California Governor Puts the Testing Juggernaut On Ice

Hannah Bell

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 02:52 AM
Original message

California Governor Puts the Testing Juggernaut On Ice

Edited on Mon May-23-11 03:03 AM by Hannah Bell

California Governor Jerry Brown has taken a big step towards reducing the testing mania in the nation's most populous state. Up until his administration we have been on an accelerated path towards the comprehensive data-driven system that test publishers and corporate reformers have convinced leaders is needed to improve schools. But in the May budget outline from Brown's office, he makes it clear he is putting on the brakes.

From the Thoughts on Public Education blog comes this: Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to suspend funding for CALPADS, the state student longitudinal data system, and to stop further planning for CALTIDES, the teacher data base that was to be joined at the hip with CALPADS.

http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/05/17/calpads-put-on-ice/

What is even more encouraging is the explanation Brown offers, which shows a great deal of understanding of these issues. The document states:

�A number of problems have been identified with California's state testing, data collection and
accountability regime. Testing takes huge amounts of time from classroom instruction. Data collection requirements are cumbersome and do not provide timely � and therefore usable � information back to schools. Teachers are forced to cub their own creativity and engagement with students as they focus on teaching to the test. State and federal administrators continue to centralize teaching authority far from the classroom.

�The (Brown) Administration proposes to deal with these issues by carefully reforming testing and accountability requirements to achieve genuine accountability and maximum local autonomy. It will engage teachers, scholars, school administrators and parents to develop proposals...

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/05/california_governor_puts_the_t.html

http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=2268�ion=Article

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

BuelahWitch

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 02:55 AM
Response to Original message

1. Hooray for Jerry Brown! K&R

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Hardrada

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 02:58 AM
Response to Original message

2. Well done, Governor Brown! And California starts trends!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

JCMach1

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 03:53 AM
Response to Original message

3. +1000 for Gov. Brown on this... finally some sanity

from a Democrat (hell any politician) on this issue.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Fumesucker

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 03:58 AM
Response to Original message

4. Does this make it "Governor Moonbeam" vs "That One" ?

Because Jerry Brown's moves here conflict with Obama's policy initiatives as embodied by Duncan and RTTT.

Should be an interesting thread, I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Moonbeam pulled California out of the mess made by Reagan, Brown's not perfect but his track record is pretty damn good.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Citizen Worker

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 04:12 AM
Response to Original message

5. During the so called "debate on public education" I have yet to see or hear about the students being

asked what they think about "reform." Seems to me that the most important constituency here are the students. Why hasn't anyone talked to them? Just curious.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

LooseWilly

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 04:36 AM
Response to Reply #5

6. Because asking the students is like handling a loaded gun... a coherent answer undermines efforts

... toward privatization.

If the askers have enough time to control the answer... then they probably will... so an incoherent student answer will re-encourage everyone to support efforts to underfund, in the name of "reform"... until then, they'll all be laying low.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Hannah Bell

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 06:05 AM
Response to Reply #5

7. asked by who? Those doing the deforming aren't interested in what people

Edited on Mon May-23-11 06:06 AM by Hannah Bell

actually think or want. They're interested into manipulating people into "wanting" what they already have planned. Which is how they are with everything.

There are plenty of people speaking up, but few listening.

This has been in the works for decades. Literally.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

bemildred

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 07:51 AM
Response to Original message

8. Good, enough of this greed-driven pseudo-reform.

Edited on Mon May-23-11 07:51 AM by bemildred

There is nothing magical about testing or any other form of "measurement" or "metrics" that somehow automatically makes schools better.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Starry Messenger

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 07:59 AM
Response to Original message

9. I'm cautiously optimistic.

He's certainly correct about the huge amount of time they take out of instruction. I don't teach a tested subject, but the impact on my students this year was really bad. They might have well have just stopped classes after Spring break and just tested until the end of the year. Several students became lethargic and totally unengaged.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Peace Patriot

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 10:17 AM
Response to Original message

10. Hoorah! So glad to see this RW/corporate shit curbed!

We don't need more slave labor robots! We need THINKING citizens. CREATIVE citizens. OPEN-MINDED citizens. And you don't produce such citizens by DICTATING TO their teachers and DEVALUING 99% of their professional skills.

God I hate this testing mania! It's one of the worst things that has ever happened to our public school system, aside from the Bushwhack-induced Depression. (Believe me, there is NO budget crisis anywhere. There is lots and lots of money out there--it just isn't where it should be.)

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Peace Patriot

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 10:25 AM
Response to Reply #10

11. On the other hand, I just saw this post about the CA budget and taxes

also posted by Hannah Bell...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1156756

And it's looking like Brown curbing the testing mania may be a trade-off with the teachers' union leaders on NOT taxing the rich and the corporate. Am I right?

I'm certainly not sorry to see curbs on the HORRIBLE testing mania, but there is, of course, a bigger problem--that sucking sound of all the money being sucked into the pockets of the most wealthy.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Starry Messenger

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 04:58 PM
Response to Reply #11

12. Yes, that's exactly what I think it is too.

(CA teacher here). This is a band-aid over a sucking chest wound, but a very tantalizing prize. At best it would give teachers a few years of breathing space before the capitalists figure out another profit-making angle to carve out of public education.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Hannah Bell

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon May-23-11 11:33 PM
Response to Reply #12

13. but i figure they can only continue running 9% unemployment so long before people

stop believing it's just the unavoidable consequence of the working of a completely mechanistic "economy" experiencing a temporary downturn --

being able to push through cuts depends on a tanked economy. if the economy doesn't stay tanked, they can't plead poverty.

but if the economy does stay tanked, people stop believing their bullshit altogether.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Sun May 12th 2024, 11:38 PM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.