Re: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 535 Messages: 3

["weeks" <tweeks@nckcn.com>]

I work in the education department at a youth correctional facility.  The 
issue I have with those state standard test is that a youth can come in with 
little or no prior education (chances are that is part of why they are in 
the facility), but due to their age they have to take the state standard 
test.  Then what do those scores really mean?  The funning part was the 
superintendent made the statement, "I will be able to tell what kind of a 
job your school is doing when I see the scores."  The theory behind NCLB is 
good, but like anything what sounds good paper or to get elected isn't 
allways good in the real world.

todd weeks

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <arn-l-owner@interversity.org>
To: <arn-l@interversity.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 5:21 AM
Subject: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 535 Messages: 3


> ARN-L Daily Digest
> Volume 3 : Issue 535 : "text" Format
>
> Messages in this Issue:
>  200709/127: Re: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 534 Messages: 5
>    Jennifer Parker
>  200709/128: Re: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 534 Messages: 5
>    aburke5054
>  200709/129: Re: what is left behind (Parker response)
>    Peter Campbell
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:05:09 -0500
> From: Jennifer Parker <jenbie44@hotmail.com>
> To: <arn-l@interversity.org>
> Subject: Re: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 534 Messages: 5
> Message-ID: <BAY102-W31D09B2806D00C4AF44F8BC0B30@phx.gbl>
>
>
> Jim Horn wrote:
>
> > > > When this occurs, as it surely does every time teachers and principals 
> > > > fall prey to the pressure, children become the burden that must be 
> > > > reluctantly borne, obstacles to a success that their own disability, 
> > > > poverty, or language issues complicate and that even the best teacher 
> > > > can never compensate for.>>>
>
> Mr. Horn's piece eloquently and urgently reminds us what's at stake for 
> our children and those that work with them in the educational setting. 
> The only area I would elaborate upon is the pressure. Many teachers today 
> cannot even sit down for lunch without sitting in the shadow of menacing 
> bar graphs hung on lounge walls showing their class's latest standardized 
> test results. Why do principals resort to placing this confidential 
> information in the halls and lounges of their schools? Because they go to 
> principals' meetings where they are under intense pressure, scrutiny, and 
> comparison with other principals. It doesn't take long for these same 
> principals to break under the pressure, leading to faculty meetings where 
> teachers come away feeling that they are the "obstacles to a success". 
> Like the youngest child tortured by the middle child because he's being 
> tortured by the oldest child, everyone ends up paying a price.
>
> I returned to urban public school teaching last school year, after having 
> left public schools before NCLB was authorized. The school environment and 
> teacher satisfaction pre- and post- NCLB is like day and night. I speak 
> not as a teacher who struggled with standardized test scores last year, 
> but as one whose class reached 100% proficiency in reading and almost 100% 
> proficiency in math (the one child who was not "proficient" came to third 
> grade with a preschool level understanding of math - it's a miracle that 
> he scored as well as he did on a third grade math test). When the results 
> came out my principal called me at home with the "good news". She asked me 
> my "secret", how did I do it? Unfortunately, I wasn't honest with her in 
> my response, but I'll be honest with you. I sold my soul to obtain those 
> test results. For one hundred forty days I acted in complete opposition to 
> my personal educational philosophy because I am a driven individual who 
> wants to be at the top of my prof
> ession and right now NCLB defines what a "good" teacher is. It is 
> imperative that educators take back control of our profession, redefine 
> the goals and mission of our schools, and understand and support the means 
> by which truly good teachers and school leaders develop.
>
>
> Jennifer Parker, MEd., JD
> Coordinator Academic Programs
> St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Connect to the next generation of MSN Messenger
> http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us&source=wlmailtagline
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 13:51:30 -0400
> From: aburke5054@aol.com
> To: arn-l@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 534 Messages: 5
> Message-ID: <8C9D0D88065C156-D3C-2699@webmail-md07.sysops.aol.com>
>
>
> There is more to public education than your "personal educational 
> philosophy."?? You don't, for example, say that parents and children were 
> dissatisfied with what you were teaching or that they thought that the 
> test results were bought at the wrong price.?
>
> Art
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jennifer Parker <jenbie44@hotmail.com>
> To: arn-l@interversity.org
> Sent: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 7:05 am
> Subject: Re: [arn-l] [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 534 Messages: 5
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Horn wrote:
>
> > > > When this occurs, as it surely does every time teachers and principals 
> > > > fall
> prey to the pressure, children become the burden that must be reluctantly 
> borne,
> obstacles to a success that their own disability, poverty, or language 
> issues
> complicate and that even the best teacher can never compensate for.>>>
>
> Mr. Horn's piece eloquently and urgently reminds us what's at stake for 
> our
> children and those that work with them in the educational setting.  The 
> only
> area I would elaborate upon is the pressure. Many teachers today cannot 
> even sit
> down for lunch without sitting in the shadow of menacing bar graphs hung 
> on
> lounge walls showing their class's latest standardized test results. Why 
> do
> principals resort to placing this confidential information in the halls 
> and
> lounges of their schools? Because they go to principals' meetings where 
> they are
> under intense pressure, scrutiny, and comparison with other principals. It
> doesn't take long for these same principals to break under the pressure, 
> leading
> to faculty meetings where teachers come away feeling that they are the
> "obstacles to a success".  Like the youngest child tortured by the middle 
> child
> because he's being tortured by the oldest child, everyone ends up paying a
> price.
>
> I returned to urban public school teaching last school year, after having 
> left
> public schools before NCLB was authorized. The school environment and 
> teacher
> satisfaction pre- and post- NCLB is like day and night. I speak not as a 
> teacher
> who struggled with standardized test scores last year, but as one whose 
> class
> reached 100% proficiency in reading and almost 100% proficiency in math 
> (the one
> child who was not "proficient" came to third grade with a preschool level
> understanding of math - it's a miracle that he scored as well as he did on 
> a
> third grade math test). When the results came out my principal called me 
> at home
> with the "good news". She asked me my "secret", how did I do it? 
> Unfortunately,
> I wasn't honest with her in my response, but I'll be honest with you. I 
> sold my
> soul to obtain those test results. For one hundred forty days I acted in
> complete opposition to my personal educational philosophy because I am a 
> driven
> individual who wants to be at the top of my profession and right now NCLB
> defines what a "good" teacher is. It is imperative that educators take 
> back
> control of our profession, redefine the goals and mission of our schools, 
> and
> understand and support the means by which truly good teachers and school 
> leaders
> develop.
>
>
> Jennifer Parker, MEd., JD
> Coordinator Academic Programs
> St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Connect to the next generation of MSN Messenger?
> http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us&source=wlmailtagline=
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - 
> http://mail.aol.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:57:03 -0700
> From: Peter Campbell <campbellp@mail.montclair.edu>
> To: arn-l@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: what is left behind (Parker response)
> Message-ID: <7DF53078-6956-4E3B-A4AA-1C06DCFC0217@mail.montclair.edu>
>
>
> On Sep 29, 2007, at 7:05 AM, Jennifer Parker wrote:
>
> > I sold my soul to obtain those test results. For one hundred forty
> > days I acted in complete opposition to my personal educational
> > philosophy because I am a driven individual who wants to be at the
> > top of my profession and right now NCLB defines what a "good"
> > teacher is. It is imperative that educators take back control of
> > our profession, redefine the goals and mission of our schools, and
> > understand and support the means by which truly good teachers and
> > school leaders develop.
> >
> >
> > Jennifer Parker, MEd., JD
> > Coordinator Academic Programs
> > St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
>
> Jennifer - are you still teaching or did you leave to take a position
> at St. Jude?
>
> Peter C.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of [arn-l Digest] Vol. 3 No. 535 Messages: 3
> **********