tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post2547633581455880239..comments2023-03-26T03:47:29.469-04:00Comments on Peter St. Onge: CMS 'field tests' our patienceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-80326633802089908962011-04-15T11:42:18.441-04:002011-04-15T11:42:18.441-04:00My 7th grader said the social studies test was ver...My 7th grader said the social studies test was very difficult and that he had not learned the subject matter. My 5th grader said the science test was much harder than other tests and that she had not been taught the information during the year.<br />What is the point of the tests? Is it to revise the curriculum?<br /><br />BTW, CMS SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NOT TEACH ABOUT EACH INDIVIDUAL STATE! If you don't believe me, call downtown-the states are not part of the curriculum. <br />4th grade-NC history<br />5th-early US<br />6th-Europe, South America<br />7th-Asia, Middle East, Africa<br />8th-NC history<br /><br />How stupid are our children going to look when someone asks them to find Phoenix on a map? (well mine won't because I make them learn this information during summer break).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-21641131502617167332011-04-12T10:05:09.604-04:002011-04-12T10:05:09.604-04:00Anon, 2:31: The point is that testing takes up too...Anon, 2:31: The point is that testing takes up too much time. Schools vary on how much they stop teaching after EOGs, so there's no number of hours that's definitive. <br /><br />Thanks...pstongehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17339785715553747223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-58609834096926196852011-04-11T14:31:04.496-04:002011-04-11T14:31:04.496-04:00I don't understand the point. Is it that there...I don't understand the point. Is it that there are too many tests or too little or that nothing is done after the testing is over? I understand the textbooks are taken up after the tests leaving nothing but movies. Figure out how many hours that is St. Onge and get back to us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-74849486684424905732011-04-10T23:08:28.167-04:002011-04-10T23:08:28.167-04:00"Pete" IS doing the job he went to schoo..."Pete" IS doing the job he went to school for. He doesn't have to worry about going "paycheck to paycheck." He was a very sought-after super, and Charlotte won his services after interviewing, bidding, begging, borrowing and wooing. The teachers went to school to teach, and TOO MANY are not doing a good job of it. unfortunately, "Pete" has to run the "business" of CMS. Reality: CMS is broke, and there are waaaaay too many "teachers" that are worthless, and waaaay too many students below grade level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-45361158010336922962011-04-10T22:21:16.134-04:002011-04-10T22:21:16.134-04:00Pete, Thank you for putting words to many of our f...Pete, Thank you for putting words to many of our fears. Having seen the formative test in action, I can tell you it consumed a lot of precious time. Dr. Gorman has said there is no money to give teachers even if they do perform well based on the summatives. If there's no money to reward the teachers than these tests can only be used to punish them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-59684135851383362002011-04-10T21:42:25.484-04:002011-04-10T21:42:25.484-04:00I think that "Pete" needs to go on to Ch...I think that "Pete" needs to go on to Chicago and let the teachers do the job that they went to school for. Seems like to me he doesn't care what the future for these kids are, if they don't get the education then they will not can not become anything they want to be when they grow up. If "Pete" had to live on a "Teacher's Salary" he would know how it feels to always having to fear of losing the few dollars they do have coming in. Live like alot of them have to "Pete", paycheck to paycheck & then see what you think!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-52519930533214191142011-04-10T21:38:23.461-04:002011-04-10T21:38:23.461-04:00Anon 9:31: Those are excellent points about the ed...Anon 9:31: Those are excellent points about the educational possibilities that Stuart Little offered. But no, those weren't offered post-Stuart.pstongehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17339785715553747223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-18647448607086473842011-04-10T21:31:56.854-04:002011-04-10T21:31:56.854-04:00Watching "Stuart Little" or any other mo...Watching "Stuart Little" or any other mother can have an educational significance. Was your kid asked to summarize the movie so he can show his writing skills? Was he asked to rewrite a different end? Would he be able to name the characters and describe them? Relate the themes of the movie with another movie or his real life (adoption, bullying...)<br />As you can see, showing what it looks like a stupid movie can be more challenging and educational than a multiple choice test in which an averagely trained monkey could get a 60%. However, it is not till 10th grade that students will have a real written test, and then, magically their senior exit is expected to be at a college level...<br />Multiple choice= Not 21st century skill=Dumb peopleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-41815415245980739812011-04-10T17:54:25.198-04:002011-04-10T17:54:25.198-04:00No, we are going to cut experienced, higher-salari...No, we are going to cut experienced, higher-salaried teachers for the less experienced, mercenary group known as the Teach for America clan. Pete loves them. Why? A lot less money paid out by the system when these wannabees get next-to-nothing in salary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-8470506703076882902011-04-10T17:50:50.135-04:002011-04-10T17:50:50.135-04:00Pete, please address the statement made by an earl...Pete, please address the statement made by an earlier poster in your next webinar: How can a person who has lost the confidence and respect of his teaching staff continue to keep his job?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-25214621590262606452011-04-10T16:21:12.552-04:002011-04-10T16:21:12.552-04:00How about the costs for the tests? 52 new tests t...How about the costs for the tests? 52 new tests that we are paying for some company to write AND grade. Millions upon millions of dollars we do not have at the moment. We are cutting GOOD teachers to make room to pay for these tests. How about trimming class sizes first? 41 in one of my periods and 39 in the other two do not allow me to be more effective as I cannot give any individual attention. These tests will probably show what I already know. It is hard to be effective while teaching shoulder to shoulder in the classroom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-78712691886141611392011-04-10T16:15:55.273-04:002011-04-10T16:15:55.273-04:00Mr. St. Onge,
You only reported on 3-5 testing. T...Mr. St. Onge,<br />You only reported on 3-5 testing. The real crime is the number of hours spent testing in K-2. Those tests are administered one-to-one and the teacher must sit with the student and use a rubric to score the student's answers. Last week teachers spent an hour per child and a proctor had to be present. With 20-25 students in a class that is 20-25 hours of one-to-one testing. An incredible amount of teaching time has been lost in grades K-2!Teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05586021043029137359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-80668168897431275702011-04-10T16:10:23.265-04:002011-04-10T16:10:23.265-04:00Although CMS likes to say only a small amount of t...Although CMS likes to say only a small amount of time is taken away due to testing, they are not giving the community the entire picture. I am a K-2 teacher in CMS who gave the summative last week. Yes, for each child it may have only added 20-30 minutes (with a max of 50 minutes), however, do you know who gave the tests? At our school we as teachers were pulled all day to give the tests to each kid individually. I spent the entire school day doing a read-aloud to kindergarteners. Who taught my class? A sub...did my kids lose instruction? YES! <br /><br />Since data is so great I would like to see more data and research on the effectiveness of the board. Perhaps "Pete" as he likes to call himself in emails attempting to appear as our "buddy" would like to look into this type of data. Since people who have never stepped into a classroom evaluate us teachers, I propose people in the community who have no idea about running a school system should make evaluations to measure Pete and the board. Perhaps we could gain valuable insight into their effectiveness....maybe we will find that you should all be part of the budget cuts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-9362440366612563902011-04-10T16:10:00.211-04:002011-04-10T16:10:00.211-04:00I will be giving a district formative tomorrow and...I will be giving a district formative tomorrow and it will cover material that my students have not been introduced to. All of the material supposedly on the formative is covering end of course goals that are not covered during the first term of the two term course. This is a day of instruction lost. There are approximately seven weeks of instruction remaining and five goals to cover, plus re-loop and review. I need every instructional moment available to adequately prepare my students for their EOC. The district pushed summative and formative testing is getting out of hand. The questions are ridiculous and the results are useless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-80044675053183485512011-04-10T15:44:51.268-04:002011-04-10T15:44:51.268-04:00I love how the 6th grade science test had question...I love how the 6th grade science test had questions on genetics, the female reproductive system, and pedigree. Those were very relevant questions.....for the 7TH GRADE. My 6th graders were tested on material that they won't even learn until NEXT YEAR!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-48105651613392290622011-04-10T15:32:03.908-04:002011-04-10T15:32:03.908-04:00Bright Beginnings is a prime example of an entitle...Bright Beginnings is a prime example of an entitlement bonanza that serves few people, has mixed to inconclusive results. Yet tens of millions of dollars has been spent on this black hole for a decade.<br /><br />Politicians can't bring themselves to do away with it because it panders to their base and fear of losing votes is attached to it.<br /><br />At least Gorman had the guts to state the facts and take it a step further by saying the state program based on BB wasn't much, if any, better.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-55489133559024367092011-04-10T12:51:08.009-04:002011-04-10T12:51:08.009-04:00therestofthestory:
The numbers on Bright Beginnin...therestofthestory:<br /><br />The numbers on Bright Beginnings are inconclusive us far, and remember, it was Gorman and staff who proposed the BB cuts. Most of the angst came from the school board and public.pstongehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17339785715553747223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-70249160753922414072011-04-10T12:35:49.406-04:002011-04-10T12:35:49.406-04:00"...But Gorman and his staff also are data-dr..."...But Gorman and his staff also are data-driven people – and data-driven people almost always believe that more numbers are better than fewer numbers..."<br /><br />Hmmm, then why the angst not to stop Bright Beginnings, SS, and WSS?therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-86426736941257292162011-04-10T11:57:22.899-04:002011-04-10T11:57:22.899-04:00Your problem fails to address the de-motivation of...Your problem fails to address the de-motivation of high school students, especially boys, which is partially attributable to the teach-to-the test mentality. A lot of boys "smell a rat"when they get to middle and high school, and just refuse to apply themselves to the cat-and-mouse game that turns learning into a drone, instead of a meaningful, exciting experience. I suspect this is especially true for kids from tough neighborhoods, who find the learning experience irrelevant to life as they know it. The more effort that goes into preparing kids for tests, the less time and energy is available to creating a motivating learning experience. What is the cost to society of kids who never finish even a high school education? Very high indeed!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06309989941981665627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-22209526745873013452011-04-10T11:41:48.058-04:002011-04-10T11:41:48.058-04:00We need to spend more time on education and less t...We need to spend more time on education and less time on testing. As it stands, we are teaching to a test. The last 2-3 weeks of school, nothing is done. The first month of school, little is done. <br /><br /> Why spend money on testing at a time when class sizes are growing and schools are shutting down.<br /><br />Peter, did you hear from Chicago yet?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-23019462905400466332011-04-10T11:33:37.613-04:002011-04-10T11:33:37.613-04:00" There's no separating adult interests f..." There's no separating adult interests from those of children. When teachers have control over what they teach, when they work in sane and supportive environments, when they are fairly paid for the work they perform, when they have provisions that allow them to take care of their families in times of need, this can only lead directly to improved educational experiences for children".-Ravitch_Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-61517689531826131902011-04-10T11:08:12.010-04:002011-04-10T11:08:12.010-04:00I deal with data everyday. Mountains of it. Consum...I deal with data everyday. Mountains of it. Consumer products data delivered by the two largest companies in the industry, Information Resources and A.C. Nielsen.<br /><br />It isn't necessarily the quantity of data, it's the quality and integrity of the data being analyzed where one gets the most accurate results.<br /><br />Data can be spun to tell you pretty much any story you want it to tell, even using negative numbers spun into a positive light.<br /><br />Even if the data garnered after testing is accurate, say from a student that didn't do well on an EOG, those numbers still don't tell you the capabilities of that student and whether the teacher was effective teaching him. My son is a perfect example. <br /><br />Every year, we would have to go to the school and get his schedule changed to more challanging courses because CMS put him in classes THEY felt he should be in based on the previous years EOG tests.<br /><br />I support evaluating teachers, but the way CMS is going about it with so much emphasis being put on tests is not the way to do it.<br /><br />My son and others like hom who are smart kids but don't tests well will be a teacher's nightmare, especially since their livelyhood depends on how well their students perform.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-80879241721878028592011-04-10T10:53:41.635-04:002011-04-10T10:53:41.635-04:00Parents threaten to pull kids from the tests?
Th...Parents threaten to pull kids from the tests? <br /><br />This in itself is incredible but shows how the inmates now run the asylum and try to dictate school policy is this messed up pc age yet teachers are required to pass marginal students by the administraion too just to get rid of them.<br /><br />The bottom line is the whiny parents and so called community leaders who blame others on their own shortcomings making for a double standards. This is a concept for certain failure because you can never ever please these whiners with pandering. <br /><br />Its the liberal concept go awry and a bottomless pit. You cant appease the un-appeaseable and you need not try. Return to the old ways where the trained cetified licensed administrators and teachers are in control not the asylum inmates.<br /><br />On another note when will this idiot newspaper change the pandering front page online? IT SUX. "All Things Charlotte"? Really? The DNC may argue with that non-inclusive moronic term. Change it to All Things America.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-5394414291045822882011-04-10T10:49:35.514-04:002011-04-10T10:49:35.514-04:00Don't forget, we also give regular classroom t...Don't forget, we also give regular classroom tests and common assessments (need that data). As a CMS second-grade teacher, I spend A LOT of time testing. For a while, I was keeping a tally of how much time my class was actually sitting and just testing, and in one week they spent 3 hours testing! Seems a bit much for a 7-year old.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069744000849776605.post-78829208947441238192011-04-10T10:41:54.621-04:002011-04-10T10:41:54.621-04:00As a parent, substitute teacher, and a future teac...As a parent, substitute teacher, and a future teacher, I find all these tests ridiculous. I got the same comment from my seventh grader as I did when I asked a group of high school students (all of different grades) about these "field tests". Without telling them what anyone else had said, each one told me that most of the questions were about information they had yet to go over. Most knew that certain information was coming but didn't study it at length in the classroom. Yet.<br />Teachers most often must go over information in August and September that was covered the year before. Then toward the end of the year, teachers must get students ready for the end of year tests which are not really at the end of the year. Teachers also must deal with unacceptable behavior in the classroom and that takes away from instruction time as well as the mandatory days they must miss for in service time as mandated by the state. And Gorman wants to hold these teachers to a pay for performance structure? Add up all the time I have been in a classroom as a substitute and I have more experience than Gorman. <br />Let Chicago have him. Please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com