Pearson, again...

Today's Albany Times Union has two columns on the first page of the Perspectives section: "A failing grade for tests" by Michelle Adalian and an editorial entitled "The test of Common Core". Both about, essentially, the same topic.

Ms. Adalian is a 4th grade teacher in New York State. You should be aware that buried in the grade 3 through 8 tests in New York is the statement Developed and published under contract with the New York State Education Department by Pearson. 

I wrote about Pearson earlier (see here). My opinion has not changed. Pearson has a vested interest in getting states to go full bore into a "common core". As long as it is a shared curriculum, they stand to profit.

The TU editorial includes this:

The latest tests in question are for aspiring K-12 teachers, who must pass them to qualify for a teaching certificate. Teaching students started taking these tests back in September. Six months later, many are frustrated to still be waiting to find out whether they passed — because the state hasn't figured out what the passing score should be.

The reader should be aware that Pearson Education Inc. creates the teacher tests. In its own words

The New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®) address New York Education Law and Commissioner’s Regulations, which require prospective New York State educators to pass designated tests as a requirement for receiving state certification.

The public should take the time to learn about Pearson's role, and checking out their web "sales pitch" can help. Their push on teacher licensure is here. Getting a sense of their grab into assessments in general, check this out.

Bob Schaeffer is quoted as saying (see here) "In a capitalist society, if there’s a market, somebody will figure out how to serve it. But the corporations reinforce the stupidity of the bad policies of politicians."

Ms. Adalian says in her column "I encourage the powers that be to walk in our shoes."

I would hope and expect that politicians at all levels take the time to learn a lot about the actual schools with which they are playing. When they think they know enough, go and learn more.This hope is largely due to the fact that the only change that can be made in Schaeffer's statement is the removal of "stupidity of the bad".

Pearson has too much power and it was given to them blindly.

Disclaimer: there is greatr merit to the idea of a common core curriculum in this country. But it should be managed much much much much much much much better.

Common Core is not about testing

The  Common Core standards are all about  Math and English. They are not about testing.

Rex Smith of the Albany Times Union says in this morning's paper

People are blaming Common Core for a cluster of pressures in the schools, including excessive standardized testing and a revised scoring system that has shown student performance to be lower than previously thought. But a lot of the folks attacking the Common Core, I’m convinced, haven’t actually looked at the standards, or talked with education experts about them. Until we have heard more from a thoughtful review by educators, the calls to abandon the reform are premature. 

 Common Core does not prescribe tests, or modules, or most of the things that people are complaining about. In New York, all those things called modules are not from the Common Core. They are designed by the New York State Education Department. The EngageNY web site states

 

The optional curricular materials on EngageNY are designed to be adopted or adapted. Educators will find both PDF and Word versions available for their use. Some lessons provide detailed instructions or recommendations but it is important to note that the lessons are not scripts and rather they should be viewed as vignettes so that the reader can imagine how the class could look.

I added in the red to emphasize that even NY does not believe it knows "the way" to do things.

I also know that there are districts that have mandates that their teachers follow the modules. Those districts are naive, misled, misleading, and dangerous. Common Core is none of those.

 

I also find it misleading for Governor Andrew Cuomo to select Todd Hathaway, for one, as a member of his new committee. After all, Common Core is about math and English, and Hathaway is a high school history (social studies) teacher. The least he could have done would be to include a math teacher and an English teacher.

TPC at Sawgrass #17

On Friday, May 11, I submitted a letter to the sports section of the Albany Times Union newspaper.in. An edited version appeared in today's TU.  I assume copyright laws may claim that they own the version in the paper.Here is my original version.

On Friday, May 11, Pete Dougherty wrote in his column a rave review of the infamous 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass, site of the PGA's Players Championship.

In the column he fails to mention a few key items regarding the hole, and water hazards in general in the game of golf.

First, one of the key ingredients in an enjoyable game of golf is the recovery shot: a bad shot to an awkward location followed by a shot that makes the golfer's game healthy again. A water hazard does not have that allure: the next shot is almost never taken from the location where the previous shot ended, and the true penalty to the average golfer is the amputation of another ball from his spherical entourage. Some of the greatest golf holes in the world involve water, if at all, in its natural state of a meandering creek crossing the course. Not as a manmade golf ball collection agency.

Second, when water does come into play, the Rules of Golf are very specific about what should be done when an errant ball finds the water. It does have a disclaimer sort of rule that courses can use if they have to, that specifies a drop area. In this case the drop area is generally nowhere near the flight of the ball. The standard rule would have the golfer drop his ball keeping the last point of entry into the hazard on a line between the dropping spot and the pin. In this case that would chew up the front of the tee area, which the PGA probably doesn't want. In some cases the drop might have to take place on the other side on the little lake, making for a time-consuming walk, which TV probably doesn't want.

Third, Bubba Watson. What had the golf world amazed, if not stunned, after this year's Master's, was the manner in which Watson won: by a RECOVERY shot from a place that would have most weekend golfer's biting their lips and shaking with dread. A recovery shot. Not a shot, after a penalty, taken from some place the ball hadn't been.

I believe the PGA had some misgivings about #17. For this year they raised the edge of the island so fewer balls that hit land would trickle off into golf disaster.

It's only a question, but do NASCAR fans watch only because of the risk of a crash? If not, why would people suspect that golf fans would?