Sunday, December 27, 2015

"As graduation rates rise, fears of falling standards"

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/us/as-graduation-rates-rise-experts-fear-standards-have-fallen.html?_r=0

Repeatedly over the last year, Pittsburgh public school officials have cited rising graduation rates as evidence of improved student achievement- but this NYT article echos concerns raised here in Pittsburgh that higher graduation rates may not mean that students are actually learning more.  The article notes for example a school district where more tha 85% of students graduated, but "not one student scored high enough on the ACT to be deemed ready for college in reading or math."




22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Graduation is based on grades, Grades and graduation are in the hands of teachers. Teachers who are being blamed for Districts' bad curricula (and fully or semi-scripted lessons/units) have no choice but to adapt these "lessons" to assessments with grades. So?

So we have students at 80 to 90% NOT PROFICIENT on the state's MINIMUM COMPETENCY test graduating based on 'easy', low standard, classroom tasks/tests/assessments that teachers adapt so that 80-90% of their students will have a passing "grade". Note: There are schools where you talk to kids in, say, 11th grade who will tell you that get A's in all of their classes but CANNOT pass a "minimum competency external test". (Students have nothing else to compare when it comes to their SKILL LEVEL!) Go ahead and talk to students about WHAT they are learning in classes! It is a revelation!

Teachers today, (it seems( are not "trained", prepared, professionally developed, nor do they have the autonomy/authority to change the curricula without being targeted. It is sad, sad, sad.

Teachers must have Certificates that qualify them to teach "subjects", BUT Central Office executives do NOT need such!. Some never entered an EDUCATION course at the University level.

Anonymous said...

PPS has kids in high school AP courses that never earn a single point on the AP exams. In some schools, not a single student has earned a single point! What is going on in these AP classes? Not a single kid with a single point after an entire term??

Why are School Board Members asking these questions? What good comes from keeping the public ignorant? We all want PPS to shine so that our kids get a good education! But, the truth always comes out in the published data and then PPS has NO credibility at all!

Who is responsible in the final analysis?

Anonymous said...

Oops! WHY are School Board Members NOT ASKING questions! Publicly?

Anonymous said...

...Because the school board members are just "figureheads." They don't ask questions. And if they did, they are ignored. They have no real power.

Anonymous said...

It would be interesting to hear from the teachers.
Do teachers feel that the curricula ( and fully or semi - scripted lessons/units) are bad and that they have no choice but to adapt these lessons to assessments with grades?

Anonymous said...

Teachers will tell you in a hot minute, but not all answers are the same, nor are the student results on these skills tests.

Some teachers (usually younger) like a script. Others (usually older) teach to their populations. Too many have had little or no professional development on the PA Core Standards and so are not able to integrate this into any lesson based on "teachable moments".

What teachers "think" about the lessons is not relevant if the majority of their students CANNOT PASS a basic or below basic skills test.

If kids can't pass PSSA's, Keystones or even their AP tests, there is a problem with curricula and instruction!

Anonymous said...

Waiting for teachers who participate in this blog to tell us in a hot minute or not.

What teachers think about the lessons they teach our students is not only relevant but would be a revelation to we as parents.

PPS teacher said...

10:02,

Long-time PPS teacher here. And I will tell you that we veteran teachers HATE the scripted curriculum. I could give you pages of reasons why, but it all boils down to this: We are trained professionals. But we are now given no flexibility, no opportunity to make judgment calls based on our education and experience.

Example: Let's say the math curriculum allows for two days to work on the quadratic formula. It is now the second day. But the class still needs a bit more practice (there are many reasons why that could be so). In the old days, flexibility and trust were built into the curriculum. So if you felt a third day was needed, you took it! Try that now and if you are caught, you will be written up.

Example: Let's say the science curriculum has a way to introduce chemical equations. But you've taught urban kids chemistry for 20 years. You have a much better way to introduce this topic. You know your method is much better! It works! But if you use your way and get caught, you will be written up.

Sure, the supervisors tell you they want feedback. They tell you to submit your ideas so the curriculum can be improved. But that's like shouting into a empty box of cereal. The opinions of the front-line teachers aren't taken seriously anymore. And that's not like it was 15 years ago.

I'm not surprised that many newer teacher like the canned curriculum. They have no actual experience to compare it to. But once they gain that experience, they will see its many flaws.



Anonymous said...

12:03
Which is it? Teachers have certificates which qualify them to teach "subjects" or teachers are not trained, prepared , professionally developed, nor do they have the autonomy/authority to change the curricula?

If teachers are not trained, prepared ,nor , as you say, professionally developed, what pray tell is certifiable?

Anonymous said...

10:31 gives an honest and accurate summary about how PPS quality teachers feel. It tells the story of what has been happening for the last ten years. It is the reason PPS has been sliding backwards instead of moving forward as a District. When teacher professionalism is disrespected as it is in PPS, the students suffer. Education is not a one-size-fitis-all activity.

Hope that 7:29 and 10;02 take the responses here seriously and become advocates for good teachers, good curricula and good instruction that honors students and standards not Central Office protocols and scripts.


Anonymous said...

What's interesting to me is how can a district be sure that a science or math student on one side of the city is getting the same instruction about the same subject matter on the other side of the city? Say one teacher isn't strong in a certain aspect of math so he/she doesn't approach it in depth or even at all while another teacher is an expert in that same aspect and his/her students receive intense instruction. Already there is an imbalance in what some math students are learning and what some aren't.
Doesn't a uniform curriculum level the playing field?

Anonymous said...

How and what is used to teach concepts in reading, math and science makes all the difference depending on the background, culture, context and life relevance of students. Those things will never be the same for all students. Taking away teacher judgement, knowledge and situational relevance in connecting with the students in front of him/her will never level the playing field. It requires differentiation to level the playing field as 11;16 would have it.

Anonymous said...

Is this a joke? The principals at asylums like UPrep(what a name) hand out empty diplomas to make it appear as if more students are graduating. In reality, these so-called students never take the summer courses that are contingent upon a degree.

Anonymous said...

As parents our hope is that our children receive what they need on or off the playing field.

To 11:08 I would advocate for teachers to dare to follow what they know to be true and be damned about being caught and written up.

"To thy own self be True" is good curricula and a full lesson plan. And it begins at home.

Anonymous said...

11:16 - No. The playing field is never level. We all bring ( teacher and student ) our own experiences to the game.

Questioner said...

Re: students on two sides of the city receiving different levels of instruction- it is not just the teacher but the students as well. Consider an AP physics class offered at a school where the students are advanced when it comes to the underlying math and have had exposure to the concepts through out of class experiences, and the same course offered at a school where students are still not solid with the algebra and geometry required. The same playbook is not going to be appropriate for both classes.

Questioner said...

Teachers must differentiate based on the skill level of the class- they may state that they will be teaching to the center of the class, with extra help offered outside of class for those who need it. But picture a class with a half dozen or more cultural backgrounds- logistically there is only so much time that can be devoted to a culturally nuanced lesson for each culture. And when students go on to college a year or so later, few college classes will be adjusted for the dozens of cultures represented.

Anonymous said...

Yes to 8:35. That's the magic and mystery of it all and people keep trying to figure out how to measure...magic and mystery.

It can't be done.

Questioner said...

And to produce a blueprint for magic and mystery that anyone can follow.

Questioner said...

Re: "To 11:08 I would advocate for teachers to dare to follow what they know to be true and be damned about being caught and written up."

Unfortunately, those teachers will be out of a job. Except in very clear cases of illegal activity, teachers have to respect the authority and decisions of those hired by duly elected officials to make administrative decisions, including setting curricula.

Anonymous said...

Re: "To 11:08 I would advocate for teachers to dare to follow what they know to be true and be damned about being caught and written up."

When I get fired for not following script, will you feed my children and pay my bills???

dee said...

PPS has a golden opportunity on Jan. 6 at the Promise Launch event to connect with graduates who can point out weaknesses and give the district guidance to help make improvements. The question is: Will anyone deem the effort worthy? These grads and close-to-grads know exactly what they were lacking when they entered college, spent time there stressing and went toe-to-toe with kids from other districts as they worked toward getting their degrees.

So much is "Feel good, ain't it all great, isn't it all wonderful" that The Promise is skipping the hard work of being a firm hand with kids in pps. We can't smile all the time, you know?

Happy New Year.