tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post9029003178410915940..comments2023-11-03T04:00:24.785-04:00Comments on Kentucky School News and Commentary: Quick HitsRichard Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586435007687942849noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-37899732709457450292012-02-08T14:54:50.813-05:002012-02-08T14:54:50.813-05:00"The pressure to perform well on high-stakes ..."The pressure to perform well on high-stakes standardized tests" is certainly a problem but not for the reason's that the Department of Education is justifying. <br /><br />I remember when teacher's were suppose to be worried about individual students learning out of personal concern for the children for whom they were teaching and caring for each day; Not out of fear that our school index score would drop compared to the guys next door or some school in Oregon.<br /><br />Regretably, we have allowed politians, private vendors, the media, pop culture perceptions and our own lack of proactivenss to rob our profession of its ideals and nobility. Teachers by in large come to the profession for intrensic reasons which have to do with contributing to their community, serving children and having the opportunity to make a genuine impact on a student's life. What was once a profession has now become the scape goat for every ill in our culture and as a result given sole responsiblity for it remedy. At the same time the identity of trusted and educated professional has been replaced with an identity which is portrayed as something which can be as easily programed into any adult as downloading a piece of software; if not actually replaced by some sort of standarized online program. Programs perform only what they are created to do, people are a much messier and unpredicable proposition. <br /><br />Somewhere along the line we were told that our service was not good enough nor where we, educators, by people who had never stepped foot into a classroom to teach. We could not be trusted and had to be overseen and developed in to something much more important - instruments for a standardized education pre-packaged and sold to those in control as the enlighened solution to the student's and teacher's poor performance. <br /><br />Similarly, we now have the Department of Education assessment police looking for "irregularities" in our implementation of their plans within our schools. We have districts relieving us of our jobs if those assessments aren't high enough or we aren't willing and able to embrace their pedagogy.<br /><br />I certainly don't endorse cheating but I must say, I am not completely sure teachers haven't already been cheating the students by allowing those in power to impose that which we know is not what is best for our school or our students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-44691640141756130922012-02-05T00:37:59.112-05:002012-02-05T00:37:59.112-05:00How ironic that the Department of Education is giv...How ironic that the Department of Education is giving teachers best practices on appropriate assessment administration when prior to all of this test driving mentality, it was the teachers who oversaw the students to ensure fair testing practices. Like the thin blue line, I believe that teachers would be increasingly less inclined to report colleagues for testing misconduct in light of the decreasing respect which educators have for that process and the invasive nature it has on the school culture and profession.<br /><br />Wonder how other professions would respond if assessment tools and evaluators created and originating outside the institution were used as part of their local organization's review as well as their colleages' employment evaluation.<br /><br />The tests are meant to measure student growth, not teacher effectiveness. You might as well fire the folks who create the tests for developing examinations which students can score 100%.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-21185881916646364382012-02-05T00:28:12.128-05:002012-02-05T00:28:12.128-05:00Duh! Student plagerism has become epidemic. Not o...Duh! Student plagerism has become epidemic. Not only do teachers have to become more engaged in teaching specific citation and writing parameters but they have to be more intune with detecting software for these transgressions. As an educator, I am increasingly growing impatient and less tolerant of seasoned and technologically indifferent instructors acting like disenfranchiesed victims of techonological applications. How ironic that an educator will not LEARN how to use a tool to help themselves teach and their students learn. Either you learn to use it or your students will learn how to use it on you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-55312745070146943132012-02-05T00:22:51.860-05:002012-02-05T00:22:51.860-05:00At some point, especially in this era of smart pho...At some point, especially in this era of smart phone technology (Iphone, blackberry, etc) computers are going to become student accessory/tool responsiblities - just like a pencil or note book. School's hopefully will become freed from becoming the technology suppliers of families and that will become a student expectation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-57469867783603822452012-02-05T00:19:52.744-05:002012-02-05T00:19:52.744-05:00Look out Florida Schools: after a few years of sch...Look out Florida Schools: after a few years of school ranking in the newspaper, the bottom dozen or two will be identified as "persistently failing" and then he real fun will begin. You might find yourself making significant gaines on some elements or areas which aren't even measured and still being identified as failing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-10223744095551129532012-02-05T00:16:29.331-05:002012-02-05T00:16:29.331-05:00Interesting story about student technology supplem...Interesting story about student technology supplementing schools need. Funny, if we tried to float this for social security or wealth folks paying for their own insurance after 65, you would have a revolt. Remind me of one room school days of the frontier when the I have hear the Bible was the one common text which could be use by all students since most families owned one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com