Goldberg backs New Bedford in defying MCAS (with poll!)

but diplomas don’t kill people … well, you know the rest.

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Actually, it’s this kind of false analogy that has in part been driving the immigration debate.  The Sensenbrenners of the world want to make a person’s presence in the U.S. without appropriate documentation a felony (I think he even wanted it to be an “aggravated felony” at one point, didn’t he?), because they’re “breaking our laws” – as though there were some sort of moral equivalence between being an undocumented alien and killing or raping someone, or being a drug dealer who destroys neighborhoods.  The latter are real felonies.  I’m not saying that illegal immigration isn’t an important issue that should be addressed.  But for God’s sake, let’s keep a little perspective.  < /off topic rant>

We can go squirrel hunting together in the Common.

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Deb Goldberg? Anyone?

There are many definitions of “civil disobedience” but I think most people agree that it involves private citizens working to change the public realm (the state) through some form of illegal action as dissent.

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I’ve always found it a little disconcerting when mayors, LGs, principals or other government officials commit civil disobedience. I don’t have a problem with civil disobedience, as some do, but I do think it should be a last resort when trying to decide policy of a nation, state, or in this case, the school district.

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Using non-violent civil disobedience as a last resort in a democratic (small d) society indicates three things about dissenters. First, dissenters have a desire to work within a given system for as long as possible, displaying their willingness to abide by laws that are just. Second, dissenters wish to change society towards what they see as a moral good. Finally, dissent indicates a desire to be involved in the civic process they feel they are left out of, which can be good for participatory democracy. The problem with public officials doing civil disobedience is that they’re already heavily involved in the civic process and they have much more power to change policy than everyday citizens. Moreover, they take oaths to uphold the laws, whatever they may be.

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To me, this move by Goldberg seems like a move to get left-wing activists interested in her campaign without having to actually come up with new ideas.

but of course schools are going to teach to the test if they want to keep their graduation rate up.  Ideally, they’d teach everyone great critical thinking skills and have no problems in the classroom and every kid would be sharp enough to apply those critical thinking skills to a test they haven’t been prepared for.  But in real life?

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I’m not sure what I think about testing and I think there’s a middle ground.  But I will say that I’m awfully sick of top-down, unfunded state and federal mandates.

“Teaching to the Test” has become a major problem in public education around the country. Standardized testing is as much a test of the schools ability to teach as it is the students ability to learn. The problem is the way in which standardized tests are administered, and the span of information covered in standardized tests across the country. In NY all students are required to take Regents Exams in every HS subject (Physics, Chemistry, American History, Math 1, 2, 3). These serve as final exams for students and require teachers to cover specific periods of history or information in order to ensure their students are prepared. I think the tests should be restructured to test for basic critical thinking skills expected at each level.

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Charter schools is the one thing I disagree with Deval Patrick on, though I am supporting him anyway. I feel that money that goes to charter schools and voucher programs could be better invested in our public school system to improve the education our students receive. 

The students at issue here have passed their courses and fulfilled all of the graduation requirements from the New Bedford Schools.  They simply can’t pass the MCAS test.  (For whatever reason.)  The “high stakes” aspect of MCAS is the problem here.  To say Goldberg and Kelley want to let underperforming students graduate is a mischaracterization of their positions. 

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In full disclosure, I’m a Kelley supporter and have done work for his campaign.  He wants to see students held to a high standard (and the students in this particular case have met that standard) but does not want a HS diploma to rest solely on a standardized test.  That’s why he came out in support of the New Bedford School Committee and why he still has my support at the convention.

I’m a senior in high school and find the MCAS to be reassuring. I know plenty of kids who have survived in high school only through their peers help and cheating in their classes. Alot of these kids got a wake up call when they failed the test as others in their class passesd. Students who just paid remote attention to class passed the MCAS. This test was so easy I wondered why I was nervous at all. Maybe its because from grade four on administrators and teachers just put too much emphasis on this test. Even if you fail the test the first time I believe the test gets easier than the original, but I’m not sure. So my advice is that teachers teach the classes without always bringing up the MCAS as a scapegoat for why your kids don’t gradute. MCAS is a way of setting the bar for students who slipped through the cracks. There are MCAS training classes in schools which helps kids learn skills which they other wise wouldn’t know.

the poll is supposed to be a joke – the possible answers should have tipped you off! 🙂

If we can get a weapon with an automatic setting, we should be able to clear most of the Common after a morning of determined effort.

Passing the 10th grade MCAS test in Language Arts and Math is a requirement of the public schools in Massachusetts.  Cities and towns could could make their own localized diploma (as New Beford is doing), but they would face sanctions by the state.For example, the Commonwealth supplies money to schools to make a “foundation budget”; that is, a per-student payment that guarantees a certain level of funding for each kid in every school system.  If a poor district like New Bedford got no Chapter 70 funding, it would be the kiss of death.  Those schools simply can’t operate without state assistance…but along with the assistance comes the MCAS requirement.  Also, I suspect that the U.Mass system would not recognize a diploma from a public school in Massachusetts that did not have the MCAS test. Private schools, pilot schools, charter schools have much more flexibility.

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As far as the “teaching to the test” charge that is constantly bandied about, try and understand what the curriculum frameworks are in this state. Essentially, every subject–Language Arts and Math in particular, but more are coming–has a curriculum framework that is broken down by skill, knowledge, and grade.  If teachers are teaching using the frameworks, then when the kids take the MCAS test, they will be fine. The frameworks don’t tell teachers how to teach, nor does it prescribe a day-to-day regime of what must be taught. The frameworks are a comprehensive, reasonable guide for what kids in Massachusetts need to learn in order to get out of high school. There is no mystery here, and if a teacher is “teaching to the test” then they are not doing their job because, if they teach using the frameworks, the test will take care of itself.

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There are two conditions statistically associated with passing the MCAS test: attendance, and grade level promotion.  In other words, if a student shows up regularly and is promoted from grade to grade, they have a 95% chance of passing the MCAS test.  95%.  That’s pretty damn good.

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I attended the Massachusetts public schools K-12, and now I’m a teacher here.  The positive difference these frameworks and testing have made is remarkable.  There are always going to be kids who, for one reason or another, don’t test well.  There is an appeal process in place for kids who work hard, show up, do well, and just can’t get past the test.  I can tell you that the level and quality of education being offered now in Massachusetts is about a thousand times better than when I was here.  The schools have better funding, better teachers, and much greater accountability.  No system is perfect, of course, and there are always going to be gliches and problems.  That said…so far, so good.

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The kids in school today need to be able to compete in an economic environment that requires a lot of knowledge and skills.  In the past, Massachusetts may have had the luxury of simply pushing kids through school and hope that they would surive out there in the world.  We don’t have that option now, and we don’t have the right to make school easy for anyone. There are still big, big challenges, especially in regards to poor school districts and urban schools. So…let’s fix the problems and keep marching forward. 

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So says me.  New Beford is making a mistake. It’s the kids who will suffer. 

“Why should my tax dollars completely subsidze the educational expenses of a town where I do not live?”

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Because you live in the same state and country as the kids in New Bedford do. You’ll be sharing space with them in the same economy, the same political arena, and in our civil and civic society. Try a little enlightened self-interest, Lord Porcupine.  The peasants will thank you for it.