tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post2456336242151759978..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: CMS test week: One teacher's viewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-54735302462592184572011-04-25T18:03:52.903-04:002011-04-25T18:03:52.903-04:00I am a CMS teacher in a middle school. The tests w...I am a CMS teacher in a middle school. The tests were mis-numbered, some questions did not have numbers, and a lot of the content was not alligned with the SCOS (NC's Standard Course of Study). It is scary that these tests will determine a teacher's pay rate. <br /><br />I agree that something needs to be done. However, my staff is at a loss on how to change our damaged system. Our principal rules by fear, so we cannot discuss it freely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-89189565025742113402011-04-08T21:39:05.313-04:002011-04-08T21:39:05.313-04:00An exert from my letter to Ruth Samuelson:
To Pet...An exert from my letter to Ruth Samuelson:<br /> To Peter Gorman and the CMS Board of Education, each of these children are merely a name on a page with a test score next to it. <br /><br />(Based on very conservative estimations)<br />Kindergarten Entry Profile- 5 minutes<br />DIBELS BOY- 8 minutes<br />Miscellaneous Beginning of the Year School Based Assessments- 10 minutes<br />1st Quarter Formatives- 20 minutes<br />1st Quarter School Based Assessments- 10 minutes<br />2nd Quarter DIBELS-7 minutes<br />2nd Quarter Formatives-20 minutes<br />2nd Quarter School Based Assessments-10 minutes<br />3rd Quarter Formatives-20 minutes<br />3rd Quarter School Based Assessments-10 minutes<br />Field Test- Predicted 25 minutes per child but are given up to 50 minutes per child (let’s average that out to 37 minutes per child, rounding down of course)<br />4th Quarter Summative Tests- God only knows how long, let’s continue to be conservative and say 30 minutes per child X 4 content areas= 120 minutes<br />4th Quarter DIBELS-3 minutes<br />4th Quarter School Based Assesments-10 minutes<br />4th Quarter Level 4 Achievement Tests-20 minutes<br /><br />Let’s look at this data:<br /><br />Total calculated testing time per child: 310 minutes/60= 5.16 hours X 22 students= 113.6 hours of testing time<br /><br />Testing time available during and average school day: 235 minutes/60=3.92<br />7:45-8:25 40 minutes<br />9:15-10:30 75 minutes<br />11:10-1:10 120 minutes<br /><br />113.6 hours / 3.92 hours per school day= 28.98 days of a 180 day school year is spent on testing (this is without taking into consideration transition time, interruptions, varied schedules etc.)<br /><br /> So, as a teacher, I am conservatively estimating that I will spend 29 days of the school year testing students one on one. That is a minimum of 16 percent of the year that I am not even in front of my class teaching. I find this to be such an injustice to my students and a waste of instructional time.<br /><br /> Research shows that the pay for performance model is more detrimental than beneficial to education. By moving forward with this, I fear that CMS schools will lose a large percentage of highly qualified teachers. To quote an article from www.parentsacrossamerica.org: “If we want to make teaching a profession worth pursuing, we must pay all teachers a respectable professional wage—on par with professions that require comparable education and expertise – and provide them the tools they need to do their job – small classes, strong mentors, time for planning and collaboration, scope for their own creativity and help with addressing challenges such as poverty and homelessness.”<br /><br /> Lastly, I want you to realize that behind every salary that CMS wants to slash is a person who has planned their life and made decisions based on their promised salary. In the last 3 years, none of those teachers have received a raise yet the cost of living continues to sky rocket. We have children, mortgages, utility bills, student loans, and a multitude of obligations that we are required to fulfill, yet due to means beyond our control, we will not be able to fulfill many of those obligations if our salaries are cut due to student performance. I’m asking you to look at each teacher as a person not just a dollar amount and each child as a future leader not just a test score.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-12787623910261260632011-04-08T21:31:54.121-04:002011-04-08T21:31:54.121-04:00Yet another CMS teacher here agreeing with all tha...Yet another CMS teacher here agreeing with all that has been said about these tests. CMS should be EXTEMELY embarrassed to even put their name on these tests. What a joke! There were SO many mistakes and things that just didn't make sense. Who on earth is sitting behind a desk making up these tests? I am sure their paycheck is at least 3 times larger than mine (a 10 year veteran teacher who is only making 42,000 a year!) Why aren't teachers trusted to make these tests? Apparently the moron making them up knows NOTHING about the North Carolina Curriculum and NOTHING about children. CMS-You have FAILED your students and FAILED your teachers. I had a second grader say to me today "They should make these test more clear."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-62894663302275352692011-04-08T18:52:37.406-04:002011-04-08T18:52:37.406-04:00My middle-schoolers complained about rampant spell...My middle-schoolers complained about rampant spelling errors and numbering errors, which didn't correspond to the bubble sheets they were to fill out.<br /><br />Ridiculous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-85796905054684849052011-04-08T16:36:10.330-04:002011-04-08T16:36:10.330-04:00Again, I cannot stress how ACCURATE these complain...Again, I cannot stress how ACCURATE these complaints are. We were told the tests would take no more than 20-30 minutes per child. My first test (English Language Arts -ELA) to a 1st. grader took an hour and 15 minutes. There was a ridiculous amount of written response required by the child (per the test instructions) Teacher prompts were written on the student test as well, my verbal prompt differed from a task the child was asked to do. It was 34 questions long and filled with errors!! If I made THAT many embarrassing mistakes in my day-to-day, I should hope I would be fired! The second ELA test only took about 55 minutes, because it was so vastly different and required much less writing. It was however, no less exhausting. We got to the 9th item and the child asked with a sigh "Are we almost done?" No, honey, we're not. The test had 32 questions. In discussing the test with other teachers, it turns out that there were test bank items that were EXACTLY the same in Kindergarden, First and Second grade tests...WOW.<br />What a collossal waste of taxpayer money! This is an inconceivable travesty!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-51999688934346176492011-04-08T12:22:29.676-04:002011-04-08T12:22:29.676-04:00As a former CMS teacher and a rising 2012 kinderga...As a former CMS teacher and a rising 2012 kindergarten student, I am TERRIFIED of this testing. Not only is it going to further increase the stress of the teachers, but the students as well. I cannot picture 5yo students having the desire to be tested and not go have fun in "specials". My sister is a teacher and she also is breastfeeding. She has to combine her class just so she can go pump! She also can't even go to the restroom without doing the same. <br /><br />What about spending $2m on these tests and cutting hundreds of CMS jobs makes sense?Elaine V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00492712670824791299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-7451426721782796272011-04-06T21:32:49.066-04:002011-04-06T21:32:49.066-04:00I encourage all parents (especially K-2)to go to s...I encourage all parents (especially K-2)to go to school and ask how these tests are impacting their students and how much time their child's teacher is missing from teaching (now AND when summative tests come out). Since these are field tests, I believe parents have a right to see (once the tests are complete) what types of questions their children are being asked. Then we all need to begin writing letters and making phone calls to make sure the school board knows how ridiculous the tests are. Would they expect their 5 year old to be capable of writing 2 additional lines of a poem, following the appropriate genre???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-59098968372101884062011-04-06T20:32:54.130-04:002011-04-06T20:32:54.130-04:00And Ann, I just want to thank you and Eric for the...And Ann, I just want to thank you and Eric for the work you are doing. I can't imagine how much work this situation would be for CMS educators if we didn't have someone who could ask the tough questions and demand straight answers without fear of retribution. You alone make us feel like our opinions and experiences matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-81056668837082808052011-04-06T20:26:55.628-04:002011-04-06T20:26:55.628-04:00Today was the first day I was asked to help with t...Today was the first day I was asked to help with the testing. I went into it with low expectations, having heard much about them already. Even my low expectations, though, were too high. I really thought teachers were exaggerating. They are not. <br /><br />The third grade SS test I administered was poorly worded and contained a few grammatical errors. Many questions had NOTHING to do with the standard course of study for third grade social studies and several of them were open to interpretation. I learned in talking with a colleague that some of the questions on the 3rd grade test that I administered were also on the 4th grade test. <br /><br />But where the testing really breaks down is in the K-2 level which must be administered one-on-one. The test was FULL of mistakes. The instructions were confusing. A student could follow the instructions precisely but still get scored as having incorrect responses because the instructions were unclear. In some cases, the answers were in the questions. Trying to determine the correct way to score each response, I feel I could have defended giving the response any of the scores in the range for it. There was that much room for interpretation. So if this is how PfP will be based, salaries will be determined by the person who administers/scores the test, not the student who takes it. Furthermore, it was a timed test and each test I gave had the questions is a different order and some of them had different questions altogether. Depending on which version of the test a student got, the number of questions they were able to answer in the allotted time varied significantly. <br /><br />My verdict? Scrap this for 2011. This test needs FAR too much work to be ready for final testing in a few weeks. Our students need to be engaged in instruction at that time; not taking a work-in-progress test, the results of which are meaningless. Also? Give the testing company a copy of our standard course of study. It's clear that they didn't have one when they wrote these field tests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-75498739441656853692011-04-06T16:37:00.486-04:002011-04-06T16:37:00.486-04:00I left CMS in January for the very reasons describ...I left CMS in January for the very reasons described here. Missing 10 instructional days as an ESL teacher is an understatement. It only takes into account the field test and the local summative assessments. What was left unmentioned was the two weeks of formative that already passed (10 more days), the EOGs (4 days) the Extend 2(4 days) the EOG make ups (4 days) and the EOG retests (4 days). That's thirty-six instructional days lost for support staff who will very soon also be held accountable for student performance under the PfP plan. Keep in mind, there is also a complete departure from the standard course of study to begin review activities beginning the first week of April. My fifth grader told me today that she knew ZERO responses on the assessment she took today, and she is a pretty bright child. I've worked with the testing staff at CMS, the conditions of the test don't surprise me at all. The one thing CMS has done right is hire some very gifted teachers- what a tremendous waste of resources.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-1778431599461366792011-04-06T16:18:21.203-04:002011-04-06T16:18:21.203-04:00As a teacher in CMS, I am outraged at the amount o...As a teacher in CMS, I am outraged at the amount of testing we now require of our students. When did we as teachers sign on to "teach to the test"? That can't be what is best for education? However, Gorman says time and time again that he is doing what is BEST for children - how can a 5year old answering 100 questions be good for him? Explain that to me? <br /><br />Not to mention the amount of money Gorman has paid to have these tests created! He wants to lay off 6000 teachers but spent over $10,000 a test? What kills me is where is the school board for all of this? How can the board sit back and allow this to happen?<br /><br />CMS has a horrible reputation everywhere - teachers leave year after year to get away from this kind of misuse of education and yet Gorman continues to shove it down our throats as good use of instructional time? The tests are faulty and since I teach high school they should count for 25% of my students' grades? I haven't even taught some of the material tested - it isn't supposed to be taught until the end of April (according to the CMS Pacing Guide) and yet it is on the test? <br /><br />Give me a break ... can you say private education anyone?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-73888479000745964652011-04-06T14:18:21.546-04:002011-04-06T14:18:21.546-04:00I am a teacher at a local charter school that left...I am a teacher at a local charter school that left CMS for many reasons, but the amount of testing was one of those reasons. Students would waste 2 days every quarter on "Quarterly Tests" which is 8 lost instructional days and four days are lost due to EOG's, nine days total. Now you are adding formative and summative assessments, taking more days as well. How is this being allowed? Multiple choice tests do NOT truly measure a child's performance. After taking Master of Ed. classes last year, that is one topic all of my professors stressed, multiple choice is "multiple guess" for most of these kids, especially the ones not on grade level to begin with. AND your going to measure a teacher's performance of a whole year of teaching on one or two "multiple guess" tests. CMS has got to get away from standardized tests so that teachers can actually teach their content area instead of teach the kids how to test well. This is why our kids are not getting the education they need to succeed in the future. How many of our students will take multiple choice tests to get a job? Employers are looking for team players, leadership qualities, problem solvers, NOT good test takers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-55671885725237608682011-04-06T14:06:55.896-04:002011-04-06T14:06:55.896-04:00The test and what is on it is a moot point.
It...The test and what is on it is a moot point.<br /><br />It's all the hooplah surrounding them that is the distraction.<br /><br />CMS is making this harder than it has to be, rushing the tests to judgement yet holding teachers accountable for the results.<br /><br />Anyone in their right mind can see what the educrats (the facilitators) are trying to do is just plain stupid.<br /><br />There is no other way to describe the tests and the people behind them.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-25525106495438522302011-04-06T10:44:03.443-04:002011-04-06T10:44:03.443-04:00Jacob, I gather from several teachers and proctors...Jacob, I gather from several teachers and proctors that they're sworn to some kind of "testing security" protocol.Ann Doss Helmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03511764376105157616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-79045684752908446862011-04-06T09:56:15.378-04:002011-04-06T09:56:15.378-04:00Will one of the teachers or testers please whip ou...Will one of the teachers or testers please whip out their cell phone and get a picture of one of the test pages.Jacobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08435913719797438432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-80403825574481428982011-04-06T07:56:15.685-04:002011-04-06T07:56:15.685-04:00Our school board members, some of them, are too bu...Our school board members, some of them, are too busy doing fundraising for middle school sports, while teachers face layoffs and Rome burns around them....Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-30949833940152426302011-04-06T07:21:02.418-04:002011-04-06T07:21:02.418-04:00The statement about not blaming principals is accu...The statement about not blaming principals is accurate. Most principals recognize the terrible waste the summative tests and all the money spent to create them are for our schools and our students. However, they report to a regime with a plan they plan to implement. They used Ruth Samuelson to work around the teachers. Principals may lose their jobs if they speak the truth. Charlotte, the emperor wears no clothes. CMS educators see it. Can you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-73124213980634687612011-04-06T05:42:35.778-04:002011-04-06T05:42:35.778-04:00Do not blame GORMAN. He is not doing anything that...Do not blame GORMAN. He is not doing anything that an average person seeking status and national fame wouldn't try to do.Blame the clueless SCHOOL BOARD.They provide no measureable leadership nor restraint of his dictatorship philosophy.What is the vote on allowing him to spend the taxpayers money on the creation and implementation of these tests?The entire process is an EXPERIMENT! There is no data currently available that shows this PfP process shows proven results.How can the SCHOOL BOARD approve this use of our tax money? Everyone resists change and our system of education needs to be improved.Lets try to spend the precious little money we have on proven results oriented programs than the EXPERIMENTS of the few.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-32461801557523558032011-04-05T23:37:15.966-04:002011-04-05T23:37:15.966-04:00Please don't blame the principals for this. W...Please don't blame the principals for this. We are at the mercy of Gorman and his Goons!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-87291579896272229512011-04-05T23:08:01.882-04:002011-04-05T23:08:01.882-04:00PfP should not even be up for discussion at this p...PfP should not even be up for discussion at this point. Dr. Gorman and his staff should be focusing all their attention on the budget/staffing crisis. Unless this is a reprehensible diversionary tactic... <br /><br />CMS Administration is doing a great disservice to this community by further eroding the small amount of support it currently enjoys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-5215739340502885582011-04-05T22:38:47.259-04:002011-04-05T22:38:47.259-04:00Once again tomorrow the K-2 students at my school ...Once again tomorrow the K-2 students at my school will not be led instructionally by their teachers. Once again our testing coordinator will count and recount tests rather than working with students. Once again small group instruction for our neediest students will not occur because everyone in the school is needed to assist with the summative testing program. Once again our media center will be closed and book checkout will be suspended. And all for the most poorly designed tests I have ever seen. I don't know if PfP can ever work, but I assure you these tests ARE NOT PRODUCING VALID RESULTS. 1.9 million dollars wasted at a time when critical classroom needs are not being met due to budget constraints. Is anyone with any power to stop this wastefulness listening?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-44401773733880874212011-04-05T22:17:05.653-04:002011-04-05T22:17:05.653-04:00I came to pick up my daughters today at Park Road ...I came to pick up my daughters today at Park Road Montessori and every teacher I talked to was exhausted and demoralized. They couldn't understand why they were being forced to give up a day of teaching to give these terrible tests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-33845668257831779782011-04-05T22:06:50.334-04:002011-04-05T22:06:50.334-04:00Anon 5:45...
Perhaps you should go back and read ...Anon 5:45...<br /><br />Perhaps you should go back and read what I posted.<br /><br />Nowhere did I post anything saying "you(teachers) are not earning your money".<br /><br />As far as me "educating myself on the facts", I was married to a teacher for 12 years in a past life and know too many educrats I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for.<br /><br />Educrats/administrators are facilitators and teachers have become nothing more than implementors.<br /><br />I have stated numerous times that teachers need to be evaluated BUT <b>the way CMS plans to go about it with their testing scheme is ridiculously unfair and won't work.</b>Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-87227824119434052882011-04-05T21:38:33.426-04:002011-04-05T21:38:33.426-04:00Dr. Gorman has an ego the size of Texas. He has re...Dr. Gorman has an ego the size of Texas. He has realized that the teachers are pushing back on his PfP so he hoodwinks Representative Samuelson into moving his agenda forward. To heck with them is his attitude. <br /><br />He then gets his boy Robert Avossa to lead the charge. Avossa is now a Broad fellow and heads up Gorman's Accountability/Testing group. His C and I leader, Ann Clark is also a Broad fellow. They are all on the bandwagon and be damned to the folks who say this won't work. Samuelson is simply foolish.....like all the "run schools like a business" politicians and folks who think the are experts on how to run a school. It is time for the citizens/parents/voters to stand up. It is time for the teachers to say we have had enough. Write your school board member. Write your legislative representatives. I have done that and you should to. <br /><br />Sad truth is out of the 150 emails I sent out I have only gotten four responses. None of the four was from Ruth Samuelson. <br /><br />CMS staff, we are 9000 strong. We need to take control of the next election and get someone in office who clearly understands the issues. We need someone who reads more than what sneaky Pete sticks in front of their face. We need people who run the Board and not fools who simply say what a great job Gorman is doing. Grow some Board!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-5652285649417658022011-04-05T21:28:46.934-04:002011-04-05T21:28:46.934-04:00Ann:
My guess is that the people from CMS are lik...Ann:<br /><br />My guess is that the people from CMS are likely trying to identify people they can get for violating testing secrecy rather than looking for feedback. In spite of the fact they are promoting a profoundly flawed system (which appeared to be testing on about 1/20th of my curriculum), they are familiar with what good and bad tests are. These are just embarrassing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com