Are all paradigms good or do some go in the wrong direction?

State exams now count towards high school grades for many Missouri students
By Valerie Schremp Hahn
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Jan. 15 2009
It's a dirty little high school secret.For as much as state and federal officials rely on standardized test scores to rate and compare high school quality, they know the exam results are flawed.The reality is that students — particularly those in high school — have known for years that a bad score on a state standardized exam may mean a lot to a principal or teacher, but little to them. So it was tempting for some students not to care too much about how they performed, or to even resort to random bubble-filling.But that's all changing this year.For the first time in Missouri, high school students could see their grade take a hit in certain subjects if they disregard state standardized exams.Under the new system, state exams, now called end-of-course exams, will be part of semester finals for many classes. And the state highly encourages districts to make exams count for at least 10 percent but no more than 25 percent of a student's final class grade.State education officials and St. Louis area school administrators applaud the move as a way to invest students in a state school assessment."There was a value attached to it," said Ron Helms, principal of Lindbergh High School, where students recently took their first end-of-course exams. "The kids didn't look at it as a state assessment alone. They saw it as a part of their final exam."The test also makes it easier for teachers to see exactly what students learned in the course. If a particular teacher or school gets especially good results, others can learn why — though schools shouldn't use the scores to evaluate teachers, says Ann Jarrett, teaching and learning director with the Missouri National Education Association. But some educators say the approach has drawbacks, including scheduling state exams to conform with a district's calendar. Because it could take a week or so to get results, schools have to schedule exam times earlier in order to tally final grades — especially important for graduating seniors or students who might have to enroll in summer school. And while educators agree it's good to test kids on what the state wants them to learn, there's some danger in focusing too much on that goal. A biology teacher, for example, may have less flexibility to personalize her instruction, because she has to administer an exam given to every other biology student in the state. "There is that pitfall of 'I'm only going to teach to this level of the test' rather than 'let's make this a rigorous course,'" said Sara Torres, a supervisory director with the Science Teachers of Missouri. But overall, said Torres, teachers generally think the new tests are a move in the right direction.The Missouri State Board of Education approved the new rules in February 2007, and gave the go-ahead to develop exams for Algebra I, English II and biology. Exams for at least seven other classes are being developed to use next school year and beyond. The changes do not affect testing in elementary or middle school grades.The new high school exams replace the Missouri Assessment Program tests given to sophomores for math and juniors for science and communication arts. Aside from concerns about students not taking tests seriously, critics say the old system didn't test students at the right time, sometimes months after they had covered a topic.Illinois has tried a different approach to making high school exams more meaningful for students. The Prairie State Achievement Exam is built around the ACT college entrance exam. Students who take the exam also receive an ACT score, giving them a motive to perform well. All Missouri public high schools will experience the change by spring. Some are getting the first taste now, because certain courses are structured to end after the fall semester. About 70 of the state's 524 school districts have given their first end-of-course exams this semester. Brentwood High School students took the exams this week. On Wednesday morning, teacher Kelly Javier cheerfully distributed pencils, rulers and even peppermints to her honors Algebra I students before handing out their end-of-course exam. Students knew it would count for 20 percent of their final grade."You always ask me, 'Can I have a drink? Can I go to the bathroom?'" she said. "You better do that. You better hustle. I need all of you and your brain cells before you start."Afterward, students said they found the test challenging but not too tough, and some said the wording was different than what they're used to.Chris Reichert, 15, said that while he took the old MAP exam seriously, it was hard to study for it because nobody knew exactly what would be on it and it covered a huge range of topics. "This is a lot better because it will tell how much we learned in class," he said.Nationwide, more states are turning toward end-of-course exams or exit exams, says the Center on Education Policy. While it's a challenge for some districts to fit so many separate exams into their schedule, many expect the exams to improve accountability and give students immediate feedback on what they have learned."There's a great attraction to these exams, because they seem to be like capstones," said Jack Jennings, founder of the Center on Education Policy, a nonprofit group that researches education issues. And educators hope the exams will result in higher scores."In the end, that should result in better, cleaner data about what is the quality of instruction at the high school," said Michael Muenks, coordinator of curriculum and assessment for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "We expect that we should see higher numbers of kids being proficient. It should be fascinating to watch."vhahn@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8228
If you enjoy reading about interesting news, you might like the 3 O'Clock Stir from STLtoday.com. Sign up and you'll receive an email with unique stories of the day, every Monday-Friday, at no charge. Sign up at http://newsletters.stltoday.com

A rebuttal to the previous post...

A number of newspaper articles have announced yet another "decline in literacy." This time it's adults, who, it is claimed, have dropped in literacy between 1992 and 2003, with a greater percentage lacking basic literacy.
This has resulted in the usual pious pronouncements about the low quality of our schools, our teachers, and poor teaching methods at all levels. Education Secretary Spellings, for example, was quoted in USA Today as saying that adult literacy programs are "inefficient" and "not using research-based methods" (January 8, 2008).
A look at the actual report shows that these conclusions are completely unjustified.
In 1992, only 24,000 adults in 11 states were actually tested on literacy. In 2003, only 18,500 adults in seven states were tested on literacy, a tiny percentage of the population. Researchers then gathered data on factors known to be connected to literacy, factors such as poverty levels, level of education, and minority status. They then used this data to make an educated guess about levels of literacy for the rest of the population.
In other words, one or more of the values of the predictors changed between 1992 and 2003 (the report does not specify which predictors have changed or how much). The change in the values of the predictors is undoubtedly the major reason for the "decline" of literacy that was reported. Literacy wasn't actually measured for most of the country.
The estimates of adult literacy are probably fairly accurate, and the value of the study is that it gives planners of adult literacy programs some idea of what they are up against.
The study does not, however, tell us whether schools are improving or getting worse, or whether one method of teaching reading is better than another, or whether teachers in general are better or worse than they were. All we really know from the study is that some things have changed between 1993 and 2003, factors that have nothing to do with teaching methods and teachers.
Critics should not blame schools for factors that have nothing to do with schools.
Posted by: STEPHEN KRASHEN January 14, 2009 at 03:49 PM

Pelosi's words as she opens congress- Second in a series

Pelosi's words as she opens congress-

Second in a series

notice again the words that Pelosi uses which instead of being inspirational and motivational spurring on the leaders of our country to handle all our issues "as one" have "jabs" to the other party and their past leaders...Pelosi must see the need to shift to a new paradigm of leadership and conflict management before she destroys the country....see what you think about her words with the actual transcript of her words from January 6,2009 as she opened

“Thank you, Leader Boehner.
“Together, we welcome the many new Members of Congress who today join the House of Representatives of the United States of America. Congratulations to all of our new Members and our re-elected Members.
“Your constituents have placed great trust in you. Your families have given you the love and support to make your leadership possible. Let us join together to salute our families of the 111th Congress.
“I also want to thank my family: my husband of 45 years, Paul Pelosi; our children – Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra; my grandchildren –Alexander, Madeleine, Liam, Sean, Ryan, Paulie, and Thomas. I also want to acknowledge my brother Tommy D’Alesandro III, former Mayor of Baltimore.
“I want to express my appreciation to the people of San Francisco for granting me the privilege of representing them and serving them in Congress.
“And thank you to my caucus for granting me the historic opportunity of breaking the marble ceiling and to serve, once again, as the first woman Speaker of the House.
“Leader Boehner: thank you for your generous words and for your commitment to put country ahead of party. Without reservation, let us stand together–not just today, but in the days ahead–to live up to that resolve.
“Few Congresses and few Presidents in history have been given the responsibility and the privilege of serving the nation in a time of such profound challenge.
“We do so renewed and refreshed by the new Members who join our ranks today.
“It is in that spirit that I pledge to you–let us all pledge to the American people that: we will look forward, not backward; we will join hands, not point fingers; we will rise to the challenge, recognizing that our love of country is stronger than any issue which may divide us.
“This is the lesson and legacy of the last election: the American people demanded a new era of change and accountability.
“Yes, we have problems as grave as our country has faced in generations. But now we enter a new Congress and a new era with a powerful sense of hope and pride in our great country.
“Two weeks from today, as Mr. Boehner indicated, on the steps of this Capitol, we will inaugurate the 44th President of the United States. From the inaugural platform he will look down the long stretch of the National Mall and see the steps of the Lincoln Memorial from which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. called us to the deepest truth of our founding dream.
“When Barack Obama raises his right hand and takes the oath of office, we will know and the world will witness how far America has come. We will celebrate that moment, but recognize that it is only a beginning.
“Together, with our new President, we as a Congress and as a country must fulfill the rest of America’s promise. All of that promise will not be redeemed quickly or easily. But it must be pursued urgently–with spirited debate, and without partisan deadlock or delay.
“Hardworking, and still hopeful Americans who are losing their jobs, businesses, retirement savings, homes, or are facing foreclosure, cannot wait any longer for us to move from the depths of a recession to the solid ground of honest and fair prosperity for the many and not just the few.
“We need action and we need action now.
“Families and children without health care, and millions more who fear losing coverage or are facing rising costs, cannot afford to wait any longer.
“We need action and we need action now.
“States facing financial crises, which are threatening the education and the health of our children, the well-being of our seniors, and the public safety of our communities, cannot afford to wait any longer.
“We need action and we need action now.
“Our country is challenged by the climate crisis, the need for energy security, and the need for a twenty-first century infrastructure. On all of these issues and many more, we cannot afford to wait.
“Our nation needs action and we need action now.
“America’s crises at home are matched by conflicts abroad– a terrorist threat that could strike there or here.
“We cannot afford to wait to renew our alliances, our leadership, and our respect in the world.
“We cannot afford to wait to deploy the power of our ideals.
“And for the sake of our security, for the courageous Americans who serve on the front lines, and for our veterans who have bravely served, we cannot afford to wait to modernize and rebuild our military.
“Every chance we get we must express our appreciation to our heroic men and women in uniform and to their families for their service and their sacrifice to our country.
“Let us show America and the world that we are equal to every test of a turbulent and unprecedented time.
“Let us listen to each other. Let us respect every voice and view. And then together, let us act.
“As we in Congress pledge to reach across the aisle, we recognize that history will measure this decisive moment not just by what we do here in Washington –
but by how we reflect and respect how all Americans work together for the common good to strengthen America’s future and faith in itself.
“As we take the oath of office today, we accept a level of responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced.
“With the help of God, the light of our values, the strength of the American people, and the hopes that we have for our children and their future, God will bless us so that America will continue to be, as our Founders predicted more than 200 years ago, ‘a rising not a setting sun.’
“May God bless our work. And may God continue to bless America.
“And now as I am sworn in to take the oath of office, I am joined by my grandchildren and invite all the children of the House to the podium.”
Following her speech, the Speaker was sworn in by Rep. John Dingell, the Dean of the House, and the Speaker administered the Oath of Office for the Members of the 111th Congress: