Comments on: Again, U.S. federal funds used to strong arm state legislators http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2009/10/14/again-u-s-federal-funds-used-to-strong-arm-state-legislators/ Weblog of Wesley Fryer Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brunsell http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2009/10/14/again-u-s-federal-funds-used-to-strong-arm-state-legislators/comment-page-1/#comment-100354 Brunsell Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:29:57 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/?p=3832#comment-100354 As an educator in Wisconsin, I am furious about the denial of funds solely based on our state's law against using student test data for teacher evaluation. The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Exam is not a horrible test (as far as standardized tests go), but it is not a diagnostic test. It may provides some "low fidelity" information on what students know, but a single annual test does not show what what students have learned. I can understand the federal government saying that their needs to be some accountability for student learning, but it needs to be more comprehensive than a single test. OK, so while I am venting... Today Duncan talked about needing to train an "army" of new teachers. Do we need an "army?" He didn't say anything about retention of current teachers. Somewhere around 50% of science and math teachers leave in their first 5 years. What is the point of dumping millions of dollars into developing NEW teachers if 1/2 of that effort is thrown away? GRRR..... As an educator in Wisconsin, I am furious about the denial of funds solely based on our state’s law against using student test data for teacher evaluation. The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Exam is not a horrible test (as far as standardized tests go), but it is not a diagnostic test. It may provides some “low fidelity” information on what students know, but a single annual test does not show what what students have learned.

I can understand the federal government saying that their needs to be some accountability for student learning, but it needs to be more comprehensive than a single test.

OK, so while I am venting…

Today Duncan talked about needing to train an “army” of new teachers. Do we need an “army?” He didn’t say anything about retention of current teachers. Somewhere around 50% of science and math teachers leave in their first 5 years. What is the point of dumping millions of dollars into developing NEW teachers if 1/2 of that effort is thrown away?

GRRR…..

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