A Few Things I Learned at the State School Board Meeting Today.

So, my wife and I drove a few hours to Columbus today for the state board meeting to see what came of the decision on cut scores. I'd contacted the board twice before on the issue, so didn't really plan to testify, but kind of wanted to see what would go down. Predictably, their decision did little to help students like mine in Elyria, and is based on the assumption that we'll all simply pull ourselves up by the old educational bootstraps, get down to real work, and just get proficient already.

On the up side, I got to spend the day with my lovely wife. Also, while in Columbus it was great to see some friends from Public Education Partners, and have an interesting conversation with a former teacher, Representative Fedor, who is optimistic we're on the verge of some meaningful educational change. I'd like to thank Board Member A.J. Wagner for asking good questions about those kids who "don't quite make the cut" on these tests for graduation. He's made a great number of people aware of what I believe is a significant issue. Mary Rose Oakar and Pat Bruns also raised important points about intervention, overcoming environmental issues, and community partnerships. While the decisions made about the cut scores left me a bit numb and still quite worried, I'm also convinced that there are some good people keeping an eye on things.

Here's some other things I learned at today's meeting.

Rigor: n. in education, A myth used by reformers to justify the continued use of a ridiculous volume of standardized assessments with arbitrary and absurd cut scores that tend to assure increases in student non-proficiency (read failure), especially among the economically disadvantaged. Ex. We'll maintain the cut scores on the Math II assessment so that 30% score proficient and above in order to increase the rigor of Ohio's educational system.

College or Career Ready: adj. in education, A term used to describe the desired intellectual skill-set and corresponding curricular content knowledge to be possessed by a student in order to graduate. This state of existence is only measurable through the use of extensive standardized assessments, so long as they contain sufficient rigor (see above).

Living Wage Job: n. An increasingly rare occupation in the state of Ohio that actually allows one to maintain the means to house, clothe, feed, and care for oneself without seeking multiple jobs. These are available only to "College or Career Ready" students as proven through the aforementioned system of rigorous testing. If you are one of these students, please contact Thomas Lasley of the University of Dayton at (937)229-5773, who knows of hundreds of these positions in the greater Dayton area according to his testimony today.

The ACT: n. For State School Board Member Kathleen McGervey who I overheard mistakenly referring to the ACT as a method to make up Math tests for graduation in Ohio, before declaring in exasperation "Well, we can't just let anybody graduate!" The ACT is a college entrance exam that can be used as one of the 3 pathways to graduation in Ohio. Students who earn a remediation free score on the ACT are eligible to graduate after having secured the requisite number of course credits. The ACT is not a viable path to graduation for students struggling on End of Year Assessments. It is unlikely that a student scoring poorly on his Algebra, Geometry, English or other assessments will score remediation free on the ACT.

WorkKeys Assessment: n. Another of the 3 paths to graduation, hardly mentioned today because no one is quite sure what the hell it is. Actually, these tests accompany an industry recognized credential which, as it turns out, are only associated with roughly half of the vocational programs available, severely limiting its effectiveness as a viable path to graduation.

"The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations": bs, A George W. Bush quote from a speech to the NAACP, used in-part to inspire confidence in No Child Left Behind. Bush supposed that it was simply a lack of appropriate rigor (see above), and a lack of a satisfactory volume of assessment that was creating achievement gaps in U.S. Education. The quote was trotted out today by Board Member C. Todd Jones to defend the possibility of a steep decline in graduation rates as presented by A.J. Wagner. Remaining purposefully obtuse to the data that illustrates a direct correlation between test scores and demographics, Jones didn't appear to give a damn, as they say, if 20, 40, or even 60% of kids didn't graduate, so long as the expectations and accompanying rigor (yes, again) are kept at a satisfactory level. He oddly used this Bush quote after saying something to the effect of 'what type of skills do "those people" need' as he rambled through a history of the education of the lower classes in the United States. 

First, Mr. Jones should realize that this is offensive, and he would be better served addressing the "hard bigotry" that has become pervasive in his political party. Second, he should be made aware that he was using a quote that furthered a piece of legislation, NCLB, that was based on the lie (the Texas Education Miracle) that increased assessments would bring increased achievement. For better than a decade we've been running kids through a meat grinder of an assessment system in the United States and gaps have not closed, and achievement has not increased. And yet Mr. Jones, again despite all actual facts to the contrary, persists not only with the failed philosophy, but also with the tired old quote from a failed President.

Double Down: v. The methodology used by C. Todd Jones in the above example.