Thursday, November 07, 2019

SOME REACTION TO THIS YEAR'S LOW NAEP SCORES

I have read some responses to this year's release of National Assessment of Educational Progress scores. The NAEP is a national test given every two years with low stakes for the students who don't even see the results.We go as usual to Diane Ravitch for some guidance.

After a generation of disruptive reforms—No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, VAM and Common Core—after a decade or more of disinvestment in education, after years of bashing and demoralizing teachers, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 2019 shows the results:

Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest-performing students are doing worse,” said Peggy Carr, the associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP. “In fact, over the long term in reading, the lowest-performing students—those readers who struggle the most—have made no progress from the first NAEP administration almost 30 years ago.”

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos predictably used the results to call for more privatization of schools in the form of private school vouchers and charter schools. 

Ravitch answers back:
Addendum to DeVos remarks:

The lowest performing urban districts—Detroit and Milwaukee—have had school choice for 25 years.

How did New York City do on the NAEP?

The city’s scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP — given to a random sampling of fourth and eighth graders every two years in math and English — have essentially remained stagnant for the past several years, according to 2019 data released Wednesday. (One notable exception was a five-point drop in fourth-grade math scores from 2013, when de Blasio was elected.)

New York City scores on 2019’s tests were below the national average as well as the state average. The city’s scores were roughly in the middle of the pack of the 27 urban districts that participate in a city-level comparison.

New York City was not unique in posting flat scores. In fact, national scores have essentially remained flat for a decade, the data show.

My favorite reaction is from Louisiana where former Deputy NYC Chancellor John White, who twice came to Jamaica High School to push for closing our school, who is now the State Education Commissioner in Louisiana. White is the ed deformer's deformer. 

Here is a little of Mercedes Schneider's analysis of the latest fall in NAEP and ACT scores in Louisiana:
After seven years of John White as Louisiana’s state superintendent, the results were so unsavory to White and his Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) that his Louisiana 2019 NAEP Results Summary does not include a single actual NAEP scaled score.

Mercedes then shows the numbers to prove that there is no great Louisiana miracle and then she cites falling ACT scores to hammer home the point. Her conclusion:

John White and LDOE have no control over the reporting of NAEP scores and state-level ACT results– which means that these test scores are not susceptible to LDOE manipulation, and the results cannot be concealed from public view.

Therefore, NAEP and state-level ACT results provide the most objective measure of the test-score-centered ed reformers themselves– reformers like John White.

He is the head reformer in charge; for his reformer-success image, it all comes down to the test scores.

Louisiana’s 2019 NAEP and ACT results are a highly-visible, undeniable John White failure, and he knows it.

Sometimes I must admit I am a little disappointed that cooler heads prevailed so my friend did not take Mr. White out to the parking lot at Jamaica High School to settle our differences as he threatened to do him directly back in 2010. Just kidding, I'm against violence.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe this is the reason...When did it become acceptable for students to stay home because it is raining? I have gotten that excuse for many years, in addition to the already awful attendance rate, they look out side, see it is raining, and say..."Nah, I'm good." But of course, they pass classes anyway, and think they one upped the system. The penalty is none, so it will continue. Free ride for everybody, highest grad rates ever.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of scores...Gonna be funny or sad when uft endorses bloomberg for president. I swear, this is so ironic...Thank GOD I opted out. My point gets proven daily.

Anonymous said...

Agree with 835. Can you imagine, us talking about how bad he was, waiting all those years, only to get a financial package worse from deblasio...Typical uft. Remember 2007? 7% over 2 years. 2014 gave us 10% over 7.5 years.

Anonymous said...

Bloomberg contracts were substantially bigger raises than de blasio, which is why I hate this union. They waited for deblasio and farina only to get us more screwed

Anonymous said...

De blasio and obama, couldn't get more Democrat than that, worst contracts ever, worst working conditions ever, and uft wants more of that? Confusing...

Anonymous said...

Emperor Bloomberg spent $102 million after getting the city council to bend the rules so he could have a 3rd term, all while we worked without a contract. Typical uft. Thanks a lot.

Anonymous said...

Where is everybody?

Mr, it's Friday and it's cold.

I wonder why test grades are so low.

Anonymous said...

Education has become a multi-billion dollar business. The primary function of the NYC public school system is not to educate but rather to keep those billions flowing.

No matter what the scores show, the lack of progress, the plethora of false diplomas, rampant lawlessness, corruption, etc. the billions will continue to go from one hand to the other.

I will never understand why the taxpayers and voters elect people who just perpetuate this sham. Anyone could put on the same show for half the price!

Anonymous said...

10:35

Bloomberg contracts had "substantially" more givebacks than deblasio contracts. We are working in these awful conditions because of the contracts ratified under Bloomberg. What is so sad is that UFT didn'try to get any better working conditions with deblasio.

Anonymous said...

9:29--Maybe so, but Bloomberg is a far better negotiator than de blasio, which is why i blame the uft double. They went out of their way to say we were waiting for bloomberg to go, got the dem candidate, and a "friend" and a "better" chancellor who was a "teacher", and got 1.3% average raises, retro held back for 11 years with no interest, completely dumped any discipline code, teachers want to kill themselves, etc.

James Eterno said...

Don't forget the city's huge surpluses under de Blasio. I just wonder why there is not more push amongst teachers to oust union leaders.

James Eterno said...

9:29, I agree on how we missed the opportunity on improving working conditions and said so the day 2014 contract came out.

Evan said...

My push is not paying dues anymore. Not much else I can do. Look how the contract and election votes turn out.

Bronx ATR said...

Got a big invitation to the annual UFT retiree dinner - not free of course, where all the retirees can come and sniff the guest of honor’s ass - Mike Mulgrew, and he’ll do likewise. 28 years as an invisible teacher and 5 as a non- entity ATR. Now that I’m retired Mulgrew wants to meet?! Screw you Mike, and your SKANK mother Randi. He’s using retirees for their votes (and making fools of them in the process) to keep tight control over the UFT in case teachers ever wake up.

James Eterno said...

Not paying union dues helps nobody but you. I will ask you what I have asked over and over here: Is there an example in history of workers dropping their union en masse and then getting better wages, benefits and improved working conditions?

I can give plenty of examples, including recent ones, of employees getting together to oust their failed union leaders and then getting better working conditions.

I don't accept that it can't be done in the UFT.

Yes it is virtually impossible to win an election because of retirees and non teacher votes but winning over the UFT teachers is possible with new organizing.

James Eterno said...

Bronx ATR, Teachers in NYC voted in 1962 to make the UFT their exclusive collective bargaining representative. There is no reason, except for a lack of organizing, that there can't be another election about who teachers want to represent them.

I have said repeatedly that I am staying with the UFT because nobody is willing to organize that real union to replace the UFT. Why do you think so few are willing to try to build a better union?

Bronx ATR said...

James,
Apathy, fear and laziness. Most folks don’t care as long as their routine and pay check isn’t disrupted. There has also been a seismic shift in how we regard or disregard each other. Everyone is focused on covering their own ass - even if that means ratting out other teachers. Teachers are purposely isolated, kept uninformed of their rights and instilled with a pervasive sense of fear ( fear of the totally unchallenged out of control principals, out of control students, mountains of meaningless paperwork and rules that can devastate, and the almost completely subjective observations (also unchallenged by the UFT) - no teacher cafeterias, limited common areas to share opinions or grievances and a MIA union. (All of this started with Bloomberg’s 2005 contract (which was endorsed by Randi). It was solidified by a completely silent and impotent Mulgrew. That management style is a losing strategy for any union.)
I don’t see anything changing until a potential disaster ie, the next mayor comes in and lifts the charter school cap. If layoffs occur, teachers will find their hearts, soul and voices very quickly. Unfortunately, at that point it won’t matter.

Anonymous said...

I will ask again, after paying for 20 years, what good has it done? Everything is bad or worsening. Sorry, too many chances. Yes, it is all I can do.

Anonymous said...

Screw everyone so you can have a few more bucks.You are a scab.

Anonymous said...

No, i am the one attempting to force change. You are all paying them to destroy us. You are saying that the status quo is good enough and we are ok with it. You are saying we accept what is going on. You are letting the gravy train run. I now have no rep if I am brought up on charges. I have no uft lawyer. I risk that because we have all been let down.

James Eterno said...

Please. This blog is anti status quo and wants to change. We want to challenge the gravy train collectively.

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute. Almost every commenter says how we are getting screwed, uft sucks, things are worsening, no discipline code, 1% raises, no retro, principal abuse, fake grades, no suspensions, etc., etc, etc. So somebody takes a stand and says I'm done, and he is bad. Cant have it both ways.

Anonymous said...

Ok, so, to me, this unionizing stuff siht happening. That leaves the opt out message.

Anonymous said...

With all due respect, James, whatever else that has been tried, hasn't worked. See our last 4 contracts, covering 20 years.

James Eterno said...

I have explained a hundred times how opting out has never, ever ever been followed by workers getting better wages or benefits but this blog opposes the status quo and current union leadership. We need to mend the UFT not end it.

Anonymous said...

And at what point would pulling dues makes sense? 10 more years of this? 20? On my deathbed?

Anonymous said...

Paying dues has never ever gotten me uft assistance.

James Eterno said...

The logical outcome if we all listen to you and drop out is we will have no union or a tiny, even weaker union than we have now. Salaries, benefits and working conditions for teachers will worsen. Public education will be privatized.

The logical outcome if we pull together and fix the union will be a militant union
See Chicago or LA as examples. Better salaries and lower class sizes will be the result.

Anonymous said...

Ok, do it. I'm waiting 20 years. The difference between us is that you are talking about something that will never happen, despite me trying to get it done. I took action to voice displeasure. When that happens, I will pay dues again.