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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 9:20:19 GMT -5
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 31, 2014 9:47:35 GMT -5
Interesting comments were posted to the Newsday dot com editorial. I was going to lay-off this subject for today, with the assessments about to start tomorrow. I have garnered some anecdotal 'information' that I decided to keep to myself, I now being interested to observed what will happen, without wanting to influence anyone or anything at this late hour.
Regards,
Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 10:07:56 GMT -5
yes - the comments were not very pleasant on there, but as with most things - people that agree will tend to stay silent but those that object will post...
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Post by kathyt on Mar 31, 2014 10:56:16 GMT -5
Im curious to why you think the kids will be distracted. The children not taking the test will not be in the room, they are being moved to another area to read. The numbers of kids opting out are not nearly as high as you would think (at least from what I can read).
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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 11:53:12 GMT -5
I'll preface my statement with I'm putting myself in the shoes of my 3rd grader, not a child in say middle school, so my thoughts are taken from knowing my son, who will be taking the test, and how his brain works - I don't think I'm alone in thinking the scenario below can and will happen tomorrow.
They have been working very hard preparing for these tests in school, they've been doing difficult work and been learning together. The teachers have been talking, some more than others, about the upcoming tests - luckily my son's teacher doesn't seem to be stressing the kids out with overly focusing on "the test".
OK, so we've been prepping, working, learning, discussing all this material together as a class we prepare for the test - now the 'big day' finally comes and there are kids getting up and walking to another room before the test. Some kids are talking to my teacher saying, they are refusing the test. Some kids came to school talking about how their parents said the test is dumb and they don't have to take the test - well, why do I have to take the test, why is "Mrs. teacher" giving me the test if its dumb? Why have we all been working on this school work so hard if this test is dumb?
I'm getting confused - why is 'so and so' able to go read while I will take the test? Is this an option for all tests or just this one? I'm now losing focus thinking about my friend and where he went and why he's not taking the test...we've been taking practice tests together and we've all been working on this together and now what happened? Doesn't seem fair that most of us are in here taking this test but 'so and so' was able to not take the test?
Now I'm distracted...now my focus is on what's going on in the other room with my friend.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 31, 2014 12:35:09 GMT -5
I am wondering if parents who want their children to take the assessments have discussed this with their 3rd Grader, or their 8th Grader? Also wonder if those parents who want their child to be assessed have communicated their intentions to their child's teacher: "My child is not (allowed) to opt-out of the assessments." Or will some confused or jealous or rebellious 3rd Graders or 8th Graders take it upon themselves to verbally opt-out on an ad-hoc basis, you know, as the other kids are being excused from the test? Tomorrow some kids will cross the Rubicon, as the others will stand firm on the northerly bank, waiving bye-bye! "Alea iacta est!"Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 12:46:23 GMT -5
I think you have to talk to your children about it otherwise it could be disastrous. I've had the discussion that there may be some kids that get up or say they are not taking the test so hopefully my son is not overly surprised if/when it happens. However, talking about it and reality are different, he may still have issues understanding why some kids are not taking the test.
Time will tell, we'll see. The great part is that I've told my son that as long as you prepare and do your best that's all anyone can ask you to do. The results don't mean much to me, hopefully they measure his progress against the curriculum and hopefully they help us and his teacher know if he needs help in any area. Hopefully the results will help the state fine tune the curriculum. Hopefully the results confirm my thought that his teacher is amazing and she's rewarded as such. All of this remains to be seen but I'd rather be hopeful that these things happen than ensure that they don't by asking my child to reject a test.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 31, 2014 13:58:22 GMT -5
All well and good. However...
...I think you are in for major to complete disappointment if you expect any direct or even indirect effect even vaguely similar to "results informing instruction" in a timely manner, meaning in time to do your child any good.
The 2012 Item Analysis was flat-out killed by NYSED with a curt comment on their website: "The 2012 Item Analysis will not be published". There is nothing of any use of which I am aware from the 2013 assessments, other than raw scores and 1-2-3-4 grading, none of which would help your child or his teacher in any way at all.
There is a big discussion in the news today about the COST of making up new questions for each successive year's assessments being the determining factor in NOT releasing questions from the prior year's tests. Any test questions released after the fact cannot be used again. They (NYSED) MAY release 25% of prior year questions. BIG HELP, right?
Without further qualification, one parent told me recently that he knows his children and how they have been doing all year in class, and does not feel the assessment scores will provide any useful additional information. (In the vein of your own concern over possible confusion, he thinks that assessment scores could introduce more confusion over the true scholastic performance of his kids, either by being too high or too low in comparison to their report cards and other ongoing metrics, including teacher meetings.) He says that his kids will not be taking the assessments this year. He is an engineer.
Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 14:28:13 GMT -5
Curious about your last point - what exactly does his profession have to do with his decision to opt his children out of the testing?
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 31, 2014 21:02:24 GMT -5
Not exactly sure.
A fast food place in Wantagh, on the eve of destruction. The woman ahead of me in the rope line waiting to order, asked her son if many kids would not be taking the test tomorrow.... The boy ticked-off about seven names, all other boys. His mom made a joke about that fact (no girls opting-out). I couldn't resist, and asked if he would be taking the test. They both quickly responded, "Yes!" and mom continued, "He's going to learn to take standardized tests." I wished him good luck on the test, he thanked me. I ordered the Pacific Cod sandwich and an Asian Chicken Salad for my wife and a small fries to split. Pretty much like Wantagh, on the eve of no big deal! Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Mar 31, 2014 21:28:40 GMT -5
Pacific Cod sandwich and you split a small fries!?!?! I would have opted out of that order!
Good luck to all, whatever your decision/opinion is about the test.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Apr 1, 2014 6:46:36 GMT -5
Good luck to all, whatever your decision/opinion is about the test. Of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion. This issue boils down to two prevailing opinions: "...the tests are valuable and good for my child(ren)", vs. "...it would not be good for my child(ren) to take these tests". Hence the big discussion had ensued, and today the rubber meets the road.
The "decision" part is an entirely different matter. Your post jolted me all the way back to last spring when the first articles appeared about opting-out. I say "jolted" because my opinion has evolved about the Common Core and about the assessments, and not necessarily in the same direction or degree. But my opinions aside, I must go back and would like to reiterate, without reference to the validity of any opinions, that there really is no "option out" of state assessments, and that any so-called "decision" to not sit for these tests was not a decision offered to you by the state, by your school district, or by your child(ren)'s school. Your kids are supposed to be taking these tests today, and you, as a parent, are supposed to see to that. Parents creating for themselves and their child(ren) a negative option, making a (negative) decision to not take the state assessments are in rebellion. I think it is very important for rebels to be aware that they are rebels, and to be proud of that fact, if being rebels was indeed their intention. But in a similar vein, just going along with the crowd and "opting out"—making-up and taking a non-existent option—may be more for show than for cause. Unintentional rebels?
Time, now to sit an wait-out the results. Time to change the topic for a while? Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Apr 1, 2014 7:55:20 GMT -5
I think we need to change the topic to your fast food choices We're probably at the crescendo of the hype right now and hopefully things will die down a bit after the ELA tests, only to boil back up soon. Today's world of online slacktivism dictates that once we pass the peak the discussion will probably die down. School budget time - looks like LI got a nice boost in aid from the state...
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Apr 1, 2014 10:19:35 GMT -5
I think we need to change the topic to your fast food choices I am not supposed to eat red meat or dairy in order to control my cholesterol. So we eat a lot chicken, fish, grains and soy products. During Lent, the fast food places all feature fish specials which are a nice change from chicken. The fries, I know I should avoid, but once in a while.... I have found that both McDonalds and Wendy's will prepare their featured burgers substituting chicken for beef, which is nice. Sometimes I crave bacon burger, but those I really need to resist, and do. That and Pizza. KK carries a lot of soy products but their availability is inconsistent and their prices really high. So for most soy-based items (Silk, and substitutes for butter, cheese, ice cream, etc.) we go to Target. We have discovered a special sheep milk cheese that I buy in $20 blocks once a month from a Greek deli in Astoria. It can be grated and can be used to top pasta and to make homemade Pizza. School budget time - looks like LI got a nice boost in aid from the state... It's an election year! Wantagh "lost" aid according to the chart, but what we lost is the "bullet" aid for Full-Day K, which was a one-shot last year. This was no surprise. I imagine our basic aids increased along with the rest of the Island. Regards, Chris Wendt
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Post by rr on Apr 1, 2014 10:32:19 GMT -5
Chris, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you have cholesterol issues it would be best to avoid McDonalds & Wendy's altogether...
You may want to try almond or coconut milk...
Yes, election year...which seats are available this year?
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