Social discussion of CS in K-12

["Reese, George Clifford" <reese AT illinois.edu>]

We have brave teachers. But all of us have to pick the battles worth fighting. We want to keep our jobs. We weigh the challenges against opportunities. And what if we fight and win? There are always unintended consequences?

 

And, bravery doesn’t always lead to success. Eleven years ago, a Champaign teacher, Presidential Award winner, and leader in mathematics education in Illinois resigned in protest against the NCLB and how it was being implemented in the Unit 4 schools. You can read about it here: http://goo.gl/qOaGJr

 

That’s bravery.

She paid the price, but the tests endure. Of course, Kathleen set an example for us that we should not forget. I think that’s one thing the community can and must do is not forget.

 

George

 

 

From: Charles Schultz [mailto:sacrophyte AT gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 1:11 PM
To: Reese, George Clifford
Cc: Stake, Robert E; ctrl-shift AT lists.mste.illinois.edu
Subject: Re: [Ctrl-Shift] FW: [IMTE] Uprising against high-sakes testing

 

Just to throw in another thought, why do adults have to make decisions about a child's education? The word picture I get is like a bunch of random seeds in a bag; you throw them all in 2 inches of good soil, water and give them sunlight, and then if they don't grow two inches in two weeks, you uproot and throw them away? This leads me to think of the idea of having an IEP for every single child (Jo Boaler calls it an individualized learning pathway, I believe).

 

What exactly is the purpose of education? :) We hear "to make kids successful" (in some form or fashion), but who defines "success"? Does education stop once "success" has been reached?

 

The analogy of making soup has been used to help define assessment; formative is like the chef asking himself if the soup is good, summative is like asking the customer if the soup is good. In education, I don't see a place for summative (who is the customer?); especially for the life-long learner, all assessments will be formative. Moreover, why aren't the students assessing the system (soup)?

 

Thanks for sharing the TED talk, George. How many brave teachers do we have in our local schools? How can we as a community support and encourage bravery in our educators?

 

On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 12:53 PM, Reese, George Clifford <reese AT illinois.edu> wrote:

Hi Bob,

You always help me think differently. I’m so grateful for that.

Why can’t the assessments of the NY Consortium be counted on to make decisions? I thought the assessments were not even represented by scores, but rather,  by artifacts.

 

I’m with you on virtues of the distracting from “inauthentic assessment”.

 

George

 

From: Stake, Robert E
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2016 12:43 PM
To: Reese, George Clifford
Cc: ctrl-shift AT lists.mste.illinois.edu
Subject: Re: [Ctrl-Shift] FW: [IMTE] Uprising against high-sakes testing

 

Thanks for sharing the listen, George.
As you know, I helped the NY Consortium create their "authentic assessment."
Which deserves the accolades-----------because it distracts people from inauthentic assessment,
not because it reveals what a student has learned.
Its operation gives students a more realistic idea of how they can express their achievement,
but its scores can't be counted on to make decisions about their education.
But the distraction is precious,
Just as we can seldom tell children precisely what to do,
We can help them think through their choices.
And mainly we can love them.   Bob




On 4/3/16, 10:44 AM, Reese, George Clifford wrote:

My Sunday morning listen. It’s an exhortation piece, but has some history and provides some ideas.

 

How the MAP died in Seattle and the birth of the Opt-Out movement.

The hypothermia illustration at 10:30 is one that I’m going to steal.

 

Often that’s the end, and people don’t discuss what comes after the tests.

At 14 minutes in, Hagopain discusses the authentic assessments.

Garfield started a partnership with the NY Consortium for Performance Assessment.

 

George

 

 

From: imte-bounces AT lists.mste.illinois.edu [mailto:imte-bounces AT lists.mste.illinois.edu] On Behalf Of Jerry Becker
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 6:31 PM
To: JERRY-P-BECKER-USA-L AT LISTSERV.SIU.EDU
Subject: [IMTE] Uprising against high-sakes testing

 

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From I AM AN EDUCAGTOR blog, Monday, March 28, 2016. See http://iamaneducator.com/2016/03/28/more-than-a-score-tedx-talk-jesse-hagopian-on-the-uprising-against-high-stakes-testing-and-for-a-meaningful-education/

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"More Than a Score" TEDx Talk: Jesse Hagopian on the uprising against high-stakes testing and for a meaningful education

By Jesse Hagopian

 

I recently gave this talk [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL64chNiuJQ&app=desktop ] titled, "More Than a Score," for the TEDx  Rainer event at Seattle's McCaw Hall theater.  In this talk I advocate for the great uprising against reducing our children to a test score and I make an argument to opt in to authentic assessments-not only because it will better engage students, but also because the future of our society and planet depend on it.

Jesse Hagopian is a high school history teacher and associate editor for Rethinking Schools magazine.  Jesse is the editor of, More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing.  Follow him on his blog, IAmAnEducator.com or on twitter, @jessedhagopian

 

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-- 

Jerry P. Becker
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
College of Education and Human Services
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
625 Wham Drive  /  MC 4610
Carbondale, Illinois  62901

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Charles Schultz