CBS/APJuly 28, 2015, 9:22 AM
Principal's suicide, forged tests rock NYC school
NEW YORK -- Jeanene Worrell-Breeden had what she called a dream job running a public school linked with Columbia University's Teachers College when she killed herself by jumping in front of a subway car this spring.Three months later, the city Department of Education says there was more to her sad story: The principal had fudged answers on third-graders' state English exams, and authorities learned of the cheating allegations the same day she made her fatal leap. All the school's third-grade English scores have been thrown out in the first year its students took the important test.
The scandal has stirred sorrow and uncertainty after a promising start for Teachers College Community School and clouded the career of a Wall Street worker-turned-educator who'd earned praise for her approach....., MORE...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/principals-suicide-forged-tests-teachers-college-community-school-new-york/
My father, a life-long educator, earned his PhD from Columbia Teacher's College back when people respected a teaching degree without Wall Street credentials.
ReplyDeleteWe now have a growing number of colleges and universities doing away with using SAT scores for entrance and relying more on high school GPA and overall school experience.
ReplyDeleteWe now have a state giving kids options of what "gender" they wish to be.
We've discussed here many times the dumbing down of the education system by lowering the number of credits required to graduate, loosening of the grading scale, refusing to enforce discipline through suspensions and expulsions.
Yet, teachers are held accountable for a kid's success, when the educrat system puts policies in place that say to students "it's okay to fail"?
Tha's the way I see it and why public education continues down it's predictable path of failure.
Well, then you have news like this about the Chinese national who took tests for other Chinese.
Deletehttp://news.yahoo.com/chinese-national-ordered-deported-pennsylvania-testing-scam-233106077.html
So, while there is a place for standardized tests, people need to be careful about relying on them too much.
Also, with foreign students there is also the cultural gap that they need to overcome in applying for admissions.
I helped one guy with his admission letter to UT's MBA program. He had good grades, a great GMAT score and otherwise seemed capable, but his admission letter just sucked.
It was full of typical Chinese praise for his family and parents for helping him and almost nothing about what he had done.
I told him this wouldn't cut it in an application letter for a good MBA program and told him he needed to put in more about HIS accomplishments instead. After some cajoling, I got him to write more about what HE HAD DONE and it improved his letter immensely. Of course, he still wrote in a bit of Chinglish, but that's expected.
Bottom line, the guy got in, got great grades (very close to a 4.0 as I recall), graduated, got a great job in Finance and was a pretty good candidate overall.
I'm not so sure he would have been admitted with his original application letter, though.
George Washington Univ. - where I received a M.A. on full tuition scholarship plus stipend - just ditched SAT scores this week. I have mixed feelings about this since my teaching assistant (TA) scholarship was earned based on two teaching "auditions", interviews and recommendations from the 5-College Dance Dept. at UMass/Amherst (including Amherst College, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Hampshire). My GPA did not factor into the decision at all. Neither did a graduate entrance exam score which I was not required to take or submit. Now, had I applied to get into George Washington University's medical school I can assure you there's no way on God's green earth I would have been accepted and certainly not on scholarship. So I guess the question is should knowledge and talent that lies outside the confines of a standardized test score merit admission into America's higher education system? It's a question of academic and societal value. Do we "measure" everyone equally?
ReplyDeleteYour comment about GWU is why I posted the comment above....
DeleteI went to engineering school at the Univ. of SC and as woefully underprepared for it in math. After a year, I transferred to the technical college and switched from electrical to architectural engineering. I lacked about 6 or 8 hours of getting an associate degree in architecture, but decided to go into the consumer products industry and dropped out. I never looked back.
The 80's were brutal to a White male in the job market. I had a number of opportunities with national food companies and they wanted to hire me, but couldn't because I was not Black and more importantly, not Black female. It seems companies hit a grand slam wth hiring a Black female at the time.
I am self-taught on a myriad of computer programs/software, mechanical systems, etc, and always felt I had to work harder, smarter and longer because "I wasn't a college graduate". I can work circles around all sorts of people who have college degrees.
I have no problem with colleges and universities doing what GWU has done, but the nebulous process of deciding who gets in and who doesn't is what concerns me.
There was a time when a college degree pretty much assured employment to anyone who sought it. I don't know if this is true today.
DeleteGWU is about $60,000 a year. Is a degree in political science worth $60,000 a year? GWU is a prestigious university but it still isn't Harvard. Is it possible GWU is making it easier for very wealthy students - who can pay the full amount - to gain admittance to the university to offset the cost of students who can't possibly afford this amount? Elon University has steadily gained national recognition for going from a nothing local college to taking a place on the national stage through very strategic admittance practices that included targeting wealthier white students from educated families. 75% of the student body is from out of state - mostly from the Northeast. A fairly significant number of students come from private high schools. I was told the college is now targeting California. My "gifted" son fit the profile here. Elon was his first choice school. I'm not an economist but I find it hard to believe that the staggering cost of college today has nothing to do with some of these standardized test score decisions. How many public state universities are ditching SAT scores? Wake Forest offers test optional admission policies. What does Wake Forest cost compared to NC State?
As a mother of two white males, the fear - warranted or not - of my children being at a disadvantage during the college admissions process was very real. Add to the fact that colleges now give extra bonus points to kids who are the first in their families to attend college and ask yourself why you would risk busing your children across town in order for them to better mingle with the masses? It isn't always rational (or healthy) but parents will go to great lengths to try and give their kids a leg up and there's nothing the CMS school board can do about this no matter how many times they change student assignment policies. The irony is having one child at CPCC who does plan to transfer to a 4-year college. I'm not sure I did this son any favors by having him attend a private high school where he was told that he could do better than CPCC. I was not a perfect parent. I made mistakes along the way.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteReally, is a degree in political science worth $240,000? I certainly wouldn't pay $60,000 a year for a degree in education with a dance concentration but I'm grateful someone else footed my bill. I loved graduate school. Lol.
DeleteIs a Harvard degree worth what it costs?
DeleteIt might be as a TFA recruit before leaving after two years to pursue a fully paid for law degree or a Wall Street MBA.
DeleteI sat next to someone on a plane yesterday who is an AIDS researcher with a degree from Harvard. The world needs people like this. Harvard will
always be Harvard. Harvard also has an endowment that enables it to offer need-blind admission. Students pay what they can reasonably afford. My brother attended Yale for not much more than it cost me to attend UMass. I actually received a scholarship at the Harvard Summer Dance Center one year. I got to live in one of the dorms overlooking the Charles River for six weeks and take classes. I always tell people that no one ever graduates UMass with a swelled head - not in the state of Massachusetts which the state of NC fails to take into consideration when trying to achieve similar student test scores while adopting MA teaching licensure practices without MA teacher pay. The greater Boston area has something like 200 colleges. The number of per-capita adults with college degrees does impact educational outcomes at the K-12 level. Just the way it is.
Alicia,
DeleteI can't really complain about standardized tests so much because I received a 4-year tuition paid scholarship based on a Phi Beta Kappa test (and some interviews, writing, etc., etc.)
If I hadn't scored so high on their standardized test, I wouldn't have even made the "cut" for the rest of the competition, so to speak...
Fortunately, for me it was basically a vocabulary/analogies test so that was a piece of cake for me. If it had been math, probably not so much. I went on to get a math degree because it was the one subject that I felt I couldn't learn on my own, so I really got a math degree as a "liberal arts" expansion of my skills. Honestly.
Then I discovered computers and went into the tech world. I also had a scholarship for a Computer Science degree at the University of Alabama, but turned it down at the time.
I probably would have had more "offers", but unfortunately, when I took my PSAT/ACT I put down "HISTORY" as my most likely major, shutting me off from a lot of "assistance".
I should have put "Engineer" or "Doctor", I guess...
Oh, well, live and learn, I guess.
I didn't even attempt the "big name" colleges because my family was just so poor, and I couldn't bear the thought of going into debt for nearly anything (not even a car).
Probably not the smartest choice in the long run, but I had absolutely no clue what I was getting into since we only had two other relatives who had even been to college. One got a business degree from the University of Alabama and the other was a math professor in Atlanta after getting his Ph.D. somewhere...
The math professor was sort of my only "role model" for college simply because he was my mother's cousin and she talked about him all the time.
I barely knew the guy, but still...
Wiley,
Delete"The 80's were brutal to a White male in the job market. I had a number of opportunities with national food companies and they wanted to hire me, but couldn't because I was not Black and more importantly, not Black female. It seems companies hit a grand slam wth hiring a Black female at the time."
I had the same experience. Especially with my first job at Southern Bell in Birmingham, AL. I've talked about that before with the black "system programmer" I met in a training class who told me he really didn't know much (or care much) about computers, but got this job that just about everyone I had been working with for a year had seen as a "step up" from what they were doing.
I left Ma Bell a few months later after realizing my future was DOOMED there due to "affirmative action".
That's just the way the "big name" companies were doing things back then.
The "degree" thing as well.
I agree that the degree isn't the best indicator, except that it does show that someone can actually start and complete a long-term commitment to a goal.
Of course, this can be shown other ways, as Bill Gates has demonstrated...
But for most of the world it is a relatively simple way of sorting people for employment.
Mostly because so many people who make employment decisions cannot be bothered finding out if someone has what it really takes to DO THE JOB.
And I really think that has gotten worse over the years.
And in the tech field, it seems that "certification" is the name of the game in so many ways.
I WAS NOT "certified" to do 95% or more of the stuff I did as a computer programmer and system administrator when I did that stuff. I just learned it as I needed.
And many of the guys I worked with (and even had working for me) were "certified" in all sorts of things, but couldn't figure out simple things.
What they really lacked was the ability to analyze a problem.
Not easy to teach, and NO "certification" for THAT "skill".
I remember having to show a MCSE how to run a Norton Backup because he couldn't figure it out after several hours of trying. I kinda felt sorry for him and offered to look at it with him.
It really embarrassed him when I set it up after about 5 minutes of not trying too hard. And that was after officially being a non-techie for about 3 years.
Which means you're "dead meat" in most of the tech world as it has supposedly passed you by.
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ReplyDeleteSo what's up with Ann's blog? I'm willing to purchase the paper but I don't like the Facebook format. New and Improved isn't working for me as I suspect it isn't working for the majority of the rest of the former community. I can't even find her blog.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a blog. It's the format McClatchy is using which uses Facebook for comments.
DeletePerhaps you missed my comments about this very thing on Facebook. Ann didn't care for my opinion.
Ann Doss Helms
July 21 at 10:23am ·
Sorry to be self-promotional, but if you're among the folks who is or had been following my Your Schools blog, please bookmark this page. Our redesign has done some good things, but I think it has made the blog hard to find. I'm posting after talking to a principal who said "Everybody reads your blog. Wait, now that I think about it, I haven't seen it in a long time." Sigh. And no, I'm not writing about the Perfect Happy White Family depicted; that's just another of our little display items.
Your Schools News | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer newspaper and CharlotteObserver.com in Charlotte, NC bring you...
charlotteobserver.com
Tom Wickenburg What was the purpose of even making a comment about the skin color of the family? Would you have said "And no, I'm not writing about the Perfect Happy Black Family depicted; that's just another of our little display items.".... Yea, I'd say you've been hanging out with the Obamacare crowd way too long. You have been assimilated.
Like · Reply · July 21 at 11:42am
..
Tom Wickenburg And, the other blog could be read by anyone, regardless of whether yu had a subscription. Just like CMS, now you have to pay to play.
Like · Reply · July 21 at 11:43am
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Ann Doss Helms Well, since I can't afford to work for free, I don't actually feel all that bad about people having to pay for our journalism.
Like · 3 · July 21 at 11:59am
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Tom Wickenburg It's a great thing about America, people have choices. McClatchy has every right as a business to charge for their content and as a consumer, I can choose to buy it or go somewhere else.... It seems over the past two years I recall some fulough times at the Observer? McClatchy's print ad revenue - or lack thereof - is sucking the life out of the business and what's ironic is that digital ad revenue is up 5-15%. You would think McClatchy would dump the paper since it's akin to people having a wall phone still in their house and try boosting digital sales.... Give me a reason to subscribe because over the past few years, the online edition has be very slow to catch up with what's going on in the immediate news cycle, so I would find out what was happening by alternate channels of news.... Personally, I hope you're there until you decide on your terms to retire. I've enjoyed all your reporting over the years, but with McClatchy stock trading at $1.07, they need to do something quick or adios... In April 2008, your boss said this: --->>>“At this point we simply can’t tell when this decline will end,” he says. “We must continue to cut costs. It’s no fun, but we have no choice. We will continue to do this in the McClatchy way — sensibly, humanely, and with an eye to the future.”<<<--- At that time, April 2008, McClatchy stock was at $10.50 a share.
Like · Reply · July 21 at 1:56pm
Geez,
DeleteYeah, I missed this, too. Sounds like a fun discussion.
Of course, I don't "pay" to view or comment and don't use a Fakebook account with my real name anyway.
I've seen the abuse Larry takes (deservedly or not) and people know who he is.
I just don't need that based on the nutcases I used to have to deal with back when I wrote letters to the editor in Houston and signed my real name on some "unpopular" opinions.
People are probably even crazier today, so who needs them...
Here's what I think...
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple ways to measure achievement, potential, and success. I'm always amazed between the difference of students who are highly motivated by points and grades and those who are not motivated by these things at all. My highest scoring math standardized test taker in one class this past year had one of the lowest in-class GPA's. Achieving an A in class didn't motivate this kid one bit although he apparently was paying attention. On the other hand, I had a very average kid - who drove me nuts - who busted her behind to earn an A on everything. This kid's standardized test scores reflected her average ability but did not reflect her work ethic.
And this is the thing ...
Yeah, the "potential" thing is always hard to measure.
DeleteI had a friend who just said that "potential" was irrelevant.
What mattered was what you did.
He probably had a point, but I think he probably developed this theory because to many people told him he had so much "wasted" potential.
Ha.
I think I can relate to that much better today than when I was younger and can reflect back on all MY "wasted" potential...
But, then, I have also known a lot of "smart" people who NEVER really did much that reflected their smarts.
Altogether I think effort is just as important if not more so in the long run.
And, yes, there isn't a ways to measure that.
Just as there really isn't a way to measure true problem solving abilities and real analytical skills through standardized tests.
By nature, they can only measure those "skills" in a very limited range of activities.
Mostly ones that can be written on tests.
So it's a bit of a vicious cycle.
And reminds me a bit of the old "Imperial" exams the Chinese used to have to pass to become nearly anything.
As if someone's knowledge of Confucius made them a better bureaucrat. Well, maybe it did. As long as everyone played along.
Alicia,
DeleteIt's also possible that the kid who does well on the standardized math tests, but not so well in class is simply bored.
I know that happened a lot with me. I usually kept my grades up, but I can see how it could happen.
I think I didn't do well in fourth grade math because all they talked about was the multiplication tables.
I think I sat in the back of the class and carved little faces on crayon bits during that. Really.
Later, though, I managed to figure it all out on my own.
I don't know if this kid was bored out of his mind or if he was just trying to live up to the legacy of his father in jail. His suspension record for theft, lying, and a host of other things going back to third grade was impressive. Towards the end of the year I did make a point of publically commenting to the rest of the class about his high standardized test scores. I also spoke with this kid personally and told him how smart he was and how easy it would be for him to make straight "A's" and how saddened I was that he wasn't living up to his potential. I honestly don't think anyone ever told him how academically capable he was. The system of grades and points seemed to reinforce his family legacy of failure. After I informed him how smart he was he spent every day trying to please me. He naturally liked doing things around the classroom to help me out.
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
ReplyDeletePretty sad that a kid thinks his future is set in stone at such an early age.
Hope he realizes it isn't and does better. Looking back at my early school years I can think of many kids who turned out dramatically different as adults than they were as children. The "good" kids turned out bad and the "bad" kids turned out good.
A lot of kids just need to be told that they can do a lot if they only try and stick with it.
For some odd reason, our schools seem much better at recognizing athletic potential than academic potential.
I remember transferring schools in the tenth grade and the first thing the principal said to me right after I got to the new school for an interview was "Do you want to play football?".
Also, having "family problems" can work both ways, too. Sometimes kids want to emulate their family members while other times they want to do their best to NOT turn out the same. I've seen both reactions from kids in the same family. Like my brother's sons, for example.
ReplyDeleteOne is headed for a life very similar to his dad's (not a good choice) and the other is doing everything he can to avoid the same mistakes his father and other relatives (including his mother) have made.
In a way, my brother and I are also examples of this same thing, though he finally seems to be "turning his life around" as the cliche goes now that he's in his 50's. Ha.
Better late than never, but still, it's much tougher later.
Wiley,
ReplyDeleteYou asked whether a Harvard degree was worth it.
I'm not so sure that the degree matters as much as the connections people make. If you look at Harvard, the fact that they just gather so many bright and talented people in one place to work together helps them more than anything else.
Some of those folks don't stick around Harvard for their degree once they meet the right people.
But, really, I think for most people it depends on where you might be going and the work you do. If you will be working in a strange place where people don't know you, the right "pedigree" helps.
If you are going to be more local, then the high school you attend could be of more value than the college. Or attending the college with the most popular football team might help. I saw a lot of that in Alabama.
I went to a school which had a lot of good "connections" in Birmingham, but meant almost NOTHING outside Birmingham.
And when I worked at Procter&Gamble in Cincinnati, most of the people were more interested in which Cincinnati HS you attended than any college, especially if it wasn't in Kentucky or Ohio. Their horizons just didn't extend that far.
Except at the top levels, of course, but even then, with their culture of promoting from within, a lot of "locals" did rise to the top.
As I recall, at P&G, having gone to Xavier University in Cincy or even Miami (the Miami in Ohio, not the Miami in Florida, as I first thought...) were the tickets to success in that company.
It's really a fairly inbred company, with a lot of Cincinnati people running things. And if you weren't born and raised there, you probably aren't a good "fit" with their culture.
Harvard grads probably need not apply...Except maybe as lawyers.
Act global, think local seemed to be their motto...