That was my response to this comment on the NYState Ed Commissioner's supposed guarantee:
According to his memo, the tests will not be used to close more schools or create focus schools. They will be used to evaluate teachers, because that is "fair", says the King.So a word of warning to people who think the growing parent opt-out movement is forcing State Ed to modify its policies, my response is watch out for Trojan horses.
The prime directive of ed deform: privatize as much of the public school, unionized system. The target is union teachers. Reduce their share by eliminating contracts, increase their portion.
Their prime directive is to hold onto power and thus while the different primes of deformers and union leaders seem contradictory on the surface they are not when you go deep.
The unions deal with Democrats who are good with the deal while fearing Republicans who want the bosses gone too.
Note how Rahm's agents will promote Karen Lewis' opposition in the Chicago union elections since Karen is the only big city union leader who won't make that deal.
One of the most interesting moments at the Lewis/Mulgrew event at the UFT on March 15 (The Ides) was when Karen talked about how they gave up their perks with Mulgrew sitting next to her squirming, as did much of the mostly Unity Caucus laden room.
That makes CORE people less subject to the temptations that accrue to union leaders who spend too much time hobnobbing with the 1% rather than with the members.
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Lisa Donlan added some great info -- see the comment section -- and also added this point:
Making Norm's point:
Six Steps to Effective Teacher Development and Evaluation Sponsored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and American Federation of Teachers
BY VICKI PHILLIPS AND RANDI WEINGARTEN
March 25, 2013
Sponsored content by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and American Federation of Teachers.
5 comments:
Lisa Donlan posted this on the Change the Stakes listserve:
I'd say that really this tide is the same old tide but it now has a mean undertow.
I have not read the memo Carol cites, but the SED rolled out a brand new complex ranking system last August, moving away from the NCLB jargon, metrics, carrots and sticks ( PLA/SINI) and into a 3 year transition to the CCLS structure as part of the NYS waiver, effective through 2014-15.
Schools were designated as Priority, Focus, or Reward schools based on their "ranking" statewide by complex algorithms.
Basically this list is frozen for the 3 years of the waiver and transition to the new "accountability",
meaning this is THE list for 3 years.
For NYC that means:
122 Priority schools ( lowest 5% in ranking on "achievement" in NYS)
232 Focus schools ( lowest 10% in NYS's " Focus districts" - defined as a district w/ a Priority school or low subgroup "performance"; 31 out of 32 NYC districts are designated "Focus")
55 Reward schools (the 'highest achieving' schools in NYS - not clearly defined when I attended a presentation last Fall)
The Priority schools must undergo a SED-led 'whole school reform' by 2014-15 using either the SIG or NYSED 'turnaround' models.
That said, the NYC DoE has added to their list of "struggling" schools the SED's Priority list ( along w/ their own in-house metrics= any schools w/ an "under developed" rating on the QR; a D, F or 3 consecutive C's on the school Progress Report) for "early engagement" = consideration for phase out/closure and replacement w/ a "new school".
The rejiggering of the system was necessary because as states moved closer to the impossible NCLB goal of 100% student proficiency in 2014-15, the back end loaded AYP goals were pushing more and more schools into the SINI status.
IE: in 2011-12 some 634 NYC schools (or 43% ) were designated SINI/PLA!
So King may be saying the State won't close schools based on the new metrics, but please know that instead SED will do the "turnaround" version = not moving the kids but revamping the leaders/teachers/school day/etc based on the 2010-11 post bubble burst old test scores.
And even worse, NYC DoE has its huge target list already to play with for 3 years- again based on the old rotten metrics of the ELA/Math scores spun into Progress Reports, QRAs and NCLB's AYP, sub groups, etc. to close schools and open charters or other new schools in their place.
http://engageny.org/common-core-curriculum-assessments
better check out the ela text list...
then end is near...
How much more proof does anyone need to know who Weingarten/Mulgrew are working for?
I would not believe John King if he said he was breathing air. The man is nothing but an agent for our rich oligarchs. NYS will no longer support schools because it is a "net even' on actual jobs and less money for future salaries and pensions. This is also a boon for political contributions from the uber rich who can give more than unions could now offer. As for the union teachers, things are way too cushy right now, and they cannot see how things will get tough for "them" as individuals. Not too many could argue with similar results for cheaper labor that still will get the summer off.
For live video of being sold out look no further than http://protectportelos.org/eval. I've watched the 44 minute video several times and made notes and researched the players. Very interesting.
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