Today I Learned:
1) There is a special kind of waterproof drywall that's used in the walls and floors right around bathtubs and showers. At least some of the time, it's painted to look like the cross-hatching pattern common in metal flooring.
2) Brown rice takes *significantly* longer to cook than white rice -- about 2.5 times as long, to be precise.
3) Educational politics is pretty intense and pretty hideous.
Example: there is a coalition of states which use a shared standardized test called PARCC. Massachusetts has just joined this coalition, making it one of the largest, most influential, and wealthiest members. However, Massachusetts has opted for "hybrid" test system, meaning it retains the right to modify any of the test questions in the PARCC for their students... which makes the test no longer standardized. Which essentially makes it useless for the purpose of actually figuring out what works and what doesn't. The PARCC coalition is unlikely to do anything like disallow Massachusetts from using the PARCC materials because the state is so influential. This will likely open the door to other states doing the same, which may completely destroy the effectiveness of PARCC as a research tool.
Why has Massachusetts chosen this route? Well, I'm not involved in the decision, and I'm not even an educational expert, so what I'm about to tell you is decidedly third-hand information. The argument I've heard is that educational systems get a lot of backlash from... someone... (probably taxpayers and politicians) when they use standardized tests written and enforced by outside agencies. By retaining the ability to modify the test, (whoever makes these decisions in) Massachusetts makes using the PARCC a much more politically palatable decision.
Why use the PARCC at all if they're not going to stick to it? After all, one of the most useful functions of nationwide standardized tests is their comparability, and Massachusetts is removing that. Well, it turns out it's really expensive and difficult to get *good* test questions. There's a lot that goes into making them fair and comparable and actually test the material, and it's really, really not worth it for every school or school system to make their own. You can buy test questions from companies like McGraw Hill and ETS, but that's super expensive. By signing up with PARCC, which is state-run and almost certainly not-for-profit(...?), Massachusetts gets access to some quality, vetted test questions at a fraction of the cost of the commercially-available ones. So, as so often, it comes down to money.
The weirdest thing is, I'm not sure Massachusetts isn't doing exactly the right thing. Money in education is tight all around, and it doesn't look like there's more funding coming any time soon... if this does nothing but free up money in the Massachusetts school system that would otherwise go towards more expensive test questions, then that still sounds an awful lot like a win. I'm talking WAY out of my field here, more than usual, so if anyone knows more about the situation with Massachusetts and PARCC, please let me know.
(Also learned once again how to spell Massachusetts....)
No comments:
Post a Comment