Category: Educational Reform

The fight for #CCSS

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

CCSS

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are supposed to be a unifying element in education. Placing All (or at least most) of the states on the same page for student academic expectations. Finally states could compare achievement data. Standardized test results could finally be compared. In theory the Common Core is a good idea. The United States does need to set educational standards that challenge our students and tell employers and colleges what graduates know and are able to produce. The Common Core also help fully implement the No Child Left Behind Act  of 2001, up until now states have been issued waivers to comply with the law. CCSS and the assessments that go along with it are supposed to end the era of waivers and hold states accountable for their educational programs.

Corporations, states and school districts have been preparing for CCSS ever since their first draft was released 3 years ago. Corporations have spent 3 years on research and developing educational programs and materials to sell in support of the CCSS implementation. Other Corporations have been formed to create assessments that “fit” the CCSS curriculum. Many States have joined one of two consortium (Smarter Balanced and PARCC) to help guide in the development of these new assessments.  School districts have invested countless hours working to adjust their curriculum to meet the CCSS. Millions of dollars have been spent on this anticipated change over the past few years.

wordle CCSS

Now, a few states are starting to voice concern as the Pilot testing period ends and full implementation looms. Here in Michigan despite the best efforts of the Governor, Michele Rhee and Jeb Bush the legislature has decided not to fund any  CCSS implementation in the 2013-2014 state budget. What does this mean for teachers? IS this going to just be another unfunded mandate? or is CCSS dead? Time will only tell. 

I know what it shows. It shows America that Education is NOT a priority but a political hot potato that politicians like to throw around for votes. It shows teachers that politicians don’t give a damn about them. It the world that American is never going to “fix” its educations system that picks winners and losers by zip code.

Personally I am not the biggest fan of the CCSS. I have previously refered to CCSS as the “College” core due to the rigor and lack room for students who would prefer hands on learning and trade skills. The idea of having some “national standards” is appealing. Our staff is just getting used to positive changes that the CCSS has brought to our district. Our students are showing growth and achievement  I just find it very ironic that the same Republican Party that initiated the move towards the CCSS is now putting the standards on “pause”. As the fight for the common core rages from state to state, America will see that our educational values need to be changed so we can focus on real change. Change that makes sure every child can get a high quality education in our great country!!

5 Reasons not to use Student Achievement as a driving factor in teacher pay!

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

The State of Michigan is currently debating if student achievement should be the driving factor in teacher pay. The Detroit Free Press ran an article today discussing both sides of the issue. I feel this debate is worth having at a district level but very hard to have on the state level. State Rep. Peter Lund, needs to think carefully about this bill he has sponsored. Here are 5 reasons to vote against this bill:

1. Local control – Long a tenant of the Republican party, recently seems to be lost when talking about schools. Districts have locally elected school boards. They set policy, rules and regulations. If “pay for performance” is something a district wants, needs or desires, the local school board can set it up as a policy. One size does not fit all. Michigan has over 500 school districts ranging in size from 20- 1,000’s of students. Our state is also very diverse. Let the local district decide if this is an issue they want to tackle. Would corporations allow the government to step in and set pay standards for their employees? NO! School districts are no different and should not have to be subjected to Law Makers who have no understanding of how schools are run.

2. No Set Standard –  The state wants to pass a law saying that teachers will be paid based on performance but not set a performance standard? No this doesn’t make any sense. Teachers need to know the target they are aiming for! How can teachers reach targets that have not been set? Currently MEAP/MME testing has been show to be unreliable, having social economic biases. The state does not even have a standard for teacher evaluations. Again too complex, all needs to be set at a local district level. With all the laws passing there will be no point in local school boards since all policies seem to be set by state.

3. Create bad environment – Education has been working for years to foster an environment where teachers work together to help educate ALL students. IF teachers feel that they will have an advantage over others, the collaboration will end. Think about it, do salesmen tell others about who and how they get their largest sales? NO! The goal of education is to provide an equal free education to all students. We can’t create a school where teachers keep their best techniques secrets.

4. No enough money –  Merit pay systems work well in a sales environment. Why? Salespeople generate revenue to pay for their commissions (extra merit pay). Schools don’t make extra money by performing well (and shouldn’t). How can a district afford teachers if they all desire the top merit pay level? Bottom line is they won’t be able to afford a true merit pay system that will have any value to the teachers.

5. No value for experience or education – Any teacher will tell you that they are a better teacher now than they were the first year. No matter how students score on the test, teachers do get better with time. Sure, some burn-out. administrators can observe this and take actions. The tenure laws have been changed. Student achievement is a factor in all teachers in Michigan evaluations now. Doctors, lawyers, dentists with a more specialized degree get paid more for their expertise why not teachers?

Well that is 5, I could keep going. Poverty is another larger factor that will create unfair results in this equation. There are just too many factors at play that impact student achievement.

What if student has bad day?  Can they re-take like drivers test? NO

All student growth is not equal, learning today might not impact student achievement for years. Current tests only measure students academic performance, what about social, physical, emotional growth?

Legislature stop killing our public education system and start focusing on helping our poor students. The teachers are the least of your problems.

Thanks for reading, hope it helps you reflect.

What is the goal of testing and data?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Data is a key component in education. Schools need to know where students are in their learning so instruction can be designed to meet students learning needs. Schools have always used data. We use data to help determine grades, know reading levels, math levels etc. Recently the government (State and Federal) has arbitrarily decided that the data schools have been collecting should be used to measure the effectiveness of teachers. The test design corporations, such as Pearson, create tests with little teacher input, to sell to states for the purpose of measuring students against a “standard”.  If students don’t achieve the standard, teachers can be deemed ineffective and eventually lead to the loss of their teaching position if low scores persist. Government has mandated this value add measure, with the desire to hold teachers accountable for their student’s learning. All the while placing little to no accountability on the student or parents for learning achievement.

So what is this data really? Is it a summary of everything a student has learned? Does it measure higher level thinking? Quite frequently the data is just a mere snapshot, of where a student is performing at a certain spot in time. Is it right to assume that a picture of a 75 degree sunny day is the norm for a Michigan Winter? No, but it happens. As well as a 30 degree snowy day in April. Like weather student performance can vary from day-to-day. Different events occur in their lives. Sleep and regularity of meals are major factors in student performance. Instead of looking at student day-to-day “Weather” data, schools should take a “climate” approach at looking at data. Look at performance over the long haul. Examine many different data point to see growth, over extended periods of time. Data should not only come from national standardize testing corporations but from locally created common tests as well. This does make it difficult to attribute the results to an individual teacher (current goal of testing) but shouldn’t the results belong to the individual student?

Students ultimately need to be held accountable for their own learning. There are many other ways to evaluate the quality of teaching. Learning is owned by the student. Schools goals are to make life-long learners who have critical thinking skills. These qualities develop at different rates in all learners. Just like all infants learn to walk and talk at different times in their life. To help hold the students more accountable, schools might want to change their structure. Instead of grouping students by age,  schools could group their by their skills and abilities or by their areas of interests or by learning styles.

The goal of testing and the resulting data, needs to remain student learning. Schools need to focus on holding students accountable for their own learning. Without being held accountable student frequently blame others for their results. I hear it often in my classroom, when discussion grades with students. “The teacher gave me a C!” We need to mold the conversation around students earning their scores. Right now, students see no relevance for most standardized tests. These test have little merit towards students’ grades or graduation. Colleges only focus on the FINAL standardized test of the student’s career, ACT or SAT for admittance.

If districts/states are going to mandate so many standardized test for our students, lets remember one thing: Make them focus on student achievement and their individual growth, not the effectiveness of teachers. Testing does not measure teachers, observations of practice and actions does. If teachers, performance is measured on tests we will end up with more cheating scandals like Atlanta!! More questions will arise about cheating in schools than we have had about cheating in baseball during the steroids area!

Why Grade?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

why

Okay, let me ease the minds of many readers who feel a grade is a form of feedback. Yes, teachers need to give feedback on ALL assignments that is timely and specific. I for one don’t believe a letter grade (or number if that is what you use) is feedback at all. It is little more than a type of categorical ranking for a piece of work or period of time. It may be timely but is not specific at ALL. Why do schools chose to assign letter grades to work? What does the A, B, C, D, F (or now often an E) mean?

Our culture is obsessed with these grades. Grades are found everywhere, from Consumer Reports and stock ratings to ESPN and fashion magazines. Here is a quick rundown of the common understanding of letter grades:

  • A = The best can’t be better (unless +,- system used)
  • B = meeting the standards 
  • C = Average but okay
  • D = Below Average but passing
  • F/E = Failing do work or not acceptable work

So, if letter grades are used as feedback, are they specific? NO not very specific and actually quit vague by most standards. These grades might be okay for a stock rating or to judge a person’s attire for an evening but that is about it. Consumer Reports uses a great model for grading. The magazine gives a letter grade, but backs the grade up with a paragraph or two of justification. Giving specific reasons why a product receives a certain marking. I would bet that the grades came after giving reviews for awhile and readers wanted a “quick” guide to how a product compared to another. As educators or parents should we care how our student stacks up to another?

I hope not. Education is not about where a student ranks, it is about getting a student to be the best they can be. Grades hurt this growth in our students. Students need the kind of constructive feedback that Consumer Reports gives products that it is reviewing. Details about strengths and weaknesses. Remarks about how they can improve on their work. Does a student gain a desire to improve when earning an A?

Students often see the letter grade as a destination. Asking “what do I need to do to get an A?” Is this what we want in our students today? Reaching an end goal and stopping? Schools need to instill the value of improving work. Everything can be improved. I am still becoming a better teaching now, after 13 years on the job. Letter grades inhibit this growth in our students. In the many conversations I have with students, they often reflect that they are doing well enough when their grades are B and above. Many refer to this behavior as “doing” school. Are we creating learners? or something else?

Parents can actually be worse about grades. Parents will call and ask how their child can receive an A. Not worrying about the quality or the work or learning behaviors. Parents will often use these letters to compare their child to others. Should we be making comparisons? I personally would leave that up to selective colleges or employers.

This leads us to one of the major arguments for grades: those darn colleges require them. Should they? I don’t think so. Colleges should have an application process that has performance tasks. Admittance to college should not depend on arbitrary letters a collection of teachers gave a student over 4 years. Admittance should be based upon what a student can or cannot do! Colleges are currently complaining about grade inflation and student needs for remedial classes. So obviously our current K-12 grading system is not working for college admittance. Another example of where letter grades fail the students has been shared with me from high school AP teachers. Regularly they will have a student who “fails” their class but receives a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam. This means the student would receive college credit for the class but not high school credit.

Our culture thinks grades are great for education. Schools need to change this perception. Grades are great for the momentary comparison, for products or ranking a draft. Remember it is momentary if not,Tony Mandarich, Charles Rodgers or any other first round draft pick bust would be in the hall of fame.

Feedback is important for learning. Students need to know what they do well and what needs improvement. One way of doing this is to switch to a Standards Based Grading System. Nationally recognized author Rick Wormeli (@RickWormeli) has been working hard to explain to the world why our current grading system is not working. Below is Rick explaining why the current system doesn’t work. 

Help change grading from a ranking of students to feedback that would work to get the best out of our students. Make a system that helps students grow and become life long learns. Not striving for a letter on a piece of paper but to do their best!

Name Brand Education?

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In class last a few weeks back, I overheard a student complain because her parents didn’t buy here a North Face fleece for her birthday. Her friend was wearing the fleece she desired so she was jealous. I tried to intervene. I explain there was nothing wrong with the fleece she had on. “But it isn’t North Face!” she exclaimed. “And Mr. Bloch you have a North Face so why shouldn’t I?” Wow! How do I counter that argument? I tried to explain that I had recently received the fleece as a present for Christmas from my wife. I always admired North Face products but resisted purchasing them due to cost. I was sure that a “store” brand would handle my needs. I don’t live in the mountains and wasn’t planing an adventure into the wilderness anytime soon. (Sound fun maybe sooner now.) These are hard concepts for teenagers to grasp. Desire of the “Name” brand fashions is a way to maintain or gain popularity. Students learn this from our product placement advertising culture. Many don’t realize their favorite actors are paid to wear the fashions to get them to purchase them. Of course adults learn to not worry about name brand eventually, right?

No,  many adults are similar to children, feeling that name brands can be important and if something cost more it must be better. Frankly some name brands are better quality products and some aren’t. Has this name brand consumer culture pasted over into education?

Sadly, yes. Many feel that the name on the school (or associated state ranking) defines what happens inside each classroom. I realized this in a recent conversation with a teacher friend. She is looking to move from her current apartment to a house. She has a young daughter and has been spending time looking at all the school rankings to decided where to live. When Amy, my wife suggested a near-by condo complex. Her reaction was “Oh, No the school is not rated well.” It just so happens the school she was referring to is where our son attends. Our school is in a stable community, located in our sub-division. Every teacher that has worked with our third grade son has been incredible in their own way. I personally feel it is a GREAT school environment for our children to attend. (We also have 4-year-old twins)

Later that evening Amy asked me what I thought about her comments. Being the ever mindful teachers I answered with a question: “What was your response?” Amy shared how she told our friend that the school was great and we had nothing but positive experiences. In the end, she pointed to the ranking and said “I don’t think it is best for my daughter.”

Rankings are going to make adults choose the brand “ranking” over their neighborhood school. Brand names and marketing will win the school of choice war. Lower ranked schools will slowly but surely disappear. The ranking will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Parents who can afford the choice will choose “The North Face” over “the store brand”, those who can’t will complain about where they are stuck. The lower ranked schools will slide down the slope  and go the way of Ben Franklin’s, Kmart’s and Circuit City’s of the world.

Educators need to change this perceptions of schools. Schools are more than any ranking. Furthermore education is what an INDIVIDUAL makes out of opportunities not what OPPORTUNITIES that come to an individual. Live in an affordable home, nice community, clean neighborhood, near a school. Attend this school and make it great. If opportunities aren’t present seek them out! Help the teachers succeed. Be involved. Ultimately schools are a true reflection of the communities around them. Parents who seek out the Name Brand School for comfort forget about all the hard work that made the brand. The more transient brand seekers that move into a school the quicker the brand will deteriorate. What school wants to be the “Members Only Jacket” of this decade?

Help build your neighborhood school into a lasting brand. Don’t worry about the ranking now, go in and make the school the way it should be: full of involved staff, parents and students who all want to succeed together. Make your school the Coca-Cola or GE, one that will have its ups and downs but be strong for the long haul!!

Teach to produce learning! (No teaching style is wrong!)

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As I participate in Twitter chats, read blogs, listen to Podcast and talk to teachers I am continually hearing about different teaching methods. Flipped classroom, blended learning, reader’s workshop, writer’s workshop etc. are all “hot” methods for teaching in 2013. Should teachers drop what they have been doing and make a change?

The quick answers is “It depends”. Should you make a change if you are being successful? How are you measuring the success? Change should not happen for changes sake. Changes in education should be made for two reasons:

  • First: Teacher is not being successful with current students. Change need to takes place. Learning needs to occur. Students need to be successful.
  • Second: New technologies exist that the students NEED to use for future success. When districts add 1 to 1 or other new technology programs.

When educators see new ideas they should take a closer look. Examine them for their merits. Try them out in their classrooms. When merits for new methods are seen then slowly incorporate them into their teaching. All teachers need to check out new ideas remembering that new ideas might not work for all students. The teachers that are using them are sharing because they have found successes, often more successes than with other methods. This might not work for other teachers. WHY? teacher and class is different. I don’t teach any two classes alike. Sure I cover the same material but I use different teaching techniques based upon the students in the class. In one hour I might need a hands-on activity in another the class might respond better to a video. Teachers have to remember that the students dictate the how the learning should go in the classroom not the teacher. Teachers have already learned the content. Students are the ones that need to explore how to learn it now.

Teachers need to realize that no teaching style is wrong IF the students in the class are learning. We need to use formative assessments to show that our teaching is being effective. Constantly monitoring and changing how we teach based upon the students progress in leaning. There is not a teaching style out there that is one size fits all or the “best”. All styles work depending on the teacher and the students. Whether you flip or give lectures, have a no homework policy or give it daily; examine your students learning to see if it is working. Share with other teachers when it is, but hold off judgement of your fellow teachers when they don’t change. They just might not see the same results.