0203: Is stealing bad if your family is starving? Cheating on tests.
#education #ATL #testing
The current testing cheating scandal in Atlanta makes a strong statement, not about the integrity of those involved in cheating, but about the system that puts such pressure on teachers and administrators to produce results that they are pushed to ethical limits.
Cheating is quite the temptation in schools and districts that serve low SES populations—not all. They’re often down or behind from the start. Resources aren’t always available or as available. Teaching staff often has troubles. Students don’t always have a consistent education as kids with other resources/different SES levels might. Of course, problems with cheating aren’t limited to the poorest schools. But, if anyone will be caught it will be among these.
This will certainly be used to further demonize educators and administrators. This is a scandal that is not isolated. It happens all over. The culture testing has created is terrible. I’ve heard people tattle on others and themselves. I’ve known people to lose their license for cheating. I’ve seen teachers go before tribunals because vomit was on a test booklet. The whole thing is a farce. Testing and accountability are one thing but this is a culture of madness. It’s some creepy fascist society.
Who benefits from putting these people in prison or prosecuting them? They were trying to survive. Desperate times often force bad ethical decisions. The tests certainly don’t benefit the kids. We neglect them educationally, socially, emotionally, etc. just to keep our own heads above water.
There are myriad things wrong with our system. It would be nice if this spectacle would do something besides sully the name of educators further. Unfortunately the money and power to defame is not in our favor.
0203: Is stealing bad if your family is starving? Cheating on tests.
#education #ATL #testing
The current testing cheating scandal in Atlanta makes a strong statement, not about the integrity of those involved in cheating, but about the system that puts such pressure on teachers and administrators to produce results that they are pushed to ethical limits.
Cheating is quite the temptation in schools and districts that serve low SES populations—not all. They’re often down or behind from the start. Resources aren’t always available or as available. Teaching staff often has troubles. Students don’t always have a consistent education as kids with other resources/different SES levels might. Of course, problems with cheating aren’t limited to the poorest schools. But, if anyone will be caught it will be among these.
This will certainly be used to further demonize educators and administrators. This is a scandal that is not isolated. It happens all over. The culture testing has created is terrible. I’ve heard people tattle on others and themselves. I’ve known people to lose their license for cheating. I’ve seen teachers go before tribunals because vomit was on a test booklet. The whole thing is a farce. Testing and accountability are one thing but this is a culture of madness. It’s some creepy fascist society.
Who benefits from putting these people in prison or prosecuting them? They were trying to survive. Desperate times often force bad ethical decisions. The tests certainly don’t benefit the kids. We neglect them educationally, socially, emotionally, etc. just to keep our own heads above water.
There are myriad things wrong with our system. It would be nice if this spectacle would do something besides sully the name of educators further. Unfortunately the money and power to defame is not in our favor.
0182: Why doing my “job” isn’t enough
#education #testing #teaching #SOSchat
I’m a teacher. I am required to prepare students for a test the neglects to recognize their humanity, and evens asks me to neglect their cognitive development. If I focus on the test, I’m doing my job. If I oppose the test, especially in a vocal manner, I am not only neglecting my “duties”, I am shirking my ethical obligations as a state employee. However, as a teacher I have a true ethical responsibility to engage (and enable) those in my care in learning and thoughtful reflection. My job is to increase and allow free thought and independence, but my “job” is defined by the narrowing curriculum before me that exists to prop up a huge industry.
If I do my “job” of training test taking automatons rather than teaching humans, even if I was doing my job, am I guilty of lending to the (intellectual, cultural, possibly spiritual) demise of a nation? Absolutely.
0179: All Praise the Mighty Scantron. Back to School Y’all
#education #occupyedu @dloitz #SOSchat
School is coming back into focus. This week, as many first weeks past, will be filled with assemblies and meetings—some useful, some not. Today was what would fall into the mostly useless category, while there were better moments. We got to meet the new teachers who would be joining our staff for instance (we had a big turn over last year).
Our district wide assembly was devoted to recognizing the schools that had done well on improving test scores. There was entertainment: choirs, skits, movie clips, and the like. Teachers proudly wore their school colors. It really was a nice pep rally. We cheered when we were told we’d made AYP. There were some somber faces in the crowd. Everyone didn’t make it. But alas, we can’t all win.
Our gathering was beautiful. We congratulated each other. We clapped, cheered, and chanted. We had a celebratory meal as a district. We worshipped out gilded cow. We fell prostrate to give thanks for the learning that had taken place, and the quantitative, corporate proof we had.
We took the host, never doubting it’s authenticity, but the host is false. The bits we nibbled were nothing more than crumbs of propaganda to keep our eyes on our graven image. We celebrate a form learning. A bastard form. We did not revel in the victory of liberating creativity, or even true productivity. We celebrated a scantron. What a beautiful day.
0178: The Carrot Derivative
#education #SOSchat #testing
This afternoon I heard my principal explain something that I can only describe as the Carrot Derivative. It was exceptionally complicated and vague. Essentially, it boiled down to a bunch if acronyms being used to replace other acronyms such as AYP and NCLB. He didn’t have a grasp on it, but in his defense one would need a degree in philosophical mathematics with a minor in derivational calculus an basket weaving. He was struggling to explain to us how we made improvements in our test scores, but that the improvements don’t matter anymore, but had we not been changing the acronyms, then they would have counted. So, our results from 3 years ago do count, and that’s why we need to just keep at it for one more year. But, things are definitely looking up.
This all seems like the plight of Sisyphus all over again. Just a vague carrot on a new fangled string to keep us from actually building minds and investing in human beings. Here’s to one more year of praying to the test and worshipping the Carrot Derivative.
We’ll be okay as long as we don’t see what we’re really doing.
0167: A little on assessment and projects— example included
#education #teaching #k12chat
People have different philosophies of assessment and grading. Personally, I’m not a fan of formal measures. I can assess informally and constantly and have a better understanding of what my learners know, have learned, or can do. And, the product they create is further evidence of their work. The product is a must because, I believe, there should be a clear end to work— a start and stop. Deadlines are important. I’ve used such measures and guidelines as a music and math teacher. Obviously, it’s easier to do things this way in an arts class. But, it wasn’t too terribly different in the maths. Projects and problems can and should be designed to teach and assess multiple skills rather than just focusing on single skills alone. Make the skills transferable and useful rather than isolating them. We don’t exactly have time to teach in isolation with curriculum loads and the shadow of the ever approaching test.
For example, each year my algebra classes would work to solve the problem of building a house or building of some sort. Each student was given a budget and an idea of what the “owners” might want for their structure. Students had to create a blueprint and see to it the structure could be built, tiled, floored, doors, windows, etc. added, painted, roofed, and so forth all within their budget. Everything had to be tested for structural integrity and plausibility. Students used, created, explored, researched formulas and ways of testing structures. On a side note, these students were generally 2-3 years behind in math and literacy. We consulted each other, researched, found professionals in the field of construction and contracting (I’m not, parents, custodians, the principal, kids, etc. helped).
The above example was used to teach, learn, and explore skills concurrently. I had too much to teach before the test and not enough time. It was motivating, product driven, and had an end. There were deadlines. It involved money, communication, budgeting, research, collaboration, workforce development, and many others. This would function, I suppose, as a thematic unit. This and like projects are a lot of bang for the buck. They’re fun, they’re effective, they produce transferable skills and teach the curriculum. They take some time to develop, but not too much. Try it, steal, share it. What have you done to get more done than you had time for?
One more thing, not that I really care, but I did, their test scores went up.
Read anything you can find on PBLs, projects, problematization, cooperative learning, etc.
0159: Punitive Silence: Quiet Halls and Raucous Classrooms
#education #SOSchat #discipline
Our students have been ‘on silence’ for the past week. ‘On Silence’ means students aren’t permitted to talk at all between classes. This is a punitive measure enforced when students are deemed too loud in the halls, are preparing for an upcoming test, if someone got into a fight the day before, an array of arbitrary reasons, and so forth. Such group contingencies, at least in our case, breed an atmosphere of resentment among the student population. Time between classes is a valuable time for minimal socialization between classes. They have no break during the day besides lunch. One lunch period is silent or kept under militaristic rule and the other is social. There’s little time to release the pressure for students outside of class. As one might figure, days when we are ‘on silence’ result in more unruly behavior in the classroom. But, this doesn’t seem to register with the decision makers. C’est la vie I suppose.
Thoughts?
Follow up:
0160: The Enforcement of Punitive Silence (follow up)
polygonal-lasso answered: How in the world do you enforce silence? And I’ve never seen broad punishments do more than make most students, even “good” ones, resentful.
coloursinaflower answered: How is the silence enforced?
First, the silence in enforced randomly. Obviously, students are going to disobey this order. It’s beyond ridiculous. As students walk from class to class, teachers monitor, under the panoptic supervision of administration. Several of the ‘monitors’ echo the rule: “we’re on silence,” they yell. Sometimes administration walks around yelling the same thing. A cognizant colleague walks past me and says: “I’d say good morning, but we’re on silence.” I still haven’t gotten around to how the silence is enforced. I’ll continue. The mechanics of how it is enforced is actually quite brilliant, but this is only by accident or plum luck (unfortunately, I don’t work for a sinister master of thought control), and there is little connection to possible negative consequences of the ‘Silence’. As I’ve said, it is enforced randomly. Students who are caught talking are pulled out of the crowd and receive one of a few punishments. Some are disappeared to In School Suspension (ISS). Others are given Saturday school. And others still might fall victim to corporal punishment. Mechanically, many students comply publically out of
fear of the punishment. Other students rebel openly. Some prefer ISS to classes. Some have to come on Saturdays for “mandatory tutoring”. These students are required to come because of test scores. Most are old enough not to fear the paddle. It hurts, but they’re a little older. But, these students are outliers. Most fall in line to avoid the punishment, and let their steam out in the classroom.
This is detrimental to the learning environment. The classroom, for many, becomes an extension of the rigid hallway rules. Students are going to get their socialization in one way or another. To manufacture a learning environment teachers have a few choices. 1) They can implement the same sort of discipline in the classroom. Disruptors are removed and disciplined. 2) The teacher can completely surrender and accept chaos. Learning is
also minimal with this option. 3) Compromise is an option. With this are an array of innovative tools that can be employed to ensure an amicable learning environment.
I hope this answered some questions. Perhaps it stimulated some more. Do share good friends.
0155: Ding Dong the Test Has Gone…for now.
#education #SOSchat #occupyedu
I enjoy post-test teaching. The air is fresh and light like after a storm. People are energized now that the weight is lifted. Teachers relax and classrooms look begin to resemble think-tanks instead of training facilities. Discipline becomes less punitive. People are people again. The test is over. While we wait for results, we’ll enjoy a spot of humanity with our students, fellow strugglers, and other comrades. Some of us despise the new found freedom, but the rest enjoy it. For now we’ll celebrate. When the Giant returns we’ll go back underground.
(The test isn’t over for everyone, but we’ll be waiting)
