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 Motives of The Testing Gurus and Gods: NCLB and ABC Garbage 
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"The idea of the IQ testers was not to reform education, especially higher education, so much as to reserve it for highly intelligent people, as indicated by IQ scores, lest their talents be wasted." Lemann

Lemann's statement above underscores the underlying motives those who were peddling the SAT really had. Those who called for these tests really wanted a means to sort wheat and chaff. It parallels the Testing Mania of today as well. I have never really believed the politicians pushing ABCs, Testing, Accountability, and NCLB have truly had children at heart. They too have motives, political motives which they are very skillful at hiding. I have always believed the very people who have pushed much of this agenda really want public schools to FAIL. Yes they want public education to be severely weakened so that they can push their own agenda, which is school vouchers and using public funds for any private school. Why else would you set a goal like that in NCLB, one hundred percent proficiency? It is an IMPOSSIBLE GOAL! How better to show that public schools have failed than by giving them a goal that can't possibly be reached? No, it almost seems as if educators blindly accept this goal. They are trying to put together a model car while the manufacturers of that car have hidden and keep hiding some of the pieces. The deck is stacked against public education. The aces and all of the high cards have been removed. We need to QUESTION THE MOTIVES OF POLITICIANS AND POLICYMAKERS WHO PEDDLE THIS BLATHER.

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Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:37 pm
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John,

You are truly a wise man. I have questioned the idea of testing elementary thru high school students since i first began teacher. Imagine that we are teaching to a test that we are not able to see. We have to follow objectives that allow for thousands of questions that could cover each one. In addition, like the GREs, you get a score, but no true feedback. The student has no clue what topics they truly knew. Tests are designed to show off schools who teach to tests, but in real life taking a multiple test is not a skill that bosses are looking for. They dont show any creativity just the able to guess the best answer out of five.

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Tim Hoffman


Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:46 pm
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I agree with you two gentlemen. By the time, we get the EOC results, the kids are already taking their new semester classes or on summer break.
If we were really concerned about learning, wouldn't we remediate with all of classes to see where mistakes were made. If I was taking these EOCs, I would want to see the results.
Bush wants to reauthorize the NCLB. Hopefully the public and legislators will take a good look at it and make some revisions.

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Chris McKay

"Our progress as a nation can be no swifter
than our progress in education." -JFK


Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:03 pm
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Location: Kernersville Middle School
I dunno guys...

When the EC kids are "wasted" because it's too hard to teach them...
When the potential of the AG kid is not maximized to full-potntial...
When kids are shunned because of whatever...

It takes a law to protect the child. It's too easy to set aside the "dis-comfortable."

NC is reviewing its strategies. Gains will be made. Good changes won't come until great efforts are made by collaboration, curriculum alignment, family support, community endeavors, business partners, and collegial influence.

Kerr had a good idea: "...the university would meet every need, social,, political, intellectual, and economic (Test, 138). Isn't this what we should expect and strive for as leaders in our community within the school? If we don't expect it, who will? Is mediocrity really an answer for us as leaders?

America is capitalistic and competitive. If students can't get a great educaton at their friendly, local community school, then let them go private. Let the state pay the tab for their (our?) inadequacies.

I pledge allegiance to the child...may my efforts and commitment not stay in a box (aka portfolio).


Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:09 pm
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In my county, not only do we participate in all the EOG testing, etc...our new superintendent has mandated benchmark testing for grades 3-5. We just wrapped up the first round of benchmark testing and the scores are coming in.

The problem I am seeing with this, is that these benchmark tests were created by the county curriculum consultants. One test was going to show scores based on the objective, while the other test was not even based on SCOS objectives...Many people are arguing the validity of that test. Thankfully, though the "scores" are not being released, as this is supposed to only be a "quick pic" of where they are now and what to expect on the EOGs...

Do any of your districts participate in a type of benchmark testing?

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Leigh Anne Frye


Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:38 am
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I agree with all of you, but there is an additional factor that gets overlooked often....

Classes like mine (music, art, PE, drama, etc) are listed in the SCOS but are not tested because NCLB does not require them to be. Now, in NC the requirement exists for children to get at least 30 minutes of PE a day, but the other disciplines mentioned are considered by many (especially those who often control the funding) as unimportant, feeling since they have so little money to distribute, it should be concentrated in EOG and EOC preparation, not in teaching children to paint, draw, sing or play an instrument. Given that all the evidence suggests that these activities enhance not only a child's school experience, but also her higher-order thinking skills and her ability to do well on tests, aren't we short-changing students, in effect cutting off our noses despite our faces, when we eliminate, or slash funding for, arts education?

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Logan McGuire


Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:49 am
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Logan,

Your just being silly. No one needs to know how to draw or paint. Playing a musical instrument has never been linked to improve math scores. Recess does not teach team work.

Does sarcasm travel over texts? I hope so. It is a sad day when wonderful programs such as music are denied funding so that a school can improve math and english skills. Life is more than tests and math and science. The idea of education is founded in a Renaissance belief that a man or woman should be well rounded. The idea of Da Vinci is what each of us strives for in school. A painter, a poet, a mathematician, a reader, a ... We are only denying our child wonderful experiences each time a school program is cut.

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Tim Hoffman


Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:35 pm
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Some good points are made by everyone in this post; much I agree with:
100% is impossible even if the standards are actually quite low (ie. level IV scale scores on EOGS)
Politicians do not have children at heart w/ NCLB clearly political aspirations play a significant role
Delayed scoring is a HUGE problem


HOWEVER... Kathryn makes a very valid and important point! Local and state education agencies failed to adequately self-regulate resulting in a poor perception of public education in the eyes of our communities. Thus politicians capitalized on the opportunity to win some votes. NCLB, as faulty as it may be, has forced us at the very least to make a focused, strategic effort to teach minorities and low income students. Unfortunately it has taken the law (even if it is a poor law) to force us to educate much of our population.
Maybe I'm more hopeful regarding our national leaders, but I don't believe that NCLB is a masquerade for a larger political agenda; the legislation was largely bi-partisan and state agencies always have the option to decline federal funding. Just like with any law many political action groups surface to gain financially or promote some other agenda...
I think NCLB was more of a consequence of laisez faire education (from teachers and admin. to lobbyists) and an uniformed public. Perhaps I am being to harsh or critical of my profession, but I believe if we would have been more active politically, had much better PR, and had been more proactive in teaching the skills our children need for the 21st century we could have avoided some of the problems we face today. We should have been gathering achievement data and making OUR case well before 2000. NCLB has brought education into the conversation, but WE should have controlled the conversation.....

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Heath Belcher


Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:37 pm
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Heath,

I think you're right on. While most of us are forbidden by our school districts from endorsing candidates for office or ballot initiatives, on education matters we must be allowed to speak our minds. I have a lot of political views on many different matters that I would not dare discuss with some of my colleagues, just because the issues are so charged and polarizing. But when it comes to matters dealing with education, we are the leaders of the future, and we are doing our profession an injustice if we do not speak out for what is right for children and education. As for particular candidates and issues, while our mouths may be muzzled by our employers at times, our constitutional right to register and vote is not. We must take our knowledge to our polling places and make the right choices (maybe not necessarily the easy choices) for children.

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Logan McGuire


Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:21 am
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Heath, I agree that NCLB had forced us to look for ways to teach groups that have been less successful academically, but I do not think it takes a "sledgehammer to kill flies." For as long as I have been in the classroom, the daily struggle has been to find a way to reach that student who is having great difficulties. Forcing a student, who everyone knows is struggling, to take a test WITHOUT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES to teach that student is pointless, and that is what we have been doing in this state and in the nation.

Those who authored NCLB, including President Bush, did not try to hide the fact that when this legislation was initially was being pushed through congress, they wanted a school voucher program to be a part of it. It was only dropped, BECAUSE THE BILL WOULD NOT BE PERCEIVED AS BIPARTISAN. In other words, no democrats would vote for NCLB because it originally had a voucher provision in it. School sometimes fail to teach these special groups of children because politicians were unwilling to provide educational resources. When all the research says that most effective size for a high school is around 800 students, we still have to build them to hold a thousand or more. When all the research points out that class size can directly affect achievement, we still have classrooms with too many students in them. When a teacher is told by administration they can only make 500 copies in semester, it is no wonder learning suffers. The whole problem has always been a lack of adequate funding. Regardless of what each of believes, there are those who want to see public schools fail. Most of those who authored the original provisions of NCLB wanted the voucher provision in the legislation. Heath, I suppose I take the opposite position. I do not feel hopeful about our "national leaders." They have lied about so many other things.

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Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:43 pm
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