Here We Go Again :<

[mmm4444bot]

Regular readers at this site know that I've bellyached many times in the past about the horrible state of affairs within the Washington State Department of Education.

Namely, the state-wide testing of students from the elementary through high-school levels using the Washington Assessment of Student Learning exams (WASL -- rhymes with waffle). These exams are not standardardized; they were "custom-created" by politicians.

So, the last time I posted information about the WASL, it was with respect to the 50% failure rate of high-school seniors that required a special session of the state legislature to REMOVE the math and science requirements from state law, so that these 50% could still get their high-school diplomas. (What an easy fix!)

Today's gripe comes on the heels of a KIRO TV (the local Seattle CBS affiliate) investigative report on WASL cheating throughout the state.

Yes, we all know that academic dishonesty is a huge problem in the USA. That's not news. (Even the community college where I now volunteer has a national reputation for grade inflation. It's been this way for years.)

The big news to come out of this investigative report is how teachers, exam proctors, and even school principles are directly involved in cheating. KIRO brought in two independent statisticians who specialize in z-score analysis of testing models to examine test results. They wanted to find out how specific classrooms could achieve 24- to 55-percentage point increases in exam scores over just a few months. (Something smells fishy.)

Through a freedom-of-information act, investigators searched through thousands of pages of state documentation, and they discovered at least 650 cases of documented irregularities over the past three years, not by students, but by teachers and exam proctors.

There are also three school principles who are currently under investigation.

Teachers are "whispering" answers to students.

Teacher are passing out actual exam questions days before the test.

Exam proctors allow students to use iPods and cell phones during the test.

Exam proctors allow students to leave the exam room for 25-minute "bathroom breaks".

It gets even worse, with documentation of instructors and administrators actually altering exam scores.

I'm giving up. I just don't care anymore. I feel like I'm standing on the dry side of the Grand Coulee Dam, trying to stop the force of tons of water from breaking through thousands of leaks, while drowning in an ocean of stupidity around me.

My life is good; I'm only going to be around for 35 more years or so, and I'm confident that life will not become a living **** for humans until after my death. I'm wealthy in health, finances, and freedom, so I really don't see any need whatsoever to remain involved with any of this crap.

I had a pre-calculus student at the college who could not answer 4 + 0. And that's WITHOUT ANY DOUBT "e pluribus unum".

I just don't care anymore.

Goodbye.

 

[galactus]

I see what you mean, mmmm. One can only take so much before one throws up the hands and says, "the s**t with it!.

I have done that in the past. Only so much can be endured when you're swimming against a rip tide. Just enjoy the forums then.

I tutored students at a local community college and many did not know their multiplication tables and couldn't learn them.

What is 8 times 5?. Quick. One should know that without hesitation. Many would set......DUH...UH....UH...Then start counting their fingers. :roll:

I live in PA, but not far from MD. In MD, they have a Maryland State Assessment as well. I am currently updating the stats for this.

For 2005, in the state of MD, 53.8% passed the algebra part. How they passed, I do not know. I think 2008 was a little better.

 

[Denis]

There are also three school principles who are currently under investigation.

Your post made my blood boil, Mark.

I fantasized grabbing one of them (if smaller than me!) by the hair
and shoving his head in my toilet bowl :evil:

 

[DrMike]

Ouch.

Now, let's look at the players in this debacle....

Primary school students...

Their parents...

The primary school teachers...

The primary school headmasters...

High school students...

Their parents...

The high school teachers...

The high school headmasters...

The exam proctors...

The administrators of the WASL...

The politicians responsible for education in the state...

University/College admissions officers...

Have I missed any? Please add them...

Next question - what do each of these do? What could they do? and what should they do?

Now, apply game theory : what does each party gain or lose from their various choices?

This will tell you why the system is like it is. Then the puzzle is, how to re-write the game, so the players play differently...

 

[Denis]

......Then the puzzle is, how to re-write the game, so the players play differently...

NO!! It's how to find the PROPER people to re-write the game....

 

[tkhunny]

Since NCLB was devised (I first encountered it in 1996), we have had fear and blaming. We have destroyed perfectly valid school systems. This is only one example of the destruction.

When you threaten school administrators and teachers with their jobs, it is very likely that they will be motivated to take some sort of action. I don't blame administrators or teachers for even a moment. They simply are trying to survive under unreasonble and irrational conditions.

I almost don't blame politicians. They are trying to survive in a society of blame-seekers. Of course, they, themselves, are power-seekers, so I don't let the politicians go without blame from me.

The whole of our society needs to figure it out. Here is the solution:

1) Stop blaming anyone. Seek to solve the problem.
2) If you perceive a problem, volunteer to help fix it.
3) Remove ANY and ALL attachment of student assessment from teacher or adminstrator salaries.
4) Remove ANY and ALL student assessment that masquerades as school assessment.
5) Interview and provide peer review for ALL teachers and Adminstrators. Teach them to be better and pay them for being better.
6) Care about and help every student.
7) Admit that each student has different capacities and at least try to recognize these differences.
8) Involve local colleges' and universities' PhDs and Candidates in evaluating specific local circumstances. We can all learn together and enjoy benefits from others' research.
9) Establish a rational legal review of fairness. Rather than allowing a single individual to control an entire population because of a perceived problem, actually examine the perceived problem and establish a dialogue to eliminate the perception, either through program modification or individual correction.
10) Establish a formal tutoring relationship with businesses and schools. Let non-educators positively influence the lives of students, not jsut struggling students, but also advanced students.
11) Establish a formal tutoring relationship between schools of varying success levels. This is one I just thought of. I do not know that I ever have seen it. Have the good students from whereever they are strengthen the students on a lower road.
12) Of course, there should be a reasonable level of security and safety.

We keep talking about reaching out to each other, across the world and across the country. How about reaching across the street?

For me, personally, I do this, in no particular order or priority:
1) I tutor math students on the internet whenever I have the time.
2) I keep involved permanently and consistently with educators and administrators involved with my kids.
3) EVERY friend my kids bring home, I threaten that if they struggle in a math class and don't call me, I WILL be hurt.
4) I keep my own math skills up to date be regularly reading old materials and new materials as I encounter them.
5) I voice my opinion whenever I get the chance.
6) I encourage my employer to allow some leeway for me to pursue these "outside" activities that are closely realted to my job.
7) I take every conceivable opportunity to volunteer to do anything useful in the public schools.

This is not pat-TKHunny-on-the-back day. I could do WAY more. These are just a few things that came to mind that I do deliberately.

My views. I welcome others'.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

I generally agree with TK's points actions - except -

3) Remove ANY and ALL attachment of student assessment from teacher or adminstrator salaries.
4) Remove ANY and ALL student assessment that masquerades as school assessment.

We not only produce what we honor - we should honor according to the production.

There has to be a somewhat of a measurement of what somebody produces - it is not easy - and will be constantly evolving task. But assesment of product must be there.

And teachers produce "educated children".

Enhancement of the performance of the children is their main job - and their job assessment is intricately intertwined with that.

All of us get graded - through performance of other people. I am an scientist working for company. The products I support is sold by the sales and marketing division of the company. A significant portion of job assessment (hence pay) depends on how well those sales-people could sell my product. If the sales people fail to sell my product - I suffer.

Thus I my "job assessment" seriously depends on the performance of other people. And I really cannot affect that in short term. It is my firm belief that we all work in that environment - teachers are no exception. Their success is measured by student's success.

Having said that as a principle - there could be different ways to implement that. Ultimately these students will be judged through some what uniform standard - real world job market. But that uniform standard (now measured through different types of stadardized tests) can be brought in gradually with different colors and stains.

In my opinion, there should be three criteria for schools (or teachers - in performance of students in standardized tests) - the raw score, improvement (% increase year over year) and maintainance (after reaching say 85% average - how well the average score is maintained). Attention need to be paid to distribution also - is the median shifting upward - what are the low end and high end scores. All these need to go in the assessment.

And, finally (this one lot of teachers don't like) - three after leaving the teacher's class (specially in high school) - assess the teacher's performance by looking at how well s/he prepared them for next class. That is the most important assessment.....

 

[tkhunny]

I do not suggest that there be no assessment, only that we tread very very carefully.

If we lie to students and tell them how important a test is for THEM, when in reality it is a SCHOOL assessment, we have not contributed positively to school assessment. We have only lied to students and created an environment of deception.

As far as teacher assessment, this is also very difficult. If a wonderful teacher is saddled one year with a particularly difficult population, should the teacher be punished because the standardized tests don't show as much improvement? It makes reason stare!

It must be personalized, not just the individual under scrutiny, but also the population or method used to scrutinize. We simply must not grade all teachers or all schools on the preformance of some general population. It is immoral. Each situation is different. You cannot put taching in the same bucket as manufacturing. You cannot treat people like that. People are different from widgets.