Fact check on Walcott speech on middle grade achievement

Today, at a speech at NYU, Chancellor Walcott announced a new training program for middle school principals…to be run by TFA.

Next, to attract and prepare new middle school principals, we are launching a new program called the Middle School Leadership Internship, in partnership with Teach for America. For four weeks, teachers who are thinking about making the jump to a school leadership position will be matched with a mentor principal, whom they will shadow and learn about the complexities of leading a strong middle school.

Does this mean Walcott agrees with the numerous critics of the NYC Leadership Academy, founded by Joel Klein and with which DOE has a five year, $10 million per year contract  through July 2013?  Does he too think that the Leaderhip Academy is unable to adequately prepare principals?  What qualifications does TFA bring to the job, beside their political influence and connections? And how much are we paying them out of scarce taxpayer funds?

Walcott also claimed in his speech: “Student performance in the middle grades is even higher than it was five, or ten, years ago.”

Really?  To the contrary, since 2003, there has been NO significant progress overall in 8^th grade ELA in NYC as measured by the NAEPs , and we come in last or second to last among most sub-groups in terms of progress in 8^th grade math compared to other large cities. Here is what Walcott said about 8^th grade math:

 In the middle grades, New York City students have made significant strides on three out of four areas on the national tests.  In fourth grade math, fourth grade reading, and even eighth grade math, our students’ gains since 2003 are greater than those in the rest of New York State and match what we’ve seen across the nation. 

First of all, the fourth grade is not usually considered the "middle grades" and the gains have been nothing to write home about;  less than most other cities as measured on the NAEPs.  In the 8th grade, the results have been nothing short of disastrous.  Here are the the NAEP results for all large cities tested since 2003, for all six ethnic/racial/economic subgroups in 8^th grade math.  These charts show that in NYC,  only Asian students have improved compared to their peers elsewhere. We are also the only city in the country where our non-poor students now test lower in math than they did in 2003.

 

 

 

 

Here are the results for 8th grade ELA, for the same sub-groups, with equally dismal results, again with the exception of Asian students:

 

 

 

 

 Again, we are the only city tested in which non-poor students have lower average scores in 8th grade ELA than in 2003.

On the other hand, some NYC data does show dramatic increases: Our class sizes in grades 4-8 have increased sharply since 2007, especially as compared to our Contract for Excellence commitments.

 

But never fear; I'm sure those new TFA-trained principals will be able to work wonders. 

DOE to spend millions of dollars on new local assessments, starting in preK?

The DOE released a new set of RFP’s to testing companies to develop yet another set of “local assessments” to be given starting next year. [Apparently the 408 assessments bid out in July did not result in any contracts.] The bids are due April 23.  The announcement says that 24 contracts could result, for God knows how many millions of dollars.   

It is unclear how many local assessments will result from all these new contracts, but probably hundreds over three years. There are 23 testing “components” in all; with each component involving a "grade span" and a content area, and 40 items in each test, probably to be taken on computers, which will involve yet more millions to buy.    

The DOE is pitching this new set of RFP’s to provide new sets of  “diagnostic” and “interim” assessments, but the only required part of the RFP is “end of course” exams, which is very difficult to argue is “diagnostic” since there will be varying amounts of summer learning loss for different students.  “Diagnostic” for what?  Next year’s exams?

In all, the RFP’s arouse suspicion that the DOE’s intention is to use them as more high-stakes tests, most probably as the “locally developed” portion of the new statewide teacher evaluation system, though the UFT has not agreed to this.  They can certainly be used for high-stakes decision-making as regards school closures and progress reports.  And there is little doubt that they will take hours more away from instruction, real learning, and important subjects like art, music etc.

The RFPs ask for ”end of course” tests, to be taken in all grades 3-12  in literacy and math, as well as science in grades 6-8.  Mandatory “task assessments” will be required for literacy and math in these same grades, plus preK-2^nd grade as well.  We have never had standardized tests before in grades preK to 2^nd grade, as far as I know.

 

“Optional” services to be bid out include end-of-course tests in literacy and math in 2^nd grade; should include social studies and science texts as well, and the RFP docs also report that the DOE intends to implement separate assessments in social studies, starting in middle school and perhaps in other grades as well.

The DOE adds that “End of Course Diagnostic assessments are machine scorable [sic] assessments that align with the PARCC end of course assessments in content, design and structure. These assessments, given once a year, are intended to provide students and teachers with formative, CCLS-aligned data in advance of the PARCC assessments they are aligned to.”  

PARCC is the multi-state consortium, including New York state, currently devising new exams to be aligned with the Common Core and implemented over the next few years.  The makers of these PARCC tests are developing at least nine new tests per year per grade.

If you have time, take a look at the RFP docs, which I have posted, and let us know what else you see there.  In any case, please leave your comments below if you think that millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars and education funds should be spent on even more tests, when our classrooms are being starved of resources, class sizes in the early grades are the largest in over a decade, and many schools are spending months on tests and test prep as it is. 

RFPR0911Section3Appendices [pdf], RFPR0911 [pdf], AppendixGPricing-Required-Services RFP R0911 [xcl], AppendixGPricing-Optional-ServicesRFP R0911 [xcl]

AppendixE2-Program-Plan-Narrative RFP R0911 [doc]

AppendixE1-Proposal RFP R0911 [doc]