Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pop Quiz

Every year thousands of people get a drivers license.  Every year thousands of people are killed because of mistakes they make while driving.  Everyone of them took a test and passed.  Driver's license testing is a failure. But we keep on testing and giving out licenses.

Every year we hear of pilots that crash their planes, Doctors who remove the wrong leg...accountants who high tail it out of town with someone else's money.  All of them took tests..and the tests..failed to protect us.  But we keep on testing.

There is a point in the planning process where you say...this is where we start.  Sometimes you have the luxury of taking your time to pick the best spot to start...more often the situation dictates where you start. Failure is not dictated by where you start a plan...it is dictated by failing to act swiftly and decisively.

If we wait for the perfect test...or the perfect plan when dealing with the challenges to debacle of public education then nothing will ever get done...there will never be a good place to start...there will never be a perfect plan. 

Our tax base is dwindling...property values are in the tank...more people are unemployed and under employed...We have eaten the frosting off of our cake...Our need for action is dictated by the situation.  If we fail to act...we are in grave danger of losing what little edge we have in public education.  We can no longer afford to wait for a perfect plan....the perfect test...we must take action with the best we have..and remain flexible enough to continually improve the process.

Major corporations such as Dell, Microsoft, HP, and others have implemented cost savings while improving internal educational methods.  They have no choice if they wish to remain competitive in an ever changing technical world.

Test design and implementation will cost them millions...as it will within our educational system..it will be money well spent.  Creating goals and milestones to judge and reward success is the American Way. Children  deserve the best.

Public Schools...if there is to remain such a thing...must change with the times. If they do not..only the failures in this nation will be attending.  They will be taught by the teachers who are themselves failures. 

The largest public educational system in this country..and as far as I can tell...in the world has been using performance based evaluations of their teachers for decades.  The result has been the best educated employees found anywhere.  They are constantly evaluating their methods and processes.  Changing their training systems on a continual basis to meet the demand of an ever changing world. 

In just a few short weeks they take their students from no knowledge to a high level of competence.  They do this in spite of the fact that our public schools only provide them with sub-par matierial.

I myself spent 15 years training kids from High Schools across this nation...I had to deal with long hours...and idiots that couldn't pay attention.  At times I wish I could just say "that guy is too stupid to even put on his pants, and you want me to teach him to carry a gun?"  But I didn't...it was my job to give him every opportunity to succeed. 

Their failure was my failure...and I was graded on their performance.  I love a challenge...and that job was certainly that.  Where I work now requires my attention 100 percent of the time...it is fun..challenging..and I am paid based on such a complex formula it boggles the mind...and I LOVE IT. 

Turning our educational system around will be expensive in terms of money and emotional distress.  I am sorry that some have chosen a career that is tough.  I guess that is where the term work and job come in. But I for one am not willing to pay for substandard Educators in my Educational system.

P.S.  I hate pop quizzes.

20 comments:

  1. Captain, The system the Air Force uses in my opinion is more like the system we should be using in our public schools...

    In the Air Force everyone goes a series of qualifying tests just to join. Then they all go through basic, afterwards their is some sort of job specific training. A relatively small percentage are trained as officers

    The recruiter prequalifies applicants before the first qualifying test is given, even so a certain percentage will wash out at every phase of their training. That's an accepted fact,

    If not enough, or if too many make it through a given portion of their training, something is wrong. The training is either to tough, to easy or something is wrong with statistical projections.

    Public schools are expected to accept all applicants, and train them all to become officers regardless off their attitudes or abilities.. Success/failure is measured by the percentage that make into officer training (college). If kids don't make it through training or learn enough to make it into officer school the teacher/system is considered a failure.

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  2. Two year mandatory service, for a stronger nation and safer communities.

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  3. I agree with that Madpole... No reason our wars ahould all be fought by them.. Them being the few with the courage to enlist, like Moos', Black Eagle and Aquagrump's sons

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  4. Real good post Capt., and I agree with Grumpy and Madpole.

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  5. A friend's son came home with a "D" in Geometry. The following Monday she took him to school and sat in on his Geometry class with the teachers permission. Needless to say her son was very embarrassed. That evening he pleaded with her not to return. They struck a deal, and the following 9 weeks the son came home with a "B". Not all parents have this opportunity, but she takes her role as parent very seriously.

    I am all for a fair and equitable way to determine merit in the teaching profession. I also wish we had a way to also determine merit among the parents.

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  6. This should be re-posted on a certain Whiny Liberal Public School Teachers blog.

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  7. Anonymous, you might have a point..If you mean who you think you do.

    I know she's opposed to Merit Pay, solely because she belives it unfair to teachers. I have other issues with SB736. When I suggested she might want to incorporate the other issues, and Bartleby into her objections, her dogs spammed this website for three days straight..

    They made it clear they didn't need or want any help from a TEA Partier

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  8. Education Commissioner Smith was forced to resign per the Orlando Sentinel today.

    "In a letter to board members sent yesterday, Fair, appointed to the board by Gov. Jeb Bush, criticized the manner in which Scott handled Smith’s resignation. Fair essentially accuses Scott of usurping the board’s authority by forcing Smith to resign. The governor-appointed board is charged with hiring and firing commissioners. Fair said that Scott has not met with Smith since the governor took office in January.

    Fair wrote that he is “alarmed by the Governor’s dismissive treatment of this Board, which after all, hired Eric Smith, but which was not consulted, regarding the Governor’s desire to divest the State of his services.”

    http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/03/boe-chairman-fair-resigns-over-scotts-dismissal-of-education-commissioner.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fpolitics%2Fpoliticalpulse+%28Central+Florida+Political+Pulse%29

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  9. Testing, accountability, and data are good. Obsessive testing is a waste. Experimental testing and collection is a waste. In the military, a place is found for every individual. Some do know more than sew patches into tents, others are drivers or cooks. Are they failures?
    I don't think so. Corporate training is no comparison to public education.

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  10. Gov. Scott signed SB736 today.

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  11. Now it's time for the Governor to answer a simple "Pop Quiz" question.

    Governor Scott: WTF is the estimated Three Billion Dollars required for test developement coming from?

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  12. I got it! "I DON'T KNOW."

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  13. Ahhh But I am thinking Captain, the legislature admits they don't have the money, they put a clause in the law that allows for local tax increases.. Stuff flows downhill..

    I know that in Brevard Counties RTTT Grant application the BoE acknowledged they would seek local property tax increases to pay for the program.

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  14. More thinkers and facts. Less legislators and politicians.

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  15. Capt BE said: "Major corporations such as Dell, Microsoft, HP, and others have implemented cost savings while improving internal educational methods. They have no choice if they wish to remain competitive in an ever changing technical world.....Test design and implementation will cost them millions."

    Major corporations provide corporate training. Name one major corporation that designs tests for its employees. Corporations utilize efficient evaluation systems, efficient both in use of time, manpower, and money. There is no comparison between corporate training for adult professionals and 8 year old third graders who are in the early stages of intellectual development. The comparison makes no sense.

    Organizations do not tolerate poor employee performance. If you have no evidence that systemic, authority sanctioned processes keep poor performing individuals employed, then your statement is irresponsible.

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  16. USMC1949: Your comment should be read a few more times. SB736 is neither fair nor equitable. Tennessee at least made an effort in that direction.

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  17. Dell...and Microsoft..and HP.

    And the Military. I will say that 8th graders would have been a welcome relief.


    Keeping failed Teachers employed is irresponsible.

    A true evaluation is neither fair nor equitable. It attempts to discover the truth.

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  18. The military is not a major corporation. The military is very effective at placing individuals according to their skills. We all know this.

    I know people who work at Microsoft in Seattle. They are not given tests as part of their yearly evaluation process. Employee performance reviews are a means to develop an efficient and effective workforce. Employees are measured against their output over time, not measured against the output of others, let alone children. Discovering the "truth" is for a courtroom.

    We are in a budgetary crisis, not an educational one. While other states are now scaling back on money spent on unnecessary costly testing, Florida moves the other direction. A bloated bureaucracy without a price tag on costs wasting taxpayers dollars is the way government works. Successful corporations do not.

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  19. I have to question your motivation at this point. I guess we disagree...I am glad you have friends at MS..so do I..and they do undergo the testing and evaluation I described.

    Bloated bureaucracy is something we can agree on..but the way they are taking their retirement and running...they may thin themselves.

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