Tag Archives: standardized tests

Will One Flagler School Board Election Serve As a Referendum On Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing?

Posted on July 20, 2012 by

Flagler county school board member, Colleen Conklin,  has been one voices Floridians have been hearing from longest who raised warnings on the direction Florida lawmakers were taking the state’s schools. With the Flagler board’s cost-saving decision to cut the school day … Continue reading →

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The FDOE Joins Patricia Levesque in Blaming Districts for Tests

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

When the FCAT Writes debacle went viral in May, the organized PR campaign to rescue it was documented by the Florida media here and here. And in this blog here. Originating in Governor Rick Scott’s office, the effort would include former … Continue reading →

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FCAT “An Academic and Psychological Piece of Junk”

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

It’s useful to counter the narrative of test-based policy-makers with observations of folks who do this stuff for a living. Consider the following from Dr. Perry Miller writing in the Sun-Sentinel: In two separate articles of May 26, both of which included Commissioner … Continue reading →

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Arne Duncan Feels “Tests Accurately Reflect Student Learning”

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

Last weekend’s release by the Atlanta Journal Constitutionof an investigative report into possible cheating across the nation drew this email comment from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: “These findings are concerning,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in an emailed … Continue reading →

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Jeb Bush Dodges Accountability for Florida’s Poor Remediation Rate but Wants More FCAT

Posted on November 29, 2011 by

Make no mistake. FCAT is Jeb Bush’s baby. He, in fact, has staked his entire reputation on them. It is FCAT which is the basis for the school grade model he touts when he speaks to legislatures all over the country … Continue reading →

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Concern Grows for the Number of Florida’s High School Grads Needing Remediation

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

A proposal to lower FCAT’s cut scores prompted a sharp rebuttal from one prominent member of Florida’s board of education. From GRADEBOOK: They should expect some resistance from at least one board member. John Padget, a retired superintendent, told the … Continue reading →

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New St. Louis Imagine Schools Chief Makes Excuses for Poor Test Scores

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

Its that they’re scores were poor to begin with, you see: (Alan) Olkes acknowledged that achievement has been less than stellar if it is judged by state tests that compare Imagine students to everyone else in Missouri in the same … Continue reading →

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Patricia Levesque Joins Jeb Bush in Calling for Status Quo After Poor NAEP Numbers

Posted on November 6, 2011 by

Jeb Bush’s PR machine is good at staying on message. A case in point is today’s opinion piece in the Orlando Sentinel by Bush’s top policy wonk Patricia Levesque which comes just days after her boss’ statement in response to Florida’s … Continue reading →

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When Test Results are the Only Thing That Matter

Posted on August 21, 2011 by

Florida’s education system has been test-based for as long as any state’s. So much so that parents have begun to accept that fact that it’s the only thing that matters. And who can blame them when they become incredulous over the … Continue reading →

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Going Beyond the SOS March by Recognizing the Politics Involved in the Way Forward

Posted on August 10, 2011 by

A teaching colleague from Washington mentioned in one of the FB pages I help administrate – Save Our Schools Florida – that she admired the activity on our page. When she told us about what they were beginning to do … Continue reading →

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