test Archive

  • Kennewick School Board Meeting May 9, 2012 Section 1: What transpired Personal comments (based on my Leadership WSSDA training) in Italics Section 2: What was not included Section 1 Present were school board members Dawn Adams, Heather Kintzley, Brian Brooks (5:35), Ben Messinger, Ron Mabry, and Maricarmen Garza.  KSD staff: Dave Bond (Superintendent), Vic Roberts, Chuck Lybeck, Bev Johnson-Torelli, Jack Anderson, Greg Fancher, Linda Tucker, Ron Williamson, Lorraine Cooper, Bev Henderson, Steve Biehn, Vickiy VanBeek, Dennis Boatman and Ethan Schwebke.  Also present, a representative of KEA, several members of a Boy Scout Troop and members of the public.  The room was almost full.   The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM by president Dawn Adams who led the Pledge of Allegiance.

    Kennewick School Board Report for May 9

    Posted on May 13, 2012 | 1 Comment
    Kennewick School Board Meeting May 9, 2012 Section 1: What transpired Personal comments (based on my Leadership WSSDA training) in Italics Section 2: What was not included Section 1 Present were school board members Dawn Adams, Heather Kintzley, Brian Brooks (5:35), Ben Messinger, Ron Mabry, and Maricarmen Garza.  KSD staff: Dave Bond (Superintendent), Vic Roberts, Chuck Lybeck, Bev Johnson-Torelli, Jack Anderson, Greg Fancher, Linda Tucker, Ron Williamson, Lorraine Cooper, Bev Henderson, Steve Biehn, Vickiy VanBeek, Dennis Boatman and Ethan Schwebke.  Also present, a representative of KEA, several members of a Boy Scout Troop and members of the public.  The room was almost full.   The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM by president Dawn Adams who led the Pledge of Allegiance.

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  • The STEM Foundation will expand this program Student test scores would rank Delta High School in 25th place among Washington State high schools if Delta was recognized as a high school apart from its feeder schools.  STEM Executive Director, Karen Baker stated this accomplishment was made with a cross section of students from three school districts selected by lottery.  Entering ninth grade students have math and language skills ranging from 4th to 12th grade and 47% qualify for free and reduced cost lunch. Operating counter to the trend of the past twenty years which has schools reducing or eliminating elective and exploratory classes in favor of doubles academic classes, Delta embraces hands-on student activities with teachers integrating academics and projects. One measure of Delta’s success is illustrated by 2011 HSPE scores.  Student growth at Delta was well above national and state norms...

    Delta High School Project Based Learning is Achieving Success

    Posted on April 27, 2012 | 2 Comments
    The STEM Foundation will expand this program Student test scores would rank Delta High School in 25th place among Washington State high schools if Delta was recognized as a high school apart from its feeder schools.  STEM Executive Director, Karen Baker stated this accomplishment was made with a cross section of students from three school districts selected by lottery.  Entering ninth grade students have math and language skills ranging from 4th to 12th grade and 47% qualify for free and reduced cost lunch. Operating counter to the trend of the past twenty years which has schools reducing or eliminating elective and exploratory classes in favor of doubles academic classes, Delta embraces hands-on student activities with teachers integrating academics and projects. One measure of Delta’s success is illustrated by 2011 HSPE scores.  Student growth at Delta was well above national and state norms...

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  • Another view of a test used in Kennewick schools. The federal Reading First program has come under repeated scrutiny for corruption, exposing how individuals in charge of monitoring the program have pushed products, such as the DIBELS test, from which they have benefited financially (see “Reading First,” this issue). Complementing the financial corruption is ideological corruption. In Examining DIBELS: What It Is and What It Does, Ken Goodman and his colleagues carefully dissect the test, concluding that it is conceptually flawed and educationally harmful. Follow this link to the complete article: http://www.fairtest.org/dibels-pedagogy-absurd-hurts-children For the Reading First article: http://www.fairtest.org/reading-first-financial-corruption      

    DIBELS: Pedagogy of the Absurd Hurts Children

    Posted on April 24, 2012 | No Comments
    Another view of a test used in Kennewick schools. The federal Reading First program has come under repeated scrutiny for corruption, exposing how individuals in charge of monitoring the program have pushed products, such as the DIBELS test, from which they have benefited financially (see “Reading First,” this issue). Complementing the financial corruption is ideological corruption. In Examining DIBELS: What It Is and What It Does, Ken Goodman and his colleagues carefully dissect the test, concluding that it is conceptually flawed and educationally harmful. Follow this link to the complete article: http://www.fairtest.org/dibels-pedagogy-absurd-hurts-children For the Reading First article: http://www.fairtest.org/reading-first-financial-corruption      

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  • There was an evaluation system that had passed through the [Washington] state legislature last year which was a four tiered process. OSPI and WEA were working together with a pilot program to develop the system but that wasn’t good enough for the same folks that last year had pushed that very bill. Nope, now the stakes have to be higher. It was determined that a certain percentage of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on their students’ test scores. It doesn’t’ matter what percentage it is, it does matter that it is based on test scores. This is called “high stakes testing”. Follow this link to read the entire article: http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/opting-out-of-high-stakes-testing/

    High Stakes Testing for Kennewick Students and Teachers

    Posted on April 6, 2012 | 1 Comment
    There was an evaluation system that had passed through the [Washington] state legislature last year which was a four tiered process. OSPI and WEA were working together with a pilot program to develop the system but that wasn’t good enough for the same folks that last year had pushed that very bill. Nope, now the stakes have to be higher. It was determined that a certain percentage of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on their students’ test scores. It doesn’t’ matter what percentage it is, it does matter that it is based on test scores. This is called “high stakes testing”. Follow this link to read the entire article: http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/opting-out-of-high-stakes-testing/

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  • I have been concerned about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) since the idea was announced.  The “State” in State Standards is a ruse.  These are national standards developed by some “blue ribbon” panel of experts (No teachers were included) in some far off, unnamed office.  Pearson, the testing giant, was involved of course.  Then every state was coerced into adopting the standards by withholding Federal funds for non-compliance.  A few states resisted, but Washington was not one of them.   In addition to my mistrust of standards developed by someone far away from my town and grandchildren, the “standards” approach to education has not worked after more than 10 years of trying.  In Washington it is more like 15 years.  National Assessment test scores have remained flat for the entire time and the achievement gap, which was closing during...

    Flabby to the ‘Core’

    Posted on April 1, 2012 | 2 Comments
    I have been concerned about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) since the idea was announced.  The “State” in State Standards is a ruse.  These are national standards developed by some “blue ribbon” panel of experts (No teachers were included) in some far off, unnamed office.  Pearson, the testing giant, was involved of course.  Then every state was coerced into adopting the standards by withholding Federal funds for non-compliance.  A few states resisted, but Washington was not one of them.   In addition to my mistrust of standards developed by someone far away from my town and grandchildren, the “standards” approach to education has not worked after more than 10 years of trying.  In Washington it is more like 15 years.  National Assessment test scores have remained flat for the entire time and the achievement gap, which was closing during...

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  • This scenario comes from documentation sent to a Kennewick district administrator.  This teacher has been working to implement SBG in her classroom for nearly 5 years but still struggles with the cycle of reteaching and reassessing.   You are right.  Most teachers give of themselves daily to meet student needs and you would notice that in a walk-through of any school.  I finally see why you might not realize the full impact of SBG on teachers as you may not understand the cycle required to implement it.  Hopefully, this will help bring us closer to understanding.   SBG requires far more time than the traditional grading system.  In order to maintain the workload of assessment, many H3MS teachers are working an additional ½ to 2 ½ hours a day to meet student assessment / reassessment needs.

    A Teacher’s Experience with Standards Based Grading

    Posted on March 26, 2012 | 2 Comments
    This scenario comes from documentation sent to a Kennewick district administrator.  This teacher has been working to implement SBG in her classroom for nearly 5 years but still struggles with the cycle of reteaching and reassessing.   You are right.  Most teachers give of themselves daily to meet student needs and you would notice that in a walk-through of any school.  I finally see why you might not realize the full impact of SBG on teachers as you may not understand the cycle required to implement it.  Hopefully, this will help bring us closer to understanding.   SBG requires far more time than the traditional grading system.  In order to maintain the workload of assessment, many H3MS teachers are working an additional ½ to 2 ½ hours a day to meet student assessment / reassessment needs.

    Continue Reading...

  • Mark Naison When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it Mark Naison Fordham University This is a strange time to be involved in education. Either those shaping education policy on the state and federal level- many of whom have never been teachers- are incapable of imagining the consequences of their policies in actual classrooms, or they are cynically trying to destroy public education in the United States. No better example of this is the now widely practiced policy of rating teachers based on student test scores, and using variations in those scores, through the “value added” formula, as the basis for determining teachers’ professional standing. All throughout the nation teachers are being told that if they don’t raise student test scores, they could lose their tenure, lose their jobs, and in some...

    When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it

    Posted on March 20, 2012 | 1 Comment
    Mark Naison When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it Mark Naison Fordham University This is a strange time to be involved in education. Either those shaping education policy on the state and federal level- many of whom have never been teachers- are incapable of imagining the consequences of their policies in actual classrooms, or they are cynically trying to destroy public education in the United States. No better example of this is the now widely practiced policy of rating teachers based on student test scores, and using variations in those scores, through the “value added” formula, as the basis for determining teachers’ professional standing. All throughout the nation teachers are being told that if they don’t raise student test scores, they could lose their tenure, lose their jobs, and in some...

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  • SBG is still controversial This article was planned as a progress report on implementation of SBG in Kennewick middle schools.  Building administrators have declined requests for information about the status of SBG in their buildings.  While my first interview was with a teacher who favors SBG and generally speaks well of its adoption most staff members I contacted are critical of SBG. Consequently, I make no claim to be representing a comprehensive view of SBG in Kennewick.  My efforts to obtain information from building administrators will continue and will be reported later.   Middle school teachers from Highlands, Horse Heaven Hills and Park met with Kennewick Education Association (KEA) and Washington Education Association (WEA) representatives recently to register concerns about the implementation of SBG.  As a consequence, KEA filed grievances with Kennewick School District on behalf of the Union. Desert...

    Standards Based Grading in KSD Middle Schools – Update on Implementation

    Posted on March 14, 2012 | 5 Comments
    SBG is still controversial This article was planned as a progress report on implementation of SBG in Kennewick middle schools.  Building administrators have declined requests for information about the status of SBG in their buildings.  While my first interview was with a teacher who favors SBG and generally speaks well of its adoption most staff members I contacted are critical of SBG. Consequently, I make no claim to be representing a comprehensive view of SBG in Kennewick.  My efforts to obtain information from building administrators will continue and will be reported later.   Middle school teachers from Highlands, Horse Heaven Hills and Park met with Kennewick Education Association (KEA) and Washington Education Association (WEA) representatives recently to register concerns about the implementation of SBG.  As a consequence, KEA filed grievances with Kennewick School District on behalf of the Union. Desert...

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