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Gov. Abbott Makes Bad Choice for Texas Commissoner of Education

Dec 14
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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Mike-Morath

 

“Gov. Abbott Makes Bad Choice for Texas Comm. of Education”

By Donna Garner

12.14.15

 

 

As a conservative, I appreciate Gov. Greg Abbott for the many courageous positions he has taken for Texas; but he really missed it on this one!

 

I cannot think of very many people whom Gov. Greg Abbott could have appointed who would have been a worse choice than Mike Morath as Texas Commissioner of Education. (12.14.15 — Press release- “Gov. Abbott Appoints Mike Morath As Texas Education Commissioner — http://gov.texas.gov/news/appointment/21773 )

 

 

Mike Morath is supporting almost everything bad in education – the same Type #2 philosophy of education that opens the door to subjective, digitized curriculum and assessments found in Common Core/CSCOPE;  the same “innovative” school model pushed by TASB and TASA with their 21st century transformational “visioning” approach to education; and the greedy consultants, lobbyists, and vendors who make a fortune off education’s “Golden Goose” of public dollars. 

    

 

Gov. Abbott had previously appointed Mike Morath as the chairman of the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (NGAA).  It seems clear to me that the purpose of this commission is to recommend to the Texas Legislature that they replace the traditional public school classroom (where teachers teach fact-based  curriculum directly and systematically while face-to-face with their students) WITH the 21st century transformational model where students receive all their instruction through digitized curriculum.  Grading is done through subjective assessments  (e.g., portfolios, projects, group work); and curriculum focuses on students’ feelings, emotions, and opinions – not on hard facts with right-or-wrong answers. Students graduate through online and dual credit courses with wishy-washy accountability standards and unsecure testing procedures.     

 

Obviously if Mike Morath was chosen as the chair of this NGAA commission, he intends to implement this same Type #2 philosophy across Texas as the newly appointed Commissioner of Education.

 

America has hundreds of years of historical data to prove that the traditional Type #1 philosophy of education produces success.  Americans became the leader of the world because of the many scientists, inventors, technicians, entrepreneurs, engineers, writers, historians, and businessmen who used their Type #1 education to elevate themselves to great heights. They were educated on a Big Chief Tablet.

 

Where is the proof that the Type #2 digitized “global citizen of the world” approach will make America great?  In fact, there is no long-term, independent, peer-reviewed research to prove that that method of education works. 

 

To be very honest, we see just the opposite when we look around our society and see the ever-growing numbers of people educated through the Type #2 philosophy of education who are sorely lacking in the most basic knowledge and skills. 

 

THE LAUGHABLE PRESS RELEASE

 

I do not mean to be unfairly critical, but it is almost laughable for the Governor’s office to try to boost the confidence of the public in Mike Morath by mentioning his less than one year of teaching experience (computer science) after a teacher had unexpectedly resigned. 

 

My hint to Governor’s office:  “One year or even less of teaching experience doth not a teacher make.”

 

Another laughable part of the Governor’s press release is the emphasis on Mike Morath’s years on the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. Anyone who has been following education in Texas very long knows that DISD is one of the worst functioning public school districts in Texas as shown by mountains of hard, verifiable data, including numerous articles published by the Dallas Morning News.  Here are but a few of them:

 

7.7.15 – “Dallas ISD’s Imagine 2010 Effort Fails To Prop up Troubled Schools” – Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150707-dallas-isd-s-imagine-2020-effort-fails-to-prop-up-troubled-schools.ece

 

“Results from the latest STAAR exams show that most of the initial 21 schools in the Imagine 2020 program are worse off than before it started…Among the 14 elementary schools, a majority of them have lower passing rates on the five STAAR exams since Imagine 2020 began.”

 

6.28.15 –  “Fact Check: Was the DISD Miracle Real?” – by Jeffrey Weiss, Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News –– http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150627-fact-check-was-the-disd-miracle-real.ece

 

“Evaluation: The claim that minority students in Dallas are twice as likely to pass Advanced Placement exams than anywhere else in the nation is not supported by evidence. The data used did not include many urban districts, and at least one urban district beat Dallas.”

 

 

5.22.15 – “Little Progress Seen on Dallas ISD’s STAAR Results” – by Jeffrey Weiss, Matthew Haag, Holly K. Hacker – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150522-little-progress-seen-on-dallas-isds-staar-results.ece

 

“STAAR test results released Friday by Dallas ISD offer little evidence of systemic progress…Compared with last year, the passing rate dropped for eight of 11 exams in grades three through eight…Similarly, compared with results from 2012 — a higher percentage of students failed this year in eight of 11 exams.”

 

========

 

MIKE MORATH’S FAILURE WITH HOME RULE

 

Even the home-rule initiative in Dallas ISD that Mike Morath championed ended up as a total failure.  Morath helped start a group with the misnomer of a name — “Support Our Public Schools.”  In reality this group wanted to turn Dallas ISD into a home-rule charter district that would have been run by a handful of high-level people with no real accountability and no elected school board members to whom the public could have turned with their concerns. 

 

These two articles chronicle Morath’s failed attempt at home-rule: 

 

1.21.15 – “Dallas ISD Home-Rule Commission Votes Against Writing Charter” – by Matthew Haag – Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150120-dallas-isd-home-rule-commission-votes-against-writing-charter.ece

 

“The effort to overhaul the way Dallas ISD operates began with a bang a year ago but ended with a whimper Tuesday…The home-rule initiative launched in March with a petition drive and support from influential politicians and wealthy backers. But the public’s enthusiasm never matched their fervor…a home-rule district could undermine people’s democratic rights.”

 

5.14.14 –  “Group Pushing Home Rule for Dallas ISD Ready To Move Forward” – by Matthew Haag and Tawnell D. Hobbs — Dallas Morning News — http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20140514-group-pushing-home-rule-for-dallas-isd-ready-to-move-forward.ece

 

Mike Morath, who helped start Support Our Public Schools and is the only DISD trustee who backs the effort…Some opponents don’t trust the home-rule leaders, including its chief funder, Houston billionaire John Arnold…Support Our Public Schools spent 10 weeks collecting signatures and paid people to get them…Some fear the effort is about taking control of DISD’s $1.2 billion annual budget.”

 

WHY WAS MIKE MORATH CHOSEN?

 

In a nutshell, “It ain’t what you know but who you know.” 

 

Mike Morath is cozy with Houston billionaire John Arnold (of former Enron fame).  John Arnold established The Arnold Foundation that is pushing school choice. The Arnold Foundation works closely with Julie Linn of Texans for Education Reform.  Linn, who used to work for an education company that designed online courses, became an education advisor to Gov. Perry and then to Gov. Abbott. 

 

Both Mike Morath and Julie Linn seem to have had no real teaching experience, yet we are supposed to accept both as “experts” on how and what should be taught to help students become well-educated citizens.  I find this extremely hard to believe after having taught for 33+ years myself.

 

As I and other people have said many times before, “We are not against school choice; but when every school in America is following the same Type #2 philosophy of education, then there really is no choice for anyone.” 

 

Mike Morath is not the right person for the Texas Commissioner of Education. He will not support whole-heartedly the Type #1 curriculum standards that the elected members of the Texas State Board of Education have worked so hard to adopt.  Morath’s philosophy of education is very closely attuned to that of the Obama administration’s Type #2 Common Core.  I am terribly disappointed in Gov. Abbott’s choice of Mike Morath as the Texas Commissioner of Education.  

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WARNING: Texas Parents of Children in Public Schools!

May 28
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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deception

 

Unfortunately, our Texas public school system are masters of deception in lots of instances. My first finding of this was the discovery of over 900+ school districts out of 1200 hiding the Cscope curriculum from parents and threatening teachers with legal action if they disclosed the contents. The deception continues on all levels rather it is a school bond, summer school, what curriculum they are implementing, etc….

I was informed yesterday that Aransas County ISD was sending home letters informing parents that their child had to take summer school for failing the math STAAR TEST. Why would they do this when the Education Commissioner stated at the start of this school year that the math STAAR was excluded from the accountability system this year for 3-8 grades. STORY HERE.

Parents have got to be vigilant in asking questions and not intimidated by the education system. They are YOUR CHILDREN not THEIRS.  They keep parents at bay and they love them uninformed unless of course they agree with them.

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Has Your Child Failed the TX Math STAAR TEST?

Oct 25
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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STAAR TEST
Many students across the State of Texas failed by record numbers the State STAAR test during the following 2 school years  2012/2013 & 2013/2014. Since passing scores for the STAAR test are not decided until after all the STAAR test have been completed, in response to the failing scores the passing grade was then lowered.
Who is actually in charge over what is going on in Education has yet to be determined. Why are students failing is outlined below. It would appear to me that a child that was held back due to their failing math scores have grounds for a lawsuit.
In 2006 Math TEKs K-12 were written. They were written for the current state TAKS test.
Problem: These same TEKS were used for the STAAR Tests given in April 2012, April 2013, and April 2014.
Changing from the TAKS to the STAAR was done so that a more rigorous math test would be given. The problem is that the TEKS were not revised to prepare students for the more rigorous STAAR math tests.
2012 Revised Math TEKS K-12 were Approved by the SBOE and shelved so that textbook companies had time to prepare their products so they aligned with the new revised math TEKS.
Problem: The SBOE knew the math TEKS used for the TAKS tests were being used for the math STAAR tests, which was given for the first time in April 2012.
TEA and the SBOE as well as the Commissioner of Education knew that students were taking more rigorous math STAAR tests and teachers were given the same math TEKS used for the less rigorous TAKS tests.
The ESCs also knew this and yet sold new CSCOPE math lessons that were to be used to prepare kids for the more rigorous STAAR tests.
The Math TEKS approved in 2006 are Word for Word the same as the TEKS used last year to prepare kids for the STAAR 2014 math TESTs.
Commissioner Williams had the guts to say that Texas students are not receiving rigorous class instructions thus are not prepared for the more rigorous STAAR tests. He did not point out that the Math TEKS for the TAKS tests were used for the STAAR math tests in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

2014 Revised math TEKS K-8 implemented. These are the math TEKS that were approved in April 2012 and shelved by the SBOE until the 2014-2015. While waiting for the book publishers, TEA use the old 2006 math TEKS to prepare kids for the more rigorous STAAR math tests. Thus, TEA was assured that more kids would fail the math STAAR tests and more kids would have to be retested.  Who benefited financially by this? 
2015 Revised math Teks 9-12 will be implemented.
This means that students in 9-12 will again be taking math STAAR tests using the old math TEKS.
PARENTS MUST GET INVOLVED. DON’T LET THE EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT INTIMIDATE YOU. THAT IS THEIR MODE OF OPERATION.
*5th grade new math teks are exactly aligned with Common Core.
OUR TEXAS SCHOOLS ARE FAILING OUR CHILDREN. I HAVE HAD REQUEST AS TO WHAT TO SUPPLEMENT FOR A MATH PROGRAM. THE BEST PRODUCT OUT THERE IS SAXON MATH UP THROUGH THE 3ED EDITION.
* after the 3rd edition a different company purchased Saxon and they have now aligned it with Common Core.
SAXON
 

 

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Texas Teachers Cloned

Oct 23
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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cloning
Texas is Cloning Teachers
The Texas’ education system is made up of different groups that are supposed to work together. If they actually did work together, Texas would be providing the the best education in the world.

The Texas Education Service Centers are Cloning Teachers

Texas ESCs Are
Cloning Teachers

One reason the different parts of the Texas Education System do not work together is that the Commissioner of Education has allowed the different agencies to basically do their own thing.

1. The State Board of Education (SBOE) is in charge of the TEKs-state standards. There is no verification that these standards are correct. No verification that the groups writing the TEKS are qualified.
2. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is in charge of STAAR/EOC tests that are suppose to be aligned to the TEKS. TEA test writers make their own interpretation of the TEKS but do not share this with Texas educators. There is no verification that these TESTs are valid to assess students.
3. The ESCs –Education Service Centers have taken control of interpreting the TEKS and school superintendents are responsible for purchasing the ESCs TEKS interpretations. The Commissioner of Education, Michael Williams allows the 20 ESCs to govern themselves. Governor Perry chose the Railroad Commissioner, Michael Williams to be the Commissioner of Education.
The ESCs now train teachers with a minimum of five years of teaching experience to be Instruction Coaches. These Coaches are given authority to govern what teachers teach. These coaches mandate that the ESC interpretation of the TEKS, AKA Unpackaged TEKS, are used with fidelity. Meaning that not one word that is not in the TEKS may be included in lessons. These Instruction Coaches are part of the PLC program.
The diagram of people with no facial features is a good representation of the cloned teachers that the Texas Education Centers are now creating with their new PLC program.
The PLC program is not restricted to Texas. In fact it is more of a common core program that the ESCs are implementing.
Following is a teacher’s comment about working in a school with a PLC Instruction Coach.
AnonymousSeptember 28, 2014 at 2:29 PM

I transferred to a campus with the “PLC” mentality after eight reasonably successful years of teaching. I had been used to a system where we’d share ideas once a week, we’d be teaching the same SE, some of the materials we used were the same because they worked well for all of us. However, we were always free to review or extend as needed, and to use alternate texts if we felt they would work better with our particular students – as long as we were teaching the skill and could show results.

On this new campus, I was immediately thrown into a world in which I not only no longer had an opinion, but was essentially prohibited from adding any personal touches to the lessons that were given to us by the department heads under the guise of “collaboration”. It was same day, same story, same “foldable”, same power-point for everyone in the department – and none of it was near the standard of quality that I had previously implemented in my classroom. A lot of it was disjointed, or shallow, or only loosely connected to the SE… but saying as much made me a huge target.

On the first common assessment, I was “caught”, as my students scored significantly higher in some areas than my colleagues – and instead of being questioned about my methods in some positive way, I was reprimanded, because they knew I was tweaking what they had been giving me. The team leader began a vicious campaign against me, interrogating me during meetings, accusing me of doing a poor job, etc. – and the administrators were right with her. They began visiting my classroom several times a week, e-mailing me about the words or bits of assignments that didn’t seem to be consistent with my colleagues…

Additionally, we were required to use 4 out of 5 of our weekly planning periods (which are legally protected in my state from organized activities by the administration) to attend these “planning meetings” in which we were told what to do, how to do it, and interrogated as to whether we were in lock step.

To make a long story short, I lasted 3 months, began having panic attacks, and was reprimanded for it. This worsened the anxiety, and despite being under medical care, they panic attacks increased in frequency… The constant threat of visits, the interrogation, being told I was not doing well after years of being respected by former colleagues… it was all too much. I resigned for medical reasons, and I’m unsure if I’ll ever teach again.

 

by Janice VanCleave

www.txcscopereview.com

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Math TEKS: More Data Mining

Sep 22
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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pandora's box

Has Texas Opened Pandora’s Box?

 

By Janice VanCleave

www.txcscopereview.com

Kinder Financial LiteracyThe Texas Commissioner of Educator and the Texas State Board of Education are responsible for all the state content standards.

Having “Personal” in the title of the newly added math TEKS about finances is a clue that parents need to be more involved in the content of the instructions in Texas public schools.

While identified as math standards, the list for the Personal Financial Literacy for Kindergarten students is more like an upper level study for economics.

What does a list of skills required for jobs have to do with math for kindergarten children?

What does income mean to a kindergarten child?

Children in K-8 are only familiar with their own family income.

Its no secret that the government welfare system has gotten out of control. It is no secret that many people receiving welfare payments could and should be working to earn their income. It is no secret that welfare payments for some is higher than income from an entry job. Yes, politicians buy votes by promising higher welfare payments.

Is the intent of the Personal Financial Literacy TEKS suppose to fix the Welfare System?

Yes, there are families that need help, and the welfare system was set up for this purpose. Like anything that is “not earned” the welfare program is being abused. The financial literacy standards added to the Texas math TEKS is not going to solve this problem. If anything, it will make it worse.

Sadly if teachers have students to  make a list comparing all the wonderful things about working and earning money vs. receiving welfare, which path do you think young children will think the best choice? Work or not work and receive equal or more money? UMMMM!

Mining CartTexas has opened Pandora’s Box with the Personal Financial Literacy TEKS. Instead of including these TEKS as part of school standards they need to be posted on the office walls of every politician in Austin as well as in Washington DC. Our students need to know the fundamentals of math.

Are the new Financial Literacy Standards another way to add data to the state DATA Mining CART?

Most of the Texas Public School Districts are using school taxes to pay the personal membership fees of Administrators and school board members into private organizations. The State Board of Education has a lobbyists as its vice-chairman, which is illegal. The Texas education system as a whole needs to teach students by example about financial responsibility.

By definition, unearned income is considered to be that income which is not from wages, salaries, tips, or self-employment business income. Thus welfare is unearned income. Since a large percent of Texans receive welfare, how do teachers instruct 5 year old children about jobs and earning an income when the family income is by definition unearned?

Elementary children should not be stressed over getting jobs, going to college, earning income.

What is the real reason that the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education have come up with standards about personal income? Why have they dumped the TEKS and STAAR/EOC tests that cost so many millions of dollars to develop and suddenly introduce the most bizzare set of Math standards ever?

The Timeline for 5th grade math TEKs shows what the Texas Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education members are not revealing to the public. On top of the line is the progression of what were called the transition TEKs for STAAR. Millions and millions of dollars were spent developing these math standards. The Control for scoring the math TEKS was set in 2012. Thus, the STAAR  tests  aligned with these TEKS have only been given for two years 2013 and 2014.

Now the Commissioner of Education announces that this transition from TAKS testing to STAAR testing was a minor change. REALLY? If so, why was $200 million dollars given by the Rider 42 grant just to prepare training materials for teachers to make this transition.

The Texas Commissioner of Education and the SBOE are not providing Texans with the real truth.

Why was the Texas Commissioner of Education and the SBOE secretly developing a second set of math TEKS at the same time the transition set of math TEKS were being developed? WHY develop two sets of TEKS during the same time period?

Please ask your state representatives to find out why two sets of math standards were developed.

Timeline for 5th Grade TEKS

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TEXAS: STOP the STAAR/EOC TESTS

Sep 13
Posted by Ginger in Featured Post
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Children-Walking-Away-300x218Texas Education was Better Before STAAR/EOC

 

by Janice VanCleave

WWW. TXCSCOPEREVIEW.COM

 

 

Children enjoyed school and were better educated before the STAAR/EOC tests.

The Texas Commissioner of Education has no concern for children. It is all about the STATE testing, which have been shown not to be correct, yet these tests are used to determine whether students are promoted.

Students in Texas public schools are only taught information that could be on the state tests. Nothing else is important. Thus, Texas children are being dumbed down by the state educational officials.

Did you know that parent rights are limited in the Texas Code of Education? Read the following from this code and you will find this statement: The decision of the grade placement committee is final and may not be appealed. There is no one reviewing the STAAR/EOC tests other than TEA and Pearson Publishing who is being paid millions to do this.

One way to improve Texas Education is to stop the STAAR/EOC tests. Please opt your children out of the

STAAR/EOC tests.

Texas Education Code – Section 28.0211. Satisfactory Performance On Assessment Instruments Required; Accelerated Instruction

(e) A student who, after at least three attempts, fails to perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument specified under Subsection (a) shall be retained at the same grade level for the next school year in accordance with Subsection (a). The student’s parent or guardian may appeal the student’s retention by submitting a request to the grade placement committee established under Subsection (c). The school district shall give the parent or guardian written notice of the opportunity to appeal. The grade placement committee may decide in favor of a student’s promotion only if the committee concludes, using standards adopted by the board of trustees, that if promoted and given accelerated instruction, the student is likely to perform at grade level. A student may not be promoted on the basis of the grade placement committee’s decision unless that decision is unanimous. The commissioner by rule shall establish a time line for making the placement determination. This subsection does not create a property interest in promotion. The decision of the grade placement committee is final and may not be appealed.

What about this situation:

A child passed all class assignments and tests but failed all three STAAR 5th grade reading tests. The placement committee decided to retain the child in the 5th grade.

During the summer, the child attended a private reading academy. The child’s reading level was raised to meet requirements for the 6th grade. Do the parents not have the right to appeal the decision of the grade placement committee?

 

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