The national push for higher achievement standards in public schools continues to bedevil Democratic state legislators in Washington, who worry that too many students aren't making the grade. And regrettably, one of their primary solutions is to make mandated passage of a crucial test easier, through ever-increasing use of "alternative assessments."
The crucial hurdle for graduation, as of 2008, comes in 10th-grade (mind you, not 12th grade). It's called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The problem is, as today's Tacoma News Tribune reports, that too many students are failing: 35 percent of 10th graders couldn't meet the WASL reading standards last year, and a staggering 60 percent couldn't hack WASL math.
What to do? Lower standards while upholding "rigor" with a straight face. Social promotion; the dogma of student self-esteem; and deceptive marketing to future student transcript readers underlie SB 5638, sponsored by Senator Rosemary McAuliffe (D-1). Co-sponsors are Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen (D-2) and Sen. Erik Poulsen (D-34). Unfortunately, alternatives to WASL are already allowed, but the bill would allow more of them to be used, and more quickly.
The bill removes from the legislature the existing power to approve or reject alternative assessments, instead leaving it all to the state superintendent's office in consultation with other highly "interested" parties such as teachers, parents and unions. SB 5638 allows students up to four tries using "alternative assessments" in necessary subject areas; beginning after the first time a student fails a WASL section - not the second time, as at present. And whereas currently a student may use one type of "alternative" assessment in a failed subject area, SB 5638 would allow two types of alternative assessments per failed subject area.
Hey, whatever, dude.
Stricken under SB 5638 would be a current provision of state law that student transcripts would include notice when alternative evaluations were used. A college admissions officer or future employer would be unable to know that the individual was not able to pass a portion of the WASL.
This especially fails the smell test. The stated intent is for the alternative assessments to be "comparable in rigor" to the WASL, which is in fact itself being weakened, as Marsha Richards reported here yesterday. Yet if the rigor will be "comparable," why hide the use of alternatives from future transcript readers? Is it due to what sorts of "alternatives" we'll be seeing?
If a student can't pass the WASL written test of 10th grade math, will he plot on a graph the price of gas in King County over a six-month period, comparing that to other Western Washington counties? If students can't pass the 10th grade WASL reading section, what exactly is the "alternative?" Listening to "Books On Tape" and answering questions? And if they fail writing? Of course, that old standby - produce a rap video! Or maybe joining Toastmasters?
Draped with the flaccid rubric of accountablity, SB 5638 represents some of the deepest fears of Washington Democrats: that the state's public schools are mired in mediocrity; that teachers unions intractably opposed to school choice are in fact the enemies of Washington children, parents and taxpayers; and that the prevailing "diversity" uber alles mantra has left urban school systems like Seattle's without a moral center.
However, even without SB 5638, the current scheme is badly flawed. If students pass a 10th-grade WASL, the state is only ensuring they have 10th-grade skills at the end of 12th grade. Nationwide, kids who don't learn how to really write still manage to graduate from college, then their employers eat the costs. The math skills of many graduates - especially journalists and some elections officials in Washington state - are discouragingly weak as well. We should have refortified 4th, 7th and 10th-grade WASLs, plus newly-mandated 11th and 12th grade WASLs required for graduation, with no jive-y alternative assessements allowed at all.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at February 01, 2005 12:49 PM | Email ThisI don't know if that will prove anything. Besides, if the teachers will only prepare the students to pass the tests, what kind of education would that be? If testing is the goal, then mind as well fire the teachers and contract out to places like Princeton Review or Kaplan to run the prep courses.
As a home educator, I'd like to see all public schools eliminated (and the associated taxes) but teacher's unions are too strong to budge....
Posted by: DannyHSDad on February 1, 2005 01:26 PMThis needs to be pursued to its fullest...after all its our kids we are talking about.
The continued dumbing down of our children and the apparent lack of accountability by teachers and their union really infuriate me. The teachers union needs to be dismantled. They have grown far to powerful to the detriment of our children. They wield to much influence in Olympia over curricula and left leaning liberal agenda. The teachers have all strayed from time honored and proven teaching methods in the name of the PC crowd.
These folk just don’t get it! Competition among school children fosters learning…all children are not the same and should not be treated as such. Educational institutions should ONLY provide a level playing field for those who enter it to find their proper course. It will, most assuredly, be different form the next student.
As usual the Dems want to bury the problem in a pile of alternatives instead of owning up to the problem at its root and fixing it. Guess all that Teacher’s Union money must be substantial enough to sell out our kids.
I also agree with DannyHSDad that I'd like to see all public schools eliminated. Instead, everyone could have vouchers and form their own schools.
On the other hand, my kids are growing up in a world populated by millions of mis-educated youth. I majored in Soviet history and one thing I learned is that when you want to take over a society (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc.), the two best places to take over first are the media and schools. Individuals can fight back a little by educating at home or by putting their kids in good private schools, but the public school monopoly still reigns. And I don't think even federal mandates can help that.
Posted by: Shannon K on February 1, 2005 01:39 PMBut the basic skills have got to be there, and too often they aren't. Testing is how you find out, plus it's increasingly required for HS graduation in many states, in line with NCLB guidelines. So I'm saying, since it's here to stay in grade school and high school, let's not water it down, or sidestep it.
Posted by: Matt R. on February 1, 2005 01:44 PMPublic schools have become a pinata for interest groups; whack them and get a goodie. We shouldn't be concerned that schools don't function as well as they should...we should be amazed that they function at all. There are too many perverse incentives.
Posted by: South County on February 1, 2005 01:46 PMNote that I'm not talking about creative spelling (which google can correct) nor 1 + 1 = "some creative number other than 2" (which a simple calculator can correct).
Posted by: DannyHSDad on February 1, 2005 01:57 PMMy view on the WASL is that it measures not only the progress of students, but also the effectiveness of the teacher. But it's nearly impossible to get rid of an ineffective teacher.
That is one of the reasons I am for Charter schools as an alternative for a failing educational system. For too many year we have just thrown money at a problem and it's time to have accountability for those that receive the public money and trust.
Posted by: Ken on February 1, 2005 02:05 PMLiberals and conservatives both contribute to the problem in their characteristic way. The liberals deny that intelliegnce is a meaningful measure of anything real and insist that discussion of it is evil. The conservatives seem to want standardized tests so that the schools and teachers are held accountable for what they do. Sort of like performance audits. However, they want to shoot the bearer of any untoward results.
I believe we do have a shoot-the-messenger situation. (1) We demand rigorous standardized tests for all the children. (2) We assume, without proof, that poor results on the tests are due to incompetent teaching (or to poorly designed tests), rather than to a mismatch between our expectations and the abilities of many of our children. I think the tests may be telling us what we don't want to hear. We just don't want to recognize it's nobody's fault.
I am sure there is room for breathtaking improvement in education. We'd better realize, though, that we don't live in Lake Wobegone, where, among other things, "the children are all above average."
Posted by: Boonie on February 1, 2005 02:09 PMYep. It's like a wise elected official once told me: "Beware the ones who care more about who's teaching the kids than whether they're learning anything."
Amen to that!
Posted by: Michele S on February 1, 2005 02:17 PMWith plenty of time before the standards take effect to boot......foot dragging will result in a last minute panic. Or most likely, too many will fail and you can't 1. fire all the teachers or 2. fail all the students. It'll be a joke.
I've seen it before. Testing was tied to promotions in a HUGE gov't agency. Four years of prep and pre testing happened. Come time for the test to "count" many many failed....the result? They didn't use the test results for promotions.
Posted by: smoke on February 1, 2005 02:25 PMAlso, has anyone else noticed how little time the kids actually spend in school anymore? Just take a look at a school calendar and count the days off. Now they count 1/2 days as whole days. When they are not having week long holiday breaks, they now have taken the individual days such as Presidents' Day and and that day is "recognized" on a Friday or a Monday. Four-day weekend. How convenient.
They have to take an entire week for report cards and conferences. We didn't have to do that when I was in school and my parents knew what was going on.
One of the best books I have read on the school system is "Our Kids : Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write, or Add" by Charles J. Sykes. I encourage any interested in this subject to read it. A real eye-opener.
There are good teachers and they should be rewarded. However, it is nearly impossible to get rid of a bad teacher. I know this because I worked in a school district personnel office for over 10 years. Guess what? Not once, ever, did a teacher get fired. They get transferred from school to school when there are parent complaints. If it gets really bad, they move them to the administration office and they get a big raise and a fancy title.
I truly feel sorry for these kids today. They are being short changed. A real travesty.
Posted by: Vicki on February 1, 2005 02:33 PMLiberals do not want the WASL "bar". If it has to be there, then they want every conceivable way to go under or around it and get the same diploma and of course not tell anybody how it was obtained.
If they had their way, there would be no tests or grades and diplomas would be earned by seniority in our government schools.
The dumbing down of America helps them, increases the dependence on government and unions. They don't want student ranking or achievement because of the feelings of relatively lower performing students.
Emotions, feelings, and disdain for excellence drive the DEMONCRATS (the dumb down party).
The focus is wrong. If you ask the wrong question, you will always get the wrong answer. At the end of the day, the parents in any school system get the kind of instruction they deserve. Same as they get the kind of government they deserve.
Too many good people have stood by for too long and, BEHOLD, you get King County wagging the WA dog. Can't turn a ship on a dime, but when the folks get fed up, it'll get changed.
Posted by: dkpcowboy on February 1, 2005 02:46 PMAll 'alternative' means of meeting WASL result in a high school diploma that is worth even less than before. The state colleges will follow suit by lowering the entrance scores which will result in a college degree being worth less. And by the time the person is out of college with this 'degree' they just may be capable of working at McDonadls and hence be of the primary socio-economic group the Socialists eerrr Democrats want to vote for them because the education system has failed to really prepare them for anything else.
Time to stop worrying about self esteem over academic performance. Group each class by ability and teach at the speed needed for each group. That way everyone in that class benefits instead of the really smart getting bored while the less than gifted get promoted so they remain with their peers.
Posted by: Anna on February 1, 2005 02:47 PMAnna said: Time to stop worrying about self esteem over academic performance. Group each class by ability and teach at the speed needed for each group. That way everyone in that class benefits instead of the really smart getting bored while the less than gifted get promoted so they remain with their peers.
Anna, I agree with you. I really wish that the schools would make their mission to educate and challenge each individual student to the best of their individual abilities -- and then carry through with it. If it means ability grouping, that's fine. In many cases, it could mean having the individual student work through programmed learning -- at the student's current level. Unfortunately, the schools have many distractions and preconceptions, self-imposed and imposed by others, that prevent this from happening. When you think about it, what could be fairer, and more effective, than trying to educate each student to the best of the student's individual skills and abilities?
Posted by: Boonie on February 1, 2005 03:18 PMBut I think it's a bit misleading to lay all the blame for the decline of school standards on the backs of the teachers when parents actually play a larger role in the education of their children than the state does. Parents are right in there fighting any and all attempts by the schools to hold students responsible for plagiarism and class room disruption, and many of them cause big problems for the teaching of science - especially evolution and physics - because they have idiotic religious convictions that are actually bolstered by some of Seattle's local think tanks.
So while the union is certainly part of the problem, they're not the whole problem or even the largest part of it, just the easiest target.
Posted by: Richard Bennett on February 1, 2005 03:19 PMMatt - you have outdone yourself!
With prose like that, do the Democrats really want to continue dismissing Republican voters as stupid?
(Well, notwithstanding Dems and Repubs alike that were educated in WA public schools).
Posted by: DeadManVoting (aka Iguana) on February 1, 2005 03:34 PMSeriously, I would challenge anyone to prove that testing truly measures what was learned in class. I believe that testing only shows that one can pass the test.
Tell me this: how many of you before you buy something, check to see if a product has been created by high percentage of PhD's or certified Microsoft engineer (product label of food item or software lacks this detail, in case you do look for it)? No, instead, we rely on word of mouth and reviews by others and, for extra insurance, 100% money back guarantee policy.
Or put it another way: How many state certified whatever (doctors, lawyers, etc.) do you know whom you'll never want to trust (let alone visit) again? I'll raise my hand since I've had some lousy hair cuts from 20-something (or younger) hair stylists (who are presumably licensed) and will never get my hair cut by them, no matter how attractive or afforable they might be. I prefer barbers who are in their 50's (or more). Another example is my wife who will never, ever visit this one licensed dentist because he had little experience (10 years ago) and botched some work on her tooth.
Certification or degrees (esp. government ones) have no correlation to good service or products, in my experience. Look at all the FDA "approved" drugs being recalled recently (and the drug makers were rightfully punished in the stock market, but the FDA folks were unjustly non-punished). Instead, I'm all for independent product reviews like Consumer Reports -- but I would never rely on one single source, myself.
Posted by: DannyHSDad on February 1, 2005 03:54 PMThe NEA and WEA oppose these schools largely because they take away power that the union currently controls. You can bet that if Charter schools asked to be part of the union, they would be greeted with open arms. It's not the cirriculum that's opposed, it's that the teachers and employees won't be paying dues.
Posted by: Ken on February 1, 2005 04:39 PMIf so, and the teachers union is going to blame the parents, why are we all paying such high property taxes that go to public education?
Give that money back to the tax-payers if it's not going to be used for education! Let the parents handle it!
That seems to be the logic. I don't support going that far, of course, but with a teacher's union that has monopolized the entire failed system, giving vouchers to parents so they can decide where to send their kids for an education is the most sure-fired way to get Johnny to read.
The current system doesn't teach Johnny. In fact, it holds him back for the "self esteem" of the dumber kids, then scolds him for having testosteron, all the while drumming into his head that "diversity" is the way to fortune.
Anybody see that stupid opinion column written by 4 Democrats that literally said that "diversity" is essential to competing overseas. What a joke. It has nothing to do with it. Clearly, these 4 Democrats have never been involved in private enterprise.
Posted by: DeadManVoting (aka Iguana) on February 1, 2005 04:54 PMSo we come to charter schools as a compromise between what we have and what we want, and still find it tough sledding. California only got them because the legislature was bullied by the threat of an initiative; the can amend their own legislation, but not initiatives. And of course they've watered it down year after year so it may have to go the initiative route after all.
Passing a charter school law through the legislature requires a larger coalition than the ones we've seen, which tend to rely heavily on religious fundamentalists who frankly scare the hell out of normal people. Legislators have an easy out if they can portray charter schoolers as young-earth creationists who want to separate boys and girls and generally operate the American equivalent of a Wahabbi madraasa.
Hippies and New-Agey yuppies are also into charter schools because they want more touchie-feelie education, and recent Asian immigrants want back-to-basics charters.
So the first person who can unite the fundies, the hippies, and the Asians will be able to pass a real charter school bill without the threat of an initiative, but until that happens I'm not holding my breath.
Posted by: Richard Bennett on February 1, 2005 05:10 PMTeachers are where the system meets the student...how can they not be the largest part of the problem?
Posted by: South County on February 1, 2005 10:02 PMWe recently tested our son for placement in homeschool curriculum. He was in 9th grade in a public school. We found that his reading comprehension skills were at the fifth grade level and his math skills were at the FOURTH GRADE level!
Of course, we were never told that he was so far behind...
He is now gaining ground rapidly and is set to graduate on time.
I shake my head...
Posted by: ERNurse on February 2, 2005 12:00 AMIt only takes a few disruptors to spoil the learning atmosphere for the whole class, and most classrooms have more than enough children from single parent homes, drug addict homes, neglectful parent homes, and parents who don't back the school when it comes to discipline. Those boys who did the shootings at Columbine had bombs in their rooms and their parents didn't even know, and the kid who did the school shooting in Arkansas had been dragged away from his father by a divorced prison psychologist mother who had the hots for an inmate.
The decline of education is caused by factors much larger than the quality of our achievement tests, and to pretend otherwise is to stick your head in the sand.
Posted by: Richard Bennett on February 2, 2005 09:01 AMThis result was achieved by inviting schools to send teachers to rank the difficulty of potential questions for the CATS. Often teachers were selected by political status, not by level of education in specific fields. Moreover, the results of tests meant which teachers receive either a financial reward or public humiliation. Therefore, this decision allowed those positioned to reap the CATS results to act as the standard makers for their own performance.
Teachers at the CATS standards conference demanded that difficult questions be removed, while questions over basic 8th grade history information were placed among the “distinguished” level. One example of questionS ranked at the most difficult level: the Spanish conquistadors explored the New World in search of... (The correct multiple choice answer was gold). Teachers complained that to rank the question as beginning or intermediate would be too difficult for their 11th grade students to answer.