Common Core and MCAS debacle

here's my latest experience with brockton schools and public education, in general....

about 2 weeks ago i was at the middle school picking up my daughter....when she came out of school, she was sobbing....she'd received a 69 on a math exam, and she didn't understand why because she got all the problems right....that's right, you heard it...every answer was CORRECT

i almost blew my top....but composed myself, and went directly into the school and asked at the front office that i needed to speak with ms. smith

a few minutes later, she came to the front office area and i asked if i could talk with her in private... i followed her to her classroom while my daughter waited at the front office

when we got to her classroom, i shut the door behind us and asked her kindly to explain why my daughter received a 69 on a test while answering correctly every answer

that's right, you probably guessed it...it was because she didn't show her work....this is in part "the work" she didn't show:

4 = 64
-4 -4 <
= 60

yup, because she didn't show her work proving that 64-4=60 she had points deducted, and every problem just like this that involved not showing this sort of first grade work

i couldn't help but literally laugh out loud, and point out to the teacher the absolute absurdity of what she was showing me....i told her that i don't accept it, and if she didn't provide my daughter the opportunity to retake the test i was going straight to the superintendent and the school committee....she said that she would allow my daughter to retake the exam any time she wanted, but that she had to show the work....i asked why, and this is precisely what she said:

"we teach to the middle"

I said, "no, you're teaching to a bunch of dumb kids while ignoring the intelligent ones, and may I add, the ones who did their "speed match" in grade school and who know the answer to 64-4 without having to work it out on paper"

she said, "I agree.... you're right....but MCAS demands that they show the work, so that's what we have to teach"

I said, "so you're teaching to the test?"

she said, "well we have to"

I said, "isn't that unethical?"

she said, "it probably is, but there's nothing we can do about it"

i looked directly at her and said, "this is absolute bullshit... she's retaking the test first thing tomorrow morning... now, i get that it's not your fault, but you're on the firing line, and you're going to hear it from me....YOU are setting these kids up for failure".....and i walked out

there isn't anyone that is going to convince me that brockton schools, or public school teachers in general, truly care about their students when the curriculum that's being dictated involves teaching to a test and to the idiot kids that don't care about learning, while ignoring the ones that do love school and want to learn and use their brains efficiently

you care about money, and that's it.... and as such, YOU SUCK!

What you experienced is what frustrated parents have been dealing with and I and others are trying to fix this.

First I was the only vote to stay with MCAS as I find PARCC to be another unproven, unfunded mandate. I have also been fighting the common core framework that is in MCAS and PARCC.

The state is having hearings on Common Core and PARCC one being 06/10 at Bridgewater State at 4pm

I am heading to the statehouse to testify on Thursday on PARCC and Technology issues surrounding the test. Urban disitrcts like Brockton cannot afford these devices that PARCC must be taken on. It is an unfunded mandate

Good for you OS to be an advocate for your child. If more parents spoke up perhaps the State Ed and Federal Ed would listen. Teachers are "teaching to the test" due to mandates by the State who in turn are mandated by No Child Left Behind - Federal Government. Most teachers would love to teach the way they were trained but the Ed Deprtment wants results fast and by the way they want them taught the way they were mandated.

Of the 173 Certified teachers laid off: at BHS alone 5'Guidance Councilors were Let go, 3 Math teachers, 7 English Teachers, Consumer Service Teachers, Countless Paras/MTA , the 5 teachers and Principal at Champion who just graduated 15 kids who would've have most likely dropped out if they didn't have this Alternative School.

So many kids for whatever reason, don't have parents like OS advocate so they'll surely be left behind. Parents should speak up about Teaching to the Test. Most teachers are on your side.

my apologies, Dave.... i honestly did mean for it to go here after reading the mayoral thread

and you know, i get that it's not the teachers' fault....they're powerless....but they are the only people who i can voice to when nonsense like this happens

it's funny, i've read all the stories coming down the line on the news, but i never expected it to hit home.... when your child - who mind you is an honors student, and who was recommended for all honors classes at BHS- has this happen, do they even realize how discouraging it is for kids like mine?.... how asinine the whole thing is?!

and here is what it has come down to.... both her parents, my wife and i, do not care about your shitty MCAS or PARC.... we instructed our child to take the test and provide answers the best way she knows how, and NOT the way the dumb kids are being taught.....and if she gets a poor score, so what....

BUT, if she's punished for it and is subsequently moved into a basics or standard class (college prep, they call it now) there will be hell to pay

Downgrading her from Honors makes no sense when, as you say, she has correct answers. They wanted one of ours, a straight-A student in all advanced and AP classes, to take a summer MCAS class! It's not the answers they are looking for these days. It is the process. That is a battle I would fight. I wonder what will happen as these children grow up and take on leadership roles? I can not imagine being tasked with teaching this to them. All of our kids, however, found MCAS much to do about nothing because of the way they were taught to the test.

Boston Globe Editorial June 8
www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2...ANMG8SB1N/story.html

By The Editorial Board JUNE 08, 2015

IT’S BEEN CALLED the “gold standard” of education funding: Thanks to the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act, the state kicks in money to school districts based, in part, on their needs. In exchange, school districts step up their game in ways that are measurable by MCAS scores.

It’s worked pretty well. Dropout rates are down. Student achievement is up. But the funding formula behind that grand bargain, known as Chapter 70, hasn’t been updated since 2007. It has not kept pace with what education truly costs.


Health insurance costs have risen steadily, eating up a far greater share of school budgets than anyone imagined back in 1993. As a result, districts are forced to make deep cuts in teaching supplies for the classroom in order to cover a cost that has been ignored by the state. According to a study prepared for the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, schools can afford fewer than half the books than they did a decade ago. The cost of special education, which has always been given short shrift in the formula, has also risen sharply.

Wealthy districts are able to weather the storm by raising additional revenue or cutting back on nonessential services. They aren’t as reliant on funding from the state. Wellesley, for instance, spends 133 percent more than required. But Lynn doesn’t spend a penny more. State funding covers up 80 percent of its budget, so the city struggles when the formula doesn’t reflect the real costs of educating a child.

The good news is that state lawmakers have appointed a Foundation Budget Review Commission to recommend changes to the formula. The commission, which is scheduled to issue its report later this month, appears poised to tweak it to reflect the rising costs of health insurance and special education.

But the commission should not stop there. There’s a third item that ought to be better reflected: English-language learners. School districts with large numbers of them tend to be in poorer cities that can least afford the extra expense. That’s going to be a battle that pits poor cities against wealthy towns, but it’s a battle worth fighting. The recent threat of an education equity lawsuit by Brockton should be a reminder that courts might jump in if politicians are unwilling to do so.

It’s true that Massachusetts already spends a great deal on education — Chapter 70 aid amounts to $4.5 billion out of $10 billion spent on public education in the state. But that’s an investment in our future and our economy.

And not all tweaks to the formula will cost money. Brockton has asked the commission to change the deadline for reporting the number of students from Oct. 1 to Feb. 1, in order to better reflect the more than 400 children who are estimated to be absorbed by the school district after the deadline. It’s a reasonable request from a district whose population of homeless students has increased by 50 percent — to 658 kids — in the past five years. The responsibility for ensuring that they get a decent education should not fall on Brockton alone.

I am here at the statehouse in support of h450 which requires reimbursement from state for technology if we are to utilize parcc

I was the only vote to stay with MCAS and am fighting against PARRC and other high stakes testing

Is every school district represented? And Brockton is the only one who voted to stay with MCAS? What about the other Gateway cities?

politicians at it trying to make kids more stupid

thanks

Not sure about other schools districts. There are many here and many teachers from across the state

We voted to go with PARRC. I was the only vote to stay with what we already have

Many gateway cities decided to go with parcc because of some of the incentives placed to entice them

Interesting. What are the incentives and will Brockton get the same incentives? And with all due respect how will Brockton Schools be able to administer a whole New testing program when they've laid off 100 teachers and the 50 paras/MTA's who are such a vital assistance to teachers?

Sorry couldn't answer this yesterday. I got out of the hearing well after 2pm and my phone was on its last breath and my testimony was on the phone and then I had BPS retirement party

The incentive is complicated but wasn't monetary but more on accountability. First year districts are not held accountable for the scores if they choose PARCC.

Staying with MCAS would not have made us lose anything money wise. PARCC is an online assessment and this IMO is an unfunded mandate because it requires us to have the devices to do the tests so its money we outlay

This is what I was indicating to the House of Reps yesterday. Urban districts cannot afford these devices

Does it appear they were listening? I think we are outnumbered on this? So assuming they go with PARC, does BPS have a plan to purchase/rent the devices? And does that impact layoffs?

We have already field tested PARCC so we are working out all the kinks in the wifi etc but we would most likely lease more equipment rather than buy and no this is already built into the tech budget. If we didn't have to go with PARCC we would most likely try to use this tech money for outdated tech needs anyway. We gutted the tech budget as it is.

Basically unless some magical thing happens and we get some donor to come in don't expect we are going to bring back staff from the 100 certified. We may find grants that can bring some here and there but I wouldn't expect many.

But things may change. We have to base decisions on what we do know.

We start paying unemployment cost end of month

students need to be issued a standardized test every friday.....monday through thursday, they need to be taught how to take that test...and if they follow the rules they'll get good grades and be part of the 90 percent that go to college

win, win