Teaching to the Test Comes as a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing to PS 154 in the Bronx

On New Year's Day, 2014 the staff of PS 154 received its weekly commandments, er, proclamations, oops, announcements from DR Alison Coviello; PhD and Principal of PS 154 in the Bronx. Several staff members contacted The Crack Team with a directive from DR Alison Coviello; PhD and
Principal that raised some eyebrows;

 ....reading and math teachers in grades 3 – 5 identified students (making up 15% of the grade) who have the potential to achieve Levels 3 or 4 on the upcoming State assessments. Please keep these goals in mind and make plans to achieve them. You may have to think out of the box in terms of how you help particular students. For example, some teachers noted that particular students have the intellectual capability, but currently lack the stamina. We discussed working with these students on a weekly basis to take longer and longer practice assessments as a means to simply build their stamina. 

Other teachers talked about the necessity to meet with parents or for me to speak with parents so that students will attend before or after school clubs. I have done this with four parents thus far (as specifically requested by the teacher) and have been successful at getting 2 out of 4 of these students to attend the extra clubs. Speak to me if you’d like assistance with this.

The Crack Team went hard to work to analyze this and to create a proper response. Right off the bat we all agreed that the poor students of grades 3, 4, and 5 at PS 154 will not be getting a proper education but rather will be nothing more than test automatons and data points. The stench of teaching to the test permeated the air.

Luckily for us here at SBSB we have a new and first female member of The Crack Team, Gertie Dinowitz. Gertie sat down with us and we all ran the statement through the computers here at SBSB. The results don't lie. 

It seems that picking the kids with "potential" to reach a 3 or 4 is like trying to doctor the scores - at Gertie's school,they have been told in the past, to "focus" on only the "cusp" kids, and to forget about bringing a 1 to a 2 or a 3 to a 4, since there is no credit given for that. At her school a level 1 kid is a "lost cause" and to not "expend too much time on lost causes".

By the same token, don't worry about 3's becoming 4's because there's no added credit for that, but watch the "low 4's" because "points are lost if they slip to a high 3".  

Basically, the focus appears to be and spend your resources spent on the kids that have the potential to make the school's data LOOK BETTER rather than trying to help all the kids do their best. 

Calling test prep a "club" is classic "lipstick on a pig." A "club" is generally a group of students who share a common interest coming together to pursue that interest, and there seem to be a plethora of those at PS 154.

We doubt there is much "interest" in test prep, as in, "I really LOVE test prep! Let me join a club so I can hang out with other kids who LOVE test prep and TAKE MORE PRACTICE TESTS, either through actual test prep or using subterfuge such as having the students write about their experiences.  SO much more fun than a French club, drama club, or gardening club!"

We here at SBSB are concerned what is happening at PS 154 is that such targeting will disseminate even more, by looking at the kids who are "worth" more on the test. Like if the kid is an AA male, who gets free lunch and has an IEP, he is "worth" more than an AA girl who just gets free lunch, so spend more time on the boy. Or, if you have a student who is an ELL with an IEP, she is "worth" more than another who is "just" an ELL. And the kids who are NOT minority, who are native English speakers, without IEPs, who do not get free lunch are "worth" the least of all, or maybe the closest to "worthless." 

To say that the students of PS 154 are not getting an education and are nothing more than numbers is an understatement and abhorrent. Not only is this teaching to the test, but at the very best it is an attempt to game the numbers and at the worse it is akin to cheating.

Something like this would never, ever be allowed to happen in Harrison. But then again Harrison only hires leaders that are truly competent and are not worried about test numbers. 

We here at SBSB call on new chancellor Carmen Farina to empower a blue ribbon panel and investigate for irregularities post haste. The education of the students of PS 154 is at stake.

Westchester and Hudson Valley Statewide Protest in Yonkers and Across the State

This Monday, January 6, 2014 from 4 PM-6 PM EST there is a statewide protest, better known as the "Blitz on Governor Cuomo" against at all the failure of Governor Andy to address the failure of education reform.

Sara Wottoawa, of Long Island has taken the time out of her busy schedule to organize this day for the nearly 20 million citizen of the great State of New York to tell our elected officials enough is enough!

As Sara has written on the Blitz Facebook page;

Now that the holidays are behind us and our legislators are planning to return to Albany for the 2014 Session next week, we’ve noticed media coverage of Common Core has quieted down significantly. Our mission is to ensure this quiet time is not misinterpreted as complacency. 

Governor Cuomo is scheduled to deliver his State of the State Address on January 8th. We need to apply statewide pressure on him to specifically address the failures of education reform in New York. Doing so would get this issue front and center in the media again. 

We have an idea that will be very effective, and we need your help. Starting on Thursday, January 2, we begin the New York New Year Blitz on Governor Cuomo and the Legislature. We will call, fax, email, Tweet, and snail-mail Governor Cuomo and ask him why he has turned a deaf ear on our voices, why he refuses to acknowledge the failure of Common Core in New York State, and why he has not spoken one word about education deform in response to our testimonies and appearances at NYSED’s and Senator Flanagan’s hearings around the state. We will do the same to our legislators (Assembly and Senate) and remind them that we are still here, we are still not happy, and that they work for us! They need to ignore Flanagan’s proposed legislation and do something that throws Common Core out of New York.

Public protests and picketing at local/regional television news stations across the state would put us front and center with a unified message to the Governor that this issue isn’t dead, and that Flanagan’s report of his statewide hearings was an abysmal misrepresentation of the shortcomings, experiences, and objections presented by parents, educators, administrators, and early childhood development experts. On Monday, January 6th beginning at 4 p.m. outside each TV news station listed below, we make our voices heard. We will call on the media to get our message out. We will bring signs, placards, bullhorns. We will apply as much pressure and generate as much noise as humanly possible. 

We will post this activity to every social media outlet and make it go viral. After the Governor’s Address on the 8th, we get on the phones, we get on our computers and we flood every New York State Senator’s office (both locally and in Albany) with the message to get this fixed and not stop until it is. We keep the heat turned up high until someone steps forward with a REAL common-sense solution to this mess. It is only the majority of people statewide that will show Flanagan how wrong he has been about the Common Core and his interpretation of the message we have been sending. 

THIS IS IT FOLKS!! What we’ve been training for…our Marathon Day! This is the effort that must happen without a hiccup. We have it from a reliable source that January is CRITICAL and our efforts are URGENTLY NEEDED. WE ARE CLOSE TO WINNING THIS! This activity will have to be a skillfully choreographed dance and can only work if we are ALL pulling on our oars at the same time in the same direction. These are OUR children, OUR teachers, and OUR schools. Let no arrogant politician stand in our way!

Governor Cuomo’s Contact Info
Governor Andrew Cuomo
Office of the Governor
NY State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: 518-474-8390
Fax: 518-474-1513
Email: Gov.Cuomo@chamber.state.ny.us
http://www.governor.ny.gov/
www.facebook.com/GovernorAndrewCuomo
www.twitter.com/NYGovCuomo @NYGovCuomo Use #StopCommonCore and #fixNYschools
NY State Senate: http://www.nysenate.gov/ NY State Assembly: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

I am reaching out to those teachers, educators, and parents of the Lower Hudson Valley to help and congregate at the offices and studios of News12 Westchester/Hudson Valley at 4 PM this Monday. 

News12 is located in Yonkers NY at 6 Executive Plaza. 


View Larger Map 


See you there!

NYC DOE Investigator Lawrence Scott Texts Privates to Teacher He Is Investigating for Corporal Punishment

OSI Investigator Lawrence Scott

Another "Wow! moment" in the annals of the New York Post, the DOE, it's investigative process, and Uncle Mike's Reign of Terror.

The Post outed OSI investigator Lawrence Scott in not only telling Natalya Sokolson Gordon, a computer and fifth-grade teacher at PS 329 in Coney Island, that her;

 “I have the power to get rid of you just like that,” she said he told her, snapping his fingers, “or I can make everything go away.”

Nothing earth shattering really with that revelation. MYy pal and all around first-rate blogger Chaz shared how the investigative process works over 5 years ago.

But worse, even more degrading is that Investigator Lawrence Scott sent Ms. Gordon; scores of X-rated texts, a photo of his penis and explicit demands for sex

Obviously he has some serious Freudian issues here.

Soon Investigator Scott told Ms. Gordon that he "likes it dirty" and to call him when she gets the "courage."

Hey, these are not the best of pick up lines. Might we suggest a book or the old workable line, "Hey, what's your sign?"

But courage for what? It seems to The Crack Team that Investigator Scott lacks some courage in his dealings with women.

Investigator Scott also suggested, we here at SBSB hope it was done politely, that some of the sex positions he has suggested may force Ms Gordon to "scream."

To quote Humphrey Williams from the Monty Python film, "The Meaning of Life," "What's wrong with a kiss? Hmm? Why not start her off with a nice kiss?" But I guess that is not macho and controlling enough, eh?

Gordon also has filed complaints that Scott groped her breasts and put his hand between her legs during a discussion of her case in a closed-door meeting at her school.

But those meetings were recorded and worse, according to the attorney on staff here at SBSB, touching one's bits without permission is criminal.

§130.52 Forcible touching.  A person is guilty of forcible touching when such person intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly touches the sexual or other intimate parts of another person for the purpose of degrading or abusing such person; or for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire. For the purposes of this section, forcible touching includes squeezing, grabbing or pinching. Forcible touching is a class A misdemeanor.(Eff.11/1/03,Ch.264,L.2003)

As Betsy Combier was quoted in the Post article, "they are still making the victim a culprit" because Ms Gordon did not "report him and that she texted back."

This, is like, and I am sorry for using this analogy, but being raped twice. Once, by Investigator Scott and now a second time by Richard Condon. Condon claims that Ms Gordon did not reach out to to his office and that she apparently was a willing participant by texting back.

Investigator Scott was in a position of power, the same as a rapist. He had power not only over Ms Gordon investigation, but her career and future as well. I guarantee you that Ms Gordon was scared, depressed, anxious, confused, and intimidated. No matter how much one might say she participated by accepting and sending photos on her own volition, no matter how one slices it she was still coerced.

 What Condon and his office are making of Ms Gordon is that she is the "steamy temptress," the perpetrator in this perversion of justice and a woman by Investigator Scott.

We at SBSB are not prudish enough to look down our collective noses at sexting. But, when a person sends unwanted sexts or coerces one into sending sexts then it is a problem.

Why Investigator Scott is not facing criminal charges is beyond the pale. But three other things concern us here at SBSB.

One, are there any other victims of Investigator Scott's perverse proclivities. Second, has he made such "moves" in the past and been rebuffed, and if so, how did this play in his investigations. And lastly, what other improprieties have occurred with OSI over the years?

Oh, and we here at SBSB believe that Investigator Scott has every right to due process. Are you listening Campbell Brown?

Why Do UFT Retirees Get to Vote in UFT Elections?

Late on Christmas night I jumped into the middle of a Twitter conversation between Norm Scott and Randi Weingarten. The jist of the conversation was about the lack, and rightly so, of democracy in the the UFT. Of course Leo Casey chimes in with;

@NormScott1 @rweingarten @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 Strange idea of democracy: losers in election get to make the decisions
— Leo Casey (@LeoECasey) December 25, 2013

But that is another story for another blog post. Of course losers don't get to make decisions, but the losers get to participate, no? Isn't the US Constitution set up to give voice to the minority?

But at that point I chimed in asking a pertinent question which Randi replied to;

@SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 -yes& retiree vote is capped so it can never determine outcome of election
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) December 26, 2013

Huh? So the rationale is as long as the retiree vote is capped? At this point, Reality Based Educator shared;

@rweingarten @SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 Retiree vote increased in 2012 to 23,500 by Unity to rig elections.
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 26, 2013

And my reply to Randi, which she never responded to, was;

@perdidostschool @rweingarten @LeoECasey @NormScott1  Willie Mays doesn't get to vote in MLBPA Union elections, why do retired tchrs?
— Bronx Teacher (@SoBronxSchool) December 26, 2013

Which brings us back to the question, why do retired teachers get to vote in the UFT elections?

I mentioned this to a friend of mine that drives for UPS and is a Teamster just after the UFT elections. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. We both put our heads together and were unable to think of one union that has retirees vote.

I understand that the retirees have done a lot for us in the past. They are concerned about their benefits and pensions. They sacrificed a lot in the past and we owe them a debt of gratitude. As one retired teacher friend of my family would say to me, "You schmucks have given back everything we went on strike for in 1968," I couldn't agree more. But now they are holding back rank and file to affect change.

Personally, I have no problem giving them a seat at the table. Of course they should be represented in the UFT. Be it in the DA, executive board, etc.... They have a right to have a voice. But, to be able to sway elections for current teachers with issues that are affecting us today and in the future is not right. If anything, if retirees continue voting, their votes should at the most count for one-half, and still be capped.

But as long as they get to vote, the opposition to Unity (I don't feel I am at liberty to speak for any one organization) must be proactive with the cards we are dealt and be ready for 2016.

This means reaching out to the retired chapter and forging some common bond. Find out what it would take to get an endorsement, to see how the retired chapter can best advocate for the opposition. It certainly won't hurt to try, it's better than sitting around in committees.

The issues facing the teachers of New York are in the present and in the future, not in the past.

Buy David Greene's Book!!

I just ordered it last week and it has yet to arrive but I know it will be a great book. Of course I am   by noted education advocate David Greene.
"Doing the Right Thing: A Teacher Speaks"
talking about the new book,

For those who do not know who David is, David can be found, here, here, here, and here.

I first met David about 2 years or so ago. I have found David to posess an encyclopedic knowledge of education and teaching. I have sat with David many times in Starbucks and have been regaled with stories of of his almost 40 years of teaching, his passion for education, his foresight into what we can do to fix education, his honesty, and his caring.

I don't think there is one person that Dave won't truly want to help. He has "talked me down" on several occasions and has had me walking away from our meetings feeling better about myself. He does this by being straight with you and talking to you, not at or through you. And this I know we will find in his book.

Dave is our Obi Won Kenobi. Our Clarence. Our Conscience. We're lucky he is on the side of good and not evil.

When I finish the book I and The Crack Team will review it.

PS 154 in the Bronx; Violence Free Since the Week Before Last!

Yes, it's true! PS 154 in the Bronx has gone a full SEVEN DAYS without violence from December 6 thru December 16, 2013.

Every day I get in the queue (Too much, the Peace Bus)

What does this mean? It means hat day, or some special goofy wearing thing day is about to happen and the marker on the Peace Bus moves up!

To get on the bus that takes me to it (Too much, the Peace Bus)

So for those keeping score at home, PS 154 has had 1 day straight without violence in October, 5 days straight at the end of October, 5 days straight around Thanksgiving, and now 6 days straight. The Crack Team is hard at work to see if the Peace Bus crashes or moves past 6 days.

I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile (Too much, the Peace Bus)

Funny, shouldn't there be no days at all without violence? Or better yet, why are days celebrated with a negative connotation instead of a positive one such as, "Six days straight of tranquility." Not only will something positive be celebrated, but a students will learn and new word, it's meaning, projects, writing, can be used with tranquility. The list is endless. Instead the students get, "VIOLENCE."

The house is only another mile (Too much, the Peace Bus)

Seriously,  Peace Bus? You think the 5th graders care about the cute little bus? LAME. Yeah, Peace Bus works for the little ones, but the 5th grade? Isn't it bad enough that the 5th grade has to have time out chairs, or whatever euphemism their called, just like the Kindergartners?

Thank you, driver, for getting me here (Too much, the Magic Bus)

So with silly hat day or favorite hat day is this something to have fun with or, as usual, is the fun ruined by forcing students to write about their hats?  What about the kids who don't have hats?

There'll be an inspector, have no fear (Too much, the Peace Bus)

Yeah, as everything is at 154 spontaneity is controlled and planned.

I don't want to cause no fuss (Too much, the Magic Bus)

 But a fuss must be caused for there is still violence and the problem is not solved by sugar coating it with celebratory hat day, or Save Hat Day, or the Peace Bus, or Magic Bus Day, or bring your pet to school day. Because in the real world, there are no celebratory days for doing what you should be doing. I mean, if the Common Core is around so we can get our students ready for he real world, shan't we a true discipline code that gets the students ready for the real world?

More important, shouldn't the parents of the PS 154 community know that there children are safe each and every day of the school year?

Carmen Farina to be Named New NYC DOE Chancellor

A high level source within the NYC DOE has shared with The Crack Team at SBSB that Carmen Farina will be named as new chancellor of the Department of Education.

Another close source to The Crack Team has given Ms Farina a thumbs up and thinks naming her is a great choice.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding and we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves with either praise or condemnation. What we do like is that Ms. Farina has risen through the ranks from teacher to principal to superintendent to deputy chancellor. Just with that on her resume she has more cred than anyone in the upper echelon of the DOE.

Just as an aside, our source shared with The Crack Team that to get rid of the current evaluation system we might have to give up retroactive raises. But that is a story for another time.

One way to tell what kind of chancellor Ms Farina will be is to check what the Post, deformers, hedge fund managers, and Eva have to say in the aftermath of making it official. If their not happy, well.......

Anyway, The Crack Team has come up with some suggestions for Ms Farina to implement when she is in Tweed (Of course it goes without saying to 86 the new evaluation system and the Common Core, testing, closures, and charters bogarting resources). In no particular order;

1. Get rid of the lawyers. Too many lawyers sitting around in TPU (Teacher performance unit) and Labor Relations doing nothing other than thinking of a new way to stick it to the teachers. Not only that, but think of the money that can be pumped into the schools instead of lining the pockets of the lawyers.

2. Real Administrators. When I started teaching in 1995 the AP's and the Principals were seasoned educators with at least 15 years before one became an AP and/or principal and were experts in particular field of pedagogy. Now, you neither had to have ever taught or you start your administration courses the year you get into the system or you just write a check.

3. End gotcha. It's time. And this includes all the petty little charges in 3020a's.

4. Let teachers teach. This can go so many ways, but the person that knows the students best is the teachers, the front lines. Just like in the military, the grunts see and know so much more than credit is ever given. Let's bring the spontaneity back to teaching.

5. Put the deformers in their places. That means the Post, MichelleRhee First, Whitney, Eva, Klein, Murdoch, etc... Have a Sister Souljah moment with these people.

6. Tell Eva Moskowitz there's money to be made in North Dakota. With the prevalence of fracking in North Dakota, many families are moving to the state with "inadequate" public schools. Tell Eva she can make more money in Williston than Harlem. Give her bus money to encourage her to be on her way.

7. End the ATR system. Not with termination, but with real placement of the Lost Teachers of Israel.

8. Administrators should face the same discipline as teachers. This means that the days of a principal being arrested for cops finding a kilo of coke in the trunk of his car after he gets pulled over for DWI and a suspended license while wearing no pants and underwear while two prostitutes are in the back seat shooting smack should no longer warrant a promotion. Not saying the principal should be terminated, just not promoted.

9. Follow the contract. A contract is a two way agreement. Please, let's respect the contract.

10. Stand up to Cuomo. He has two uses for his finger. One, to pick his nose, the other to see which way the wind is blowing. Cuomo is a bully. He's trying to be the svelte Chris Christie. How do we deal with bullies? A rolled up newspaper to the schnoz.

11. Respect. Simple respect. That will go very far. It will rub off on the media, the public, and the politicians. Defend us against Campbell Brown. Against Michelle Rhee. If that happens just once, or maybe twice, you will not only earn respect and loyalty, but get that proverbial foot off our chests.

The Crack Team is sure that there are some things that were not mentioned. For that they apologize. But it's a start.