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* Why did the test scores rise in Illinois?
Illinois elementary school pupils passed the newly revamped state achievement exams at record rates last year, but critics suggest it was more the result of changes to the tests than real progress by pupils.
* Daley defends Chicago schools ISAT gains
* House’s latest electric rate freeze unlikely to clear Senate
Critics argued Tuesday that reinstating the rate freeze would cause consumers more long-term pain by sending Ameren and ComEd into bankruptcy. Some said the vote was designed to score political points for supporters, not provide real relief for consumers.
‘’This has been a comedy of errors, and we will probably be compounding it today,'’ said Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville).
* Deregulation law: A tale of two states
* CUB spokesman & Rep. Bradley to meet with Herrin Chamber
* Editorial: Legislature must act on spike in electric rates
* AG Madigan subpoenas Ameren on heating ads
* Illinois House votes to roll back electric rates
* Michael Sneed: tidbits on Blagojevich, Daley, Reilly
* Cindy Richards: Making Illinois a safe state again
* Springfield’s image really is improving
* Cook Co. Circuit Court associate judgeships named; 31 added to the bench
In past years, critics of the associate judge selection process said politics determined who got picked. But this year, of the 15 names State Democratic Party Chair Mike Madigan sent on a letter to judges’ homes, only seven were chosen. And all 15 had mostly good ratings.
* Trustees may hold public discussion for ‘clarity’ over Illiniwek
* Potential mailing list stokes hot Dist. 214 race
* Streamwood trustee challenges may be just the beginning
* Aurora alderman drops out of race
* “Vote early vote often” phrase tossed around a lot in Chicago
posted by Paul Richardson
Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 8:05 am
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>Springfield’s image really is improving
From the article:
‘The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is the most obvious improvement’
For the amount of taxpayer money that was spent on that museum, you could have bought a new still and outhouse for every man, woman and child in Springfield, and still had enough to pave all the roads.
I should hope dumping $145 million on Springfield improves it.
Comment by Johnny USA Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 8:20 am
It’s not just politicians who benefit from the dumbing down of elementary school achievement tests. Teachers benefit too, especially the many less-than-competent teachers, whose performance likely appears far better than it actually is.
And highly paid school bureaucrats who are tired of dealing with critical parents will no doubt use the dumbed down test scores to justify another huge raise.
And how will the kids and their parents know how well the kids are actually doing. Not from the new
dumbed down tests. They’ll know far less than they did.
There are more rigorous test protocols out there but given that the Democrats are in cahoots with the teachers’ unions, Illinois won’t be seeing those anytime soon. Self-delusion is far more lucrative for the school bureaucrats, the teachers and the pols.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 8:26 am
Two things:
ISAT/PSAE tests are not necessarily designed to test student knowledge and skills. They are designed to help schools make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The tests are more concerned with processes than ability.
Second, an electric rate freeze should not pass the senate. Ameren and ComEd need an increase in rates, but the increases have been too much too soon. Allow them to set rates at about 10% over last year’s rates and then allow for modest increases in the next several years. Another rate freeze is bad economics for the future and really bad politics (as if the politics to this point on this issue haven’t been bad enough).
Comment by Fan of the Game Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 9:07 am
OK, let’s review. When test scores go down, it is the fault of those darned incompetent teachers, those dumb democrats, those over paid bureaucrats, and don’t forget those sinister unions.
When test scores go up, the teachers are still less than competent, the democrats and bureaucrats are still dumb, bad, and most of all, self delusional, and taking advantage of those poor students and parents who are clueless pawns in some teacher union led plot to ruin the American way of life.
Please….
Do you really believe that any parent who cares would have to rely on a multiple choice test to determine whether their children are being educated?
These tests are political not educational instruments used by the Bush administration and others as part of a coordinated attack on public education as we know it.
They are not fooling anyone.
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 9:37 am
Future Press Release from Blogo: Test scores went up because of ‘All Kids’.
Comment by Wile Coyote Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 9:38 am
Wile,
It probably didn’t hurt. Healthy kids are happy kids who learn better.
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 10:24 am
The fact is, this is a testing world. You take tests to get into high-performing high schools, to get into college, to get into grad, law, and med school, to get many high-paying jobs. There is absolutely no benefit to elementary school children in taking tests which are not the most rigorous possible. Only pols and education bureaucrats benefit from school systems which, in effect, decide how to rate themselves.
Parents can decide to disregard test results but, unless they want junior to end up flipping burgers as a career, they would be wise to at least consider them in deciding whether the local school is doing its job. Especially as those kids will likely be competing with high-performing, test-acing students from around the world in our global economy.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 10:47 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t comparing how we educate to how the rest of the world educates a bit like comparing apples and oranges?
What I mean, I’m under the impression that the rest of the world washes their low achievers out of the system as they move along. If you don’t pull the test scores to go on to university after their version of high-school or on to high school after elementary, you are screwed.
Also, there is no community college system there to fall back to. If you don’t get into university when you are in your teens, you are frozen out of the system. And, again correct me if I’m wrong, it is not possible to enter college as a “non-traditional adult learner” (as they are called here) if you did not graduate from college when you were in your teens. Hence the reason for all the pressure over seas for their students to test well.
We have so many safety nets built into our system, testing just isn’t as “important” (well, not as important in some cases).
Comment by Anon from BB Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 11:55 am
Rich - do you have a list of the new Cook County Assoc Judges? thanks
Comment by paddyrollingstone Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 12:08 pm
Anon from BB,
I wouldn’t say those kids who don’t test well enough to go onto High School are screwed. They get to go to highly functional vocational schools that actually teach them a decent trade. I’m not sure the vocational programs in the States are nearly as good.
The biggest gripe I have with ISAT is that it doesn’t test the same students to see what the improvement was. It tests this years crop of children and compares to last years crop of children. Doesn’t matter if the school added a new gifted program that children are applying to, if a neighborhood school is now taking in more or less middle class children, etc.
A better method would be to test kids in the early fall, then test them in the late spring and see if and by how much they grew. At least then you are truly testing the children’s development and to some extent the teacher’s impact (many children probably learn more from their parents and experiences outside school than they do from their teachers so a weak teacher can be shrouded in this kind of testing).
Another gripe is that the test scores pretty much track poverty. I’ve heard it said that when you get a 1-1 correlation in statistics, you are measuring the same phenomenon. The reason for this is varied but poor children (esp generationally poor) start out behind other children in vocabulary etc. then don’t learn as fast as the other children either. They were more likely to be low birthweight which is another factor and their experiences at home don’t tend to be as enriching. The KIPP academies probably have the best idea which is to increase the school day and school year for the at-risk children so they have time to catch up.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 1:04 pm
Rich
Here’s a good link tip for you:
The SJ-R has a link to the US Chemical and Safety Hazards Board investigation report of the Illiopolis Formosa Plastics explosion.
The video is a little strange, but the details of the explosion and the liability that Formosa bears are shocking to me. Sadly, government should be doing more to protect workers than just “reccomend” changes to irresponsible manufacturers like Formosa.
Worker safety should be more of a government priority. I believe that chemical companies like Formosa and meat processors can’t be trusted to do the right thing.
Comment by Goodbye Napoleon Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 1:39 pm
I’m not sure how many of you are aware of all the time teachers spend having the children do practices tests to take the ISAT. My children spend days, even up to a week practicing to take the ISAT tests. During this time period they are not learning anything except how to fill in a circle properly. If they want to know how good a teacher is and what a child is learning then a grade specific test (without time practicing for it) could be given at the beginning of the school year, and then again at the end of the school year. The exact same test each time. The results would demonstrate how well a particular teacher teaches and how well that particular group of children learn. There are so many differences in the way people view education that each school would have a different outcome than another - variances in income levels, parent’s education, values of the local community versus another, religion and other outside factors all contribute to a child’s education. It’s like years ago when I was going to college and took the SAT and ACT tests back in the late 70’s and the score I got on those compared to those the kids get today - they have tutors and classes to prepare kids for taking those tests. Does the difference really show? I wonder?
Comment by Judy, Judy, Judy Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 1:41 pm
“Daley defends Chicago schools ISAT gains”
Never have to defend any ISAT gains out in Naperville.
Those tests are used to rig the system for those that are white and\or wealthy. They taught to the test and got the “wrong” results. Unreal.vDefenders of white privilege unite!
Comment by HappyToaster Wednesday, Mar 7, 07 @ 10:00 pm