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NM's NCLB Waiver: High-stakes testing, school grades, CCSS
- 1. High-stakes Testing, School Grades, and the Common Core NM REFUSE THE TEST UNITED OPT OUT – NEW MEXICO KRIS L. NIELSEN
- 2. Welcome! http://nmrefuse.weebly.com Facebook: NM Refuse the Tests Facebook: Stand4KidsNM http://passnm.wordpress.com http://unitedoptout.com Facebook: LCPS Stakeholders http://atthechalkface.com
- 6. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver New Mexico’s Waiver approved February 2011 This means: • No more AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) • Tie school and educator evaluations together • “Flexibility” with Federal funds • Accountability for growth, as well as proficiency using test scores
- 7. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver Three “principles” that guide PED: Principle I: All students “college and career ready” • Adopt college and career ready standards (CCR) • Common Core State Standards (CCSS) • NM standards since 1999, approved by USDOE • Transitioning to CCSS • Planning grant from Kellogg Foundation • Alignment between NM and CCSS by WestEd (private corporation run by “reformers”)
- 8. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver Three “principles” that guide PED: Principle I: All students “college and career ready” • By 2015, all grade levels will be aligned to CCSS and will be testing on performance on new curriculum • Including K – 3, which took new tests last spring • Grades 4 – 12 will take new tests this spring • Extra “support” for ELLs and students with special needs • Translation: more math and ELA time, loss of electives, longer school days
- 9. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver Three “principles” that guide PED: Principle I: All students “college and career ready” • Annual Statewide Assessments (PARCC) • 2012: Dual alignment for K-3 (Bridge) • 2013: Dual alignment for 4-12 (Bridge) • 2014: PARCC fully implemented • Standards, curriculum, assessment • Lots, I mean LOTS, of assessment.
- 10. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver Three “principles” that guide PED: Principle II: School Accountability • School Grading System (A – F) • Straight copy of Florida system: also used in OK, RI, IN • Grade is 90% dependent on test scores (over 3 years) • HS is 60% (comes to 85% after CCR measures) • CCR measures for HS: taking a college-readiness exam, e.g. SAT or ACT or COMPASS. • 5% for participating; 10% for reaching benchmark
- 11. Let’s Talk About the NCLB Waiver Three “principles” that guide PED: Principle III: Principal and Teacher Accountability • Teacher evaluation: 50% test scores, 25% observation, 25% other stuff • Principal evaluation: 50% school grade, 25% other stuff, 25% using the teacher eval with “fidelity.”
- 12. Why does this mean for my child(ren) and the schools?
- 13. Let’s start with the tests NM Standards-Based Assessments (SBA) End-of-Course tests (EoC) (mainly used in high school) Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) PED-approved “formative” assessments Discovery Education Riverside Testing (Houghton-Mifflin) NWEA MAP testing (no longer authorized by PED)
- 14. Why should I refuse? 1. Standardized Testing takes away approximately 25% of our children's academic school year. 2. Standardized Testing gives teachers incentives to "teach to the test" instead of nurturing higher order thinking skills. 3. Standardized Testing teaches children that there is only one right answer in academics and in life. 4. Standardized Testing costs millions of dollars of taxpayer money to produce and thousands of dollars of our school district's money to implement. 5. Standardized Testing encourages our best teachers to seek other careers where their expertise is valued. 6. Standardized Testing is developmentally destructive for specific age groups.
- 15. Why should I refuse? 7. Standardized Testing is creating corruption among schools where school districts are cheating on test scoring. 8. Standardized Testing is creating corruption among students where students are purposely scoring poorly to negatively affect teachers that they don’t like. 9. Standardized Testing gives teachers incentive to care more about their teacher evaluation than they do about children 10. Standardized Testing uses our children as tools to evaluate school districts, schools, and teachers. Students do not even get a chance to learn from their mistakes. In fact, they never see the test after they take it.
- 16. A. This is What Parents Want Their Children to Learn B. This is What Determines if Your Child’s School Gets Closed ANY QUESTIONS? Collaboration Life Skills Debating Research Skills Public Speaking Enjoyment of Learning Reading Out Loud Sociology 3-D Thinking Critical Thinking Self-Awareness Historical Literature Planning Skills Philosophy Current Literature Art Morals Theater Intrapersonal Skills Relationships Ethics Self-Confidence Music History Physical Activity Spatial Relations Naturalism Work Ethics Self-Control Freedom Playing Science Creativity Psychology Technology Business Government ELA Math Flawed ELA/Math State Tests
- 17. School Grades 90% based on standardized test scores Used in principal and some teacher evaluations Oversimplified method to describe complex scenarios Leave out important characteristics of schools Minimize importance of attempts to make learning and environment meaningful
- 18. Teacher Evaluations Officially 50% based on test scores, but with growth measures included, it’s more like 65% Other measures are minimized – observations, opportunity to learn, professional reflection 10% based on surveys (also junk science) and/or teacher attendance Teachers are allowed 10 sick days. If they were to need those sick days, they would receive an “ineffective” for that portion of the evaluation
- 19. Value-Added Measures Based on test scores Compare one class to two other classes (3-year average) Control for a small set of factors; ignore other important factors Only valid for 20% of teachers in any given study Even VAM experts call this “junk science” when applied to high-stakes testing scenarios Reports to NM Legislative Finance Committee point to the limitations of VAM, but PED is going forward regardless
- 20. Student Evaluation? SBA and EOCs do a terrible job of evaluating student capabilities There are simply too many factors that affect them and many essential skills and abilities cannot be tested by these instruments EOCs and SBA are designed to evaluate teachers and schools, not students, and even that designation is invalid This year (2014), high school students must pass EOCs in math, language arts, science, and social studies in order to receive a diploma Regardless of other measures of high school academic performance Tests do not provide any reliable data about readiness for the next step
- 21. The Foundation: Common Core Designed by policy advisor and team of lawyers and assorted non-educators. Reviewed by a panel, which included some content experts and one teacher. (Two of those experts are currently touring the country speaking against CCSS. Funded heavily by corporate interests, who have little interest in student learning, and vested, financial interest in outcomes. Never field-tested, not research-based, no evidence of efficacy, not internationally benchmarked in any meaningful way. Designed to have national curriculum aligned, and to be tested nationally at all grade levels. No diversity in learning or culture, or in student differences and desires (background or plans for the future). Goes against cognitive research over decades; has only utilitarian interests. Designed to separate the “cans” from the “can’ts.” Student ranking for future workforce.
- 22. What Should You Do? Learn what you can about this system – educate yourself and others Ask teachers and principals what tests your child is taking and why Bookmark http://nmrefuse.weebly.com and visit very often Join the Facebook group NM Refuse the Tests and join the conversation and ask questions Ask your school for the Parent Refusal form and turn it in The most important way to change this course is to boycott the product that is hurting our kids – the tests!
- 23. Refuse the Tests, New Mexico! It’s the only way to save our kids and their schools!
Editor's Notes
- My two objectives by the end of the presentation: Make the case that PED’s system is fundamentally and fatally flawed and harmful to our kids Make the case that parents and teachers have the power to come together and change it. Starting NOW!