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More to the story/Linda F.

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Hi folks,

I thought you would be interested in this link to an article that explains why the statistic of 60% of teachers failing the professional standards test in Massachusetts might not be valid.

http://www.fairtest.org/examarts/winter99/edtestma.html

Here is an interesting exert:

Many candidates were denied testing accommodations to which they were legally entitled under the Americans with Disabilities Act. When they found out — barely a week before the test — that cut-off scores would apply even at the first administration, students who sought extended time, readers, calculators and other assistance to which they were legally entitled were told that the “Registration Bulletin” required such requests to be made 30 days in advance. Yet, the passage in the same document stating there would be no minimum score level to pass the test was ignored.

Linda, I saw your post and I couldn’t agree more about not responding to Ball. I started to write several posts and deleted them because of what you said.

But since Ball stated he was only dealing in facts and being extremely curious, instead of just slinging mud back at him, which definitely doesn’t accomplish anything, I wanted to find out more about the information he was using to support his arguments. Anyway, I decided to go ahead with this post because I feel this is interesting material besides giving you more information about the test issue and also the fact that new teachers with disabilities were denied accomodations is very significant.

PT

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/27/2003 - 10:56 PM

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Thanks, PT for clearing Ball’s misinformation up.

I just e-mailed LD Online and asked them to block Ball from the Parenting and Teaching BBs. If others want to do the same, click on “Home” above (the little smiley face on the left), scroll to bottom of page, then click on e-mail us.

I’ve emailed them before and asked them to remove offensive posts, and they have. I don’t know if they can block ball - but it was certainly worth asking the question.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 6:23 AM

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When individuals have contention one with another there is unhappiness and discord, the spirit of love, truth and reason are gone out the window. One can agree to disagree and have strong opinions but provocation, threats and contention aren’t appropriate either..

I have seen wiith the anonymity of the internet it is very easy to have circular arguments that escalate as this one has. We need to remember behind each name that posts on the BB that there is an individual with feelings on the other side of the argument.and agree to disagree.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 11:20 AM

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Ball,

You have every right to be heard, but you need to listen, as well. Truth is often somewhere in the middle.

I’m not upset with you for the information you post, it is the manner in which you post it. I haven’t asked to have you removed from the Adult BBs - only the parent and teacher BBs.

I probably would not have done even that, if you hadn’t told Linda “Bite Me.” Personal attacks are totally unwarranted, immature, and don’t do any good except to make the sender look stupid and juvenile.

As I said on a different BB, you are very creative and funny, with some really good ideas. If you could keep the direct attacks and name calling out of this, and simply post facts as facts without the editorial comments - and THEN LISTEN when others post their views instead of attacking them, this would all be OK. Then we have true learning going on, with an exchange of information and ideas where everyone benefits - which I believe is your goal.

However you are defeating yourself by the manner in which you choose to do this. We don’t have to subjected to personal attacks and namecalling. For myself, I refuse to accept it.

A Mom

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 12:45 PM

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PT,

Important post! We see so many who have LD eager to enter the teaching profession to right the wrongs done to them only to have the door slammed.

You are too intelligent to sling anything but impotant insights.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 1:49 PM

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If we gave all workers a competency test how many would pass? You still never told us what you do? Are you so all that and a bag of chips you do nothing wrong. If someone were to turn around and make a personal attack on you, you would not like it. Do you have no empathy or do you just have hate and contempt? You do come and present some facts but if they are challenged you personally attack whoever challenged them even if done in a constructive way. CONSTRUCTIVE critism is fine but personal attacks are not. I have followed the thread that lead to this long titrate I did not feel that the teachers in question were blaming all parents or even a majority just that they had some and were looking for ideas. You as an individual read it differently and that is fine back it up with solid reliable facts. Anyone can go out and get any facts to prove a point but there is always counter arguments. Personally attacking people makes you and your facts come accross as unreliable. I am not saying you do not have a right to voice your opinion because as an american you do, what I am saying is you may want to watch how you present your facts and deal with people. I have seen from your reponses that you do not like to be personally attacked as evidenced by telling another poster to bite you but you bring it on yourself with your attack. I don’t want to see you band from any of the boards but do feel you should post resonsibly.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 5:55 PM

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I have to agree, and I’ll do the same. I really, really sympathize with his sentiments but this is NOT the place!
Thanks,

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 6:11 PM

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YES! Plus, why don’t teachers have a proper and balanced review system like most companies? Where input and opinions are sourced from many areas (customers, job performance, goals & objectives, supervisor’s opinions, co-worker’s opinions) instead of another DUMB test like the ones that drive my child crazy???? Teaching is a PROFESSION — an art and a science, NOT A JOB. I’d LOVE to be able to report on my child’s teachers the way they report on him — bad and good! Of course, my one opinion would not hurt a teacher’s reputation — but if you got 12/25 parents saying similar things, you would have a great method to weed out problems!

Having a background in HR and Corporate training, it disgusts me that the handouts, etc. I get at business meetings/adult courses are FAR superior to what my struggling 4th grader gets…PLUS I get to rate the teacher after every class!

I think our society has let teachers down, BIGTIME — problem is, to fix things, we need collaboration between parents and teachers and NOT confrontation!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 7:46 PM

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I also go to many professional trainings that provide excellent material, with presentor who are willing to explain things in many different ways, they are evaluated at the end of training.

I would not pretend to know how to professionally evaluate a teacher. That said, I can evaluate whether my child is learning.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/28/2003 - 8:59 PM

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Thanks Linda for what you said. Yeah, that’s pretty bad when folks with LD and other disabilities are getting the door slammed in their face when they went to teach.

It looks this organization, fair testing, are also the folks you want to consult in case you think your children might have failed their state exams due to something being wrong with them. If I remember correctly, before Bush started pushing his education programs, which included more testing, there was an article in the NY Times about how there were so many problems with the current ones that were being administered. The thinking was if there were difficulties now, how where these companies going to be able to handle the demands of increased testing.

All I can say is I am so glad I am not in school.

PT

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