Education Deform / Diversity Bits by Arthur Hu http://www.leconsulting.com/arthurhu/99/04/eddef02.txt 2/26/99 RADICAL FEMINIST REFUSES TO TEACH MEN Radical feminist Boston College professor told she must teach men Eastside Journal Feb 26, 1999 p. A11 Mary Daly says women defer to men in their presence, so won't let men into her classed WOMEN SOUGHT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AT 2%? Construction industry turns to women Eastside Journal Feb 26, 1999 p. A11 recruiter have turned to women to solve labor shortages. 2% of construction jobs filled by women. PUBLIC DECIEVED INTO THINKING THEY HAVE SAY ON OBE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS IN LAKE WASH SD image: \zip31\clipim\99\02\26\grad.tif Public gets say on grad requirements Doug Margeson Eastside Journal Feb 26, 1999 p. A11 As with any changes in the way children are educated, it all sounds a little scary. Community forum on proposed new grad requirements Lake Washington High School Sat Feb 27, 1999 from 8:30 to noon. Standards will be set in communication, quantitative and scientific reasoning, culture, citizenship (may require service), career and life skills, and culminating project. At thursday night meeting, they said no one will be allowed to graduate with less than "proficient", or with honors and with high honors rating even though current WASL rates less than 20% of students as proficient. Specific "standards" specifying "how good is good enough" remain to be set, even though this tends to be where OBE breaks down. They responded to story about Littleton Colorodo where similar performance based requirements resulted in parents taking over the school board and putting an end to the experiment that "they failed to communicate with the community". No concern that requirements were killing the kids with overwork and confusion as to what they were supposed to do. PARTNERSHIP FOR LEARNING GIVES AWARD TO ABOVE AVERAGE APOLLO http://www.eastsidejournal.com/ejmainstor/dkr70111.html \clip\99\07\apollo.txt Fresh look at learning: Apollo Elementary honored for innovations that work Friday, February 26, 1999 By Doug Margeson Journal Reporter The Partnership for Learning recently completed an extensive study of academic standards and testing in Washington. Apollo was one of 26 schools in the state -- and the only one on the Eastside -- honored by the partnership. [but their 4th grad math test scores were only slightly better than state average, more publicity claiming "improvement" for the WASL reforms. Somerset which did ace the test did not get mention] IF ITS JOB THAT MATTERS, WHY ARE BLACKS AT MOST RISK? \clip\99\07\jobrace.txt http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/viol_19990221.html Jobs, more than race, determine your odds of dying by violence by Alex Tizon Seattle Times staff reporter A jobless white man living in a poor inner-city neighborhood has as much chance of a violent death as a jobless black man in the same situation, according to a University of Washington study about race, economics and mortality in Chicago. ...lead researcher Gunnar Almgren, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work. BLACKS AND HISPANICS IN BELLEVUE CONTINUE TO SCORE POORLY Students hanging in there: No change after Bellevue adds 7th class to school day. Seattle Times Mike Lindblom Feb 23, 1999. 7th period was added so that students who failed some classes could still complete graduation requirements, failure rates have not gone up. More students taking ap courses. More children under 25th percentile. PARENTS FORCE ORE TO PUT NO-CALCULATOR QUESTIONS BACK ON EXAMS Educators are divided on use of calculators in early grades Scott Learn Newhouse News Service. Seattle Times 2/21/99 \clipim\99\02\26\calc.tif Math questions without calculators added to Oregon state math tests after parents ask how to check if children know manual calculation. Last year half of Ore 5th graders used calculators in class, all by 10th grade according to NAEP surveys. NCTM advocated their use in every grade in 1990s. SKYLINE PARENTS IN REVOLT OVER HIGHER STANDARDS FROM HELL http://www.eastsidejournal.com/ejnews_archive/rww43331.html \clip\99\07\skyhard.txt Parents say class at Skyline too hard Thursday, February 18, 1999 Complaints cause district to delay mailing grades By Doug Margeson Journal Reporter ISSAQUAH -- Skyline High School's combined English-social studies class is an academic sweatshop that is destroying students' grade point averages while offering few benefits, according to a large and growing number of parents. `` I looked at my son's workload and it was horrendous: 11 major works to read, trace the plots and outline the characters; study sheets with 500 items, events and dates to memorize. I've never seen anything like it, not even at the college level,' INTEGRATED APPROACH A DISASTER? Parents dislike the fact that humanities classes have as many as 70 students in a classroom. Two teachers conduct the class. Skyline's humanities class combines English and social studies. Students are required to take it for three years. `` Breaking knowledge into separate disciplines can be artificial,'' Greenstein said. ``The integrated approach can better prepare students for the real world, where things are not divided into academic disciplines.'' Students are issued one grade for two subjects. That grade constitutes one-third of their overall grade point average. BACK TO BASICS PARENTS TAKE BACK LITTLETON COLORADO - LAKE WASHINGTON NEXT? I found out about this in the footnotes of Lake Washington's new graduation proposal, which seeks to impose similar requirements on its students now. Failed OBE experiment in Colorado. Students were suffering so badly and parents were so angered that they took over the school board and cancelled all experiments in outcome based education, though the newspaper says they "struck a balance" after a heated battle. The ABCs of OBE: What’s Wrong with "Outcome Based Education" http://www.i2i.org/SuptDocs/IssuPprs/IsOBEduc.htm \clip\99\07\littleton.htm One group exercise outlined in the Littleton High School graduation requirements indicates that the only way a student can obtain an advanced performance grade is if that student not only works well in the group but also embraces the point of view of the group. OBE collaboration is also illustrated by a recently expressed point of view by a Littleton board member that all school board votes should be unanimous Denver Rocky Mountain News; Bill Scanlon; Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer; 07-20-1997 LITTLETON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Littleton educators have achieved a workable balance after fighting a bitter battle between advocates of outcome-based education and backers of back-to-the-basics. Median 8th-grade reading score: 77 percent Proposal for the New High School Graduation Requirements http://www.lkwash.wednet.edu/level5/level5.htm \clipim\99\06\grad.pdf,.htm,.pdf Footnotes: From Alan Davis and Catherine Felknor. The Demise of Performance- Based Graduation in Littleton. Educational Leadership. March 1994. p. 64- 65. In February, 1994 a newly elected school board eliminated the performance- based requirements for graduation, despite evidence of improved instruction. Student confusion about portfolio requirements, and student struggling with demonstrations led to student dissatisfaction with the graduation requirements. Public meetings revealed the public was upset with the high stakes of the graduation requirements. There was also some discussion about the generation of criteria for the standards. [Julie Goldsmith claims that there was only a "communications" problem with parents, not any problem with the requirements themselves] OBE: A Crash Course in Dumbing Down by Cathie Adams http://www.fni.com/heritage/aug95/CAdams.html An example of this "method" is given by a pro-OBE principal from Littleton, Colorado: "It is more important to know how to find states on a map than to memorize their locations." He also refused to believe that students should know something about the Depression, the Holocaust or World War II because he suggested that "any definition of cultural landmarks was arbitrary and therefore, presumptuous." http://i2i.org/SuptDocs/Education/Outcomes%20Go.htm \clip\99\07\outgo.htm Outcomes Go: The Anatomy of an Insurrection. By Ed Lederman. How a grassroots parents coalition stopped the Outcome Based Education steamroller in Littleton, Colorado. The product of three years of meetings was thirteen outcomes such as: "1) Ability to clearly communicate information and express ideas and opinions in writing."; and "8. Understanding of the American culture and the democratic system." In the early spring of 1992 the Littleton School Board adopted these thirteen "outcomes" as the blueprint for future graduation requirements. LOUISIANA OFFICIALS EXPECT OVER 50% OF STUDENTS TO FALL BELOW EXPECTATIONS ON NEW TEST \clip\99\07\edclip03.txt Tests taking LEAP forward in difficulty students Times Picayune students will have to correctly answer half the test questions in both math and English to achieve approaching basic. Ninety percent correct in either subject will be deemed advanced. State officials expect 35 percent of Louisiana's public school students to fail the new LEAP test in its first year and 25 percent to demonstrate skills approaching basic (60% below standard!) Some parents voiced concern that consistent grading of such a test will be difficult ALABAMA ADOPTS EXIT EXAM FROM HELL Birmingham News: Students facing tougher exit test February 27, 1999 Students facing tougher exit test CHARLES J. DEAN News staff writer 02/26/99 Question: Ryan makes $3 per hour more than Scott. If 3 times Ryan's rate plus 4 times Scott's rate is $65, what is Ryan's hourly wage? Answer: $11. (solve ax+bx=c algebra) Question: A simple majority in Congress votes for a proposed amendment to the Constitution. What happens next? Answer: It's dead. Such a proposal requires a two thirds vote to pass. (no adult knows this, even if they look it up) state school superintendent, has predicted that possibly 50 percent of students in one third of the state's high schools might flunk the exam the first time around. [To WASL fans, the algebra problem that's tough for 10 graders is identical to problems that are given as samples for 4th and 7th graders in Washington] MILITARY PAY RELATIVELY HIGH FOR EDUCATION VS. CIVILIAN Pushing the Envelope Business Week March 8, 1999 p. 94 RAND compared military pay levels, found that pay for most tropps was higher than 70% to 80% of private-sector work. Army corporal with four years gerts $2,017 / month, 78th pctile fro civilian males 22 to 26 with high school ed. Army major with 12 years $4,949 month, 70th percentile for civilian males 32 to 36 with 4+ college. BUSINESS WEEK RATES TEXAS'S BUSH AND TAAS HIGHLY Reading, Writing and George W. Is Bush's record on education really that good? In short, yes. Chester E. Finn (chief right wing reform leader) Manhattan Institute: Texas probably leads the country at the moment in setting academic standards, testing, and accountability." Texas and North Carolina showed most NAEP improvement, Hispanic complain exit tests discriminate, TRA says TAAS is too wimpy. (At least they have not adopted worst aspects of outcome based education) MINNESOTA DISSIDENTS GET THEIR CONFERENCE COVERED BY NEWS MEDIA \doc\web\99\04\noprof.txt http://www.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug= PROF21&date=21-Feb-99&word=learning&word=profile&word=of Published Sunday, February 21, 1999 CONFERENCE TARGETS PROFILE OF LEARNING Norman Draper / Star Tribune These aren't folks who want the ProfileofLearning tweaked, amended or thought out a little more carefully. They want it wiped from the face of the Earth. "each speaker took the audience of well over 700 people through the major elements of the new education system in Minnesota. Channel 11 TV cameras showed up and the Star Tribune reporter (Minneapolis) was present until his deadline of 1:30 p.m." For tapes and more info: Maple River Education Coalition (MrEdCo) http://hometown.aol.com/MrEdCo98/98.html newer: http://www.MrEdCo.com [Just remember that ant...] ONLY HALF ARE PASSING ALGEBRA, BUT MORE ARE TRYING, GOALS IS 8TH GRADE 2/28/99 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Algabra policy alters MPS dynamics Requirement has affected course passing rates, fueled debate about its merits By Joe Williams of the Journal Sentinel staff February 28, 1999 "One statistic, in particular, leaps off the pages of MPS reports: There are more kids passing algebra now than were even taking the subject in 1991.. only about half -- 53% -- of the freshmen who are taking algebra in the district are passing the course. When algebra was an elective in 1991 -- when the question of requiring the course first came up -- 74% of algebra students were passing the course." "believes a majority of the students who are failing algebra now would have likely failed any math class they were taking. Those students have extremely weak backgrounds in math, don't do the homework or simply miss school so much they are incapable of passing, many educators said... when students attend algebra class regularly, about four out of five tend to pass the course...students who had an "A" or "B" average had an average daily attendance rate of 95% over the duration of the semester. Students who were failing the course attended school only 65% of the time. " "adult critics of the algebra requirement that the subject is not needed in the real world -- something that drives math teachers crazy" "by the class of 2004, for example, all MPS students will be required to demonstrate a proficiency in algebra by the end of eighth grade. " [Comment currently only the fastest AP calculus tracks require students to finish algebra in grade 8] HISPANIC PARENTS DON'T WANT KIDS TO LOSE SPANISH IN TRANS TO ENGLISH? \clip\99\07\edclip04.txt 2/28/99 Bilingual fast track spurs cultural concerns By Carlos Illescas Denver Post Education Writer "Previously, scores were the dominant criteria - something that often kept kids in bilingual classes for much of their school career." [Scores would have to be better than corresponding english language black poor!] Feb. 28 - Leticia Barron is worried about her children now that the Denver school district has adopted a "three-years-and-out'' bilingual education policy. [It's not the purpose of public schools to maintain native language proficiency - or should it / can it be? Previous system tended to keep kids in Spanish forever] US DOES MORE HOMEWORK, PERFORMS WORSE THAN OTHER NATIONS \clip\99\07\edclip04.txt Teaching methods examined Saturday, February 27, 1999 By JOHN C. KUEHNER PLAIN DEALER REPORT [on the TIMS] Eighth-graders did not fare as well. They ranked about in the middle of the pack. And high school seniors did poorly. They came in near last. Yet American students spend as much time or more studying as students in other countries and do more homework. [All this homework for what?] SMALL CLASSES - SMALL GAIN, BIG SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND SPACE \clip\99\07\edclip04.txt 2/28/99 Baltimore Sun Small classes, mixed results in California Test scores rise, but bring shortages of teachers, rooms; `I died and went to heaven'; Critics say reductions are easy, expensive and inefficient By Mike Bowler Sun Staff Since 1996, California has invested $4 billion in limiting kindergarten through third-grade classes to no more than 20 pupils. That has shown tentative signs of raising reading test scores, particularly at lower-performing schools. But it has resulted in a severe shortage of experienced teachers and adequate classroom space. [It's not worth it] STATES WITH HIGH STAKES TESTS HAD HIGHEST DROP OUT RATES \clip\99\07\edclip05.txt Richmond Times-Dispatch: Bigger risk for at-risk? Weakest students could become school dropouts Monday, March 1, 1999 BY KRISTEN NOZ Times-Dispatch Staff Writer "Testing systems that hold students, teachers and schools accountable for standardized test scores work to the disadvantage of at-risk students, according to Walt Haney, research associate with the Center for the Study of Testing. " Researchers found nine of the 10 states with highest drop-out rates use high-stakes graduation tests. None of the states with lowest drop-out rates used tests for high-stakes purposes. [If they don't rise to the higher bar, they'll just drop out!] WISCONSIN PARENTS CAN EXEMPT STUDENTS FROM TAKING THE TEST \clip\99\07\edclip05.txt Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Graduation test may lose some clout Parents persuade key state legislators to consider other high school factors By Marie Rohde of the Journal Sentinel staff March 01, 1999 "Parents now can demand that their children be exempted simply by writing a letter to officials within their school districts. Gov. Tommy G. Thompson has said the option must be eliminated, large numbers of students in Michigan have opted to not take graduation tests. For the most part those were students with good grade-point averages who had received scholarships that they feared might be affected by a poor showing on a graduation test. ..we're dealing with flesh-and-blood human beings and not factory parts," OHIO EXAM STILL FLUNKS MOST STUDENTS, REQUIRED FOR GRADE PROMOTION/GRAD \clip\99\07\edclip05.txt Schools give big test upbeat spin Sunday, February 28, 1999 By SCOTT STEPHENS Cleveland PLAIN DEALER Beginning in the 2001-2002 school year, fourth graders will be required to pass the reading portion of their test, which is given later in March, to be promoted to the fifth grade. Last March, fewer than 12 percent of the Cleveland's eighth-graders passed the entire exam and three-quarters of all fourth graders failed the reading portion of the five-part test, which also includes writing, math, science and citizenship.