Veto fosters accountability

Ritter quashes another run at CSAP

Rocky Mountain News

Published June 8, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Ever since their genesis back in the 1990s under Gov. Roy Romer, Colorado's student assessments have been under attack by those spouting a litany of grievances.

The gripes include: Teachers will teach to the tests. Too much instructional time is being lost. Test results are pre-ordained by social class and have nothing to do with real achievement. The tests stifle independent thinking and deep reflection. They stigmatize students and schools.

In recent years, the state and school districts have begun to respond to those elements of the critique that aren't sheer rubbish - by moving to compare schools and students of like economic background, for example. Yet still the enemies of the Colorado Student Assessment Program, and accountability, harp on. Which is why we were pleased to see Gov. Bill Ritter veto on Thursday a bill that he said might "legislatively dissuade participation in the state's assessment program." House Bill 1186 would have barred school districts from penalizing any student for not participating in those assessments.

As it happens, we think districts by and large should let students (or, rather, their parents) opt out of state tests without threats or penalties. But as the governor points out, federal law requires "not less than 95 percent . . . of students" to participate in assessment programs. Districts can't very well let attendance dip close to that point.

For that matter, the bill leaves open-ended the definition of an illegal penalty. Who knows how it would be interpreted. Ritter made the prudent call in vetoing the bill.

• June 8, 2008

  4:16 a.m.

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  Shadow writes:

  Are not the test supposed to be covering what the teacher is supposed to be teaching. Therefore what is this teaching to the test? Just exactly is the curriculum/agenda that is being taught?

• June 8, 2008

  6:45 a.m.

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  Mike_In_Hartsel writes:

  The Shadow knows. Teaching to the test is the best mumbo-jumbo weasel wording opponents can devise. If the upcoming test is about the Civil War do you teach the Crimean War? No.

  Teaching to the test is the teacher's union opposing being told what to do. They want more money and the freedom to do as they wish. Academic freedom, a.k.a. tenure, like labor unions, has out-lived it’s usefulness and now is the refuge of scoundrels.

• June 8, 2008

  8:40 a.m.

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  socrates writes:

  I think the argument is that tests don't cover the full panoply of a well rounded educational experience.

  No test can cover everything that makes up education - when teachers are teaching to a test, they're teaching to a narrow band of information in and information out, not a complete method of reasoning and inquiry that makes up the foundation of education.

• June 8, 2008

  8:48 a.m.

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  PostPaganBaby writes:

  So, just who is "accountable" for what? Back in the neolithic age when I was in high school, it was the students (and by extension, our parents) who were "accountable" for our learning. If I earned Ds and Fs (and I earned my fair share), it was never suggested that the school or teacher was responsible for my failure - I was.

  Now we have this test that doesn't measure the student, but is used to assess the school. To what purpose? To tell us what common sense and sociological research tell us, namely, that educated familiies tend to have educated children? That illiterate parents have illiterate children?

  If Colorado wants a meaningful test, the first thing to do is to clarify the purposes and uses of the test. At present, we seem to have CSAP so we can show that we're testing kids and "holding schools accountable." What a waste of money. This accountability, what does it mean, exactly? No one seems to know. It sounds "educational" but doesn't seem to mean much of anything.

  Contrary to Mike_In_Hartsel's post, history is not even tested on CSAP! A big, expensive test that has a very narrow scope.

  My kids take the Iowa Tests every year. Unlike CSAP, these tests provide timely, useful and comprehensive data. We don't view the test as a substitute for thinking about our children's academic achievement, but it does help us to see where they stand compared to national averages.

  It seems to me that a test could be designed (it may already exist) that gives useful information to parents and teachers in a timely way. A test that is related to Colorado Content Standards (which need serious revision - vague in so many areas) in all areas. A test that is viewed as only one indicator among many of student performance.

  And please, don't use the test to reward or punish schools financially.

• June 8, 2008

  9:24 a.m.

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  Shadow writes:

  My understanding is that the test are to check the basics of the equivalant grade level. The basics of coarse are reading writing and arthimatic. History is so perverse in the rewriten versions that are being taught how can one test it.

  So the tests are designed for the appropriate level. Now all students are looked at for word association, spelling, adding , subtracting, simple fractions, and comprehension. How hard is it to work these skills into the daily teaching plan? Something the daily teaching plan is supposed to be doing to begin with.

  I remember when I had to take these tests. No one liked them and the teachers union back then complained about it as well. Now that was over 30 years ago. The differance is that today the union has more authority and is afraid of looseing its power base.

  The teachers are afraid (not all of them but those who just hang around for a check because they have tenur and could careless) of being held accountable for their lack of teaching.

  If testing is bad then I want to see some one develope a method of checking a student and people in general, to see just how well they have learned a subject. You can't without testing.

• June 8, 2008

  11:04 a.m.

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  anarchist writes:

  Shadow, you are right on the money, teachers, not all, but a majority would rather teach Political correctness and what cause du jour of the liberals and eco-nazis, the three R's? No time for that drivel, its far better to brainwash little johnny that guns are bad, and little mary that when 21st century law is applied to 18th century america, we are sooooooooo bad, and then we went and used nuclear bombs on those poor Japenese in the second world war, no wonder they cant read or write, or make change for a dollar, but can spew forth the liberal doctrines with ease, but that isnt on those archaic tests, maybe it time to wake up in this nation, while there is still a nation to be saved.

• June 8, 2008

  11:47 a.m.

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  anarchist writes:

  PostPaganBaby posts in part, "To tell us what common sense and sociological research tell us, namely, that educated familiies tend to have educated children? That illiterate parents have illiterate children?", I am in agreement with you, but I wonder if society hasn't degenerated to the point that today it's acceptable to be illiterate and collect welfare and let Nancy Pelosi take care of you, case in point, Abraham Lincoln came from abject poverty of his day, and got an education and went on to prosper and become a President of a great nation, todays children have far greater oppourtunities presented them, so I wonder.

• June 8, 2008

  5:40 p.m.

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  GPAdvocate writes:

  It's really the fear that more than 5% of Colorado students will opt out of CSAP that governed Governor Ritter's veto! But why this worry if CSAP is so good and just a measure?! :)

• June 8, 2008

  10:19 p.m.

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  PostPaganBaby writes:

  Yea, anarchist, social decay is a huge factor and the compulsory education complex is expected to - by what miracle we're never told - make up for broken families, indifference to anything beyond bread and circus, and growing sense of entitlement in all sectors of society.

  CSAP seems to be another example of misplaced "accountability." The teachers, we have our degrees and certificates, and presumably we know a little more than our students; rather than having the students prove themselves, the tests are used to see if the adults are doing their jobs (as if we can actually quantify which teacher taught which student what - when a teacher may see more than a hundred different students each day!). Instead of looking at reams of data, administrators ought to be observing their teachers in action. They also ought to be teaching in the classroom. If the principal is worth his salt, he'll be able to discern good teachers from bad ones. More attention should be paid on helping good teachers become great ones and less attention on a test that no one uses but nearly everyone fears. Oh, and definitely get rid of the dead wood out there.

• June 9, 2008

  11:46 a.m.

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  Educare writes:

  Mr. Ritter's veto of HB 1186 shows his understanding of democratic principles. Schools should be places where democratic principles and lived and practiced. Mr. Ritter's veto of HB 1186 unveils that he doesn't believe that schools should be places where democratic principles are lived and practiced. Mr. Ritter dealt another blow to our fragile democracy.

  Pagan Baby is correct in saying that observing the teaching-learning interaction is far better than any kind of limited high stakes test. I also agree with GP Advocate. GP Advocate nails it - if the CSAP is so good then why worry that students and their-caregivers will opt out of taking them? Hmmm....

  Socrates also made a wise statement, "...tests don't cover the full panoply of a well rounded educational experience. No test can cover everything that makes up education - when teachers are teaching to a test, they're teaching to a narrow band of information in and information out, not a complete method of reasoning and inquiry that makes up the foundation of education."

  Consider the millions of money being spent on those limiting high stakes test. The testing industry is the Halliburton of education! The test companies really don't give a hoot about our young, they just want to make more money so that they can report to their stock holders the next quarter's capital gain, and at the price of our young.

  Did you know that McGraw-Hill the publisher of the CSAP had an increase of 20.4% profits from 2001 to 2006? There really are better ways to spend this money than making Mr. McGraw-Hill rich.

  I implore our citizens to go to: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=... for this article provides detailed information about the behind the scenes working of high stakes testing. The millions being spent on high stakes testing in Colorado and across this nation is sickening, and does at value.

  Consider these wise words:

  "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." ~Albert Einstein

  “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
  ~John F. Kennedy

• June 9, 2008

  12:34 p.m.

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  Educare writes:

  Who profits from high stakes tests? Surely not our young or our schools.

  "NCLB testing is estimated to cost between $1.9 billion and $5.3 billion over a six-year period from 2002 to 2008, depending on what type of testing states settle on...In 2003 Eduventures estimated that spending on testing and test prep would rise from $1.81 billion in 2003 to $2.29 billion in 2006. If one extends the projection to cover the same six-year period as they GAO's study, then states will spend $5.4 billion for testing and test prep between 2002 and 2008. (The extrapolation is reasonable because Eduventuures' projections are linear.)"
  Link: http://www.diatribune.com/bush-profit...

  Test publishers Profits Increase from 2001-2006:

  McGraw-Hill
  2001: $274 million
  2006: $329 million
  % Increase: 20.4%
  Link: http://www.mcgraw-hillcom/about/annua...

  Pearson
  2001: 432 million pound loss
  2006: 469 million pounds gained
  % Increase: 210.0%
  Link: http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsRepo...

  ETS
  2001: $4.2 million
  2006: $7.6 million
  % Increase: 71.9%

• June 9, 2008

  12:35 p.m.

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  Educare writes:

  Schools are supposed to be places where democratic principles are upheld. Ritter's action shows without a doubt that he is afraid, and is not up to the job of being governor. If one has to bully our young into taking dumb tests, then this tells all of us how ridiculous NCLB and high stakes testing are.

• June 9, 2008

  1:33 p.m.

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  jacka writes:

  Union Bill veto given in attempt to soften critics and prop up declining favorables.

• June 9, 2008

  4:11 p.m.

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  Avanell writes:

  Without getting too deep into my own issues with standardized testing and treatment of students and teachers, I would like to start correcting what they mean with "teach to the test".

  Teaching to a test relies on rote memorization. It does not encourage thinking, which is what we want our kids to do, especially during the testing ages. It also doesn't allow using comparative information to enhance learning or transfer. BTW: transfer is one of the most important concepts of teaching.

  So get it straight...we do not want our students to be learning how to take a bunch of tests. that is not learning or real list - it is robotic, which some believe our goverment wants to do to the lower classes (not my discussion here).

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