The fountain of stupidity has given birth to yet another MIC (Moron in control)
Medium size school district.... known for athletics in the past but not as strong lately.
New Athletic Director...... talking to a middle school administrator
paraphrased quote:
"You guys are blowing too many of the athletes out due to grades and discipline.... these kids need to have the chance to compete. You need to keep them playing...regardless of grades so they can have a goal"
Thankfully the administrator has enough sense .....however - it is a fact that he who has the highest salary ....usually gets listened to..
Mr AD...... can you read my lips..... UIL SANCTIONS??? BREAKING THE LAW???
NO PASS NO PLAY .....applies to your students. regardless of how you feel about it.
Quit thinking you are god..... and try this one -
students (AND PARENTS) are held responsible for grades...as well as behavior..
(I kinda think the real world thrives on this performance and citizenship idea)
Oh wait a minute - you are wanting to make these guys into superstars - the kind not responsible for sleeping around...not responsible for carrying loaded guns...and not responsible for DWI..... cause after all ....they are athletes....they don't have to be responsible.
(Besides - the NBA has enough of this type for now ....should they run short - we will tell them you are scouting on their behalf)
In the mean time..... school district - toss this moron out before he puts your district into the really bad press releases. School district - be thankful/hopeful your administrators will not listen to this high paid idiot you got trying to run the system for his own behalf.
This guy apparently has more workout shorts than brains...
Friday, April 9, 2010
ONE DUMB MOVE AFTER ANOTHER
Well the insanity continues....
Take a medium size high school. Heavy Minority population. Dropouts and test scores have given it unacceptable rating for 2nd time.
New superintendent. Already appointed someone from the ad bldg to replace the principal at the high school.
Next up - Reassign or fire HALF of the staff. yes - HALF. Focusing on core subject teachers.
Background - heavy minority school - not in the top 25% salary wise.
New superintendent expects to replace core teachers.
With it evident - teachers are tied to test scores.
Pay is not attractive overall. Math and Science Teachers will receive a $7500 stipend to sign up.
(Actually the salary plus stipend does not make that system pay what other schools within 100 miles pay - who went 2 years advertising for science teachers and having no applications.)
Sounds like the super needs a reality check.
This writer knows teachers who work at schools like this one. Teachers who work at these kind of schools cause they choose to try and make an impact where many others would not even apply. Teachers who see this type of school as their personal challenge.
So ....not holding students responsible for things like dropping out - the knee jerk reaction.....is to grab Obama money - use it to bribe new teachers into the crossfire - and new / inexperienced teachers are going to grab that money.
And we force out or send those teachers who freely choose to work with this level of kid to work on a different campus.
And we are getting rid of the current Math and Science teachers...thinking we will replace them with experienced teachers willing to settle for a not very competitive pay scale, a longer than average school day(singled out against all the other schools in the district), the stigma of replacing people who were forced out ..... with math and science teachers who are willing to be tied to test scores...
At a time when schools across the nation are offering stipends to attract math and Science teachers which along with computer science teachers - the hardest to find in any state coast to coast. At a time when schools within 100 miles are paying as much as 6K above the salary and stipend offered.
If you could snap your fingers and make 1000 new science teachers and 1000 new math teachers - They could all have jobs within 24 hours....
So good luck Mr Superintendent with your plan....
When you are wiser.... you will realize that maybe some of those you are choosing to force out ...
were some of the best teachers you had..
And those of you being reassigned - MOVE - find a district that appreciates you ...and many in your area will pay you more and not question your abilities.
Mr Superintendent..... consider holding the parents and students responsible...
Oops ....there I go again trying to apply logic...
Take a medium size high school. Heavy Minority population. Dropouts and test scores have given it unacceptable rating for 2nd time.
New superintendent. Already appointed someone from the ad bldg to replace the principal at the high school.
Next up - Reassign or fire HALF of the staff. yes - HALF. Focusing on core subject teachers.
Background - heavy minority school - not in the top 25% salary wise.
New superintendent expects to replace core teachers.
With it evident - teachers are tied to test scores.
Pay is not attractive overall. Math and Science Teachers will receive a $7500 stipend to sign up.
(Actually the salary plus stipend does not make that system pay what other schools within 100 miles pay - who went 2 years advertising for science teachers and having no applications.)
Sounds like the super needs a reality check.
This writer knows teachers who work at schools like this one. Teachers who work at these kind of schools cause they choose to try and make an impact where many others would not even apply. Teachers who see this type of school as their personal challenge.
So ....not holding students responsible for things like dropping out - the knee jerk reaction.....is to grab Obama money - use it to bribe new teachers into the crossfire - and new / inexperienced teachers are going to grab that money.
And we force out or send those teachers who freely choose to work with this level of kid to work on a different campus.
And we are getting rid of the current Math and Science teachers...thinking we will replace them with experienced teachers willing to settle for a not very competitive pay scale, a longer than average school day(singled out against all the other schools in the district), the stigma of replacing people who were forced out ..... with math and science teachers who are willing to be tied to test scores...
At a time when schools across the nation are offering stipends to attract math and Science teachers which along with computer science teachers - the hardest to find in any state coast to coast. At a time when schools within 100 miles are paying as much as 6K above the salary and stipend offered.
If you could snap your fingers and make 1000 new science teachers and 1000 new math teachers - They could all have jobs within 24 hours....
So good luck Mr Superintendent with your plan....
When you are wiser.... you will realize that maybe some of those you are choosing to force out ...
were some of the best teachers you had..
And those of you being reassigned - MOVE - find a district that appreciates you ...and many in your area will pay you more and not question your abilities.
Mr Superintendent..... consider holding the parents and students responsible...
Oops ....there I go again trying to apply logic...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Clueless In Austin .....the insanity continues.
As mentioned previously, Texas is preparing to offer end of course tests in the core subjects. To this point, several tests are currently being field tested. Once again - Austin finds a way to screw up even more.
Currently the Vogue in Austin is online testing....despite the fact that previous attempts have been muddled with poor planning and preparation by Austin/and or testing companies. Little things like scheduling 1000 students to take a test at same time from an internet connection that was not powerful enough to handle 1/2 that.
Schools get "told" they must administer field tests and are expected to just make it happen. This is much easier with printed tests. You then need a room - someone to watch the students and time.
Now lets take a large school - say 4500 students. The school gets selected to administer an online field test for their entire sophomore class. Estimate there are about 1300 sophomores.
How many schools have 1300 computers in unused labs ready to give these tests? Ok - Half that number - have to do the test in two sessions. A fourth?
Now lets give that school - say 2 more online tests to field test. Another one for the sophomores and one for the 1210 Juniors. Total of 3810 online tests to give.
Now lets take all the computer class students out of their class labs and if this is an average school - you may have freed up as many as 500 computers.
Now if you are lucky - you handle this in 4 days - 2 testing sessions a day - but you have booted every Web, Computer Science, BCIS, Writing Lab, Animation, Digital Graphics, Video, and Multimedia student out of their class labs for at least 4 days.
So you have taken nearly a week away from the technology students...which affects maybe as many 400-600 students. This in a six weeks where a week is already sacrificed with TAKS tests. This in the weeks leading up to the semester exam when the students need to be in class.
This writer is familiar with a situation where an entire high school's computer labs are being taken over for 15 days. Half the six weeks - where classes whose primary work area is the computer - must sit and do something else.
I am not saying you can't test online - but before you dump 3 or 4 tests on a school and require them to take all of the tests online - consider the resources available.
Consider spacing the tests out between more districts - why put 3 or 4 on any one school.
Then again - I am trying to use logic... and sadly - logic is the first thing sacrificed in Austin.
Currently the Vogue in Austin is online testing....despite the fact that previous attempts have been muddled with poor planning and preparation by Austin/and or testing companies. Little things like scheduling 1000 students to take a test at same time from an internet connection that was not powerful enough to handle 1/2 that.
Schools get "told" they must administer field tests and are expected to just make it happen. This is much easier with printed tests. You then need a room - someone to watch the students and time.
Now lets take a large school - say 4500 students. The school gets selected to administer an online field test for their entire sophomore class. Estimate there are about 1300 sophomores.
How many schools have 1300 computers in unused labs ready to give these tests? Ok - Half that number - have to do the test in two sessions. A fourth?
Now lets give that school - say 2 more online tests to field test. Another one for the sophomores and one for the 1210 Juniors. Total of 3810 online tests to give.
Now lets take all the computer class students out of their class labs and if this is an average school - you may have freed up as many as 500 computers.
Now if you are lucky - you handle this in 4 days - 2 testing sessions a day - but you have booted every Web, Computer Science, BCIS, Writing Lab, Animation, Digital Graphics, Video, and Multimedia student out of their class labs for at least 4 days.
So you have taken nearly a week away from the technology students...which affects maybe as many 400-600 students. This in a six weeks where a week is already sacrificed with TAKS tests. This in the weeks leading up to the semester exam when the students need to be in class.
This writer is familiar with a situation where an entire high school's computer labs are being taken over for 15 days. Half the six weeks - where classes whose primary work area is the computer - must sit and do something else.
I am not saying you can't test online - but before you dump 3 or 4 tests on a school and require them to take all of the tests online - consider the resources available.
Consider spacing the tests out between more districts - why put 3 or 4 on any one school.
Then again - I am trying to use logic... and sadly - logic is the first thing sacrificed in Austin.
Monday, April 5, 2010
DUMBING DOWN .....PART II HOUSTON ISD
HOUSTON ISD......despite pleas from teachers - documentation from other sources...and letters from industry giant Microsoft took a GIANT step backward. Given the choice to require the technology credit for graduation, HISD chose to dumb down once more and passed with a unanimous vote a decision to no longer require the technology credit for graduation.
Strangely enough - they require health and public speaking despite both of those being optional. Curious - is this a way of cutting technology dollars spent - no longer requiring the tech classes so they do not have to spend monies upgrading the computer labs. Sounds like a group with no plan for the future and more concerned about saving $$ than teaching kids....
Personally - I say vote em out.
Thank you HISD - you have started my list of schools not truly preparing your students for the future. Thankfully my extended family of children, nieces and nephews are all in schools with a little more foresight into what a student should be taking for graduation.
In my opinion - HISD has just entered the unacceptable zone.
Strangely enough - they require health and public speaking despite both of those being optional. Curious - is this a way of cutting technology dollars spent - no longer requiring the tech classes so they do not have to spend monies upgrading the computer labs. Sounds like a group with no plan for the future and more concerned about saving $$ than teaching kids....
Personally - I say vote em out.
Thank you HISD - you have started my list of schools not truly preparing your students for the future. Thankfully my extended family of children, nieces and nephews are all in schools with a little more foresight into what a student should be taking for graduation.
In my opinion - HISD has just entered the unacceptable zone.
TAKS ....EOC.....INSANITY..... DIRE TIMES AHEAD
Once again we enter that most ugly of times.....the TAKS Season. A few musings from a wandering mindset are offered below.
WISHLIST:
MORE REASONABLE WISHLIST
oh yes - as the circus says send in the clowns...
First draft - this was 12 tests to be passed with a cumulative average of a 70....
Sounds good till someone figured out that passing all 3 English and all 3 Social Studies and making at least a 50 in the math and Science - could still work out to a 70.
Second Draft - this was to be all 3 tests within one subject with a cumulative average of a 70.
Smart kids figure out that an 80 on Algebra 1 and a 90 on Geometry lets you flunk Algebra II and still earn a 70.
Third Draft ...who knows what will pop out next....
(After all budget shows most of the legislature lacks basic understanding of algebra like what negative numbers mean)
DEJA VU: (INSANITY REVISITED)
One has only to return to the much beloved End Of Course Algebra test to fully grasp just how this wonderful state board can screw up and the $$ wasted on what has to be the worst produced test in the country. With a mainstream passing rate of somewhere around 15-35%....this test was not even passed by more than 60% state wide when dealing only with the elite students - the 8th grade honors algebra students ....students who are among the top 3-10% of the student body. 9th Grade honors algebra students faired slightly less better than their 8th grade counterparts.
Ok - a State wide EOC test - run for what was it - 5 years and never got to 50% state wide.
And guess who wrote that one.....yea - the wonderful New Jersey or was it the Ohio test people ...
Now we want to plan on giving them 12 EOC tests to create....by what geometric progression will the number of bad ideas coming out of Austin expand by.
And for the freshmen - who are often so culture shocked at high school who flunk 2 or 3 of the 4 tests their first time have to look forward to ? 6 or 7 tests the next year - or just 4 and the knowledge that they have to score even higher to make up for past mistakes?
When it gets to 6 or 7 tests that must all be passed to return to being on target for graduation...how long will it be before the weaker students throw up their hands and give up.
And when that happens - unacceptable will become a common rating statewide and the moron squads like Obama's Money Tree (if you tie scores to teacher ratings).....will be out again proclaiming how teachers must be the problem. And there will come that line in the sand where the better teachers will leave for private schools - affluent schools ...or college or just leave the profession cause all the blame and finger pointing will convince them it time to quit.
Personal Note - this is why I am telling my child to pursue a Masters if they wish to teach - and stay out of K-12. Sad coming from someone whose extended family includes 20+ K-12 teachers.
So yes - once more thank you Austin for all you do on Teachers and Students behalf.
WISHLIST:
- See any member of state government pass the Social Studies test.
- See any member of state government make above 50 on the ELA test.
- See any member of state government make above 50 no 40 on the math test
- See any member of state government make above 20% on the science test.
MORE REASONABLE WISHLIST
- Accomplish any of the above.....on the middle version of said test.
- How many New jersey or was it Ohio people that are employed creating these wonderful instruments of educational disaster?
- (TIME TO SHOP TEXAS FIRST)
oh yes - as the circus says send in the clowns...
First draft - this was 12 tests to be passed with a cumulative average of a 70....
Sounds good till someone figured out that passing all 3 English and all 3 Social Studies and making at least a 50 in the math and Science - could still work out to a 70.
Second Draft - this was to be all 3 tests within one subject with a cumulative average of a 70.
Smart kids figure out that an 80 on Algebra 1 and a 90 on Geometry lets you flunk Algebra II and still earn a 70.
Third Draft ...who knows what will pop out next....
(After all budget shows most of the legislature lacks basic understanding of algebra like what negative numbers mean)
DEJA VU: (INSANITY REVISITED)
One has only to return to the much beloved End Of Course Algebra test to fully grasp just how this wonderful state board can screw up and the $$ wasted on what has to be the worst produced test in the country. With a mainstream passing rate of somewhere around 15-35%....this test was not even passed by more than 60% state wide when dealing only with the elite students - the 8th grade honors algebra students ....students who are among the top 3-10% of the student body. 9th Grade honors algebra students faired slightly less better than their 8th grade counterparts.
Ok - a State wide EOC test - run for what was it - 5 years and never got to 50% state wide.
And guess who wrote that one.....yea - the wonderful New Jersey or was it the Ohio test people ...
Now we want to plan on giving them 12 EOC tests to create....by what geometric progression will the number of bad ideas coming out of Austin expand by.
And for the freshmen - who are often so culture shocked at high school who flunk 2 or 3 of the 4 tests their first time have to look forward to ? 6 or 7 tests the next year - or just 4 and the knowledge that they have to score even higher to make up for past mistakes?
When it gets to 6 or 7 tests that must all be passed to return to being on target for graduation...how long will it be before the weaker students throw up their hands and give up.
And when that happens - unacceptable will become a common rating statewide and the moron squads like Obama's Money Tree (if you tie scores to teacher ratings).....will be out again proclaiming how teachers must be the problem. And there will come that line in the sand where the better teachers will leave for private schools - affluent schools ...or college or just leave the profession cause all the blame and finger pointing will convince them it time to quit.
Personal Note - this is why I am telling my child to pursue a Masters if they wish to teach - and stay out of K-12. Sad coming from someone whose extended family includes 20+ K-12 teachers.
So yes - once more thank you Austin for all you do on Teachers and Students behalf.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Battle Lines
Time to start watching your state office holders and letting them know you want the technology requirement for graduation to be reinstated. Do not let them tell you they do not know about it. It passed UNANIMOUSLY despite the reassurances they gave some letter writers. Let them know you are willing to vote them out of office. Maybe we need to vote them out and make it clear that dumbing down the educational requirements for graduation benefits NO ONE!!
Sadly Perry was not beaten in the primaries. We can not count on him to help education since he signed HB3 despite the email and phone calls to his office.
(I will be reposting that number if/when the bill passes to him that repeals the previous stupidity)
Later we will address the stupidity of the end of course testing.
Sadly Perry was not beaten in the primaries. We can not count on him to help education since he signed HB3 despite the email and phone calls to his office.
(I will be reposting that number if/when the bill passes to him that repeals the previous stupidity)
Later we will address the stupidity of the end of course testing.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Dumbing Down of Texas Education
Well the governor despite letters - emails - phone calls from across the state chose to sign HB3 into law on Friday June 19th. Health and freshman speech teachers will have to work to keep their jobs as their is no longer a requirement to teach either.
Now a student has to understand and choose to take the college prep route. Students can completely fill a schedule with music art and drama while preparing little for college. Vocational programs benefit from the CTE parts of the bill but still fall short of funding or enough teachers to go around.
In a rush to give the students free choice...catering to desires instead of needs, we will have students graduating into a technology driven workplace that have never been required to work with technology or take a technology class regardless of whether was Microsoft Office training , basic Web Design, Animation, Video Production, Desktop Publishing or even Computer Programming.
Couple this with the number of middle schools eliminating GT math and science classes and the result is college prep students who milk their schedule will still be anywhere from 6 to 9 hours less college credit upon high school graduation than the seniors were 5 years ago.
Lets see - less credits earned- Yes- this qualifies as dumbing down even the GT kids.
Yes you read it right - there are multiple middle schools across the state dumbing down and eliminating any type of advance /honors/Gt classes in grades 6-8. This is not what is coming - this is what has already happened. To protect sources, I will simply say I know of multiple schools where GT in the middle school is GONE. Administrators not wanting to have to work out a schedule - have turned back to all core subject classes being a one size fits all. Not a great idea when you are preparing students for high school and are lowering the standards to the lower students when there is a fast approaching spell of state mandated subject level tests. In some middle schools - the word is lower the expectations across the board and get as many of them through as possible to High School. (pass the buck)
Some of these same middle schools have administrations telling them to take the technology classes and let the kids have fun - treat it like PE - if they show up give them 100. Yea - I am sure that is what the TEKS say. And they wonder why freshman struggle at the high school level.
Well lets see- they have dumbed down the material making the GT kids restless. Now those kids enter high school expecting to cruise through classes like they did in middle school - and when they hit a GT English or Math class - well - its like running their train into a brick wall. Then the entire group of freshman are in a situation where they may sign up for high school computer classes and then are upset when it is not a time for fun and games and playing on the internet.
Sounds to me like not only a lower level of education - but a higher risk of frustration, acting out , behavior problems and more.
Also leads to teachers leaving the profession as I witnessed directly when a medium size school lost an experience teacher in a core subject. The teacher did not get the support they deserved and a group of 10 or 11 students were allowed to run wild to the point the teacher left the profession. No administrator thought it through about breaking that core of 10 or 11 kids and holding the STUDENT accountable. No - the administrators saw this as a failure on the teacher's part despite her previous years record of a very high percentage of her students passing the state mandated test. Anyone who spent time with this teacher knew of their passion for teaching as well as their success at both high school and junior college level. Sadly that is a teacher lost now- in a critical subject area. The school lost out as well as the students who face that state test each year to come.
I know this - Austin needs someone to shake the stupidity out of the legislature. In 2010 - I intend to help vote some of it out of office - including the governor. Maybe a turnover in large numbers will remind those people.... They work for us.... Time to quit working against us.
So be prepared Austin - teachers are not going to go quietly into the night. Parents should read up and be aware of how education is going the wrong direction.
Now a student has to understand and choose to take the college prep route. Students can completely fill a schedule with music art and drama while preparing little for college. Vocational programs benefit from the CTE parts of the bill but still fall short of funding or enough teachers to go around.
In a rush to give the students free choice...catering to desires instead of needs, we will have students graduating into a technology driven workplace that have never been required to work with technology or take a technology class regardless of whether was Microsoft Office training , basic Web Design, Animation, Video Production, Desktop Publishing or even Computer Programming.
Couple this with the number of middle schools eliminating GT math and science classes and the result is college prep students who milk their schedule will still be anywhere from 6 to 9 hours less college credit upon high school graduation than the seniors were 5 years ago.
Lets see - less credits earned- Yes- this qualifies as dumbing down even the GT kids.
Yes you read it right - there are multiple middle schools across the state dumbing down and eliminating any type of advance /honors/Gt classes in grades 6-8. This is not what is coming - this is what has already happened. To protect sources, I will simply say I know of multiple schools where GT in the middle school is GONE. Administrators not wanting to have to work out a schedule - have turned back to all core subject classes being a one size fits all. Not a great idea when you are preparing students for high school and are lowering the standards to the lower students when there is a fast approaching spell of state mandated subject level tests. In some middle schools - the word is lower the expectations across the board and get as many of them through as possible to High School. (pass the buck)
Some of these same middle schools have administrations telling them to take the technology classes and let the kids have fun - treat it like PE - if they show up give them 100. Yea - I am sure that is what the TEKS say. And they wonder why freshman struggle at the high school level.
Well lets see- they have dumbed down the material making the GT kids restless. Now those kids enter high school expecting to cruise through classes like they did in middle school - and when they hit a GT English or Math class - well - its like running their train into a brick wall. Then the entire group of freshman are in a situation where they may sign up for high school computer classes and then are upset when it is not a time for fun and games and playing on the internet.
Sounds to me like not only a lower level of education - but a higher risk of frustration, acting out , behavior problems and more.
Also leads to teachers leaving the profession as I witnessed directly when a medium size school lost an experience teacher in a core subject. The teacher did not get the support they deserved and a group of 10 or 11 students were allowed to run wild to the point the teacher left the profession. No administrator thought it through about breaking that core of 10 or 11 kids and holding the STUDENT accountable. No - the administrators saw this as a failure on the teacher's part despite her previous years record of a very high percentage of her students passing the state mandated test. Anyone who spent time with this teacher knew of their passion for teaching as well as their success at both high school and junior college level. Sadly that is a teacher lost now- in a critical subject area. The school lost out as well as the students who face that state test each year to come.
I know this - Austin needs someone to shake the stupidity out of the legislature. In 2010 - I intend to help vote some of it out of office - including the governor. Maybe a turnover in large numbers will remind those people.... They work for us.... Time to quit working against us.
So be prepared Austin - teachers are not going to go quietly into the night. Parents should read up and be aware of how education is going the wrong direction.
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