Fagundes

California Department of Education - 1 views

www.cde.ca.gov/ci

CAHSEE testing curriculum

shared by Mallorie Fagundes on 26 Oct 10 - Cached
  • Mallorie Fagundes on 26 Oct 10
     
    Outlines the curriculum for California classrooms as well as the instruction for the CAHSEE.
Justin Norris

The Education Wonks: The CAHSEE fight continues - Thoughts And Ideas Freely Exchanged - 0 views

educationwonk.blogspot.com/...cahsee-fight-continues.html

CAHSEE Standardized Test High School Diploma Education

shared by Justin Norris on 26 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Justin Norris on 26 Oct 10
     
    It's a little old, but it provides a brief explanation of some issues that arose when the CAHSEE became a requirement to graduate high school.
Ashley Muniz

Creative Teaching: Collaborative Discussion as Disciplined Improvisation - 1 views

edr.sagepub.com/...12.full.pdf+html

Scripted Teaching

shared by Ashley Muniz on 05 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Ashley Muniz on 05 Nov 10
     
    This articles examines the need for Creative teaching as opposed to Scripted teaching. The article argues that the learning generated from creative teaching is harder to quantify on standardized testing where as the lower order skills taught through scripted lessons are easier to measure.
Shannon George

A Brief History of Tenure - TIME - 1 views

www.time.com/...0,8599,1859505,00.html

shared by Shannon George on 09 Nov 10 - Cached
  • The problem with tenure, Rhee and other critics say, is that it inadvertently protects incompetent teachers from being fired.
  • Each state has its own stories: A Connecticut teacher received a mere 30-day suspension for helping students cheat on a standardized test; one California school board spent $8,000 to fire an instructor who preferred using R-rated movies instead of books; a Florida teacher remained in the classroom for a year despite incidents in which she threw books at her students and demanded they referred to her as "Ms. God."
  • And despite more than a century of social progress, the need to protect teachers from the whims (or the tyranny) of the community remains as important as ever
  • Shannon George on 09 Nov 10
     
    The article includes the ways in which teacher tenure began, as well as a brief synopsis about the conversation it enters.
Michael Horder

Education World ® - Administrators: Is Ability Grouping the Way to Go---Or Sh... - 0 views

www.educationworld.com/...issues002.shtml

shared by Michael Horder on 01 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Michael Horder on 01 Nov 10
     
    Ability grouping students can be Illegal and has not shown to improve students test scores.
Ryan Williams

Unraveling the Myths of Accountability: A Case Study of the California High School Exit... - 1 views

This article focuses on all the negative affects on students and teachers using the CAHSEE exam. This article also describes how flawed the reasons the legislators give to enforce students to conti...

http:__web.ebscohost.com.login.hmlproxy.lib.csufresno.edu_ehost_detail?vid=3&hid=14&sid=6363fb85-6b38-4bc3-b198-bbf4f3ab32d1%40sessionmgr10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ839386

started by Ryan Williams on 15 Nov 10 no follow-up yet
Evonne Villagomez

YouTube - Charter Schools vs. Public Schools - 1 views

www.youtube.com/watch

shared by Evonne Villagomez on 18 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Evonne Villagomez on 18 Nov 10
     
    This video describes how charter schools are different from traditional public schools.
  • Kyle Dodson on 18 Nov 10
     
    This is a good comparison. It bothers me in class how many times (older) people discuss how their son or daughter's charter/ private school scores higher on test scores than clovis or fresno unified, but they fail to understand the entire system is completely different.
anonymous

Education Week's Digital Directions: Classroom-Tested Tech Tools Used to Boost Literacy - 0 views

www.edweek.org/...02literacy.h04.html

Web2.0 Classroom2.0

shared by anonymous on 15 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • anonymous on 15 Feb 11
     
    An interesting article that discusses how to use technologies students have at home
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