T-Day: For Deformers, Mission Accomplished

Shouldn't these tests that get students career and college ready be prevalent for students of high school, not little 9 year old boys and girls in 3rd grade? Parents of NYC, you are all being played!... South Bronx School

Today is lousy test score reveal day (LTSR) for  the tests given this past school year. Let me get this straight. You spend an entire year prepping for a test given in May and don't get the results until half the summer is over, making them absolutely useless for diagnostic purposes so you can try to fix what might be wrong?

There are a two very important comments up today, both from people connected to our Change the Stakes grassroots parent group, which issued this statement a few minutes ago.

Change the Stakes

Parents and Educators Reject Official Explanations for Dismal State Test Scores
NY State Principal of the Year Carol Burris:

The Answer Sheet

What big drop in new standardized test scores really means


I'll do a follow-up later parsing both of the above to point out how many of us differ in our criticisms -- not claiming as the UFT does that teachers weren't given the tools -- basically supporting testing but only doing it right -- vs calling for an end to the use of tests in a phony accountability system.

Well, we know what the testing game is all about and it ain't children. It's about using tests to go after teachers, close schools, end tenure, de-unionize the teaching force so they can lower salaries, and create massive turnover in a temporary teaching force so they will never have to pay pensions.

Is that enough of a mouthful for you?

So will all the sturm and drang over the "failures" of the Bloomberg admin I would disagree. Bloomberg has accomplished exactly what he intended. Sure he may take a temporary hit over the low scores but he can manage the media well enough while keeping his eye on the big prize: undermine public schools (these low test results will provide some assistance) so people will want to leave in drives and head to charters which will glom onto the higher performing students and toss the remains back into what is left of the public schools.

And I don't trust one mayoral candidate to truly resist this trend, even Di Blasio or Liu. Neo-liberalism reigns.

There has been so much good commentary I can't keep up with it all. So don't miss checking in on my blogroll.

One of the best today is from our old pal SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL (Beware the Testpocolypse in New York State), who despite his personal battles has been getting back to what he does best: scathing political commentary.

Reality-Based Educator at Perdido St School asks:
Will Teachers And Schools Be Shown The Same Mercy The Tweedies Are Begging For?

Shael Polakow-Suransky on what the scores from the Common Core tests that will be released to the public tomorrow and are expected to show a sharp drop from last year mean: We all know that they wanted very low test scores this time so they can show next time that what they are doing is working.

NYC Educator

Common Core--Being Reformy Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry