Monday, March 24, 2008

More “Unethical” Test Prep?  Hamilton Freshman School ESCAPE

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Photo courtesy of here.

In this story from Yesterday’s Journal-News out of Hamilton, Ohio, reporter Linda Ebbing writes about yet another high school program which may be in violation of Ohio’s law regarding ”standards for the ethical use of tests.”

From Ebbing’s article:

From Ohio Administrative Code:

One must wonder what is being taught in an after school program that addresses “strategies for the OGT.” This sounds like test format is being addressed, which violates the law cited above.

Why does Ohio wish to prohibit teaching about test format anyway?  Could it be that these tests assess something other than content knowledge?

Schools like Hamilton Freshman School should absolutely be permitted to do what it takes to get kids through this oppressive test.  But does that mean we should ignore the law?  Legislators love saying that teachers and schools need to be “accountable.” What about the legislators?  Are they accountable to the laws they write into the books?

Should the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of this school be forced to abandon this program, particularly if it works?  Should the Department of Education spend time investigating programs like this?

Or, should the laws be exposed?  And in exposing these laws, does it draw attention to the fact that high-stakes exams like the Ohio Graduation Test are really about something other than evaluating content knowledge?  And further, if these tests really do assess something other than knowledge, is that fair?  Is that what “accountability” means?

If studying test format does not improve scores, then why are schools implementing these kinds of programs?  Why is there such a thriving test-prep book publishing industry?

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says:
24 Mar 2008  at  06:39 pm | #

Mr. Dean:

What do you want the public school system to accomplish and how do you propose to ascertain its level of success?

I, like you, think the current system is not sustainable, but what is the solution?

I am assuming that your disagreement is with the state and its unconstitutional system of public education, but unlike you I don’t think government can solve this problem; at least state government.

What if the local school districts threw up their hands with all but one finger clasped in a fist and made due with local property taxes and as a result could do what they wanted?  IMO this would be infinitely better than the status quo.

says:
24 Mar 2008  at  08:55 pm | #

How did we make it all the way to the 80’s without these tests?

Just get rid of them.  You’re a free market guy, right?  Colleges will be able to tell who is capable.  Families will figure it out, too.  You know—if no one at a high school gets to college, that’s probably not as good a school as the one where everyone gets a scholarship.

Or, if we’re talking a trade school, the one where grades get jobs—that’s the good one.

This stuff is not rocket science.

says:
24 Mar 2008  at  08:56 pm | #

BTW, tests don’t make struggling schools improve.  They make struggling schools dumb down curriculum to teach to the test—doing things like sending kids home early so they can train the rest in test-taking strategies.

This is not good for anyone, in the long term.

says:
25 Mar 2008  at  07:08 am | #

Mr. Dean:

O.K.  That sounds like a solution that I could live with. 

I must add, though, the long-term consequences of reducing transparency and accountability in a taxpayer-funded system would trend towards bankruptcy.  CPS currently finds it difficult to pass a levy.  I predict it would be even more difficult without standardized testing. CPS will be able to customize data in its support, but the opposition will be able to do the same.  Also opposition will grow.  Using the tools that you suggest, CPS will not measure well compared to other surrounding school districts.

What do you think about this new “value added” testing?  At first I figured it was simply a way to improve test results for the urban districts, but I am warming to this idea.  In theory, I think it is sound.

Not a Teacher says:
25 Mar 2008  at  10:00 am | #

I remember taking tests as a kid in the 60’s and 70’s. What is funny- we took one that said I had to do manual labor. I didn’t have the brains to make it thru College!

Well-College- GPA 3.3 -and that includes the lost years of being a Freshman and the introduction of 3.2 beer at Tangeman Center at 10 am in the Rhine Room for 50 cents.

Post Grad- GPA-3.9 - I Got 1 A- in a class.

So much for test scores! And you want to tell me that they prove what again?

Vera Z says:
25 Mar 2008  at  04:25 pm | #

I’m not a teacher, but I have a daughter who has been teaching in Missouri for several years, a daughter-in-law who is now working on her certification to teach in Ohio, and a number of friends who are also teachers and none of them have a positive thing to say about these tests.  They seem to think they interfere with the education process, and add nothing of value to it.  They would prefer to be rid of them.  Vera Z.

Who Cares? says:
25 Mar 2008  at  06:22 pm | #

By and large these tests are a waste of time, however, I do not disagree with the notion that there should be some accountability in education particularly with charter schools.  I do not think standardized tests are the complete answer, but something must done to give oversight to schools because the laissez-faire attitude isn’t cutting it.  One only need look at the dumbing down of our society to see that.

anon says:
27 Mar 2008  at  11:56 pm | #

I’m tired of people whining about these tests - the fact is, the people opposing the tests most are the teachers, administrators, and their unions.

Does anyone remember why we started testing - because we were finding out that kids were graduating from high school and they couldn’t read, our kids were the lowest in the world on math and science, our knowledge growth was going into the negatives…

The purpose of the tests were to make sure teachers and schools accomplished the minimal expectations of the community and delivered a product - education - that they had been failing to provide our children.

Teach the fricking test—please.  I want all US kids to know how to read, how to do simple math and know where we are on the globe.  And if the current teachers can’t do it - by God, we need a way to get rid of the power of a union that cares nothing about the product being delivered and only about the employee.

I am pro-union—all the way.  But the police and teachers unions’ abuse of their powers is destroying the fundamental premise of their functions and distorting the problem with teachers being measured (not students being measured).

As to funding - fix the damn system - vote all of them out of office or shut up

says:
28 Mar 2008  at  07:29 am | #

Comparing our scores to other countries’ never made sense, since our public system allows everyone to go to school, whereas others’ test kids into vocational programs and out of academic instruction at an earlier age. 

We take our dumbest, and hold their scores up to the rest of the world, too.

I have news for you:  idiots are still graduating high school, even with these tests.  Do you feel like there has been a dramatic improvement in our society for the last 10 years since they implemented these tests?  Look around?  Is the next generation filled with some of the brightest people you ever met?  Do you feel like children of the 90’s are really that more prepared than the children of the 80’s?

says:
28 Mar 2008  at  08:30 am | #

There is merit to both arguments brought forth by Mr. Dean and Anon.  The problem may not be testing vs. not testing.  A look deeper may reveal answers on which both can agree.  At the risk of alienating Mr. Dean, I would argue that accountability is the root of the problem.  Every study ever done has shown that if large urban school districts were to simply split into smaller districts (ergo; more accountability) the districts would be academically competitive with the non-urban districts.  Assuming that a change trending towards a non-tax-payer funded system is unrealistic, then I would argue that this is the only true answer.  The problems would then solve themselves.  How?  Increased accountability.  Alas, this too, seems to be unachievable because of state law requiring districts to maintain the same geographic boundaries as the municipality.  Government, by its very nature, must be top down.  Innovation and winning ideas always occur from the bottom up.

anon says:
28 Mar 2008  at  08:02 pm | #

Ryan’s right - however, the tools to create the smaller environment exist in the NCLB law, but noone is implementing it.
There is a provision in the law that permits schools, each building, to form their own “board” that has the power to accept or reject the practices of the larger board of education.
Under NCLB, the funding to support these “building boards” mandated to include parents with students at that school, have been completely and fully unimpllemented in OHio.
Kentucky is more compliant with the statutes.
I have been stomping my feet and banging my head against the wall trying to get the media to expose the failure of Ohio’s ed system to implement this single, very important and critical element of NCLB.  Without it - we, as parents, lose accountability and we as a society lose advancement of the interests of students on par with the interests of teachers and administrators.
Where are the “building boards” that stand in the way of progress and why aren’t the schools promoting their formation?  And where are the other advocates who have read all the rest of the statute but ignor the most empowering part of the legislation?