Class+09+-+Mar+30

=** Class 9 **= **Class Notes** : Class opened with Dr. Love reminding us to build on our knowledge from class to class “try using the lens from last class to analyze new issues addressed in class.” -“Do I see or (potentially) see these things happening around me.

After reading the chapter three from Mike Rose the class discussed the pros and cons of NCLB. - Identifies schools and districts that need the most help - A few years ago Hartford schools were taken over by the state, the take over didn’t have very much success. A few schools today have regained their autonomy from state controlled curriculum. -Questions are the same on every test within the state, so you cannot blame the questions (easy or hard). - The garden club will be canceled. Dr. Love posed the situation of the teacher who finds a way to get his/her students to be engaged in learning by creating a garden class. With NCLB test preparation takes priority over any other learning. - Feel pressure, so important things can go out the window when teaching to the test: o Existentialism (teach old school style. Behaviorist) o Community envolvement o Student interest lost o Thinking outside the box is thrown out the window
 * Pros:**
 * Cons:**

- teachers held accountable - jamming three months of information for one test
 * What makes it High Stakes:**

CMT and CAPT The tests are governed by National Science Standard; however these standards don’t specify grade levels. This task is left to State Standards.
 * How does this high stakes test happen right now?**

National Standards drive ---> State Standards (State tries to align with National Standards) K -->2 CMT (no science) 3--->5 CMT (no science) __6--->8 CMT (no science)__ 9-->10+ CAPT (includes science) Students have to remember science from before 9th grade

So how did we get to the test? -State wants to know what the students can do...even though teachers may have taught it, it doesn't mean that the students grasped it.

"No excuses" part of NCLB -With us or against us mentality, shuts the door to anyone who has anything to say -Polititians have become advertisers who have 30 seconds to get your attention and get you to agree with them

A discussion in class began when thinking of alternatives to high stakes tests: -end of the year projects The problem with these alternatives is cost. Feeding bubble sheets through a machine is relatively inexpensive. Having teachers score portfolios is very expensive. Limitation in cost is now driving teaching. -Summative assessment- ex. Standardized tests at the end -Formative assessment- ex. testing throughout the year, still "forming" knowledge


 * History of government envolvement:**

- [|“A Nation at risk”] if we don’t educate our kids then we wont make enough money. Reagan’s **“if and then”** model. Strongly conservative movement. - A Manufactured Crisis
 * 1980’s:**

- National Standards Movement” - Social Control - Bush 88-92 - Clinton manifesting Reagan policies 92-96 - Larger conservative movement. Even though there was a democrat in the white house the house was controlled by the republicans
 * 1990’s:**

- No Child Left Behind - “soft bigotry” - Plan was to solve the problem of the acievment gap between races - A new crisis - We can no shut schools down by “law” - **If and then**
 * 2000’s:**

- Race to the top (Give government approved grants to schools who apply for them) - No more 2014 deadline - Money for use by school is now in the form of grants in which the government decides who gets the money. - “if we get merits then we will have better teachers” ---> But then what happens to the student who walks into a classroom who usually does poorly on tests? Teachers will try to get those students out of their classrooms
 * 2010:**

Book by Michael Appel, __Educating The Right Way__ (Meaning the conservative way)

Charter Schools: -Like magnet schools, they don't answer to anyone -Could allow other schools to learn from them -Want them to test different strategies -Reapply for charter every 2-3 years

The class concluded with the question:

Some arguments discussed were: -It doesn't take into consideration students' individual needs, interests, personalities, learning styles -It leaves even more kids behind, just drags them along and if they don't get it, then oh well -Merit based pay will only change teachers for the worst; they will teach to the test and not for their students' best interests -Teachers don't even get the students' scores until they're not even their students anymore!
 * How well do you understand the arguments so that you too can provide an objective argument? **

(Posted by Tim and Katya)

Our three arguments included: 1) the government is finding ,ore ways to fully control schools. they now get to decide which schools receive grants and which schools don't. the government also will have their supporters be the ones to fund and create new charter schools. 2) there seem to be many loop holes or ways of getting around things. Grants need to be applied for and there is no on to really say anything against the decisions made. There is a pattern in the past of taking the same ideas and reworking it, calling it something else and saying it's new. 3) the government wants equality for the students, but race/ethnicity are constantly being brought up as the issue. they split test results by race/ethnicity. Schools are segregated and people even will move to other school districts. there is still race issues but if we stop separating kids at this age, then they may not feel separated in the future. (Kelly Bates and Jessica Morneault)

**Clarifications for the class notes this week** :

Up until this point, I hadn't realized how much of a role politics plays in education. It's obvious that the wrong voices are the ones who are making the decisions for the future of America. Although almost all points are arguable, I don't understand how political figures do not see the problem with the systems and laws that are being put into place. I think the discussion in Dr. Love's class really opened my eyes and helped me to understand how this has all been around for centuries and how everything is linked to one another. No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top are only slight renditions of the ideas and practices of the 1980's and 1990's. As for No Child Left Behind, it has been made public that it was based on one state where the numbers were altered. Although there were good intentions behind the law, I don't understand why it was even put into place. I think before begining Race To The Top, we should improve the already existing law. I also think that Race To The Top is only trying to raise competition. The govermental figures have lost sight of what is most important, the children and their education. I think they need to come to the realization that money and being the best is not everything. As for standardized tests, I understand that this is the easiest way of assessment. However, I do feel that there is too much pressure and stress being put on the students during the entire year as the teachers always have the thought of these tests in mind. (Allie French)

** Clarifications, points, and questions work pursuing for future weeks (Extend the discussion from this week's class): **

The question posted from class is very powerful, How well do you know your argument? Can you make an objective argument? This is important because disagreeing with every part of system will not get you far. I think it is important to find some good in the system and allow for compromise. You probably won't get anywhere if you do not at least try this. However, I wonder how much the designers and promoters of the current education programs, NCLB and Race to the Top really took into consideration about the effects of the programs. If those creators looked at the what we see today after NCLB, you would think they would try and make alterations. It seems as though Race to the Top is a new form of NCLB with different words and slightly differnt conditions. Are they taking into account viewpoints and insight of teachers? It doesn't seem as though they are. At the same time, how can we, as educators, look at the current system and find some good? It doesn't seem fair but I say this because it appears as though it is here to stay for awhile. (Laura Vagnini) I feel that having teachers pay be based on how well their class does is crazy. As teachers we are teaching to educate children, make them become life long learners, and want to learn. I feel that this could create a lot of problems. With this teachers may not want students in their classes that are doing poorly because then they wont get as high of a pay. Also this can cause competition between teachers. If one teach has a good idea, something that is working well for them as well as the class, then teachers should want to share their information. With this now teachers might not want to share their ideas because they would be getting paid more for being the "better" teacher. I feel that these new laws are not new and the government is not doing a good job with creating new laws and acts for education, just shifts around and making some changes in the past laws. They are still have the same problems. (kristie fergusson)

I think education should take a "Robin Hood" approach (take from the rich and give to the poor), as in wealthy communities pay towards their kids' schools and then their tax dollars will be divided and distributed to the schools that can't be supported by their community. "America" will never be "equal" unless we become a socialist nation, but i think the more can take from those who have plenty and give to those in need will provide somewhat of a more equal playing field. But that cannot still ensure that test scores will improve. All schools have the low performance students, outstanding students, and then all those in between. Teachers and schools can provide all the necessities to their students but that doesn't ensure they will learn or perform to National Tests Standards. The drive for academic success is also a result of parents and the community. All communities are unique, what is important to a child's success may be one thing in Idaho, and completely different to someone who lives in New York. Look at rural areas, those families and students are content with their rural lives and jobs and would rather just be left alone, when those students take high stakes tests they don't care. Which means it doesn't make any sense to hold teachers and principles solely accountable for test scores. And merit pay will never work. Then my question is, why do we put all this money into producing professional educators when kids are allowed to be home schooled and people can earn online degrees? Does this mean that a stay-at home mom who earns a quick online degree is just as certified to teach their kids as we are, the students paying for a college education and taking 130 credits being taught by other certified educators? (Jessica Roberts)

I completely agree with Krisite. I think that while basing a teacher's salary off of student performance would create a school where the staff would be in turmoil with one another. The main goal of a school should be to increase a students performance, not completing with one another for the smartest classroom. Students who improve from very poor grades may not have A's just yet but could have increased from F's to C's. That shows that a teacher is doing their job... not who has the highest grades. (Emily Hungerford)

I think that it is ridiculous on how only certain teachers teaching certain grade levels are held accountable. Grades 2, 5, 8, and 10 teachers are held to a higher standard than teachers teaching the other levels of education. When a teacher in the grade level of the year of testing receives failing grades on tests, who does he or she blame? Who is at fault? Is it the teacher from the present year being blamed? Or is it the teacher from the year before? Or even the both of them? These are questioned that I am sure have arose from this huge problem of how teachers are held accountable for their own students. I really believe that teachers do not have enough time in the year to teach most of the information that is going to be on the tests, so instead student’s are forced to learn condensed information and are suppose to process is on their own to find the answers. Quality of education is completely out of the picture and is mostly how much information we can stuff into kids brains at this point. Greg Grochowski

I absolutely agree with Kristie that this is a horrible (and business savvy) way to motivate teachers to "teach to the test." I also do not like that children will also be suffering because of this. I think it is interesting that they chose to call it "No Child Left Behind." Teachers are racing and working like crazy to make sure that they have all of the material covered that their students need to know before they take the test. They are covering a new topic practically every couple of days. With such a time restraint, teachers cannot slow down or go over things maybe as clearly as they should because they are so panicked about going over everything. Students who are struggling with certain concepts WILL be left behind because of this. With a quick glance many of these acts and guidelines make it seem like they have the best intentions in mind but with a closer look it is obvious that the children are far from a top priority. (Sarah Rousseau)

I found myself to be most concerned and taken aback at the idea that money is such a huge factor and even motivator for teachers in some cases. How can someone justify paying one teacher more based on their students acheivement versus paying another teacher the basic expected rate of pay just because their students may not have as high of test scores that another teachers' classroom has? I feel that if anything, this is only making the issues we face in education worse because it is further separating teachers and students rather than bringing them together and collaborating with each other to help make the changes that are desparately needed today. With this money incentive, teachers are distracted from the students and are now just worried about reaching a level that will get them more pay. In a sense, they are just supporting and almost stregthening the belief that these tests are all that matter, because in order for them to get that bump in pay, they are going to be drilling, drilling, and drilling on these tests and making sure students are ready to pass. The saddest part however is that they probably won't be passing because they actually do understand and master the concepts. Instead, they will be passing because of the stress on memorization and repitition of basic skills needed to meet standards, which in the long run will be forgotten because it wasn't taught in a meaningful or producative way. (Mandy Lucente)

I felt the same way as Mandy when we talked about how some schools pay teachers whos students are performing better more money and that this is that some educators would even need that type of motivation to teacher better or with more passion. If this passion is driven by money then fine but I dont think that is what is going to get students performing better in the long run. I also agree when she says that this is going to make things, ultimately, worse. Teachers shouldnt be focusing on money at all but on their students performance because they want their students to succeed in life, and not because they want a pay raise. If that is the main reason then it givesi them even more determination to teach to the test leaving out all the individualism, flexibility, and real energy in the classroom. I believe a teachers main goal should be that their students succeed in the classroom and out of the classroom, in the present and in the future. I am not against teachers being paid more, which they should, but pay should be the last thing on their mind when they are educating their students. (Allie Beardsworth)

I feel that CMT testing is taking away from any "real" or "deep" learning of a child. Students’ experiences in classrooms have radically changed because of the expectations of the CMT. Students no longer explore academic interests and critical thinking skills because the focus has been altered to test preparation. The students simply memorize and regurgitate facts, also referred to as direct learning. By using this approach, a child is unable to make connections between ideas and facts. Since valuable instructional time is already stretched so thin children lose out in programs in the arts, recess for young children, literature in the early grades, and entire subject areas.Under the glare of state testing, classrooms are not organized to be “thinking classrooms.” The students are unable to control their learning and because of this they are not becoming masters of the information. I have seen and even read about how students are being assessed once a year by the state using the Connecticut Mastery Tests. However, standardized testing has not been limited to one week in March as it was originally designed to do. Many schools across the state, and else where, conduct practice tests, or mock-trials, to prepare their students for the actual CMT. This isn't a meaningful way to learn, or even teach a child. We're so concerned with standards that so real teaching/learning is occurring. It's too stressful and frustrating for everyone involved. (Tara Gleason)

Going off of Tara's comment i completely agree that people are now "teaching to the test". Right now teachers have to deal with the fact that until change happens there are standardized tests. The true test is if the teacher can teach all that information without compromising all of the students' understanding and different teaching styles. As teachers we have to use our minds and really think outside of the box. How can we present a lesson without sounding like robots. Over the past semesters i have seen many examples of different techniques used in schools. I see how every class is different and you can't treat each class the same. which goes back to the whole idea of giving every student the same exact test. now I can't say that i know the answer for any of this because i don't think there is just one solution. what I got from this class is that our education system is still young and there has been so much change over the years, but most don't realize this. there will never be something to make everyone happy but I believe it's all about compromise and think of what is best for the __students__. (Kelly Bates)

I think its crazy how they are tweeking no child left behind saying that they are getting rid of it and then calling it race to the top. I do not think that this is right. They are trying to trick the public by doing this. I also disagree with giving teacher commision for their students do well on a test. This is going to lead to teachers only wanting the best test taker in their class so that they have a better chance at getting commison. I do not see how this is going to better student learning, which is our overall goal. (Kari M) I do not think anything necessarily good has come out of "teaching to the test" or NCLB and don't see how it was ever propsed to be a good idea that either would benefit any students. It has only hurt our students and this is seen over and over again everyday. So why can't it stop and a change be made immediately? It's upsetting to know that until this change happens, standardized tests will continue to haunt schools and not improve many students' academic performance. I remember a couple years ago learning about the multiple intelligences and how those are extremely vital to include in our lessons for children. When students take tests, they are not using any multiple intelligences whatsoever and everything that's integrated in the curriculum with multiple intelligences, making real-life connections, etc. sort of disappears come time for the test. Going off of what Tara had mentioned about how CMT testing used to only be one week in March and no longer is, I think that constantly trying to prepare students and practice with them "mock tests" is pointless. They really are not receiving any real learning in the classroom and maybe this is the reason why some do so poorly on tests year after year. Maybe these tests need to be done away with altogether because I think that if students practice hands-on activities or are taught about connecting real-life experiences to something else being learned, then why are tests introduced? They do not really seem to have any meaning on what the students are learning in the classroom and are insignificant. Students need to be more than just a test score because it's obviously seen that this is having a negative impact on schools across the nation and it's taking too long to fix the problem. (Danielle Velodota)

I find what we went over very frustrating and upsetting. I feel that the government should try something new and different instead of just barely changing the old policy and renaming it so everyone thinks that it is something brand new. I agree with Danielle when she said that the government is "trying to trick the public by doing this". Looking at the chart we made in class from the 1980s to the present just showed how the government has either altered the pre-existing policy or that they have put a policy on the shelf and then taken it back off a few years later. I also disagree with the fact that teachers will be getting high salary or a commission based on if their students do well on tests. This policy just reinforces the idea of teaching to tests and the students are just memorizing material and not having fun while they are learning. I feel that students need hands-on-activities and things that are meaningful to them in order to learn. If they are constantly taking tests then they will not be having the hands-on-activities or the connections to real-life that they need to learn. I know I retained more information from to Privilege Walk last week by physically doing the activity than if Dr. Love would have just lectured on the subject of privilege. I learned and will retain more because I was outside experiencing something in a hands-on way instead of just sitting in a classroom being told about it. I feel that children in schools need the same thing when it comes to teaching styles and the way that they learn. It does not have to be something that a teacher does all the time but it should be done for some lessons that can be taught with hands-on, fun and entertaining activities. (Jessica Morneault)

I have seen this quote, "teaching to the test" all over this recent wiki. Im seeing this in schools also. But my point is, if the district is putting teachers jobs on the line based solely on test results, what would you do in the situation? Say "O screw the testing, I am going to do what i think the best way to teach these kids." And then, 90% of your students fail the test. Regardless if the information that you have been teaching your students is more useful then the information on the tests, you are jobless. I mean it is a very serious problem and we can say all we want that we shouldn't be teaching for tests, but what about if we changed that quote to teaching for a job? I guess the ideal thing to do here is to try and find the balance during the day between teaching for testing and putting your own teaching on what you think is important whileing following the curriculum. All I have been seeing is how much work is really going to be cut out for me when i do step into the teaching world. Of course I know I am ready for the challenge but it is plain to see that there are just some circumstances out there that seem to be taking away from a teachers ultimate goal. MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Kids have to believe in you, beleiev in what you are tyring to instill into them. Teaching for tests will in fact put a huge damper on that goal as you will most likely become very systematic. It is an endless struggle. (Nick C.)

This topic of no child left behind made me think about my placement for my observations at Big Picture High School. One of the graduation requirements is to complete a senior thesis project. Thinking back on one of the student’s projects… she did her project on closing the achievement gap in schools. She was very thorough in her presentation and went as far as to read all of the legislation on No Child Left Behind. Her insight into No Child Left Behind motivated me to think about my position on it… of course the main reason for no child left behind is important and no one would object to closing the achievement gap... but I really think we need to re evaluate how we are going to go about doing this. The way it is going now seems to be leading to an out of control education system in which no one has control or the school unless it is to close it. (Elisabeth dos Santos)

NCLB we all know it doesn't work it places teachers job and the learning experience on the line. How teaching as one of the classmates have posted online education through the years. I mean education used to be something that was hands on that the teacher used what they knew to teach not none of these here you go this is what you have to teach. The capt and the CMT have had huge impact on the learning abilities, I was working on math in PE class science in my computer tech class. I took away that class period that I will never get back for sample testing review. I spent Sept to March getting ready for this test the CAPT. Class of 2006 was the first whom needed to pass in order to graduate. It sucked! If you asked me right now what I learned I connot even begin to tell you. I agree 110% with Nick we do need to find that Balance art PE, Computer science, Science, english, Spanish etc. they are all important in their own way the educate our students about culture, history our heritage, new technology, etc. why should we choose to ignore that too, then what the point in going to college to be a teacehr if they are going to teach how to teach and what to teach. Balance is important, and I will make it my goal as a teacehr to teach them something in my case spanish that they will always rememvber and have fun learning it (frances V)