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Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents
And that is the truth in a nutshell.— April 10, 2014 7:15 p.m.
San Diego Opera head says all want to save company
I'd like to think the Valkyries survived and are still out there, disturbing the dreams of those who create devastation...— April 10, 2014 2:49 p.m.
Opera: Campbells could get up to $3 million more
Must revert to the revered "uffda" response!— April 10, 2014 1:54 p.m.
Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents
Part 3 For profit "universities" that encourage massive loans at high interest rates and deliver ZERO educational benefit? Sweetwater under Ed Brand has already tried that. I am sure he would be the first to agree that there are some sweet deals out there for the enterprising school administrator with no ethics whatsoever--sell that data?--YOU BET!!! Well, that is the short version, barely touching on some of the problems with Common Core, as it has been set up. And, I say this as someone who cares deeply about education--I had high hopes, because I had thought Common Core would be used to bring up the educational levels of some of the states that traditionally rank very low, such as Mississippi...but that apparently is not what this is all about. If anyone can prove to me otherwise, I would love to hear it. (Again, France has had one educational standard, with testing given across the country at the same time for the same classes, so I feel there could be a benefit for some standardization of teaching materials. But in France, these are the students selected for advancement to their university system, not all students.) I feel the greatest drawback to the Common Core is the way it can be used against the students and the teachers, to the economic advancement of corporations. It is an attempt to hijack the public educational system. This should not be allowed to take place.— April 10, 2014 1:19 p.m.
Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents
Part 2 Conspiracy theorists get made fun of much of the time, and sometimes justifiably so, but let's just think about this. Why make the students and the teachers look bad? Why make the students and the teachers look bad while charging school districts enormous amounts of money for the test materials, the equipment...why make everything topsy-turvy in the field of education, when students need stability in learning situations? Because there is money in it. Bill Gates can look like Mr. Benevolent, with his great concern with education, but let's take a look at his economic incentive to control all the educational materials in all the schools, including any and all printed materials, any and all software, any and all equipment... And the we get to the subject of data mining. That has to do with tracking how all the students do, and then can be used to determine the effectiveness of teachers. Without taking into account, of course, personal situations, illness, family problems, whether the child has had enough to eat to be able to think clearly enough to perform well on a test...and they are planning to begin this testing very early. I have actually heard kindergartners could be tested...when they are still learning the alphabet, learning to count...does this make sense? Then, if all the data collected is used to determine who is a good teacher and who is a bad teacher, yet does not sufficiently recognize categories of learners (English language learners, those with cognitive and/or developmental difficulties, those with anxieties over testing)--how accurate can any of the assessments possibly be? Meanwhile, somewhere there will be enormous files of data on every student. Which can be SOLD to companies, which then have the ability to target children with who knows what kind of advertising and product placement. Not to mention, there could be an attempt to help a child find a 'pathway'--but again, what of the motives?— April 10, 2014 12:54 p.m.
Standardized tests shunned by South Bay parents
Part 1 Bear with me, this may take awhile. Let me try and remember...a few years ago, SDSU had complained that there were too many students from Sweetwater who had been accepted under the Compact For Success, but had problems with achieving the minimum test scores in math and English/reading comprehension that the state has/had set. So---there was a shift in English classes toward the encouraging of critical thinking skills. I would imagine, with the hope that those who were paying attention in class would benefit. End result, with any luck, was to be that even if the students might not be familiar with all the material they were being tested on, those critical thinking skills would help them deduce correct answers, both for test-taking and in real life situations. (I don't really know how the math departments addressed this situation, because I can't recall hearing any problems with any adjustments that may or may not have taken place). Supposedly this meant that there would be less classroom time devoted to the study of literature, and less reading of novels and other fiction than before--as essays, articles and other topical themes were explored. Now--I love to read, always have. Started out favoring fiction, but recently have moved to more non-fiction. I love that there are worlds out there available in books, for anyone who wants to jump in. I love the exploration that is available in all the world's knowledge...beyond the imaginations of most people, except those who will be expanding the world's knowledge with new fiction, non-fiction, scientific discoveries, breakthroughs in all fields...you get the picture. What is not so great, is when rote learning is the only learning style available to students. There is wide agreement on that--people learn in different ways, and teachers need to be aware of all those ways. Most teachers are aware, and incorporate multiple ways to get the information across to students. Rote learning is good for early math skills and early reading skills, and for acquisition of a new language, for example. So where are the problems with Common Core? There are many--oddly, this program seems to discourage rote learning for early math skills, in favor of inelegant, wordy and overly complicated formats and explanations. Why? Is the attempt being made to confuse the students? Then, moving on...to the tests. If you want to teach to the test, you need to know the answers. But--these are new tests, and most of the time, teachers don't even have the materials to work from. Local elementary teachers I have spoken with say they have been putting their own materials together in the hope that it is going to work out for the students. So, the testing is being done initially on materials the students have not been given. Gee, how fair is that? Especially when not only the students will be evaluated, but the teachers will be evaluated.— April 10, 2014 12:41 p.m.
Opera: Campbells could get up to $3 million more
Right now what is dooming SDO is the board's refusal to cooperate with those who want it to survive. So I guess if Karen Cohn and the small group surrounding Ian Campbell have decided to hand over the $3 million and say forget about it to everyone else, what are the options? Law suits--but they take time, and time is dwindling. So, are we going to let Ian and Ann Campbell strip the remaining assets and head for the hills like a couple of old-style bandits? There is nothing stopping them from the standpoint of ethics, and I supposed they aren't thinking about returning to San Diego once they have left. You'd think those still defending and supporting the Campbells might want to start thinking about their own life post-SDO. But maybe they are going to take that cruise around the world for the next year, and by the time they are back, will just hope everyone will have forgotten this mess. Except I don't think this will be forgotten that easily.— April 9, 2014 4:56 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
I wonder if an actual study has been done which explains the association of packs of lies with glossy paper, and the public's inability to delve deep enough to find the truth. Off the top of my head, I think it comes from the style of reading most magazines--which is lighter and less attentive--versus a school text or something more serious. So--Fast Eddy is hoping to engage not the critical thinking part of the brain, but the mindless, "let's just think about fun things" part of the brain with his little ad followed by his little article. Here's a thought--a mere few years ago, Sweetwater was trying to increase the critical thinking portion of English language classes...so I wonder how Sweetwater students would do on a "close reading" of the two above-mentioned items. Do you think the meter measuring effluvia would be engaged and running on the high side? Might be very educational to find out. "Fast Eddy and the Disinformation Report", endeavoring to change *your* reality. But let's make sure Fast Eddy is caught in all the lies of his own making.— April 9, 2014 4:01 p.m.
Opera: Campbells could get up to $3 million more
You two slay me.— April 9, 2014 3:16 p.m.
Opera: Campbells could get up to $3 million more
So it boils down to tawdry soap opera after all? And that--while destroying an opera company and putting hundreds of people out of work, jeopardizing symphony musicians, none of that means anything to the Campbells, it is just take the money and run. No sense of hurting all those people, no sense of the sadness of the collapse for the musicians and related artists. No sense of remorse, just pure ego and selfishness. I can't imagine anyone hiring Ian Campbell for anything after this. Except the Kardashians, perhaps. Or maybe he can do infomercials for a new product. Smarm-in-a-can, the oiliest substance available, recommended by all the best snake-oil salespeople, for when you really, really need to get out of something.— April 9, 2014 2:52 p.m.