f:\doc\web\2000\08\doyon.txt Could not agree more. You are outstandingly clear. I do not believe it registers in people who have nade up their mind. That is why they are defeated. You ought to seriously consider going to King County elections office, file and file for SPI. They will waive the $ 1000 filing fee if you sign an affidavit stating you don't have the $ 1000. I'll support your candidacy and campaign for yoy in Eastern Washington. This writing of yours says all that needs to be said at any campaign stop. With this in your pocket, you can lick all the problems we have! Juanita for SPI! In a message dated 7/25/00 11:15:12 PM, jedoyon@aol.com writes: << It was nice to meet you at the A+ forum, Arthur. I told you I was going to start working on you, so here goes. You have got to do some homework on the education world. Give me your background as far as school volunteer, etc... Eye rolling on the part of the audience is not going to win you any votes in the teacher world-- even if you do promise to get rid of the WASL. The WASL is not the enemy. The upper echelon who use the WASL in ways for which it was not designed are the enemy. School reform is not all bad. Our world has changed, but not into some 21st century star travel future world. It has changed into a dysfunctional, egotistical technology worshiping blob, where nobody cares about anybody but themselves and their message -- including Terry Bergeson and Arthur Hu! Before you can attack effectively, you have to listen and learn and figure out which ammo to use. Yelling WASL slams across a room of educational gurus is not winning any votes. My kids' Tshirts were probably pretty inappropriate too, but then, I'm not running for office, am I? All in all, it was a pretty depressing evening-- right down to the "15 seconds" warning at the start of my teacher's tribute to a lost student. TACKY! I'll be posting more, now that I'm done with my little 38 page presentation. Is anybody alive out there? Or are we all off visiting Versailles to study dead queens? Juanita >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- very well put this is true Julanne Burts At 09:13 AM 7/26/00 +0000, you wrote: >The WASL is a tool designed to assess the value of individual students in >accordance with indicators established for a national (& international) >labor supply system. It is putty that will be endlessly remolded to serve >the purpose / job market du jour. Outcome-Based Education, TQM, and other >systemic change processes require continuous assessment and reassessment. >This process ascertains the current level of behavior change that has taken >place, and aids in determining the modification strategy for the next cycle >of training. >The WASL is a success when measured by the real goals of it's designers, but >a failure as an authentic testing instrument. > >Terry > >Michael F Dutton wrote: > > > I disagree - Arthur is on track about the WASL. It is a bad test that WAS > > designed to be used the way the upper echelon is using it. > > > > CYNDI Hi, Patrick, I think I have come to the end of my information campaign on this front, so I will probably be sparing you my dissertations from now on. I will forward board comments as I collect them into packets. I feel I have expressed all of my best thoughts and considerations on the subject of accountability and school improvement, so I will trust you to utilize the information I have presented. I have enjoyed your emails and getting to know you a little. And I appreciate the hard work you are doing. A few parting, summarizing thoughts, before I move on to other areas of my mission from God to strive for the betterment of public schools: Terry Bergeson is hopelessly devoted to a doomed assessment system that shackles kids and teachers with the burden of proof. Teacher training and student testing and more teacher training and more student testing is not the answer! Networking and communication and true assessment of the widespread, diverse needs of our school districts and communities is the answer. We are living in the 21st century. Kids need the same basic skills and support that kids have always needed. Solid reading ability and basic math skills are power to build on. Lofty standards will not solve the societal ills that cause the dysfunction in our schools. The EALRS are sound goals. They cannot be standards used for high stakes decisions. If you want any more opinion or information from me, I think you know where to find me. I hope the commission will come to some good sound conclusions-- but I fear this is just a lofty hope. The system plays against it. Enjoy the rest of the summer-- between meetings. Thank you again for your dedicated correspondence. Juanita --------------------------------------------------------------------- To Mr. Short: To call the WASL tests an accurate assessment of what every 4th grader should know is completely off base. And that's Mister Hu to you, not Wu. You obviously are part of the problem. My 1960-1970s education is the same education everybody else who built the internet got, and there is absolutely NO call for torturing little 4th graders with problems from algebra, geometry and statistics that I never got until after I graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The WASL tests were created BEFORE the specifications and EALRs were even firmed up. If and when I get elected, the next step will be highlight all of the school board members who are nothing more than small versions of the mad scientist Terry Bergeson who also can't or don't dare tell the difference between a 4th grade test and a 10th grade test. Anybody who believes a test with 80% flunk rate is appropriate for a minimum standards test, especially when half of the tasks come straight out of the 10th grade standards should NOT be qualified to be a school board member, unfortunately the main qualification appears to be the willingness to rubber stamp ridiculous "visions" of reform that only professional educators are misguided enough to believe to work. No one should be in a position to "raise" standards unless they are willing to recertify their own credentials by the same standards. How would YOU propose to measure the height of a flagpole given shadows, a fireplug, a brick wall, and a ruler? What percentage of problems can you pass? It took me 2 months to fully understand all of the published sample problems. I can program multi-tier client server internet applications, and I never had to learn this stuff in 4th grade, and neither did Bill Gates. It is utter nonsense to pretend that all of a sudden, little kids have to master stuff even the most advanced students were never expected to do before. Only college professors are asked to write such explanations in real life, and at least they know the answer before hand. The state's answer isn't even correct, it doesn't even employ similar triangles. Arthur Hu -----Original Message----- From: Short, Geoff [mailto:GWShort@SNOPUD.com] Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 5:56 PM To: 'Jedoyon@aol.com' Subject: RE: WASL Boycott Begins Ms. Doyon: I now feel you have gone beyond rationality with your anti-WASL campaign, and no longer do I have any interest in your views. You are not much different from Mr. Wu from the Kirkland area running for Sup't of OSPI, in my opinion - someone who has an extremely narrow and distorted view of education in this state. To call the WASL tests as "...advanced, adult level..." is completely off-base. I've read the tests, done some of the problems, and believe that with adequate instruction and practice, an average student can meet standards. As a school board member, that is my goal for our district - to see that all students, except possibly some special needs kids, develop the skills to meet or exceed the standards that have been established and are being established. In my view, this 7-year reform process has been the most significant large scale advance in education in decades, and one that has extreme importance in preparing our kids for the demands that will be placed on them in their lives. My education (mostly 1950s), my 32-year old son's education (70s & 80s), and my 18- yr old daughter's (80s & 90s) education don't come close to the potential value of the system now going into place. I have been involved with the establishment of the standards-based programs as a parent, a math and reading classroom helper, a 4-year site council member at an elementary, parent member of a district-wide teaching and learning committee, and husband of an elementary principal. You've taken the liberty of spreading your opinion widely, so I do not wish to get into a debate, and don't want a response to this. I want to be removed from your distribution lists. Geoff Short, Mukilteo School Board