As predicted, Delaware parents are not happy with the Smarter Balanced Assessment results. Of course, the ones who scored proficient or above have not been vocal. But the 49% of parents who are seeing English/Language Arts non-proficiency and 62% non-proficiency for math, are not too happy. And parents of special needs children are horrified. The Delaware DOE is going to put the maximum spin machine on this utilizing every possible source they can use. The State Board of Education is having a workshop at Grotto’s Pizza in Dover next week to deal with the fallout. Of course, they are going to talk about the myths and fallacies of the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Will they come right out and say “Don’t read Exceptional Delaware, Kavips, or any of the other Delaware blogs”? Or will they, for once in their professional lives, come out and say “You know what, we messed up. This test is horrible. We apologize, and let’s really work together to come up with a new test. We want your help, and all the other stakeholders we didn’t include the last time.”
If they did the latter, and stuck to it, I would be utterly amazed and shocked. Oddly enough, Governor Markell has been strangely quiet on the issue. Of course, he went to Germany last week, and the Pope is coming to town this week. But we are heading into election mode, and it wouldn’t shock me if every announced or potential candidate told his office they don’t want him talking about this test at all!
The Season Of Myths 
I am all for Common Core and can not understand why people are so opposed….I thought most parents wanted to help their kids learn more. Teaching kids different ways to complete math problems and having them read and write MORE sounds like a great idea. Not all the results in Delaware were terrible. And did you really think the first assessment would come out great? Of course not….there’s a learning curve, just like with anything else that is tried. One thing I know for sure, is that what we were doing previously was NOT working. Our country keeps falling more and more behind and something had to be done about it. I applaud our state for accepting the Common Core Standards and I hope for the sake of our children that it stays.
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With all due respect Kristy, do you have a child that took the Smarter Balanced Assessment? How did they score on it? Were they proficient? I don’t think any school or teacher should be rated on an unproven, not statistically proven assessment that the parents and educators don’t see the results for months later. But let me ask you this… do you know the average grade students in 9th grade science got? Or 3rd grade English? I’m not talking about their standardized test score. I’m talking about the letter grade that came home on the report card. The one that actually told parents, three or four times a year based on the school, how their child was doing every ten weeks. Cause I sure haven’t. Nobody talks about that. Nobody talks about how a student could be proficient on a test but they are failing chemistry. Or they tanked the Smarter Balanced Assessment, but they are really good at school and got straight As. Agree or not with Common Core, we have become so focused on the assessment that stems from it that we have forgotten everything else that shows more immediate results than Smarter Balanced. And as I wrote, 51% proficient in ELA, and 38% proficient in math. That’s not a learning curve, that’s a tragedy. Not because of the students, but because of the test. But until I know if you have kids or not, and what their needs are, and how much you help them with homework, I just can’t buy into your statement without more facts.
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My daughter is in 4th grade and my son in 1st grade. My daughter scored above average in both the math and ELA of the Smarter Balance…I received the scores yesterday.
It is a learning curve because as you have posted before, the kids did not do any better, but they did not do any worse than previous testings I believe. The Smarter Balance confirmed that there is still a continued gap, not an increased one.
Do I believe that the Common Core Standards were implemented incorrectly, yes, I do. I think they should have started it from the ground up and let the older kids alone. And I agree that a school or teacher should not be ranked on it, but that is neither here nor there, because that is been going on FOREVER…..long before the CC standards were implemented.
You can do what you want and believe what you want, but I know that my kid and my kids school did very well on this Assessment.
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That’s great Kristy. Congratulations. Let me ask you though, what were they measured against? The cut scores… what were they based on to objectively compare this test to? I know if my child takes a test based on a scale of 0-100, and if he got a 75 on it, and the average score for the class was 90, my child needs help. Because I have those numbers. I know if he got 25 questions wrong out of a 100, he got a 75. The Smarter Balanced Assessment is not like that. I’m glad your kids did well, I truly am. But just because your kids school did well does that mean for one instant this is a good test. That just tells me one of two things: either the teachers are REALLY good at teaching to the test OR there are very low populations of students with disabilities, low-income students and minority students at your children’s school. Can you tell me what school they do go to and I can tell you within five minutes what those numbers are for your kids school.
In terms of comparing this to other tests, you really can’t. It would be like comparing a picture of a dog to a comic book. They are both art, but the interpretation and opinions would vary widely. The Smarter Balanced did not prove a continued gap. Do not believe that lie. It confirmed information for THIS test, not comparing this one to DCAS. Statistically, if you were to compare the “gaps” from DCAS to Smarter Balanced, the “gap” amounts might be similar, but because students scored so much lower, it becomes harder to close that gap. But once again, it’s apples and oranges. I eagerly await your answer on which school your children go to.
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Southern Delaware School of the Arts. I agree you can’t compare tests and I would never suggest that. What I would suggest is waiting for the teachers to become more proficient at teaching this way….it takes time to implement new items into the curriculum.
I disagree that the teachers are “teaching to the test”….if you think this, then you must agree that the teachers have been teaching to the test for quite some time, no?
It sounds like you are knowledgeable about Common Core, so you already know that each district here in Delaware makes the curriculum that the kids are learning. The standards are just that….standards where the kids should be at each grade level. What the teachers actually teach the kids is based on the curriculum that they and the district decided upon.
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Got to agree, Kristy makes good points. I am also willing to give Smarter Balanced a chance.
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Too bad you aren’t the one taking it. Your child is. So if you like kids getting taught to the test (and don’t for one second blame the teachers for that, because teaching to the test and common core go hand in hand), and not having any immediate feedback or true instruction based on it, then go right ahead. Or an even better idea: if you are such fans of this test, why don’t YOU take the test. Go ahead. Google it. You will find plenty. Let me know how you do. Let me know how long it takes you. And when you stop drinking the Kool-Aid Kristy has been drinking, that the DOE and corporate education reformers seem to send to your school in mass quantities, then go for it!
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It is much more simple to me. Give it a chance. You should try to set aside your prejudice and political bias.
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My prejudice? What in God’s name are you talking about Kristy clone? My political bias? You obviously don’t know me at all! I am an equal opportunity offender! LOL! In all seriousness, we have given standardized assessments a chance for 15 years. What are the results? How have our schools improved significantly? They haven’t. Sure Markell and the Gang will see graduation rates have gone up, but that has more to do with more accurate reporting than anything else.
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There are definitely great points on both sides. I don’t think Kristy is drinking the Kool-aid as much as the Rodel folks and our leaders want her to but Kevin is correct about the difference in schools. SDSA does not have anywhere near the spec ed or low-income population that exists in any of the Districts. So it is comparing apples to oranges. I thought the DE team was still exploring other assessment options? There was a recent trip to Chicago, I believe, that was intended to fact-find. Kevin – do you have more info on that?
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This is the first I’ve heard about a Chicago trip. Any info or a place to look on that would be awesome JCMiller!
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I will check it out and get back to you.
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I agree that our school does not have the low income population….but again, I would like to give Common Core a chance since it is obvious that what was happening prior to CC standards was not working either. Something had to change and unfortunately our kids are stuck in the middle of it.
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Kristy, if you have a child in 4th grade and one in 1st grade, your children were not exposed to the non-Common Core world. So please, with anecdotal proof, not relying on standardized test scores and NAEP and PISA scores, provide proof exactly how education was not working prior to Common Core. You stated this is obvious. Please provide clarity on your certainty.
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Not sure if I should continue to answer you when you ignore my questions….but here goes. Our country’s ranking in the world has decreased throughout the years, especially in math and science. In addition, the kids graduating high school are NOT college ready. Why is that? Is it the teaching, testing, students or parents or a combination?
You were the one who wanted to hear about people who like common core and whose kids did well….now that you have it you want to refute my kids results. It is NOT anecdotal proof just because my 4th grader did not take the other assessments. In addition, I have already stated my opinion that it was implemented incorrectly. If you want to just refute my kids results, then I guess this conversation is over…..be careful what you wish for Kevin, you might just get it and NOT like.
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Kristy, you made some very bold statements and I challenged you on it. You speak about our country’s “ranking” decreasing throughout the years. You are absolutely right. In shock? I’m sure you are. Based on tests like PISA and NAEP, we absolutely have. Compared to countries like China, South Korea, and Singapore on tests like that, we have certainly gone down. But these are the facts: those tests were designed by the very same companies that are now constructing the Smarter Balanced Assessment, the PARCC and the other state assessments. Think about it. If 70% of kids are proficient on NAEP, and the numbers go significantly down for all the other tests, and the NAEP is the measuring stick to which all is compared, then why is nobody questioning NAEP? It is based on tests designed by American Institutes for Research, the VERY SAME company that designed the Smarter Balanced Assessment. If that doesn’t send red flags up and chills down your spine, I don’t know what will. I am not refuting your kids results at all. I am stating the smoke and mirrors behind the test are not what they seem. I have no doubt your children are very smart. But there are forces behind the scenes that are not doing this in the best interests of children.
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Kevin, all I am asking for is the same respect I have shown you. If I ask you something, please respond. I am curious as to why some people are not fond of Common Core. But again, I would like to be awarded the same courtesy I provide you. I am asking you again about the teaching to the test….it has been happening long before CC correct? Where was the uproar over the past 15 years regarding the abundance of testing?
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My son is 11, so he didn’t start taking test assessments until DCAS rolled out. But prior to that, there was a test in Delaware called DSTP. Parents fumed over that test though. The penalizing factors made it a very high-stakes test as well. When educators evaluations are tied to performance on a test, this invariably is the result: teaching to the test. If your job depended on you, for example, lifting 20 bricks a day and carrying them a mile, this is what you would do. This was your goal, and you have to do it, or you don’t have a job. When the Feds rolled out Race To The Top, they gave this carrot to all the states. It was during the Recession, when ALL the states were suffering financially, and by default, our schools were suffering. In Delaware, there was a reading program Governor Minner signed off on, and it was doing really well. Governor Markell cut that program, and he never restored that funding. Literacy rates went down. Then came Race To The Top, and it gave states money. The catch was Common Core. As well as threats to funding. Districts were told “If you don’t sign on you are risking funding cuts.” When they are already cash-poor, what do you think happened? They signed on. Our teachers are inundated with professional development and meetings and evaluations, most of which are designed for THIS test. So yes, teaching to the test happens, because the very same curriculum, Common Core, is designed for the test. Now many of the tests districts give have immediate feedback and they help instruction. This push to get rid of many assessments is tainted with a desire by companies to get rid of those tests and have more interim assessments designed to, you guessed it, make kids more proficient on the high-stakes tests, that give no immediate feedback and do not help instruction for the individual child. The scores aren’t released until well after the school year ends, and the kid doesn’t have the same teacher the next year. How is that helpful? If a kid did great on the test, then obviously this doesn’t apply.
With the whole “kids are taking remedial classes in college”, I agree with that. But it isn’t because our teachers and schools stink. It’s because EVERYTHING has become about THIS test. Kids aren’t able to learn the way they used to because it is all about the test prep and instruction is based on proficiency for THIS test. I’m sure I could go on all day about this, but unfortunately I have other matters to attend to. But I do welcome debate on this blog. But please allow me the respect to politely debate back.
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I’m not hearing many parents “uproaring” about the abundance of testing. The uproar is about the Smarter Balanced Assessment. This whole push to reduce the amount of testing was actually created by the corporate education reformers as a method to dissuade parent opt-out. It almost worked in our state, but our legislators saw through it and the majority voted for House Bill 50. There is currently a push by the Delaware DOE to get rid of the actual tests that help students and give that immediate feedback in favor of MORE interim Smarter Balanced Assessments. This won’t reduce the amount of testing it all. It just replaces what is helpful with what is not.
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Again Kevin, the teachers have been teaching to the test for years prior to CC. I would also like to know what Kool-Aid you are referring to?
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Kristy, “Kool-Aid” is a common term on blogs and those who oppose the corporate education reform movement. The phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid” means people will believe whatever they are told. In the case of education, this has been the largest weapon companies have used in order to profit off our children. I will have an article coming up later today which will show exactly how these companies are doing this. It isn’t obvious to the visible eye until you look between the cracks.
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I know what Kool Aid means in reference to blogs….just curious to know what Kool Aid you think I have been drinking. I have done research on the Standards, just like you and it appears based on what I have seen here, that I am a bit more open minded to it than you are. There is no Kool Aid drinking here! lol
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For parents of above average students, it is very hard for them to see the problems with Common Core. If your kids are doing great, parents don’t tend to question these things. As a father of a child with disabilities, my experience is vastly different. I had no choice but to question these matters, and I have thoroughly researched this for years. There are hundreds of companies out there that support Common Core, and when parents research the standards, these companies and state departments tend to come up first on Google searches. But if you really want an eye-opener, Google the words “Common Core” and “data warehousing”, or “Smarter Balanced Assessment” and “Psychometrics”.
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I see your point regarding children with disabilities. However, with no child left behind, the kids who were excelling were being held back….there needs to be some sort of balance and I am not sure we have found it yet. I will have to google later…..but thanks for the tips.
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I think we all agree that the concept of Common Core is great. Unfortunately, it was left to the states to craft their own versions which I disagree with only because if this is to be a national standard then it should be a standardized curriculum that helps ALL students in every state. The SBA is a mess. My daughter scored 4 & 3 respectively on DCAS and she is spec ed. She scored significantly lower on the SBA – why? I don’t know. Why? Because as Kevin pointed out it doesn’t give you specifics. The existing model doesn’t work and I also agree that it would have made much more sense starting it out in K or 1st grade and bringing it up then trying to change it for the kids who were already learning the old way. We have to fix this and I don’t see a lot of changes coming down the pike. Personally, as a graduate of a DE school system, I want to bring back the California Achievement Test! LOL.
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JCMiller, I don’t think a lot of people agree the concept of Common Core is great. Common Core was, in the eyes of the public, designed to make sure kids in Alaska and Delaware are on the same level. But you can’t always accurately compare kids from different states. As well, it pushes students with disabilities and those from poverty to rise to the ability of their peers. As much as I wish they could, research and evidence has proven this is not always possible. Common Core takes away from the individual uniqueness of the average kid. Education is not, nor should it ever be, a one size fits all mentality. And even though the corporate education reformers have backed away from that theory, it is still the reality that they created. Let me ask you this, who benefits from all of this? Have our schools? Our educators? Our students? No. Companies have. They have billions of dollars in the insane push to “fix” our schools.
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Kevin, I totally see your point but I have family in many different states that received sub-par education. I don’t think that spec ed kids with IEPs or 504 plans should be pushed to be equal to their peers – there is a lot of supports put in for them and their education should remain “Individualized.” I agree with opt out and again, I think we all agree that the current system doesn’t work the way it was intended it to work. To imply that kids in different states shouldn’t be on the same educational levels when they are in the same grade is a problem for me because ultimately what we are also saying is that kids in the US will never need to be on the same educational level as those in Germany or Australia or Japan. That puts our kids at risk of being left behind on a global scale and with how fast everything is advancing these days I don’t want to see that happen. JMO.
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I agree JMO! But here’s the thing, when we are compared to those countries, it is NOT a valid comparison. Only the top students in China are counted. They don’t put all the high-poverty low-income rural students in there. In South Korea, the teenage suicide rate is shockingly high compared to other countries because of the “rigor” demanded of these students. That is the problems with comparisons. If they aren’t accurate, and they are used to shape policy, it becomes very dangerous.
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Ugh. I can’t believe DOE is now paying staffers to comment on your blog to sway public opinion. These comments made me want to vomit. “Oh! My kids did great on the test! Obviously, common core is the best thing since sliced bread!” Good lord. Give me a break.
I’ll bet you my kids would do well, too, given they don’t live in poverty or have any learning disabilities, and I am actively involved in their education. That doesn’t mean Smarter is a good test or that common core is the answer to all our education woes. Just because something is working great for your kids doesn’t mean it’s actually a good thing. And the fact that you can’t recognize that these things are detrimental to students and to public education in general is extremely disconcerting. But, give that you are probably on the DOE payroll, I guess I understand.
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It also doesn’t mean that because your kid did poorly on the test that it must be a terrible test. All I am saying is that I think it should be given a chance…..more than one year. BTW, I am not on the DOE payroll, but of course you will believe what you want.
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I don’t think you are on the DOE payroll Kristy. And I’m not saying this to insult you, but I think many parents have been brainwashed into thinking our students are so far behind and our public schools are horrible. Those who have spread this propaganda are the same as those who are profiting immensely over this “problem”.
Say you own a sports betting company. You pay all the players on a team that is “destined to win” millions of dollars to throw the game. Everyone bets on that very same team because the odds are in their favor. Who makes money? The team and the sports betting company. Who loses money? Everyone who thought it was a sure thing. This is corporate education reform.
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Clearly there is no getting through to you. Just how the ed reformers want it so they can continue to rape the US taxpayers and line their pockets with billions of dollars. All at the expense of our children.
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Art, many of us have been looking at these matters for years. Some are new to it. The very fact they have been drawn to blogs such as mine or Kavips or Kilroys suggests they are curious about what’s going on. It is our job to inform them. We will see a lot of this in the coming weeks as parents digest the Smarter Balanced Assessment results. We need to educate and inform, not push away. This is the future! We need these parents!
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I’m sorry you are not open minded to anything other than the propaganda you are spouting.
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You know what Kristy, I was very open-minded to all of this two years ago. Do not come on my blog, specifically and intentionally trying to start arguments that you have no facts to back up. My “propaganda” comes with vast amounts of research. When you read every single article on this blog, many of which already HAVE extensive amounts of research already done on them, by myself and others, you can judge me. But only after you are able to come up with valid, statistically proven and research-based arguments. I don’t mind debating on here, but just like the one who said that, this is a debate. Art has been around a long time, and like I said, my blog and others are getting a lot of very curious parents checking things out. Many of them are getting these scores and suddenly realizing something doesn’t feel quite right. We can debate, we can argue, but all of us need to stop debasing others with comments about someone not being open-minded. And I will fully and openly admit I have done the same in the past, but that will get us nowhere.
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sorry Kevin, I didn’t mean you…..I meant Art, who came in and attacked me immediately.
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Art is a good guy. For those of us who have been around the block, we aren’t used to new commenters coming on and giving their arguments. I let Art know this in a reply to his comment as well. We all need to work together as parents and do what is best for our kids. It’s just getting there that seems to be the tough part! 😉
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As far as not starting anything, I didn’t….he did. All because I have a different opinion. It is obvious that I am far more open minded than he is regarding the Common Core. Like you have spent a few years researching it myself. Opinions differ….plain and simple. I don’t mind a debate…but I do mind being bashed for having an opposing opinion and telling me I must work for DOE because no one else can like it.
I apologize if it came out like it was directed to you….however, I will not apologize for saying it to ARt.
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Kristy, I appreciate your point of view, but can you maybe tell the rest of us WHY you like Common Core? What about it, compared to the education prior to it do you like? And please, if you can, give facts and not what we hear from Governor Markell and the DOE every single day! 🙂
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Sure. I like the fact that math is now being taught using different methods and should (and has in our school) help even the kids who “are not good at math” be able to determine how to complete the assignment. They now have a few different methods instead of just rote memorization. I also like how much more reading and writing is now being done in the classrooms. This in and of itself will help students in the long term.
Plus, if you look at the standards, you can see that they are just the standards. I like how if we decided to move to Florida, then my kids would likely be on the same track as the other kids. I think we do need some standardization. Maybe I like it because I feel like our district has done a great job integrating into my kids education, plus I like the curriculum and how they are teaching it. Maybe others don’t like it because their teachers have not done such a great job adjusting. Again, I just think that what was happening in the recent past needed to be changed. Maybe this isn’t it, maybe it needs adjusting. I don’t know. I am not saying that Common Core is the “end all, be all”…..I just think it may need to be given a chance and from what I have seen, I like it.
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I stand with the Opt Out movement. But Kristy has a very reasonable take on Common Core, which I think is the right one. There is nothing wrong with the standards, and I say this having read them myself. I am a fan of higher standards in general. My own children’s experience with Common Core has been positive so far. Their schools have done a good job implementing the standards without going overboard.
Opponents have spent the last few reflexively years trashing all things Common Core. Common Core makes you gay, Common Core devalues books, Common Core doesn’t let you read Huck Finn, and on and on. All bulls**t. I never had an especially difficult time with those math problems that were posted as supposed Common Core absurdities.
And now the tea-party types have folded Common Core into their anti-government schtick and are trading on that for fundraising.
Butt the problem has always been with the test and the bogus accountability uses for which it is proposed. And the prep time taking away from actual education. There is no reason to trash the standards just because you want to take down the test.
I believe Common Core can be tested with a much more minimal test taking no more than an hour or three once per year. Probably even an already existing test format will work.
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I don’t agree with a lot of the Common Core arguments that are extreme. My chief concern is with the math stuff. I’m sorry, but when kids are out in the real world, their boss is NOT going to give them extra time to get a project done so they can build arrays and whatnot to figure out simple math. Rote memorization has a purpose in society. It makes us more efficient and productive. Just my thoughts!
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Thanks Mike O.!
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Kevin, why can’t kids learn both memorization and other ways? Not every child can memorize the math facts quickly, nor can they retain them. The math that my kids are learning are IN ADDITION to the memorization. This should help kids who are not good at math and not good a memorizing and give the another tool to work with. That is why I do like the Common Core…..its gives students many different methodologies to use instead of just one…..memorize.
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I have to agree with Kristy. As a former math tutor, not everyone can memorize the facts and especially when they have math phobia. I was always fortunate to be able to see different ways to solve a math problem but others don’t. If they are given even a couple different ways, they can identify with one and be successful. That was what I saw at the college level even!
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I specifically didn’t mention China or SK because I don’t want our kids to have that type of rigor and stress. I used countries that have highly educated people that the US will no longer be able to compete with that have excellent educational systems. Is it fair to say that we remove CC and if you live in the south “Oh well – your tough luck.” I don’t think that is fair to remove CC all together strictly because you don’t like it. You look at what doesn’t or isn’t working and you bring in teachers, parents and children to help craft something better. Having an opposing opinion doesn’t make me or anyone else commenting here DOE staffers or deserving of insult. We all want what is best for our kids. DE isn’t it by far. But lets try to make it better – we owe our kids at least that much.
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I agree JCMiller! But Common Core has become a toxic term. Let’s change the name and use TRUE stakeholder input to determine the best course forward. The Common Core standards were created by non-educators. When the group that created them first started, there were two educators on it. Once they saw what was going on, those educators bailed quickly because they did not like what was happening. I’m all for standards that are validated and well thought-out. But here’s the thing, the US has highly educated people. We put a man on the moon, we led the internet boom, we create and invent every single day. But this generation will be lost on the current track we are on. The very same mode of education these companies are pushing are designed to keep these kids further behind. America has been brainwashed into thinking we are so far behind. The reality is simple: we are not.
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Totally agree with you on all points! 🙂
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Go check out FixDelDOE’s blog. Great post there, and from an ACTUAL educator’s point of view. Smarter is a horrible, worthless test that is costing this state MILLIONS of dollars and ruining public education.
https://fixdeldoe.wordpress.com
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That was an excellent article Art!
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Yes it was. And gets the point across without being ugly. This stuff just makes my blood boil, so it is tough to stomach when people are blind to all of the evidence sitting right in front of them.
Thanks for all you do to help Delaware parents and students- it really is much appreciated!
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Reading material for Kristy:
Click to access 20110919_Hess.pdf
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar99/vol56/num06/Why-Standardized-Tests-Don't-Measure-Educational-Quality.aspx
http://institute4learning.com/blog/2013/02/28/15-reasons-why-standardized-tests-are-worthless-2/
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/07/09/36jouriles.h33.html
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/04/11/why-excessive-standardized-testing-is-causing-american-schools-to-fail
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2015/04/25/somethings-wrong-with-both-standardized-tests-and-the-opt-out-movement/
http://palyvoice.com/2015/04/27/where-is-everyone-students-opt-out-of-smarter-balanced-test/
http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/more-than-wisconsin-students-opt-out-of-smarter-balanced-exam/article_72452bb3-3f25-53a5-9a2b-93804228601d.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-sheninger/education-reform-destroying-childhood_b_5235535.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-endacott/is-the-illusion-of-equity_b_7268976.html
http://www.courant.com/opinion/insight/hc-insight-natale-why-i-hate-standard-testing-0517-20150514-story.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/10/why_my_kids_will_not_take_the.html
http://dianeravitch.net/2015/02/27/jon-pelto-common-core-test-designed-to-fail-most-students/
http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398448
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765672117/Opt-out-movement-accelerates-amid-Common-Core-testing.html?pg=all
http://www.fairtest.org/why-you-can-boycott-testing-without-fear
http://fairtest.org/national-resolution-highstakes-testing
http://fairtest.org/8-ways-to-fight-infographic
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/08/20/common-core-support-waning-most-now-oppose-standards-national-surveys-show
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/23/the-coming-common-core-meltdown/
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Thanks! I will take a look when I get a chance!
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Thanks, Kevin for your excellent blog and advocacy.
Kristy/Kristy Ditto, since you’re such strong advocates for the tests (and have bought the pitch that they assess “Critical Thinking”), would either or both of you be willing to offer compelling responses to the 10 Critical Questions about Computerized Assessments and SmarterBalanced Test Scores? http://eduresearcher.com/2015/07/06/critical-questions-computerized-testing-sbac/
It’s been two+ months since publishing and I have yet to find SBAC advocates who can provide (any) responses. Since your kids did well on the tests, perhaps they could up their challenge game and attempt some real world critical thinking about the design and implementation processes of tests being administered (and impacting the lives of) ~10 million of their peers across 18 states. In case you haven’t yet had a chance to read the 30+ page invalidation report by SR Education documenting the technological barriers of the SBAC math tests, it’s worth a close look. Would you still think the tests/scores are fair (or valid) after reading that report? You can download it here: http://mathedconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Common-Core-Tests-Fatally-Flawed.pdf
The fact remains that the tests fail to meet basic standards for testing and accountability. You can believe in them as you wish (seems the millions spent by SBAC in marketing were effective to sway the public), but if the assessments fail to meet basic standards for assessments, they will yield false data and should not be used.
Here’s an Open Letter to the CA State Board of Education on Release of [False] SBAC Scores that would also be relevant for Delaware: http://eduresearcher.com/2015/09/08/openletter/
Thanks again, Kevin.
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On Sunday at my Newark Community Day booth I was approached by a father and his 4th grade daughter. He insisted that she relay her thoughts and experiences with the smarter balanced assessment. I was shocked when she told me that she (and her class) had literally spent 14 school hours “taking” the English portion of the test and countless other hours in prep time which, she adroitly pointed out, deprived her of the necessary teaching and attention to her needs. In fact, this young lady was so well-spoken and obviously bright that I was shocked to hear that when she was confronted with her perceived failings judged by these tests her father employed a tutor for her. This was a genuine and real encounter spelling out the foibles and problems with these “education reform” programs that are actually harming our children.
Representative John Kowalko
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Which is why students should be part of the process and not saddled with what is thought to be good for them!
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Kristy and Kristy Ditto-
Are you against Opt Out? Y or N
Follow ups
Y: What moral authority are you claiming to grant the state the right to prohibit me from controlling the educational decisions around my child in a system that claims/ought to value family involvement?
N: Can I buy you a beer?
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You can always buy me a beer John Young!
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John, the short answer is no, I am not against. And I am a beer drinker! lol
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