Today I want to share a child's TS Gold report card. This particular district sends out a TS Gold report card to the parents or guardians every trimester. This child's report card is 11 pages long. The child's name was listed 121 times on the document. There are 60 indicators assessed with accompanying bar graphs. Each bar graph includes a statement about "where" the child is currently, in terms of mastering that indicator, and also lists a next step. You will notice that many of the indicators assess soft skills - skills that are not academic, but rather, deal with a child's emotion, interaction with others, and more.
See the report card below. Please check my previous two blogs for more information, and I will be doing a follow up blog to share more on the data mining component of TS Gold.
Who wants a report card like this? Not parents. Not teachers. Corporations who like data? The new gold? Yes. And, finally, why does a five year old need an 11 page report card? I can't fathom anyone needing an 11 page report card, can you?
Here it is. It's crazy long and crazy in general. Click on each picture for best visibility. I'm not going to comment anymore on it because I think the best way to view it is like a parent might, a parent who was expecting a one page report card with a few notes from the teacher. Join this FB page to meet other teachers and parents who are fighting back against TS Gold.
I turned out okay with a postcard sized report card, and I'd be happy if my son's came home with postcards to report on their progress as long as they said:
ReplyDeleteEnjoys learning
Asks good questions
Expresses compassion & empathy
Smiles a lot
Participates in plenty of physical activity
The end
I turned out okay with a postcard sized report card, and I'd be happy if my sons came home with postcards to report on their progress as long as they said:
ReplyDeleteEnjoys learning
Asks good questions
Expresses compassion & empathy
Smiles a lot
Participates in plenty of physical activity
The end
Thank you once again Peggy for your brilliant wording of what is an outlandish use of taxpayer resources (money to access, time wasted on the collection/analyzing/leveling of 60+ objectives/dimensions) as well as pushing teachers to further disconnect from children by disecting every minute facet of a young child's existence.
ReplyDeleteI read your posts about the GOLD program. My daughter started Kindergarten this year and since I wasn't even familiar with the American school system I tried to do my research and be prepared. When I asked the school about how all this information is saved and for how long and how it is secured (my husband is an it guy) they couldn't answer me those questions. They promised to look up any contact information for me but so far I haven't heard back.
ReplyDeleteWe just got our first report "card" and I was shocked!!! First I thought, that the "Fall" field indicated where my daughter was standing at the beginning of the year and that the gray area showed her current standing. And I thought "great, she progressed". But after I read the explanations underneath I actually had to Google the ratings. It's insane!!! Apparently, my daughter is behind in 27 out of 60 fields! And nothing makes sense! For example her next step should be pretend reading and she is just beginning to know the sounds of 10-20 letters - my daughter was reading the elephant and piggy books before she started Kindergarten and is now reading guided reading level K books!
Of course we had the parent teacher conference before we got the report cards (apparently a problem with the system). I made an appointment with my daughters teacher to sort things out.
I thought, that something is going on - maybe my daughter is too shy? Maybe the language (English isn't her first language)? But now that I saw your sample I am wondering... The above report card isn't a good one either. And it is almost like the one we got. Maybe teachers simply refuse to put too much thought into it? I totally understand how time consuming it is. But that wouldn't be fair either. Or does it take up so much of their time, that they don't really see the kids anymore? In the 4 months of school no teacher figured out that my daughter can already read and is in a late inventive writing stage? I liked her teacher and so does my child, but now I am not so sure anymore.
This is all really frustrating for me. And that they don't even explain those ratings for parents. I am certain that at least a 1/4 of the parents in our school did not interpret it right.
A win for the people (I hope)....
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Chandler,
Thank you for taking the time to write to me expressing your concerns regarding the Teaching Strategies Gold assessment. I am always happy to hear from my constituents and assist in any way possible.
The 2016-2017 State Budget has been finalized and will be up for a vote on the House and Senate floors on Friday. Within the education portion of the budget, the legislature has heard your concerns and has defunded the program. While the removal of this program is not final until the budget is passed in both Houses and signed by the governor, I do believe that it will be approved and implemented and I plan to vote for it on the House floor. Providers should be hearing about the defunding of Teaching Strategies Gold from the Office of Early Learning and the Early Learning Coalition as soon as they can be sure of its passage.
I appreciate your correspondence and please do not hesitate to contact my office with any future concerns.
Best,
Lori Berman