Thursday, July 29, 2010

NEW YORK TEST SCORES PLUNGE

It seems as though many people are almost gloating over the huge fall in state test scores. People are saying that it finally proves, what teachers knew all along, that tests were dumbed down to fit the mayor and chancellor's political agenda.

I am not expecting any apology from Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein in the near future. I don't think they are going to come in and say, "You know those teachers were right all along and maybe we should listen to them from now on."

Instead, my crystal ball (for what it's worth) sees them doubling down on the test,test, test the kids and blame, blame, blame the teachers policy in the next year or two. You see they play a game of heads I win and tales we lose.

If the test scores go up, they will say it is obviously because of Klein's great managerial skills which proves that you just have to bash the teachers to get them to teach harder so the kids learn.

On the other hand if the scores go down, they will assert that it clearly has nothing to do with DOE's management of the schools which they say is superb. They will say it's those pesky inflexible union rules that are to blame. DOE will actually have the nerve to say the giveaways that took away most of our rights in 2005 and since haven't gone nearly far enough.

Watch out as we move ahead and the powers that be come after us with even more force. Notice the Daily News and Post don't have anything negative to say about the mayor or the chancellor in their editorials on the test scores.

I hope I'm wrong and that forces aligned with sanity will win the day but I am not holding my breath waiting.

24 comments:

proofoflife said...

I see the same future in my crystal ball!

Michael Fiorillo said...

I think you are correct that they will try to do that. But it's also possible that enough people are becoming fed up with their deceptions that they may resist.

Anonymous said...

We all want Michael to be right but that assumes that we have a union that cares. Do you think they care?

Anonymous said...

The saddest part is that kids who should have been getting help - not to pass the test - but help in learning to read and do math - didn't get it because they were level 3's. Teachers know who can read and who can't. Teachers know who can do math and who can't. But were not able to do what they could and should be doing - teaching - instead of test prep. Eight years of this is almost the entire school career of so many kids. And they only get one bite of the apple.

Anonymous said...

The mayor and his billionaire hedge fund buddies will air attack ads blaming us teachers for this. ANd the UFT will air its usual "feel good" ads that will be ignored. We must go on the offensive and attack Bloomberg and Klein in the media.

Anonymous said...

Who fired Betsy and why?
She is not at the UFT no more.
With all the extra-curricular playing around at UFT Central, arent the male supervisors worried they might leave a hickey on a woman's neck and their husbands or boy friends will see it and sue the union?
Supppose the women are keeping tapes?

Anonymous said...

Get ready for the next wave of professional development telling us how to teach better!

Anonymous said...

Which one is Hickey? Is he the UFT accountant or something like that? Please enlighten us.

Unknown said...

We need to recall the high stakes testing madness. Putting all the eggs of accountability into the standardized test has proven to be criminal and leads even our state boards of education and heads of school districts to game the scores. That will not help as the bar moves upward under NCLB. We know it was not the way to go but the politicians and others have not learned their lesson. We need to push back on this madness. We are the scapegoats. Time to comment where we can to push back the Duncan and Obama madness.

Anonymous said...

Did Betsy sign a confidentiality agreement with the nitwit lawyer?
Is that why she isn't giving us the scoops on the Weingarten-Mulgrew shenanigans?
What will she do with her tapes?
Why was she fired?
Any retirement news from Long Beach?

Anonymous said...

UFT POLICY
.........YOU Are NOT allowed TO fool AROUND with SUBORDINATES on or off UNION TIME.
Weingarten MEMO.
do the WIVES KNOW?
the MEN think the WOMEN LIKE THEM, the women feel COERCED or they are USING the men TO BUILD UP A great LEGAL CASE THAT the MEMBERS will wind UP paying for.

Anonymous said...

UFT sex follies are not exactly exciting stuff. Is the person writing this hoping it gets turned into a reality show. Real union wives of UFT

Anonymous said...

Typical ICE crap.

Anonymous said...

The FOLLIES will get interesting WHEN THE MEMBERS have to foot the bill for the legal settlements.
A laugh a minute when there is no money to pay for conventions no more.

Anonymous said...

It's not ICE that is putting on the crap on these comments. It's the Unity people.

Anonymous said...

WIENGARTEN'S DAY OF RECKONING......
COMING SOON TO A YOU TUBE NEAR YOU.

PHILLIP NOBILE -whistleblower- claims to have three witnesses to Weingarten saying she "owed" Condon big time for closing down Klein's probe of her private life, which is why she was afraid to go after him.
Nobile says the witnesses are UFT Secretary Mendel, New York Teacher reporter Callaghan and NYSUT lawyer Callagy- three of the most respected, well-liked and trusted people in the union.
Will they testify for him?
Most folks who know them say they are stand up guys and will tell the truth; where does that leave Weingarten and Mulgrew and Big Bad Leroy Brown -"lets take it outside," Barr who have continued the Weingarten cover-up to protect Nobile's accusers? Wasn't Nobile like the poster boy for the whistleblower law? Oh sorry- so was Maria Colon.

Anonymous said...

I was at Chapel Street with Phil.

Phil Nobile isn't the poster boy for the whistleblower law. He's the poster boy for draggng out his rubber room stay in the hopes of never having to go back into the classroom.

Anonymous said...

The anti- Nobile post was written by :
1-Loudmouth Zahler;
2-his nitwit nephew the UFT lawyer;
3-Friedman who never answered a phone call from members
4-Big Bad LeRoy Brown Barr
or
5-WeinGrew.

It's elementary, my dear Watson:
-Klein was -and is-going after whistleblowers, senior teachers and strong chapter leaders.
Everyone at 52 Broadway knows this yet, WeinGrew and their mouthpieces blame the teachers!
-According to Nobile (he may be lying) Weingarten said she could not go after Condon because he stopped Klein from probing her "private life."
This was after Condon did a hit on Klein's report clearing Nobile!
Nobile claims- he may be lying- that Mendel, Callaghan and NYSUT lawyer Callagy were in the room when Weingarten said she "owed" Condon for closing down Klein's investigation of her "private" life and her D.O.E. pension and therefore could not go after him-thus admitting she was willling to screw the rubber roomers because her "private life" had been kept under wraps.
Hello Bill O'Reilly?
(Klein worked for Billl Clinton -Weingarten's good pal- in the White House; if he was conducting a clandestine probe of her private life- paid for with public funds-it would be a criminal act BUT she never followed through on it).
That would make the witness count in Nobile's favor 4 to 1 -if NOBILE ISN'T LYING.
SO WE HAVE TO hear from the other three, correct?
Who wants to bet they will ALL lie to protect WeinGrew?
Nobile has the goods on Klein and WeinGrew's bailing out on him.
If any of Nobile's cellmates from Chapel Street (who work at 52 Broadway) have a better version, let's hear it.
Right now, he has three Aces with two cards not showing in a five card game.
What does WeinGrew have?

Anonymous said...

Good job, Jacques Clouseau!

How many times did you write "he may be lying" before you arrived at your conclusion that "he has three Aces"?

Anonymous said...

QUESTION FOR THE UNITY CAUCUS FRAUDS:
Does WeinGrew like give you the entire summer off for staying up all night to monitor the blogs?
how is Donna?
The Brooklyn HS Rep got called into a Mulgrew disciplinary meeting and when he asked to have CHarlie Turner be present, Mulgrew said no!
can you believe it?
Mulgrew, the head of a union that claims to be in favor of "due process," will not allow a Tier One veteran to have a witness to the accusations against him?
As for Nobile---- Loudmouth ZaHLER OR GET OVER IT PBA MAN HICKEY,
right now it is Weingarten's word against 4 union reps. AND: IF KLEIN WAS REALLY PROBING HER "PRIVATE" LIFE, WHY WAS HE LISTED AS A SPONSOR FOR HER 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY AND WHY WAS HE eVEN INVITED?
how is Richie Hartmann doing?
ANY ANSWERS "GET OVER IT" PBA Man?

Anonymous said...

What are you attempting to expose here? Only those with real inside knowledge even know what you are talking about.

Anonymous said...

IT IS NOT HARD TO PROVE:


WEINGARTEN TOLD THREE UNION STAFFERS AND philip NOBILE -THE WHISTLEBLOWER- THAT SHE WOULD not go after Condon because she "owed" him since he stopped Klein from probing her private life.
Nobile has been hung out to dry by WeinGrew and now faces 3020A charges.
so: if it was true what WEingarten said, why did she list Kelin on the program for her 50th birthday bash (which every UFT vendor had to kick in for a table) and why was he introduced?
does everyone you know invite their enemies to their parties?
what exactly was Klein investigating about her "private" life?

Anonymous said...

Nothing. You made it up.

Anonymous said...

her lack of credentials to teach maybe?