Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Feds, Florida Hide Behind NCLB Waiver


The NCLB waiver is evil!

I've been reading about the proposed FCAT scoring and school grading policies being adopted by the Florida State Board of Education.  It seems that one of the major factors being cited by the State for developing these policies is the need to comply with NCLB waiver requirements. 

On the federal level, it has been tremendously disappointing to see that the Obama administration has been complicit in perpetrating further damage to our educational system by supporting, through a lack of ideas and initiative, NCLB.  Their idea of a waiver is to force states to develop policies in order to make state mandates look more NCLB-like.  The reason to get out from NCLB is because NCLB doesn't work...GET IT? 

But instead of developing a federal policy that improves our educational system, a federal bureaucrat came up with the non-waiver waiver idea.  Now the USDOE can say they are "maintaining high standards" and at the same time, pass the blame off to the states when these discriminatory policies "hit the fan."

Evil!

I must admit that I will vote for Obama this year.  I believe, considering the hand he was dealt, he has had a number of accomplishments.  However, his administration has accomplished NOTHING in the field of education.  In reality, he has allowed Arne Duncan to make things worse.  I haven't seen him play but I understand that Arne's contribution to the Obama cabinet is that he is a serious baller.  Maybe he should use his "expertise" for beating a match-up zone instead of beating down public education.

I will also admit that if one of the "geniuses" that make up the GOP field had a viable plan for public education, I would seriously consider voting for him.  Unfortunately, I facetiously call them geniuses for a reason.  Our best bet seems to be a second Obama term.  One can hope that the President replaces his b-ball pal with a true educator.

On the state level, because these policies discriminate (see "Florida Grading System Reaches New Lows") against students from low income and minority families, the State Board of Education should abandon the proposed policies, abandon the waiver altogether and let the NCLB chips fall.  The Feds are clearly uncomfortable dealing with the political fallout from having a nation of non-AYP schools. By meeting their waiver requirements, states allow the USDOE to continue to do nothing to remedy the nightmare known as NCLB.  Forget the waiver...make the Federal government fix the stupidity they foisted upon us.

However, this would be the right thing to do and my sense is that this will not occur for a variety of reasons. 

First...most in our state legislature have made their careers out of trashing public education.  It would take an act of political courage (not to mention ethics) for a politician to admit that using tests is discriminatory and wrong AND then take action to rectify the situation.  Political courage AND ethics in the Florida legislature?  Not happening!

Next, the big money is in testing...at both the state and federal level.  Publishers write the tests, the texts that supposedly address the test item specs, as well as the supplemental materials meant to help our language acquisition students and students with disabilities.  Publishers have always put large sums of money into the campaign coffers of politicians.  (Only a drop in the bucket compared to the amount to be made off testing.)  That amount has grown exponentially since the inception of the A+ Plan in Florida and NCLB nationally.  Need I say more?  If so, re-read the last few sentences of the previous paragraph.

More evil!

Also, these policies give those who have a privatization agenda for our educational system more ammunition.  As schools struggle to make the grade in the face of institutional discrimination, politicians bellow that only a private entity can help our kids.

This is another area where money has had a huge influence.  There is money to be made in the privatization of public education.  Since Jeb Bush, our governors have established a climate that encourages privatization of most state services including education.  Regardless of the fact that none of the privatization initiatives (nationally) have been truly successul, money talks.

Pure evil!

Finally...and this is big...no matter how discriminatory these policies may be, the waiver from NCLB gives political cover to our state legislators and board of education.  When questioned, they can point their fingers at the NCLB waiver.  They can tell us that it is the Feds' fault that the State of Florida is discriminating against schools that serve minority and/or low income populations.  They can say the State must discriminate because it's the only way Florida can get out from under the thumb of the Feds.  In other words, "The devil made me do it!"

So, there you have it.  The NCLB waiver (and the new test-scoring policy) benefits no students, no parents, no teacher, no school.  Many students, parents, teachers and schools are in harm's way as a result of the waiver.  Meanwhile, the fortunes of politicians, publishers and privateers continue to grow...and it's all done under cover...under the cover of the NCLB waiver.

The devil made them do it, alright.  How else can one explain such evil?

Friday, February 24, 2012


The other day I noted that the State of Florida was, once again, "putting the screws" to public education by rigging the scores on our State assessment (FCAT).  I have since learned that the State's foolishness is about to find even greater lows.  These bureaucrats and politicians are considering changing the rules for assigning grades to public schools.  See:

(http://palmbeachpost.com/news/new-formula-could-mean-more-fs-fewer-as-2193843.html)

The new formula, if implemented, would include new, "more rigorous" guidlines for Florida's A+ school grading system IN ADDITION TO rigging the test scoring system.   So now, the State is planning to hurt schools by both rigging the test scores and by gaming the school grading system to lower school grades across the state.  As rationale for this atrocity, the State Board of Education is citing the same nonsense we have heard before: "High school graduates are not truly college ready or prepared for the workplace."

The problem with these measures is that they do not lead to reforms that prepare our students for the workplace.  These measures lead to better test takers...period! 

Don't get me wrong.  I am not anti-assessment.  Assessment, using multiple measures, goes a long way to help me determine which programs or school-wide practices are bringing about success for our students and teachers.  From these measures I can tell what needs tweaking or should be elimiminated.  Assessment helps our school determine our needs for professional development. 

In the classroom, multiple assessment measures such as formalized tests, mini-assessments, anecdotal data, etc., at reasonable intervals, assist teachers in their planning and drive instructional practices. 

Assessments, including formalized tests, should be educational experiences for schools, teachers and students.  Not moments of high anxiety for all involved. 

I am against using testing as a means of tearing down public education.  Any testing used to assign school grades or status is harmful to public education.  It begins a vicious cycle of developing test-takers who are not college or workforce ready.  Politicians then scream that our kids aren't ready.  Which then leads to more stringent testing policies which leads to even better test-takers who are even less college or workforce ready.  Which leads to more political whining.  Which leads to more stringent testing...you get the picture. 

The result of this cycle is that the fabric of public education is being torn apart one strand at a time.  Some of the people who are involved in this destruction of our educational system, I believe, truly feel that these "reforms" will make education stronger.  Some of them want to use these reforms as a method for weakening teachers unions.  Still others use them to promote their privatization agenda. 

(I also believe that most of the legislators who have been pushing this nightmare couldn't pass the 5th grade FCAT much less graduate from high school.)

Whatever the case, NONE of these politicians or bureaucrats should be in a position to set policy regarding the education of our students.  All people who are stakeholders in public education must construct an organized campaign to vote current "reformers" out of office and to vet politicians running for office to ensure that only those, regardless of political affiliation, who have developed a well-researched, well-thought, pro-public education platform are elected.
If you read my blog the other day, I'm sure you are noticing a theme.  It is a theme I will come back to regularly.  We need to act...NOW!