VERNON PARISH SCHOOL BOARD USES PARCC EXCUSE FOR PUTTING IN EUREKA MATH AND ELA COMMON CORE. Remember our page has listed several reasons why Eureka math is not required to pass the standardized test, and we plan to review those reasons in this post, but lets look at the big guns the VPSB pulled out in this statement on a 532 link just put on their site, if a district adopts and implements curricula that are not consistent with what will be tested in state assessments, they risk students not being promoted, teachers and administrators facing job action due to the current evaluation process, expansion of vouchers, charters,potential RSD takeover, loss of funding, etc. Act 532 is the new law that gives control over curriculum to the elected school board. VPSB office must have a problem with local control. vernonparish.schooldesk.net/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=YTOq4wiKJww%3D&tabid=26514&mid=83343 * HOLD ON! THIS STATEMENT CAME FROM INTERESTS OUTSIDE OUR DISTRICT, NOT FROM VPSB. That statement was developed by the Louisiana School Board Association and seems to run counter to the parental push for local control. This statement was also put out ahead of St. Tammanys meeting. What these outside interests seem to be promoting is consensus on the relinquishing of local control regardless of what the statutes actually provide; and, less than overwhelming acknowledgement of the true authority in all of this-the citizens of each district. Here is a copy of St. Tammany School Board member Mary Kay Bellasarios email: Scott is a trusted friend, a former school board member, a member of our Coalition for Louisiana Public Education, and currently runs the Louisiana School Board Association office. His accurate information is vital to all school board members, in a state where good information is often hard to obtain. Here is a direct quote, sent yesterday, where he warns all local school boards to not violate the current laws regarding Common Core implementation here and elsewhere in Louisiana: “It is our understanding that local districts - boards and superintendents do not have the authority to opt-out of these requirements, otherwise would be in violation of state law and likely have significant problems associated with accountability and the consequences (charters, vouchers, state-takeover, etc.). Further, if a district adopts and implements curricula that are not consistent with what will be tested in state assessments, they risk students not being promoted, teachers and administrators facing job action due to the current evaluation process, expansion of vouchers, charters, potential RSD takeover, loss of funding, etc.” This situation we’re all in is complicated. Above Scott describes the challenge. There is a solution to all this; we just have to work together to find it. Amazing how two different parishes have the same wording in both of their statements, but now lets look at why Eureka is not required to pass PARCC. * STUDENTS CAN NOT PASS ANY TEST IF THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CURRICULUM. Parents when they throw this PARCC argument at you, simply trust that you know what is best for your children. You know that if you child does not understand the curriculum, he cannot pass the test. I have heard multiple testimonies from students and parents that Eureka is so poorly written that the children cannot understand it. An example that shows Eureka doesnt help on standardized testing is from New York where the Engage NY math was implemented. Eureka is just another name for Engage. The scores went down after Engage was put in. huffingtonpost/2013/08/07/new-york-common-core-scores_n_3721360.html * NO ONE CAN SEE ANY STANDARDIZED TEST How do the teachers know how to teach to a test theyve never seen? And -- since theyve never seen it, and since the CCSS arent much different from the old standards, anyway, why not use old, classic curricula. A SB member told me that teachers do take a peek at test, but essentially he was saying that teachers were breaking the law. Surely not. A peek would not be enough to help a teacher teach to the test anyway. * ANY CURRICULUM CAN ALIGN TO COMMON CORE STANDARDS. The point is that any curriculum can be made to align with the broad statements in standards. Our laws mandates standards, not curriculum. Like we have pointed out, Common Core is almost the same as previous standards and under Louisiana GLEs, schools used traditional curriculum, so why cant traditional curriculum be used to align with Common Core. The People, LLC explains this very well. thepeoplellc.weebly/blog/scam-alert-the-standards-racket Some might say other curriculum might not match the age levels in CCS, but any good curriculum director or teacher can adjust if there were any age discrepancies between curriculum and standards. * FINALLY WHY DOESNT OUR VPSB LISTEN TO PARENTS INSTEAD OF OUTSIDE INTERESTS? The Vernon School Board should do what is best for the students, and part of that is listening to the parents. We have to ask the question Does this School Board have the ability to think for themselves, or do they have to ask Supt. John White and special interests such as the Louisiana School Board Association what to think? I say to the VPSB ready or not here comes local control. thepeoplellc.weebly/blog/ready-or-nothere-comes-local-control
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:01:34 +0000
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