That awkward moment when you discover your rant for the day... was also your rant back in May 2008. Given that UIDs were back in the 160K's back then, however, I think it's OK to revisit the topic. It is, right? Follow me below the dingledoodle squigglie dKosagnocchi dividerthingie fold after a word from our sponsor...
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Five years ago, my then-fourth grader was entering the home stretch of her school year with the school library closed & no music lessons, due to standardized testing (known in MA as MCAS). The single most annoying feature of MCAS, from my 2008 diary:
The thing that utterly makes me scream is the traditional note that goes home at the beginning of each testing week. It very carefully tells us that we shouldn't make our child nervous about the test. And [...] her homework for the week of testing is to (a) get a great night's sleep; and (b) to eat a good healthy breakfast with protein in it.
That was just to reassure new-to-MCAS-testing parents, right?
Fast-forward to this week, where my ninth grader readied for MCAS exams today and Wednesday. Yesterday I asked the kids to give me a list of what foodstuffs I needed to pick up while shopping. I'm thinking snacks and lunches... fruit, cold cuts, cheese sticks and cheez-its. Box of cereal or two, for good measure.
"Our teacher said we need to make sure to wake your parents so they can make you waffles or pancakes... so can you pick up some waffles or something so I can have something other than cereal?" ExCUSE me?
Now, K1 is a smart kid, and she's listened to me rant about this for... well, five years now. She added "They can't give us homework during MCAS, so we get a good night's sleep, too. I can't stay up til midnite any more, right?"
Yep. My daughter :).
So, because it was a REALLY good rant if I do say so myself, here's what 2008 me had to say on this matter:
Yup. The rest of the year, I apparently can let her stay up til midnite and eat Chocolate Coated Sugar Bombs for breakfast. But Not. MCAS. Week. Noooooo, come Testing Week the Powers That Be actually give a damn care slightly. No matter that it was all those weeks prior that really mattered. The weeks where they were, you know... learning.
I wish thinking on matters of standardized testing had changed as much in five years as the kids who took them then have. I wish we cared enough the other 39 weeks to question whether students were eating a good, protein-enriched breakfast. Whether they were getting sufficient sleep (hard to do given the workloads these kids are under these days) and had enough time to engage in regular physical activity to keep body, and also mind, fit. Whether their parents were involved in their lives enough to provide breakfast, safe housing in which to sleep, and all of the necessities growing children need to do well every day. Not just on The Weeks We Fill In Multiple Choice Bubbles or Write Essays We've Practiced Formatting Perfectly All Year.
I guess I should set a reminder on the calendar for May 15, 2018. It's a Tuesday, and there usually are middle-school MCAS tests that month.
Got educational thoughts to share tonite?
Pre-posting update: As I was doing a bit of last-minute looking around the site, I found Brainwrap's relevant diary on a teacher resignation. From the linked HuffPo article comes this quote by former teacher Ellie Rubenstein:
"Raising students' test scores on standardized tests is now the only goal, and in order to achieve it the creativity, flexibility and spontaneity that create authentic learning environments have been eliminated. ... Everything I love about teaching is extinct"
I couldn't let my piece sit without bringing that story into the discussion. I hate that values like creativity, inspiration and outside-the-box inventiveness are sacrificed on the altar of Better Living Through Percentiles.
I also learned Massachusetts appears to be doing away with MCAS. My prayers answered? Not by a long shot. Apparently we're transitioning to PARCC. What the hell is this alphabet soup change? "The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium of 22 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. "
Great. Now 22 states can have all their teachers teaching to the Exact Same Test because of COURSE that will be better.
I did, do, and will continue to believe in the value of a public school education. But damn, they don't make it easy, do they?
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without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do
not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From JBL55:
From cactusgal comes this gem.
From a gilas girl:
Lone Apple offers the best conspiracy theory yet re: ACORN in Hunter's FP diary on same.
From ericlewis0:
In my diary about how the FBI now has sworn testimony and documents alleging Michele Bachmann personally approved illegal payments, CJB had this great one.
From arizonablue:
Karl Rover has a witty header in Hunter's diary asking for help for a friend.
billmon compares the latest polling of younger people about the GOP to a doctor in a diary by kos.
TrueBlueMajority offers a critique in Lawrence Lewis' diary that makes things simple regarding Zimmerman and Martin for FOX viewers, and Lawrence replies with a superb comment that agrees.
citizenx asks a question in blue aardvark's diary about O'Keefe paying $100,000 to an ACORN employee and ebrann provides the answer.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
My noms tonite seem to have a theme...
In nomandates' Dallas Tea Party leader: "The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote...", webranding's mom and mine taught us the same thing about elections.
In MB's Wage-earning Americans are losing ground in race to the bottom and the slippage is not over yet, doingbusinessas seems to share the same soapbox as I do.
Top Mojo for yesterday, June 3rd, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Good One About 13 Yrs to Vote vs 5 Min. Gun by Gooserock — 184
2) "Creepy and depressing"? by Its the Supreme Court Stupid — 160
3) I've been retweeting a by AnnetteK — 121
4) What a loathsome bunch of scum. by psnyder — 112
5) asdf by whoknu — 103
6) It will always make me cringe by Ginny in CO — 98
7) If you have a chance to recommend by James Protzman — 91
8) Awesome. Now if I only understood or gave a by SantaFeMarie — 87
9) LOL. Agent Orange Monsanto gets pwned by DeadHead — 82
10) Scalia got this one right by Pi Li — 80
11) There is. It's called a protective order. But by Tchrldy — 79
12) What a nice thought. Goodbye GOP. by joanbrooker — 75
13) This is awesome. I had to visit with my son's by voracious — 71
14) Love your tags. by blue jersey mom — 66
15) most people saw this by NYFM — 64
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18) We are being watched by Claudius Bombarnac — 61
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20) Also wonder about his medical history by sawgrass727 — 59
21) A business like a "holding company." by OldGrandet — 59
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23) Just stole it by gizmo59 — 58
24) I thought it was by fenway49 — 57
25) Name changed to Bain Capitol. by jwinIL14 — 56
26) just like it makes me cringe every time they by livjack — 56
27) Don't forget saccharin by Horace Boothroyd III — 55
28) Good example-- by hannah — 53
29) asdf by whoknu — 52
30) why it's assumed that businesses are run well by Tamar — 52
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Pictures Cats for yesterday, June 3rd. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!