HI again,
 
I'm working backwards with the emails here.
 
In Mass., while scores do continue to rise in certain content areas,
they are rising for the white middle class.  Blacks and Latinos continue
to struggle to bring up their scores.  Why is this?  It's complex to be
sure, but part of what should be questioned is whether this test was
written for that social class - it's true that MCAS is designed on the
public school curriculum.  Who developed that curriculum?  Were Black
and Latino students lagging behind their white counterparts pre-MCAS?
What does that mean if it's true?  What does it mean if it's not true?
If a group of people comprised of Black and Latino educators and
psychometricians developed the curriculum and subsequent test for the
schools, would it look differently?  Would the white students still
excel?  These are questions I ask myself nearly daily.  Especially the
"who developed the content" piece - that always comes first for me.  
 
MCAS results do say who's failing and who's not.  In the span of less
than 10 years, whole schools and personnel have paid high prices for
'failing'.  10 years is nothing as a period of intense structural
change, it's the blink of an eye.  The MCAS results can't provide the
prescription for how to "fix that failing school", because that is not
what it is capable of doing.  It's one thing to note where to
concentrate efforts, it's an entirely different thing to figure out how
to address the issues and then implement changes.  The way that I
understand Mass. schools are responding is that they are tightening up
that 'teach to the test' culture.  It's about winning, not about your
effort.
 
It actually isn't impossible to figure out what's needed in a 'failing'
school:  just look at a school that's not, and replicate what happens
there.  Our stumbling blocks then become a different conversation - one
in which we would need to talk heavily about economic equality and
social justice.
 
Marie Cora
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Kearney Lykins
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 10:51 AM
To: The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 1301] Re: NCLB
 
Andrea,

How does it "hit" poor kids and not rich kids? The test assesses the
basic skills of everyone. Isn't it critical to know who has them and who
doesn't? There is a very good reason basic skills are called basic
skills: we have decided they are necessary. Don't the MCAS results tell
schools where remediation is called for, or where they should
concentrate their efforts? 

Kearney
 
 
----- Original Message ----
From: Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net>
To: Women and Literacy Discussion List The Poverty Race
<povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 10:27:05 PM
Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 1294] NCLB
I said  to someone on the list that I would ask my cousin about her 
impressions of the MCAS--the standardized test for graduation in MA.  
Her opinion:  the MCAS is a series of basic skills tests that hits poor 
kids in poor schools. Richer kids in richer schools already know this 
stuff and build on the basics year by year.  Teaching is sequential, so 
"teaching to the test" will not work if kids are already behind on 
basic skills.  My niece does not study for the test, and no time is 
given over to test prep at her public school.  My cousin is 
multilingual and has many years of teaching ESOL.

Andrea

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