So I knew I shouldn't have started writing in response to this topic because I have such strong opinions about the matter.  

Iowa has instituted standards and benchmarks in the public schools and tests the daylights out of the students.  Personally, I believe that the success of the test often relies on the attitude of the teacher giving the test.  I can see this in the high school where I used to teach when I volunteer to read high school essays in the summer to evaluate reading.  The teachers whom I know emphasize the importance of the test have much better results than the teacher who says, "Hey, we have to do this.  I don't like it. You don't like it, Your parents don't like it.  Just do it and get it over with."  Schools that offer rewards for improved test scores have improved test scores.  There are many variables when doing any kind of standardized testing to "evaluate teaching results".  And as far as getting the federal government involved in adult literacy, please, no.  Talk to any special education teacher ( me included) to find out about the results of federal mandates in education.  IEP's went from a simple three or four page document to over 12 pages listing standards and benchmarks that were to be worked on for each student.  If I had 20 students on my roster, most of whom I never saw but for whose educational programs I was still responsible, then I had 20 IEP's with massive amounts of bi-monthly or weekly testing to determine if progress was being made.  Charts had to be kept up on each goal, and I had very little time to teach let alone get to know my students.  Several times I introduced myself to a student at his IEP meeting because he was not available when I had a planning time.  When it got to the point where a graduation goal was deemed inappropriate and secondary to meeting the standards and benchmarks, I knew it was time for me to get out of special education in a high school.

But that's beside the point, you might say; however, it isn't because at the prison I currently have at least 50 students.  If I had to show growth along prescribed standards and benchmarks, then I would be back to nothing but paperwork.  Oh, you should know, that I keep a running informal individual education plan for each of my men.  I have to for me as well as for them; otherwise I would forget who was doing what in which book.  

All I'm saying is, about the time you have mandated standards from the federal government, then you're going to have to prove that you're meeting those standards.  The fact that the men I work with in prison pass their tests would have little to do with it.   (Oh, and my 96% passing rate probably has something to do with my "captive" audience who are clean, well-fed, well-rested and required to be in class.)  I take very little credit for their success.  I am there;  they have the GED prep workbooks from several different companies.  I give assignments, and they work independently and ask questions when they have them.  They are in a safe, non-threatening atmosphere which for some of them is a first.

Back to testing.  We TABE all offenders upon arrival to get a general reading level.  Then we give CASAS reading and math tests to establish deficits.  Every six months each man who has been in education classes is required to re-take the CASAS.  When a man completes his GED, the State also requires us to CASAS him again.  Usually the poor guy has been through the CASAS so many times and is so happy to have his GED that he scores his lowest scores on his last CASAS test.  This, of course, reflects poorly on me as a teacher.  I can motivate a student to complete his GED, but I cannot motivate him to try his hardest on a test that essentially means nothing to him.  Oh, and if he is released before he has completed his GED, which happens a lot, I have to CASAS him before he leaves.  And believe me, a man who is on his way home is not likely to try too hard on a test when all he can think about his home-cooked meals and the family and friends waiting for him.

And we were also discussing planning time.  I plan on the run.  I walk around the room and look over shoulders and if someone is struggling, then perhaps a different book or some one-on-one time is warranted.  I might have 50 men to teach, but my room only has chairs for 15, so it's a constantly rotating group of guys from noon until 8 pm. Most of the men have jobs either within the prison or off-grounds, so I need to be there to catch them when they're available.  At the medium security site where I work from noon til 3 pm, class times are assigned.  At the minimum security site, I maintain a welcome mat approach:  come when you're well, willing and able, as long as you find five hours per week for class.  Like I said, I have a captive audience.

Gail Rinderknecht
GED instructor/ Des Moines Area Community College
Newton Correctional Facility
Newton, IA  50208

And this has nothing to do with the topic, but our site is called "Riverview", but with the floods, it's been Lakeview.  We are all fine here, but have had to make room for some men where the jails were flooded.  The water here in central Iowa is thankfully receding, but it's heading downriver towards some of you.

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of David J. Rosen
Sent: Tue 6/17/2008 8:50 PM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 996]  Content Standards: More questions, more answers,more discussion
 
Colleagues,

Our Content Standards discussion continues through Friday.  I have  
some more questions (see below) for guests and subscribers. I wonder  
if there are some people with questions that they feel are "too  
basic" such as "How do I find out what my state's Content Standards  
are, or if my state even has them?"  No question about content  
standards is too basic. This is the place to ask it.

I want to hear from teachers and administrators who are (or are not)  
implementing content standards. Jon Engel (Thank you, Jon) spoke for  
teachers who might be skeptical. Perhaps there are some teachers who  
are skeptical that would be willing to speak for themselves now that  
Jon has broached this.

Here are three more questions that were sent to me, for our guests  
and others :

"Part-time teachers and planning time:  Teachers tell us that  
developing lesson plans from standards takes more time because they  
have to spend time learning the standards, aligning their activities  
to those standards, and filling out more paper work to demonstrate  
compliance.  What are states implementing standards doing to  
alleviate the pressure on already burdened adult education teachers  
(low wages, low job security, part-time, no benefits, little or no  
prep time, etc.)?"

"National standards: As a standards writer, I was struck by the wide  
diversity of approaches to adult education content standards across  
states (ranging from the very prescriptive and specific to the very  
broad and general).  While I understand we live in a federal system  
in which states can do whatever they deem best for their students,  
isn't there a value in having a broader national discussion about  
what our adult students should be able to know and do in order to be  
successful members of society or, at a very minimum, shouldn't we  
have a common understanding about how content standards are going to  
be used?"

"Assessment:  While states have been encouraged to develop widely  
different content standards, the majority continue to use a very  
limited set of approved standardized assessments that may or may not  
be very closely aligned to those standards.  If due to increasingly  
tight financial constraints states are generally unable to develop  
NRS-approved standardized tests that are aligned with their  
standards, is it reasonable to expect that their content standards  
will have an impact on instruction and student performance?  Do  
teachers really have an incentive to teach from those standards if  
what they are teaching is not going to show up in the TABE or BEST  
Plus or CASAS?  Are there plans to develop such tests?"

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net



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