The never-ending and increasing cost of testing

Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 5

The state hopes that the brave new tests will be covered by the $64 million  California budgeted for the old tests ("State speeds shift in student testing," September 5). But the new tests must be administered online. As the Times notes, many students only have access to out-of-date or nonfunctional computers. It will cost far more than $64 million just to supply up-to-date computers, and the computers will need to be regularly upgraded. And as we know, computers become obsolete within a few years and need to be replaced. And as we know, innovations in technology require a complete change of equipment every few years (remember ethernet?). 

The common core testing program means a continuing and increasing boondoggle for testing and publishing companies forever.  When the new tests fail to produce  improvement in student achievement, teachers will be blamed, and the "experts" will call for more testing and more use of technology.

Stephen Krashen

original article, on-line version: http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-state-tests-20130905,0,6459120.story

How much testing? The details.

Sent the The Jewish Daily Forward, August 26.

As noted in "David Coleman, the Most Influential Education Figure You've Never Heard Of" (August 25), critics such as Diane Ravitch have indeed indicated that the common core standards could lead to more testing at a time when there is too much testing already.  But few know the details:

In addition to end-of-year tests in language arts and math, we will soon be testing children in all subjects, and will be adding "interim" tests, to be given during the academic year. There is also discussion of pre-tests to be given in the fall.

Currently, our students are tested in grades three through eight and once in high-school. But we will soon be testing in all grades, K to 12, and there are plans to "pre-screen" children before they enter kindergarten.

The common core will bring more testing than we have ever seen on this planet. And there is no evidence at all that this increase will improve academic achievement.

I have documented this astonishing increase in testing from documents available at the US Department of Education. Please see: "How much testing?" available at two places: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/25/stephen- krashen-how-much-testing/
and http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/

Stephen Krashen

original article: http://forward.com/articles/182587/david-coleman-the-most-influential-education-figur/?p=all#ixzz2d8xYzI36

Why support the core?

Why support the core?

Sent to the NY Times, August 23, 2013

Charles Blow ("The Common Core and the Common Good," August 21),  tells us that education leaders he has talked to agree that we need to  support teachers,  provide “wrap-around” services for poor and struggling students; make schools safe, welcoming, fun places with recess and art and music and nutritious food, and promote parental engagement.

If Mr. Blow agrees with these sensible ideas, why does he support the common core? The common core, characterized by Susan Ohanian as "a radical untried curriculum overhaul and … nonstop national testing," costs billions and will cost billions more, while worthwhile programs, such as those Mr. Blow approves of, are underfunded.

Stephen Krashen

Original article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/opinion/blow-the-common-core-and-the-common-good.html

Comments on a sloppy op-ed

Comments on a sloppy op-ed.
Sent to the NY Times, August19, 2013

Bill Keller ("War on the core," August 18) hasn't done his homework.

There has been no "embarrassing decline" in American education; in fact, studies have shown that when we control for poverty, American students rank near the top of the world. 

Contrary to Keller's claim, the  common core is in fact "new and untried": There is no evidence that imposing tougher standards and increasing testing improves achievement.

Also, liberals don't "hate testing." This liberal hates inappropriate and excessive testing: The common core is increasing the amount of testing to astonishing levels: In addition to end-of-year tests in language arts and math, there will be tests in all subjects, "interim tests" to be given during the academic year, and there is discussion of pre-testing in the fall. Under No Child Left Behind, our students are tested in grades three through eight and once in high school. Common core is planning testing for all grades, K to 12, and there are plans to "pre-screen" children before they enter kindergarten.

Stephen Krashen

Some sources:

No decline: Loveless, Tom. How Well are American Students Learning? The 2010 Brown Center Report on American Education. The Brown Foundation: Houston. 2011.

Control for poverty: Carnoy, Martin and Richard Rothstein. 2013, What Do International Tests Really Show Us about U.S. Student Performance. Washington DC: Economic Policy Institute. 2012. http://www.epi.org/).

Increasing testing does not increase achievement: Nichols, S., Glass, G., and Berliner, D. 2006. High-stakes testing and student achievement: Does accountability increase student learning? Education Policy Archives 14(1). http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v14n1/. OECD. Tienken, C., 2011. Common core standards: An example of data-less decision-making. Journal of Scholarship and Practice. American Association of School Administrators [AASA], 7(4): 3-18. http://www.aasa.org/jsp.aspx.

Excessive testing: Krashen, S. "How much testing?" available at: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/25/stephen- krashen-how-much-testing/
and http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/

Original op-ed: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/opinion/keller-war-on-the-core.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Why parents give high ratings to their child's school but not to American schools in general

Sent to the Fresno Bee, August 18, 2013

Reports of the results of the recent AP-NORC poll ("AP-NORC Poll: Parents back high-stakes testing," August 17), missed an important finding: 75% of those interviewed rated the school their child attends as excellent or good, but only 38% rated public schools in the US in general as excellent or good. 

An obvious explanation: Parents know a lot about the school their child attends, but their opinion of American education comes from the media. For decades, the media has been presenting a biased view. 

In a column accompanying the 2009 Gallup poll on education, which produced nearly identical results, Gerald Bracey stated it this way: "Americans never hear anything positive about the nation's schools ... negative information flows almost daily from media, politicians, and ideologues." 

In reality, American schools are doing quite well: When researchers control for poverty, American students' international test scores rank near the top of the world. 

I wonder how many of those interviewed know this?

Stephen Krashen

original article: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/17/3446446/ap-norc-poll-parents-back-high.html

The coming increase in testing

The coming increase in testing

Sent to the Times Union (Albany NY), August 18

According to a recent poll, 61% of parents think that the number of standardized tests their child has to take is appropriate ("Poll: Parents support standardized tests for students," August 18).

I wonder how parents would react if they knew that the common core plans to increase the current amount of testing more than 20-fold? 

In addition to end-of-year tests in language arts and math, we will soon be testing children in all subjects, and will be adding "interim" tests, to be given during the academic year. There is also discussion of pre-tests to be given in the fall. 

Currently, our students are tested in grades three through eight and once in high-school. But we will soon be testing in all grades, K to 12,  and there are plans to "pre-screen" children before they enter kindergarten. 

There will be more testing than we have ever seen on this planet. And there is no evidence at all that this increase will improve academic achievement.

I have documented this astonishing increase in testing from documents available at the US Department of Education. Please see: "How much testing?" available at two places: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/25/stephen- krashen-how-much-testing/
and http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/

Stephen Krashen

A bad way to evaluate teachers

A bad way to evaluate teachers      Sent to the Dallas Morning News August 18

According to a current poll ("AP-NORC poll: Parents back high-stakes testing" August 17), parents support the use of standardized tests for evaluating teachers.   

Would parents respond this way if they were aware of the research?

Different tests of the same subject often produce different ratings, and the same teacher’s ratings can vary from year to year, sometimes quite a bit.

The idea of using test scores to evaluate teachers seems like common sense, but it just doesn't work. 

Stephen Krashen

Sources:

Different tests produce different ratings: Papay, J. 2010. Different tests, different answers: The stability of teacher value-added estimates across outcome measures. American Educational Research Journal 47,2.
Vary from year to year: Sass, T. 2008. The stability of value-added measures of teacher quality and implications for teacher compensation policy. Washington DC: CALDER. (National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Educational Research.) Kane, T. and Staiger, D. 2009. Estimating Teacher Impacts on Student Achievement: An Experimental Evaluation. NBER Working Paper No. 14607 http://www.nber.org/papers/w14607.