Cuomo, NY State Legislature "Another Brick in the Wall"

One of my favorites of all time. I wanted to have my kids perform this at graduation but never got the chance.

Roger Waters wrote Another Brick In The Wall as a rebellion against errant governments, against people who have power over you, people who are wrong. As a student he felt his school was more interested in keeping the kids quiet than teaching them. "You couldn't find anybody in the world more pro-education than me. But the education I went through in boys' grammar school in the '50s was very controlling and demanded rebellion."

STCaucus made the following video mashup combining Water's message and the NYS Assembly's vote on Education Reform.

https://youtu.be/kDEc1ijppgI

Future of NYS Education

We Are More Than A Test Score

Retired School Superintendent Bill Cala on the NYState Budget Disaster

"They stick a knife in 9 inches then pull it out 6 inches and call it progress" Malcom X. It appears that those who voted yes on the NYS budget subscribe to this axiom. The rationale we are getting for supporting the budget is unnerving. "We put it in the hands of SED, (teacher evaluation and tenure) where it belongs, rather than the governor. The bill sets up a firing squad, determines who is going to get shot, how many times and when it will happen. Then they tell SED, "It's your job to pull the trigger.".. Bill Cala, retired Supt of Fairport and acting Supt of Rochester

I have been pushing for Bill to be NY State Education Commissioner since I met him a dozen years ago at NCLB/Test resistance conference set up by Susan Ohanian and others in Alabama. Check out this video of Bill

https://youtu.be/UWlSEDENTQ0



And support Bill and his wife Joanne's project in Africa.
www.joiningheartsandhands.org

CTS outs principal Frank Giordano on opt out, Farina turns tail and runs, Tisch tries to buy off affluent parents

Frank Giordano, principal of New Voices School of Academic and Creative Arts, a Brooklyn middle school, decided to take a hard line against opting out....Principal Giordano’s insistence that students can’t opt out – when he cannot, in fact, force a student to take a test – and his threatening students with sit-and-stare are unfortunately typical of the many reports we are receiving at Change the Stakes... Change the Stakes press release

Giordano is a skunk to his teachers too - bordering on being a real swine.

Before I begin let me ask all you teachers: where the hell are you on this issue? Has anyone gone to the Change the Stakes web site and shared the important info there with parents in your schools? You have just been slaughtered by the governor and your union's ineptness. Are you sitting back and waiting for a small group like CTS to do it all without you lifting a finger? Opt out is the only chance for teachers over the long run to counter what just happened. Don't just be the frog in the boiling water as they turn up the flame. Get your PTA to contact CTS. The UFT won't do any heavy lifting -- it is up to you.

FARINA DISCOURAGES PARENTS FROM OPTING

OUT—Capital’s Eliza Shapiro: “In a letter sent to city principals Wednesday, city schools chancellor Carmen Fariña asked school leaders to discourage parents from opting out of state standardized exams later this month. ‘As educators, it is our obligation to make sure we hold all students to high standards and equip them with the skills necessary to succeed in the face of all types of challenges in life, including taking tests. With this in mind, and as you lead your communities and administer this year’s state tests, I want to reiterate the value they provide to students, families, school staff and the city as a whole,’ Fariña wrote in her weekly ‘Principals' Notes’ letter. Fariña has been a stalwart supporter of the Common Core, and of the accompanying exams, throughout her tenure as chancellor. But her most recent comments on the push by some parent and teacher groups to have children refuse to take the tests were particularly direct. Last year, when asked for her opinion on opting out, Fariña stressed the importance of a parent's individual decision, then hinted that she believed parents and students should be ready to meet ‘challenges.’” [PRO] http://bit.ly/1Cx9Fku

Yes, Farina speaks out of both sides of her mouth. And to my principal readers -- you are also being screwed and backing opt out over the long run also protects you.

Merryl Tisch enters panic mode with this idea to exempt the people most likely to opt out.

Tisch: Exempt high performing schools from new evaluations

Opt out is such a major threat to ed deform, there is some backroom talk of passing a state law that might punish parents who do so -- not sure how that would work but think of vaccine laws. Don't take test = measles.

How can they justify giving charters public money but exempt them from the same rules for teacher evaluation? 

Change the Stakes took action with this press release yesterday.

Principals Continue to Spread Misinformation about Opting Out of State Tests Despite DOE Directive to Respect Parents’ Decision

New York City – Parents across the city are refusing to let their children take the annual state English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests administered to third through eighth graders, but some principals are standing in their way. Warning that opting out of the tests is either not allowed or will result in negative consequences – for the student, teachers or school – principals have left parents frustrated, fearful and confused about their rights. Although a parent guide released by the Department of Education (DOE) states, “If, after consulting with the principal, the parents still want to opt their child out of the exams, the principal should respect the parents’ decision and let them know that the school will work to the best of their ability to provide the child with an alternate educational activity (e.g., reading) during testing times,” some principals are either unaware of the policy or have decided to ignore it.

In emails and Facebook posts, at community forums and on parent list servs, countless parents across all five boroughs report that principals have told them that if their children don’t take the tests, the students will not be promoted, will have to attend summer school or will have to take an alternative exam. Parents report being warned that teachers’ evaluations will suffer if kids do not take the tests. Numerous superintendents, principals and teachers have told parents that schools will be harmed or will lose funding if too many students opt out.

None of these threats or warnings are sanctioned by the DOE and many are, in fact, contradicted by written DOE policy. Further, there is not a shred of evidence that teacher evaluations are adversely affected by opt outs. As for schools, there have been no negative repercussions for any New York schools with high test refusal rates, including those that receive Title I funds. Even state education officials acknowledge that it would take several years of large numbers of students opting out before a school could face corrective action and even then, no school would lose funding.

Frank Giordano, principal of New Voices School of Academic and Creative Arts, a Brooklyn middle school, decided to take a hard line against opting out. In a March 3rd email to parents, Principal Giordano wrote, “There is no opting out of any State Exams. These exams are required to be administered by the State Department of Education. While some schools in the city have allowed this to occur, opting out of these exams has not been sanctioned by the NYC DOE nor the Chancellor.”
When Anna Van Lenten, a parent of a 6th grader at the school, shared language from the DOE parent guide with Principal Giordano, he responded, “I am aware of the guide” and made it clear he had no intention of accommodating non-testing students. Ms. Van Lenten found his position confusing. “Frank is a devoted educator, and candid about not agreeing with the current substance and mode of administering state tests. So it is all the more surprising that he refuses to abide by the recommendation of DOE guidelines to allow opt out students to read during the tests. Instead he says they must sit in the same room as the test takers and do nothing for the duration of the two weeks of testing! Opt out students should be allowed to read or be sent to lower grades to assist in understaffed classrooms.”

Dr. Rosalina Diaz, another parent at New Voices and former co-president of the District 15 Community Education Council was outraged at the prospect of her daughter being forced to sit with nothing to do during long hours of testing. “My daughter is a child with amazing talent, intellect and holistic gifts that cannot be measured by any standardized exam, but she is also a child with special needs. She has Central Auditory Processing Disorder, a condition that often makes it difficult for her to process data and filter sensory input. Because the principal has decided that he is unwilling to provide alternative accommodations for my daughter while the other students are testing, she will have to sit and stare for 6 to 9 hours of testing over six days. This action can be understood as nothing less than abuse.”

Principal Giordano’s insistence that students can’t opt out – when he cannot, in fact, force a student to take a test – and his threatening students with sit-and-stare are unfortunately typical of the many reports we are receiving at Change the Stakes. Parents notifying principals of their decision to refuse the tests are confronting intimidation and widespread misinformation, yet most feel they have nowhere to turn. Although the DOE’s parent guide can help parents who have access to do it, principals are not required to distribute it and the document is difficult to locate online. Even when parents have the information, some still confront recalcitrant administrators. The DOE has offered no remedy to parents other than to contact their superintendents, some of whom are spreading the same misinformation as the principals they oversee. Most parents have never met their district superintendent and don’t even know who the superintendent is.

Parents have been left in an untenable situation by an education department that professes to support them but has been cowed by bruising battles with Governor Cuomo. Chancellor Fariña has sent mixed messages to educators, stating that testing should not dictate what happens in the classroom while supporting the use of test scores for up to 35 percent of teacher evaluations. Although her department has acknowledged that parents have the right to refuse the tests, it has done nothing to ensure that parents have access to this information. Nor has the chancellor publicly affirmed that the decision of families to refuse the state tests should be respected.

Reflecting on Principal Giordano’s insistence that non-testing children sit and do nothing, potentially distracting children who are taking the tests, Dr. Diaz, the New Voices parent, said that his approach should be “understood as a punitive action against those who would stand against him and assert their rights as parents to decide what is best for the well-being of their own children.” 

Many other parents expressed similar sentiments to Change the Stakes but did not want to risk being named or to name their school for fear of subjecting their child to retaliation.

Despite fear, confusion and uncertainty, NYC parents are fighting back. Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, will refuse to let their children take the state tests as an estimated 60,000 parents statewide did a year ago. As long as politicians continue to put private interests before those of public school children, prioritize corporate profits over the judgment of professional educators, and use teachers as scapegoats to distract from their failure to address growing poverty and widespread inequality, parents will continue to use the primary leverage we have – we will refuse the state tests.

###

 Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org), a group of New York City parents and educators, promotes alternatives to high stakes-testing.

Change the Stakes to Press on Opt Out Numbers: Do Your Job

We are a volunteer-driven group focused on helping to inform parents of their rights and advancing conversations between parents, educators, policy makers, and the general public about high stakes testing. It is not our responsibility to count/hand over numbers. Have them ask DOE for a count of how many children (by grade, by district) did not take the exams, and make that info public. ‎ Have the DOE report on how many letters have been handed in (as if!). Have the DOE report how many schools have gone below 95 Percent or whatever. ... CTS steering committee member

There are many reasons why I love this group.
CTS has been getting press requests for NYC opt out numbers.

What we know is that the numbers are rising, that more and more families in more neighborhoods are getting involved, and that the policy changes to lower the stakes have not gone far enough/have not translated into a reduced emphasis on testing. We do not ask every parent we speak with or who somehow comes across our information or the DOEs FAQ to contact us for purposes of counting. It's just a fundamentally flawed request.

 

Eva's Chopping Block: Boy expelled from Harlem Success Academy charter after 'ambush' kangaroo court

Throw them back to public school

So two weeks before this year’s state reading and math exams — Megginson was frantically trying to find a public school to accept her son.

Make the scores count against Eva.

Boy, 9, expelled from Harlem charter school after an 'ambush' disciplinary hearing, mother claims

Juan Gonzalez, Daily News

Third-grader Storm McCraw was expelled from Harlem Success Academy 2 on Friday, after a disciplinary hearing that resembled a kangaroo court.
Prior to the boy’s ouster, administrators from the Success Charter Network had suspended the boy an astonishing 15 times this school year. Among the allegations against him: throwing chairs and books, kicking a principal in the leg, and biting an assistant principal. On Feb. 27, the school even called 911 and had an ambulance take him to Mount Sinai Hospital’s emergency room.
“An ambush” is how the 9-year-old’s mother, Tynetta Megginson, describes the hearing.
Success officials, she claims, have been violating her son’s rights since he failed state reading and math tests last April, prompting them to retain him in third grade for another year.
“It’s sink or swim at Success Academy,” Megginson said. “If you don’t get the lessons, you get ostracized.” She kept resisting pressure to transfer her son out, she said.
The Success network of 32 charter schools, often touted for its high test scores, produces far higher student suspension rates than regular public schools.
Network chief Eva Moskowitz has denied allegations her zero-tolerance policy pushes out low-achieving or special needs pupils.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/gonzalez-boy-expelled-harlem-charter-ambush-article-1.2169154?cid=bitly

Mercedes Schneider: Is NYSUT/AFT Support for NY Opt Out Just the 2013 AFT “Moratorium” Warmed Over?

What strikes me is Magee’s care in choosing temporal language regarding opting out: Her position on urging parents to opt out is “for now.”...AFT president Randi Weingarten is also careful to include language limiting her commitment to “this year” for opting out of New York’s Pearson tests .... Mercedes Schneider

I was thinking the other day that just maybe, with the disaster hitting at the belly of the UFT/NYSUT/AFT beast, that supporting opt out might be a way out. And we did hear some noises from NYSUT's Karen Magee and AFT's Randi Weingarten (Randi Endorses Opt Out - Will Mulgrew be next? Will UFT/AFT put skin in the game?), with lesser noises from Mulgrew.

Last night Mulgrew was on NY1 and made it clear the UFT would not really do anything to encourage opt outers but that if teachers were asked they should inform parents of their rights -- Don't ask, but do tell if they should happen to ask - Mulgrew will not lift a UFT finger to assist opt out.

Some email came in this morning indicating that there was a split between NYSUT (Karen Magee) and Mulgrew. Don't believe that for a second. She may have been pissed over being shut out but what could she expect when she accepted being a Randi/Mulgrew puppet. Remember that punch you in the face video I shot of the Mulgrew at the AFT convention? Magee spoke after him to oppose the Chicago resos. and support common core. It's a good time to look at the video again from last July - Magee speaks at the 8 minute mark.



Ken Derstine in Philly just sent me this piece from Mercedes Schneider who blogs from Louisiana  but always keeps her eyes on the tricky rhetoric coming from Randi and her minions.

Mercedes nails both Randi and Magee.

Is NYSUT/AFT Support for NY Opt Out Just the 2013 AFT “Moratorium” Warmed Over?

March 31, 2015

I have read New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) president Karen Magee’s words regarding opting out of the Pearson tests that New York students currently take in lieu of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests. New York is still listed as a PARCC state; however; it has contracted for other Pearson tests than the ones bearing the 2015 Pearson-PARCC label.

Magee is still a dedicated supporter of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the conduit for this unprecedented amount of testing in grades 3 through 8 in the first place. In the March 30, 2015, Times-Union, Magee notes that she is “concerned about the botched roll out of the Common Core.” So, if the Common Core had already met Magee’s determination of adequate “roll out,” and given that unprecedented hours of testing were meant to be part of the Common Core package before there even was a “Common Core”, then what is Magee really advocating?

Her full piece is here.

An outline of education reform proposals in budget

Words fail me. Burn the contract -- it doesn't exist. I'm not clear why Cuomo left teachers with a lunch hour. Maybe get that next time. Once the idea that you can reach tenure is removed we will see an erosion of people wanting to teach.



Capitol

An outline of education reform proposals in budget

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/03/8565264/outline-education-reform-proposals-budget

ALBANY—The final budget bill containing education funding and policy, introduced on Tuesday afternoon, included modified versions of many of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s original reform proposals, including an overhauled teacher evaluation system.
Lawmakers will vote on the bill Tuesday night.
The following is an outline of what’s in the bill, by topic.

TEACHER EVALUATIONS:
A new teacher evaluation system will be based on two components: student performance on state exams and observations. It will be based on the same scale as the current system: “ineffective,” “developing,” “effective” and “highly effective.”
The component that's based on student performance on state exams includes a mandatory state test and an optional one.
Educators who teach English and math to third through eighth graders will be evaluated based partially on the federally required state tests in those grades and subjects. Similarly, those who teach high school classes that culminate in Regents exams will be evaluated based on those state tests.

Don't ask, but do tell if they should happen to ask - Mulgrew will not lift a UFT finger to assist opt out

One the question of opt-out: On NY1 Mulgrew said that parents should do what is best for their children.  If they ask us, we would tell them that the tests don't tell parents or educators anything about how their child is doing.

WTF. If they fuck'n ask us? What a pathetic excuse for a response.

MORE calls on the Mayor and Chancellor to remove Dewey principal as investigation is conducted

Ed Notes readers know all about Dewey Principal Kathleen Elvin. The MORE statement below talks about the March 25 PEP meeting where Marcia Kramer directly challenged Farina on the Dewey case. In fact we know that Tweed has been informed for a very long time - even by UFT people outside the school -- and has allowed Elvin to brutalize people --  and appointed a new Supt who is a slug - while promoting the old double slug Supt.

Teachers are forced into illegal or immoral acts. Guess who will get the brunt of punishment?

http://morecaucusnyc.org/2015/03/31/save-john-dewey-high-school/

Save John Dewey High School

As you may know, a determined group of teachers at John Dewey High School have blown the whistle on Principal Kathleen Elvin.

Since her arrival at Dewey in March 2012, Elvin’s  brutal and mercenary  policies have involved blatant and virulent harassment —–mainly directed against 55 plus teachers.
Simultaneously, Elvin oversees corrupt and fraudulent Credit Recovery and Project Graduation programs designed to pass through and ultimately send to graduation hundreds of students—in the process, establishing for Dewey bogus school statistics and for Elvin, financial remuneration!
During the past week alone, Elvin’s sickening practices have been exposed by the CBS Evening News, WPIX and the The New York Post.

On Wednesday, March 25th 2015, CBS News Chief Political Correspondent, Marcia Kramer brought the issue of Kathleen Elvin at Dewey directly to the attention of Mayor DeBlasio and Chancellor Farina during a meeting at Brooklyn Automotive High School.

Regrettably, the Mayor and Farina seem poised to cover up this scandal. The effect of such a policy would be disastrous for the teachers and students of John Dewey!
At this critical time, your help is greatly needed to maintain public pressure and hopefully hasten the departure of Elvin and her cronies from Dewey, restoring in the process, a desperately needed measure of decency and integrity to a once proud and respected NYC High School!

Please utilize your blogs to the fullest possible extent showing your solidarity and support for integrity, public education and the efforts of a truly courageous and dedicated group of teachers!

MORE calls on the Mayor and Chancellor to immediately remove the principal as they conduct their investigation. The C-30 panel should have the final decision on new administration.

AFT Partnering with Coca-Cola and Ending Its Short-Lived Boycott

I hope Randi Weingarten at least got a lifetime's worth of free product for advancing Coca-Cola’s interests over the well being of children.  --- Ray Rogers, Director of Corporate Campaign, Inc. and Campaign to Stop Killer Coke

How many ways can you sell out? Let me count the ways. Didn't the AFT convention pass a resolution on Coke this past summer that Randi had the AFT Exec Council overturn?

Why is she getting our union involved with Coke? Is Coke providing any funding for AFT activities?

From: Lew Friedman
Date: March 29, 2015 at 11:49:09 PM GMT+1
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: AFT president bows to Coca-Cola: final revised statement for Corporate Crime Reporter--done Sunday 3/29

Hi All:

The AFT Exec Council decided to end the Coca-Cola boycott that was presented at last summer's convention and later passed. In addition, Randi and the AFT is partnering with Coca-Cola to address child labor.  The following is a statement by Ray Rogers, Director of Campaign to Stop Killer Coke.

Lew

Corporate Crime Reporter Editor Russell MoKhiber asked for a comment on 3/27/15 AFT announcement which follows:

Statement by Ray Rogers, Director of Corporate Campaign, Inc. and Campaign to Stop Killer Coke: Response to American Federation of Teachers' Announcement on 3/27/15 That The Union Is Partnering with Coca-Cola and Ending Its Short-Lived Boycott

See announcement: http://www.aft.org/news/aft-and-coke-pledge-work-together-against-child-labor 

Randi Endorses Opt Out - Will Mulgrew be next? Will UFT/AFT put skin in the game?

Thank you, Randi, for personally and unambiguously endorsing opt out! Encourage your members across the nation to join those who are defending their students and their profession. It is hard to stand up alone; in unity there is strength... Diane Ravitch

Fred Smith from Change the Stakes writes:

I hate when they are spineless until they are forced to do the right thing---and then they have the balls to take credit for it. They are complete cowards, phonies and revisionists. What a sick labor world--when Randi, with no teaching experience, can continue to act out her hollow charade.

I hope Diane is not falling for this. Fred hasn't. Let's see what Randi does - ie AFT money into supporting opt out - not what she says.

People have been in touch asking what is going on just a week after Unity caucus rejected the MORE DA reso on testing and then failed to even get to their own tepid reso at that meeting.  I reported yesterday:

Did NYSUT Pres Magee Just Endorse MORE Testing Reso That Unity Rejected?

I wasn't at the DA but here is my analysis.

The MORE reso got too much support from non-Unity delegates and was a warning sign to the leadership that we had a hot issue. I believe they purposely made sure their own reso wouldn't come up as time ran out -- they could have extended if they wanted to. So they went into their "let's co-opt the issue before it takes hold."

Massive kudos to MORE's Mike Schirtzer for devising a brilliant strategy and leading the charge. He wrote most of the reso with some input from me.

They also see opt out as the only weapon - and look for some loosening of support for common core as they see themselves on the wrong side of history - as they always seem to be.

Now we know to watch what they do, not what they say. Now that Ravitch is reporting: BREAKING NEWS: AFT President Randi Weingarten Endorses Opt Out! we can expect the UFT to start making similar noises.

But reality will be if they actually do anything by using their ability to reach into every school in the city - sending their people out to spread the message, attend PTA meetings -- which CTS is doing. After all, when there is a contract or elections or anything they really want they inundate the schools - how about some literature - print up some of the CTS resources -- in case they don't know where to find them: https://changethestakes.wordpress.com.

Now we know from Randi's past, this is probably just rhetoric - let's see the AFT jump in with money to support opt out.

Ravitch argues for opt out in ways teachers can use with parents asking questions:

Opting out is not about helping the teachers' union or opposing accountability. It is a clear, unambiguous message to governors and legislators, to Congress and the Obama administration that testing is out of control. Testing is not teaching. Since the passage of NCLB in 2001-02, billions of dollars have been spent on test prep and testing. In the case of the Common Core tests, the results are not reported for 4-6 months, the teacher is not allowed to see what students got right or wrong. The tests have no diagnostic value. None. They are used solely to rank and rate students, teachers, principals, and schools. Furthermore, they are designed to fail the majority of students because of the absurd "cut scores" (passing mark) pegged to NAEP's proficient level.

 Here are some of Randi's social media meanderings -

@lacetothetop et al have asked what I'd do if I had kids in NYPS—based on what I’ve seen, if I had kids, I’d opt them out of the PEARSON (PAARC) tests this yr

It’s crazy what’s happening in NY, w/ Cuomo leading the misuse of testing. We understand why @NYSUT and parents are calling for an opt-out

We believe parents have right to opt-out & tchrs shld be able to advise parents how. We’ve said it repeatedly, are fighting for it in ESEA.

Randi tries to say she has been consistent in supporting opt out, belying the Ravitch "Breaking" headline.
I've been involved with the opt out movement for years and for the first time it seems to be reaching deeper into the schools and UFT membership who are beginning to see opt out as the only thing that can save them from ed deform - when thousands of parents use their choice -- Eva's parents don't get choice -- to vote with their feet.

Already 3 schools in one building? Why not give Eva space and make it 4? Or 5?

Don't forget to include space for the dungeon

CONCOURSE VILLAGE — Parents, students and teachers are fuming mad about a city proposal to expand a Success Academy charter school into a Bronx building that already houses three middle schools, arguing the addition will make the school crowded and dangerous. "The impression I get is that their kids are more important than our kids," said Jim Donohue, an eighth grade English teacher at Arturo Toscanini, one of the middle schools in the building. "I don't understand why they get to push half a school aside." ....DNAinfo

Really, how much has changed in Tweed since BloomKleinCott left?

The Department of Education has proposed adding grades three through five of Success Academy Bronx 3, now located at 968 Cauldwell Ave., into the building at 1000 Teller Ave., which currently houses three schools serving grades six through eight: Arturo Toscanini, the Urban Science Academy and New Millennium Business Academy Middle School.
The building also contains an Alternate Learning Center for students who are serving suspensions of up to 90 days.

They don't know the half of it as Eva's minions start demanding space for every non-classroom activity they can make up - a farting room, anyone?

Bronx Middle School Parents Angered at Success Academy Co-Location Proposal

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150330/concourse/bronx-middle-school-parents-angered-at-success-academy-co-location-proposal

I can pretty much guarantee at least 1 or more current schools will be gone to make space for Eva to grow.

The area is near Yankee Stadium --- there must be some gentrification going on --- use my personal gentrification warning signal - where Eva wants to go.

Change the Stakes Bronx Forum: Time to Talk About the Tests - Weds, April 1

CTS - doing the work the UFT won't do.

Change the Stakes
Bronx Forum: Time to Talk About the Tests - Spring greetings! Change the Stakes is very excited to promote this important discussion on testing this Wednesday, April 1st, in the Bronx. Please share... 

Make my day, ed deformers

As a member of CTS steering committee I've monitored the extensive work and prep these ladies put into these events. Oh, what warriors they are ---

Spring greetings!  Change the Stakes is very excited to promote this important discussion on testing this Wednesday, April 1st, in the Bronx.

 Please share this event with your Bronx networks and any parents, educators & others who might be interested.

Download flyer

 TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE TESTS

JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH:

Jamaal Bowman

Opt Out meeting in Queens this Wednesday night!

Teachers who read this blog must take an active hand in supporting the opt out movement as the only way to counter the total assault. Join NYC Opt Out on facebook. Go to the Queens meeting on Wed. if you can.

Janine Sopp posted in NYC Opt Out

Opt Out meeting in Queens this Wednesday night! Spread the word! There will be a public forum about opting out of the State Tests hosted by a Jackson Heights, Queens neighborhood organization called People for Public Schools.

The meeting will be on April 1 at 7:30pm at the Community United Methodist Church at 81-10 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights. For more information you can email peopleforpublicschools@gmail.com

Breaking: School funding and teacher evaluations are linked after all, a top official with the state education department said late Monday.

Ask Mulgrew if his "Our hard work has paid dividends" statement still holds? Oh where oh where are our Unity trolls?

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/03/8565148/state-ed-aid-increase-tied-new-evaluation-plans

Norm in The Wave: Condemning State Budget Plan as UFT/NYSUT Tries to Put Lipstick on the Pig

Posted to The WAVE for publication April 3, 2015
www.rockawave.com

Condemning State Budget Plan as UFT/NYSUT Tries to Put Lipstick on the Pig

By Norm Scott

As I hit deadline (Monday afternoon) details of the state budget agreement pertaining to education have been emerging all day. UFT President Mulgrew Mulgrew, in a wtf moment for me: 

“Our hard work has paid dividends: In a rebuke to the anti-public-school agenda of hedge-fund billionaires, the state Legislature tonight reached agreement on a new budget and a package of education proposals that will immediately increase aid to public schools, ensure that teacher evaluations do not hinge on state test scores and ensure local oversight of struggling schools.”

 Let's see:

·      Extending tenure to 4 years – with principal options to extend it further year after year.

·      Bringing in outside observers to observe teachers (how would police unions react to that?).

·      State receivership of "failing" schools – another way to funnel money away from public schools and into private hands.

·      Expedited teacher firings based on test scores ("ineffective" on the test component and you have to be rated "ineffective" overall - two straight "ineffectives" and you're fired.)

·      Turning over all unresolved issues to the crooked NY State Ed department.

These are dividends? The UFT is parsing at its best. One of the things Cuomo didn’t get – yet – is raising the charter school cap. That battle is still to come. I have some solace in that Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder assured me that while he supports charter schools (shame on him) he doesn’t support raising the cap – I will be watching for his vote. Unfortunately Phil also supports the Education Tax Credit giveaway to private/parochial school interests which would funnel up to $300 million a year to parents who choose to keep their kids out of public school – they want choice, let them pay for it. (As I pointed out to Phil – I might like to have a private carting firm pick up my garbage on more convenient days – can I get a tax credit?)

Jeanette Deutermann, a  parent test opt out leader from Long Island didn’t quite agree with Mulgrew:

“Our sellout lawmakers just agreed to turn our classrooms into testing factories. They agreed to make our children worth no more than a score. They have put us firmly down the course to dismantling our unions, and have decided that our voices don't matter. All that is left for us is to say is "we refuse". This classroom killing deal can only work if they get our test scores. We will deny them the weapon being used to destroy our schools. WE DO NOT CONSENT!!!!!! … And UFT/Mulgrew declares victory????? Mulgrew it is DEFINITELY time for you to go. City teachers, time to rise up. I rarely get involved w UFT politics, but his praise of this horrendous deal shows how this has happened. I've had enough. NYSUT, we're waiting for a response, and it had better be a strong one.”

 

Karen Magee, NYSUT (the state-wide union) president, did respond Monday afternoon:   

“We are encouraging parents to opt out… we will be taking further steps to make parents aware of this.”   

This was surprising to some, given Magee is considered a Mulgrew puppet. The Mulgrew led Unity Caucus at just last week’s (March 25) Delegate Assembly had turned down a strong ant-high stakes testing/pro opt out resolution proposed by MORE, the caucus I am a member of (morecaucusnyc.org/2015/03/25/opt-out-resolution-defeated-by-uft-leadership).

The rejected MORE resolution called on the UFT to:

·      declare its opposition to the use of state- or federal-mandated standardized tests for the purposes of making grade promotion, graduation, teacher evaluation, or other high-stakes decisions regarding students or teachers.

·      supports the right of parents and guardians to choose to opt-out their children from any or all state- or federally-mandated testing, and supports the right of teachers to discuss freely with parents and guardians their rights and responsibilities with respect to such testing, all without any negative consequences from NYC DOE.

·      will fully support and protect members and others who may suffer any negative consequences as a result of speaking about their views of such testing or about the rights and obligations of parents and guardians with respect to such testing.

·      will use its organizational capacity to inform members in every chapter about the right of parents/guardians to opt-out their children from state or federal mandated testing.

·      will support and defend members who are conscientious objectors to administering standardized assessments.

·      will demand an immediate halt to all Common Core based testing, curriculum and standards, until it has been properly field tested.

What’s not to like? The UFT has the ability to reach out to every school in the city to inform and promote the advantages of opting out and to support parents who are threatened and denied their rights by school administrators. As the education disaster movie plays out, my guess is that the UFT/Unity Caucus will start to see some merit in aspects of the MORE resolution relating to opt out. If the tests are going to be misused, deny them the data.

As I was closing, NYSAPE, a state coalition of parents headlined: Legislators MUST Vote NO to Budget bill (www.nysape.org/legislators-must-vote-no-to-budget-bill.html). Come on Phil, take the pledge.

Norm blogs too often at: ednotesonline.org

Did NYSUT Pres Magee Just Endorse MORE Testing Reso That Unity Rejected?

Going on the offense, NYSUT’s Magee calls for test boycott

“We are encouraging parents to opt out,” Magee said explaining that instructions for an opt-out are on their website. She also said “we will be taking further steps to make parents aware of this.”.... Capitol Confidential

AA (Always Amazing) Lauren Cohen makes reso at DA

I was asked just now what does nysut support for opt out means given the UFT/Unity turning down the MORE reso that called for support for the opt out movement
- see reso and commentary at nyceducator: DA Takeaway.
My response:

good cop, bad cop ---- desperation -- watch uft begin to reverse on opt out -- maybe even common core --- walls closing in.

I usually get uft motivation but on reluctance to jump in with both feet on opt out i just don't get. I need to understand why uft resists jumping on the bandwagon - fear of tabloids accusing them of acting like a union?

Really, think about it. An all out assault on the tests in support of opt out by the uft could double or triple the opt out movement and undermine Cuomo's victory lap.  Imagine uft staffers actually being used for good? Send reps to every PTA meeting in every school. Do what NJEA did with hard hitting opt out ads. Now that's something even I would contribute to.

MORE Reports on The #ProtectOurSchools Rally

I won't comment at this time on the effectiveness of a rally that the uft helped organize that drew a reported 2000 people - the uft will spin the budget deal as a victory - [satire alert] maybe those 2000 people in front of his office scared Cuomo into giving up --

Perdido sees things like I do ---

NYSUT, UFT Bring Us Another Disaster

So much for all those rallies, ad and rhetoric from union leaders that they're not going to let Governor Cuomo destroy public schools. The budget agreement was announced last night and in it we got details of the new teacher evaluation system and other education reforms agreed to by Cuomo, the Assembly and the Senate.
Three parts should be particularly galling to you if you're a teacher:

 We don't need no stinkin' details to know we were screwed -- if there were no rallies or actions, would the result have been much different? I'll do some details another time.

For MORE, though, the rally was a win, with some of our key people - Jia Lee, Patrick Walsh and Mindy Rosier - all current or past members of steering - playing roles.

Here is the report (morecaucusnyc
#ProtectOurSchools Rally) from the MORE blog:

UFT members, parents, and supporters of public schools all around New York State took part in rallies, protests and forums, created wonderful signs, reached out to the press and used social media to spread our love for public schools. These actions culminated in a rally at Governor Cuomo’s Manhattan office with thousands of people demanding that the Governor work with us, not against us.

MORE believes these actions should be the start, not the end, of a mass mobilization of educators and parents to have our voices heard. Too many decisions have been made without our input. This needs to change now!

Our due process tenure rights are under attack as is the very concept of being in a union. We must continue to build actions alongside parents, students, and the communities we serve to show our strength.

MORE was well represented at the Rally To Protect Our Schools on March 28 with Mindy Rosier, Jia Lee, and Patrick Walsh all featured as speakers.

Noah Gotbaum - Parent Advocate
http://youtu.be/tl_j-qQ9va4

Mindy Rosier - Jeremy Dudley - Teachers
http://youtu.be/bhHlmaCD21E

Patrick Walsh - Teacher
http://youtu.be/JwSrN_nT3EA

Jia Lee - Teacher
http://youtu.be/gyFpIuJWxIQ

Thousands joined to #protectourschools in Manhattan today! Speakers included Zephyr Teachout, Robert Jackson, Lisa Rudley, PS 321 principal Liz Phillips, Karen Sprowal, Noah Gotbaum, and more!

Here's the lone press report on the rally

Students, parents, and teachers protest New York governor's plan to tie standardized tests to teacher evaluations

Thousands Rally Against Cuomo's Billionaire-Backed Education Scheme

Bloody Budget Sunday

Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Heastie Announce Agreement on 2015-16 Budget

I'll leave it to wiser heads to analyze what it means. But bloody it may be.

off to sleep, per chance to dream - counting crooked politicians.

Hand Saga 3: Three nights in Hosp of Joint Diseases - I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else

Puncture wounds are always relentlessly risky. Septic conditions… that is truly frightening. I have 2 contractor friends who have both nearly died from precisely this type of injury. I hope all is well with you, please be careful!... email message

‎Sending love and healing....
 From my good pals at Change the Stakes

A get well photo to Norm from 3rd Ave

i'm at the rally - sort of

I'm writing this as a lessons to learn multi-part saga. The first 2 parts:

• - talk to the hand - Lessons Learned

• Hand Saga 2: Nail Guns 

After i got home from the hospital friday i saw mike, the contractor who does work next door, using a Passlode gas powered light nailer and told him my story. He said he had to go to the hospital on 3 separate occasions with similar injuries, once with an entire nail through his hand with the head butting up against his skin - he pried it out with a plier. ugh! Who knew about this stuff?

Let me take you back to Tuesday afternoon, March 24. I was going to pick up the high school newsletter in Flushing at noon but it was delayed until 5. My hand kept getting worse and I called Dr. M. He said I had to go to a hand surgeon who would open it up to drain it and gave me 2 names, both in the same office.