Standardized testing

The license

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ May 22, 2013 ⋅ 2 Comments

1 “Damn it.” The same level. Four hours. No way out. No other accessible saves. Nothing to do but fight the impossible boss battle over and over again. Mike gestured and the cheat menu popped up to overlay the screen. A new sword. New armor. Boots of the unfathomed initiate. Buffs. Debuffs. Permaboosts. Spells, allies, … Continue reading »

The Revolution Will Not Be Quantified (Seattle boycott solidarity)

Posted by iteach4change ⋅ February 6, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

This post was a submission to my local Patch news site as part of the national Garfield solidarity day today. Also I would like to thank Katie Strom for some of the information and wording on high stakes tests. Revolutions are rarely, if ever, sudden. They are a final breaking point – the product of … Continue reading »

#ncte12: when they came for us, they came with standards

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ November 17, 2012 ⋅ 5 Comments

There’s really no better way to silence us teachers (apart from the crippling, self-imposed professional norm of not admitting to our students and parents that have an opinion on anything) than to give us thousands of standards. When a teacher is busy delivering content and designing lessons to appease political appointees, there is precious little … Continue reading »

The Evaluation

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ July 14, 2012 ⋅ 26 Comments

He stayed behind in the classroom for a few minutes, straightening desks, pushing in chairs, securing the wall safe, and digitally initialing the affidavits he had to sign in the presence of the school’s compliance officer that morning promising not to share any information about what or whom he taught that day. Not a post, … Continue reading »

An Appeal.

Posted by Michael Meechin ⋅ April 25, 2012 ⋅ 6 Comments

This is a repost from my blog, Transparent Curriculum, from February. This is an appeal. Today the nationwide discussion is, and has been about accountability. Accountability for schools, for teachers, for students. Since the passage of NCLB, and ESEA before that – we have seen testing become the vehicle for how we assess accountability in … Continue reading »

No does mean “NO”

Posted by Brent Snavely ⋅ April 20, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

I visited a web site about a New York education conference at which individuals joined “a leading author and architect of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), David Coleman, to understand how the Core Standards for College and Career Readiness build on the work New York State has done in developing a standards-based system and … Continue reading »

What Would Gandhi Do?

Posted by Deven Black ⋅ April 17, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

In its infinite wisdom, the New York State Education Department has increased the length of the state ELA and math tests by 50% this year. Now three days each instead of two. They say that the increase is due to a need to field test questions for future exams based on the Common Core standards. In … Continue reading »

Wake me up, America: zip codes, destiny, & the rebirth of self-determination

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ December 8, 2011 ⋅ 8 Comments

In education we talk a lot about zip codes: “Zip codes and demographics must no longer be educational destiny for our students.” – Robert Carreon, Executive Director of Teach for America – Rio Grande Valley “[It was the ] biggest social injustice that skin color and zip code determined a child’s education and future opportunity.” … Continue reading »

But I am Pagliacci

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ December 7, 2011 ⋅ 2 Comments

A politician walks into a bar and says, “These kids just aren’t learning.” So the bartender says, “What are you gonna do?” And the politician says, “Send them somewhere else.” And the bartender says, “Like Finland?” But the politician says, “Nah – that would never work.”

Permission to speak: content classes, democracy, and the end of school

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ November 21, 2011 ⋅ 24 Comments

This year I agreed to teach social studies instead of language arts. In return, I asked to teach civics and economics in multiage classrooms rather than to split preps – or plan lessons – for multiple social studies courses. As a result, I’m re-learning familiar lessons in an unfamiliar place – the “content” classroom. In … Continue reading »

Two ways we separate children & why we should care

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ October 8, 2011 ⋅ 6 Comments

My wife asked a great question this morning about what I mean when I say that schools sort kids. After all, she posited, isn’t differentiation a kind of sorting – and isn’t differentiation good? Differentiation is good when we negotiate ways for students to learn with students themselves. When we collaborate on ways to learn … Continue reading »

Occupy your classroom

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ October 4, 2011 ⋅ 27 Comments

Michelle McNeil, reporting on ESEA Flexibility, September 28th, 2011: To be freed from [NCLB's 100% proficiency] 2014 deadline, and to have more flexibility in using Title I money, states will have to agree to do three main things. They will have to adopt college- and career-ready standards and tie state tests to them…. Arne Duncan … Continue reading »

The garbage we sell kids

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ September 2, 2011 ⋅ 11 Comments

Although each of our civics classes is at a different place, each one engaged in some pretty compelling discussion this week. A few classes tackled excerpts from this video and wound up discussing separation of powers, property rights, rule of law, and zoning. In a fit of righteousness, we wound up co-writing this statement: I … Continue reading »

The big us

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ July 7, 2011 ⋅ 9 Comments

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published its findings after a years-long investigation of “suspicious scores” in Atlanta schools. The Journal-Constitution found that over 170 educators – including over three dozen principals – had falsified student answers in 44 of the 56 schools scrutinized in the probe. In a PBS News Hour interview, Heather Vogell, a reporter … Continue reading »

On exemplary work

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ June 16, 2011 ⋅ 2 Comments

I’ve been paying close attention to the comments Kirsten, Sabrina, and others have shared about the gendering of teaching. When I read them, I think of videos like this one: The administrator is the strongman. The teachers are silent in the presence of the administrator. The students prop up the adults’ work. I am struck … Continue reading »

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