Fred Smith: Everyone Should Opt Out of Field Tests Where Pearson Uses Your Kids as Guinea Pigs

In his letter below to parents, Fred issues a call to opt out.

Let the deformers try to see these rocks as being important --- they count for nothing but a waste of time. Fred is on the case, as always. June 7, 2012 we held a rally in front of the Pearson offices with hundreds of people and Janine Sopp had a bill for the costs of using child labor - I think it was $35 million. Still waiting for Pearson to pay.

Here are some ed notes archives from June, 2012 and some pics:

• Field Trip Against Field Tests: Parent Protest Pearson: June 7 @ 11:00 am

• Fred Smith: Saying No to This Week’s Field Tests
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• Pearson Rally Pics

Republished from NYC Parents blog, May 19, 2015:

The field tests are coming! The field tests are coming! Opt out says testing expert Fred Smith

Dear parents,

I just wanted to call your attention to the stand-alone field tests that are coming in June.  This is the fourth year in a row that SED and Pearson have followed this questionable approach.  And each year they do it without informing parents about the field tests.

The list of schools is here.  Change the Stakes also has information about the 1,013 schools and grades that have been targeted to give the ELA and math field tests.  The window for administering the tests is from June 1 through June 10.   Some schools have been tapped to give the tests on two grade levels. I have projected that 135,000 children are targeted to be guinea pigs in this sample of schools. A sample opt out letter is here.

Please remember that taking the tests is not mandated.  There is absolutely no requirement for kids to take them--and they have proven to be a flawed way to develop the Core-aligned exams that children have had to endure since 2012.  The CtS web site also provides information about the nature of the field tests and why children should not take them.

The key to putting an end to this practice is to insist that parents be made aware of the tests and asked to fill out a consent form if they want their children to participate.  But, to date, both Albany (SED) and Chancellor Farina have not notified parents about this field testing scheme and have not sought their permission.  Continuation of the stand-alone field tests has depended on keeping parents in the dark.

We must spread the word to all parents, especially those whose children are in a targeted school, that the tests are coming, and parents have the right to reject them.  It is a safe and responsible step to take along the path to greater parental involvement and empowerment.

Best, Fred Smith

Video: Choose to Refuse Rap - As Mulgrew Argues for "Better" Tests

• JP Lee Clearly, he is suggesting that the state spend more money on more expensive tests, which will direct money away from the schools and into the pockets of testing and other ed corporations. I don't have the words...

While Mulgrew argues for "better" standardized high stakes tests in his Daily News piece, the resistance continues. But watch out for that punch in the face.

Francesca Gomes via United Federation of Teachers

Mulgrew... Being dragged behind the movement kicking and screaming. Mike, our kids deserve better assessment than standardized tests, not better tests. My union president, ladies and gentlemen!

• Kathy Kingston Wow!!

  Like · Reply · 10 hrs
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• Denis Ian More civil disobedience is the answer. There's no effective response to that.

  Like · Reply · 2 · 9 hrs
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• Tim Farley My guess is opt out will be near 100% next year.

  Like · Reply · 2 · 9 hrs
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• Valerie Dicaprio His newfound concern for the needs of our children is disingenuous. He's still plugging away for CC.

  Like · Reply · 5 · 9 hrs
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• Denis Ian We're just getting started ... and we have the election year energy to rush us along. It seems it's always a good time for usually deaf politicians to prick their ears ... and pay closer attention to those who elect them rather than bribe them.

  Like · Reply · 4 · 9 hrs
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• Loy Gross Is this punch-you-in-the-face dude? Can I punch him in the face?

  Like · Reply · 5 · 9 hrs
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• Valerie Dicaprio Only if I can push him "in the dirt" when you're done.

  Like · Reply · 4 · 9 hrs
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• Denis Ian Yes, ladies ... this is the guy you wanna slap-silly.

  Like · Reply · 5 · 9 hrs
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• Loy Gross And then we'll both stomp on him. Sounds like a plan.

  Like · Reply · 3 · 9 hrs
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• Valerie Dicaprio Yes. Lucy, you got it. Love, Ethel

  Like · Reply · 3 · 9 hrs
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• Dawn Marie He's an ass period . How the heck did he become president of UFT ??!!I'd love to see him and Weingarten ousted .

  Like · Reply · 9 · 9 hrs
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• JP Lee Clearly, he is suggesting that the state spend more money on more expensive tests, which will direct money away from the schools and into the pockets of testing and other ed corporations. I don't have the words...

  Like · Reply · 4 · 9 hrs
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• Denis Ian Perhaps the unions think the testing corporations will be their new bed-mates ... as they seem to have been betrayed by the politicians they so lovingly lathered their money on ... to no avail any longer.

  Like · Reply · 9 hrs
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Stacey Kahn He's full of it.

Mark Naison

Teachers union leaders support of national testing is going to force more and more parents to homeschool or organize schools of their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_4TwuUbG0&feature=youtu.be

Charter School Hedge Hog Backer of PAVE, Julian Robertson: Hedge Funds Close Doors, Facing Low Returns and Investor Scrutiny

There is joy in Mudville. I love the smell of bad news for hedge funds in the morning. Robertson's son Spencer Robertson heads PAVE Academy, which is the school that invaded the space of Julie Cavanagh's PS 15 in Red Hook. The good thing that came out of it was how it mobilized the community to fight back.

Julian Robertson, founder of Tiger Management. This year, three funds it spun out have closed. Credit Vaughan Leighton Brookfield for The New York Times

For decades, nearly everything that the billionaire Julian Robertson touched turned to gold. Mr. Robertson, founder of the hedge fund Tiger Management, seeded a network of hugely successful “Tiger Cubs” — companies that in turn seeded more talent. It became the closest thing the hedge fund industry had to a dynasty.

Since the start of this year, however, the managers of three firms spun out of that gilded empire have called it quits after volatile performances and sometimes steep losses. They will return money to investors and focus on managing their own wealth.

TigerShark, Tiger Consumer and JAT Capital Management are just three examples among a recent wave of hedge funds that have closed their doors to investors in the face of choppy markets. They are a reminder that the hedge fund industry is not all spectacular returns... NY Times, May 16, 2015

Hedge Funds Close Doors, Facing Low Returns and Investor Scrutiny

New York Times‎ - 1 day ago

 

Rumore wins in Buffalo - Too Bad for Stronger Together and Chaos in Hawaii over 2 opponents --

Phil Rumore supported Revile NYSUT last year. There was hope Buffalo could join the other big cities with reform union leadership. 34 years of Rumore running this operation. Jeez.

And from the oft-anti- union Educational Intelligence Agency (EIA) comes this news on the election in Hawaii where the losers are fusing to leave. As Glenn Tepper emailed: This is deja vu all over again, circa UFT 1980's…

Glenn is referring to the 1985 UFT election where the opposition won the high school VP officer position for the only time in history and Unity protested the election for that position - an brazen abuse of democracy, since the UFT under Unity had been in charge of the election. A decade later they changed the constitution to make sure this could never happen again by removing the elections of divisional VPS from the divisions and allowing everyone in the union to vote for them (at-large voting).

If the opposition ever begins to get close in the UFT, they will just keep changing the rules to keep themselves in power - how about every retiree gets to vote twice - or have their votes weighted by years of service?

No Aloha After Union Election

Posted: 18 May 2015 10:26 AM PDT

Hawaii State Teachers Association president Wil Okabe was term-limited out this year, leading his vice president, Joan Lewis, to seek the post. She was challenged by Corey Rosenlee, a member of the union’s board of directors. Rosenlee ran on a slate from the Hawaii Teachers for Change caucus, who want to transform HSTA “from a business model union to an organizing union.”
There was a long delay in announcing the outcome of the election until finally HSTA told members there would be a runoff for the office of vice president. But the union didn’t disclose the actual vote counts, nor did it certify the results for president or secretary-treasurer.
The runoff was held, but in a marathon session on Saturday the union’s board of directors voted not to certify the results of either the first election or the runoff, citing unnamed irregularities.
This caused a firestorm of protest, particularly after secretary-treasurer candidate Osa Tui revealed he had lost the initial vote to Teachers for Change candidate Amy Perruso. Tui then withdrew from the race.
Angry activists are peppering the union’s Facebook page with demands for transparency, while conspiracy theories begin to float around. A Change.org petition has been posted calling for all details of the votes and the board meeting to be made public.
It’s still too early to call this type of thing a trend, but the days of simply anointing new union presidents do seem to be gradually coming to an end. 

Back to Buffalo, where we hear our blogging pal Sean Crowley won election to the exec bd. He should only make Rumore's life miserable.

707 for Rumore, 344 for Foster and 299 for Bruno. They are within not too many votes to force a runoff.

All three say they're disappointed with turnout -- a little more than 1,300 of the union's 3,400 hundred members voted.
But Foster says his and Bruno's combined 643 votes to Rumore's 707 shows there's a place for new leadership and ideas in the union.

Interesting how many unions have provisions for a runoff - natch - the UFT doesn't.

Phil Rumore Re-Elected President of Buffalo Teachers Federation

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/buffalo/top-stories/2015/05/16/rumore-re-elected-btf-president.html

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- BTF President Philip Rumore says it's an honor to be re-elected to the position he's held for 34 years, but he knows the next two years will come with their share of challenges.
"We've got negotiations, we've got the APPR," said Rumore. "I look forward to working with all of them -- Marc Bruno, Pat Foster, and all the campaigns.  We've got a lot of work to do, so we've got to pull together."
Both challengers say they plan to stand behind Rumore, but they expressed concerns with the election process.
"One concern we had was in past elections, there was a two-step process:  the outside envelope was opened and the ballots were separated on the first floor...and then in the basement, another step was taken that was behind closed doors, with a window.  That was improved this time, that everything was done on the first floor," said candidate Patrick Foster, who received 344 votes.
Candidate Marc Bruno, who received 299 votes, says there's a chance he may contest the results.  He says some of the union's bylaws and election procedures are vague and outdated, and questions he posed to the election committee weren't answered.  He also believes parts of the federal law that regulates union elections were violated and has concerns about how ballots are counted.
"You have a bunch of counting teams reading off numbers, and there is potential for human error.  Our observers had different numbers than the counters came up with, so that's a problem," said Bruno.
All three say they're disappointed with turnout -- a little more than 1,300 of the union's 3,400 hundred members voted.
But Foster says his and Bruno's combined 643 votes to Rumore's 707 shows there's a place for new leadership and ideas in the union.
"We also feel that there's other teachers that've been in the trenches, in the classrooms currently, and are seeing how these regulations have manifested themselves and how they impact the teacher who's in the classroom right now," Foster said.
All say a main priority will be negotiating a new contract for teachers, who've been without one for the past 11 years.
"We're going to start, within the next week or so, picketing board members' houses, turn up the heat on them.  They've gotta come around and say, 'Look -- these are our employees.  We need to treat them right," said Rumore.  
Ultimately, each candidate says it will be important for the union to band together to face these issues.
"Solidarity, you know, you hear that all the time," said Bruno. "So, whoever the winner is, you want to support them and move forward and do what's best for students and teachers."

South Bronx School: BREAKING NEWS!! My 3020-a Decision Arrived

I attended most of Peter's 3020a hearings. The principal, Allison Coviello, tried to come off as super competent but often came across as a zealot who put enormous time and effort into taking away the livelihood of a former colleague, who she clearly had targeted for removal even before she became principal.

Going after a cluster teacher who sees 300 kids a week for not differentiating instruction in his 45 minutes with the kids once or twice a week, for instance. NYSUT attorney Jennifer Hogan was on the case, pointing out that other clusters were not treated the same way and that he was being compared to push-in teachers who spend hours a day with the kids.

Coviello, who tried to maintain a calm exterior, struck me as a cold-hearted automaton. And I think the hearing officer must have agreed to some extent as her decision not to terminate Peter demonstrates. Still, to keep her job, she split the baby and suspended Peter for 4 months, in essence a massive fine. We never expected him not to be fined, but this is excessive.

He will not be returned to his school, which would be Coviello's worst nightmare. He is suing and from my information, the DOE is very nervous about suits and is looking to settle with people who do sue. Peter has a court date for his suit on Weds. Do you think the decision coming down less than 48 hours before the court date is a coincidence after months of waiting for a decision?

By not taking Peter's job, they are hoping to take away the guts of his court case. They won't. Courts don't owe anything to DOE legal.

Check his blog for updates.

BREAKING NEWS!! My 3020-a Decision Arrived

The decision is in!

I kept my job.

I have a 4 month suspension.

I have yet to read the decision. Will read it by tomorrow.

Details to follow.

Court date in Manhattan Supreme Court this Wednesday morning.

Thank you to all those that have supported me throughout this long and arduous process.