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In a message dated 11/13/05 4:45:28 AM, Bhfeier writes:
John: Hearing about the California problem (testing biology in 10tth
grade) gives me the idea of testing our clout. Suppose I write to the
California State Superintendent of Schools with cc The Governor,
pleading that he offer a choice of tests to the tenth graders:
Biology or Conceptual Physics. I would list my Laureate advisors
and short abstracts from the CEO cabal that are crying for better high
schools. An appeal for help from the CEO’s would be a great entrée
to get the CEO’s involved in something specific...mindless decisions
by education officials;. Does someone know the name and coordinates
of the Superintendent? Is there anything wrong with the choice: 9th
grade bio students take the bio test, 9th grade CP students take the
CP test?†Leon
Leon,
I would encourage you to do that, but I must tell you I'd be very
surprised if any of them would read the letter let alone do anything
about it. These are people who have an agenda and are driven by Bush's
NCLB, who think all this testing really means something and is actually
improving education in this state, when nothing could be further from
the truth.
These tests do much more harm than good. They take valuable time and
scare resources away from my curriculum--and I mean weeks, not hours or
even days. They cost money--millions of dollars every year, when there
are physics classroom with little or no laboratory equipment. And this
is not just my opinion or my own political slant talking--I do new
teacher workshops and have been doing so now for almost 10 years and can
attest how little support teachers get and the deplorable conditions
they must endure.
As for the Governor, I doubt he even is aware of the issue. He's more
concerned about cutting teachers benfits and retirement funds to balance
the budget and making it much difficult to get tenure and making it
easier to fire teachers like me--who have been around a long time and
are drawing the largest salaries.
I would encourage you to contact my colleague Dean Baird, of Rio
Americano High School in Sacramento who is the lone physics teacher on
the committee which generates these tests. He can give you some insight
on what's going on here.
I think the best thing to do is abolish these tests, not to alter them.
We've got a real case of the tail wagging the dog instead of the other
way around, and the tail has become a real monster. These tests are the
closest thing I've ever experienced what it must have been like in Nazi
Germany before WW II. Everybody I speak to is really opposed to them,
but everybody thinks it's hopeless to challenge them and even fewer will
speak out against them.
San Deigo was doomed to fail for lots of reasons, given the way it was
implemented. However, now it's a done deal--the entire effort will go
down the drain because just as soon as their test scores come out lower
than the rest of the state they will abandon that program--you can bet
on that.
I wish you well and thank you for your continued interest in genuine
educational reform. I wish there were more like you!
Paul Robinson, Physics Teacher
San Mateo High School
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