[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by fauve

"In 1999, Neil Bush co-founded Ignite! Learning, an educational software corporation......

As of October 2006, over 13 U.S. school districts have used federal funds made available through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in order to buy Ignite's products at $3,800 apiece.....

A December 2003 Style section article in the Washington Post reported that Bush's salary from Ignite! was $180,000 per year."

Neil Bush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I can only imagine that Ignite is thrilled by the prospect of this passing (have to keep coming up with new product to please the shareholders...) I'd also be willing to bet he's making a lot more than $180k now!

It doesn't say anything about Ignite being involved with testing but with the reviews it received it might not be a bad idea,

In 2009, Ignite! Math was a finalist for an Association of Educational Publishers Curriculum Award.

The Winter 2008-2009 issue of The Journal of Research on Technology and Education, a peer-reviewed juried academic journal, included a study on the effectiveness of Ignite!'s Early American History course and found a statistically significant improvement in achievement.

Salon magazine, on April 12, 2002 reported that Ignite!'s product is not well-known in the education industry field, but it does get some respectful reviews. "They're new entrants in the market," says Keith Kruger of the Consortium for School Networking, "but from what I know, it's a serious product based on some good research."

One reported success for the company is Mendez Middle School in Austin, Texas, a predominantly poor and Hispanic school. After three years of using the company's Early American History program, the principal of the school said in 2003 that the percentage who passed the Texas eighth-grade history increased from 50 to 87 percent.[4]

In 2004, an HISD-funded external evaluation of Ignite Learning found that teachers gave an older version of the product generally positive marks. "Teachers also found it to be effective in improving student understanding of history, engaging students in the learning process, and to a lesser degree, helping students pass the (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills)," the study said.[13]

In August 2006, Alamo Junior High Principal Jeff Horner said he first saw COWs at a Texas Association of School Boards convention in Austin. "We're enthused with them so far. It's a very unique way to get curriculum across in an interactive way," Horner said. [6]

[spotrod]

Originally Posted by mango23

You can read the bill and I am sure it will answer many of your questions.
As far as what teachers telling kids. They should keep the kids out of it. They don't need to be dumping guilt trips or fishing for sympathy. The kids have enough with their own lives and problems to worry about. I believe the teacher probably don't know what they are talking about themselves and also probably have not read the bill themselves.
What is the attraction of being in the dark and being afraid, I don't get it?
Wouldn't you rather know the bad news if it really exists, then just keep worrying.

LOL, you made me laugh with this comment Want to see just how much Teachers don't know about this bill We know much more then you think and sat at our computers for 22 hrs watching the Reps debate and pass this bill

As for telling the children, Yes it effects them also! The pressure for testing is now worse then ever before. They will be a bunch of test takers

If you'd like to see just HOW stupid we teachers are go to facebook~ teachers against performance pay 120,000 strong , teachers ,parents,students and future (college) student teachers

[spotrod]

Originally Posted by annerk

While I'm against tenure (tenure makes it too hard to weed out and get rid of the burned out/bad teachers) I'm not sure that merit pay based on standardized testing is the right way to go either. I'd rather see bonuses based on overall student performance, which would factor standardized testing, attendence, drop-out rates, etc.

But even more important is fixing the WASTE in education--the crazy contracts with the educational publishing companies is a good start.

Teacher tenure has been gone sense 1982 what we have is, there has to be "just cause" to fire a teacher. Just because the principal does not personally like a teacher ( nothing to do with their teaching in the classroom) this bill allows them to fire for no reason at all. Teachers who do not belong in the classroom do and have been fired.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by spotrod

LOL, you made me laugh with this comment Want to see just how much Teachers don't know about this bill We know much more then you think and sat at our computers for 22 hrs watching the Reps debate and pass this bill

As for telling the children, Yes it effects them also! The pressure for testing is now worse then ever before. They will be a bunch of test takers

If you'd like to see just HOW stupid we teachers are go to facebook~ teachers against performance pay 120,000 strong , teachers ,parents,students and future (college) student teachers

I have to say I am pretty sure what most teachers know about the bill is what they are told. I have yet to speak to one that has actually read the bill. The point of my post was, you have to have the correct information to correctly respond. When I keep reading them express all their fears that are based on speculation what the bill means, it would be a lot easier to read and understand it. At least they would know what it is they don't agree with instead of speculation or the boogie men of misinformation.

As far as the kids go, using them as political tools is wrong in every respect. Filling them with fear is just plain wrong no matter what the truth is. I see kids being interviewed saying they are afraid they are going to not be able to go to school anymore or their teacher will lose their jobs and they will never see her again. I actually saw a kid say this on the local news, where do they get this crap? From the adults or from their own imaginations it doesn't matter, they don't need to be involved.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by spotrod

Teacher tenure has been gone sense 1982 what we have is, there has to be "just cause" to fire a teacher. Just because the principal does not personally like a teacher ( nothing to do with their teaching in the classroom) this bill allows them to fire for no reason at all. Teachers who do not belong in the classroom do and have been fired.

Based on what, they have to be a sex offender or something to get fired. Just stinking at the job or being worthless is not enough.

[MovedfromFL]

Originally Posted by annerk

While I'm against tenure (tenure makes it too hard to weed out and get rid of the burned out/bad teachers) I'm not sure that merit pay based on standardized testing is the right way to go either. I'd rather see bonuses based on overall student performance, which would factor standardized testing, attendence, drop-out rates, etc.

But even more important is fixing the WASTE in education--the crazy contracts with the educational publishing companies is a good start.

This bill will lead to even more contracts with educational testing companies. Those same companies will stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars for developing all of the newly required tests. Then of course the tests will probably have to be updated every year for millions of dollars more! That is all money that will be funneled directly from the classroom budget.

[spotrod]

Originally Posted by mango23

I have to say I am pretty sure what most teachers know about the bill is what they are told. I have yet to speak to one that has actually read the bill. The point of my post was, you have to have the correct information to correctly respond. When I keep reading them express all their fears that are based on speculation what the bill means, it would be a lot easier to read and understand it. At least they would know what it is they don't agree with instead of speculation or the boogie men of misinformation.

As far as the kids go, using them as political tools is wrong in every respect. Filling them with fear is just plain wrong no matter what the truth is. I see kids being interviewed saying they are afraid they are going to not be able to go to school anymore or their teacher will lose their jobs and they will never see her again. I actually saw a kid say this on the local news, where do they get this crap? From the adults or from their own imaginations it doesn't matter, they don't need to be involved.

We watched the rep debate on both sides for 22 hours, We def know what the bill entails. If you'd like to watch this debate in tally, we have the link in the FB link I gave you! Watch it for yourself. Then come back and tell me" Its just fear talking" become informed as we have.

I'm sorry but I disagree. The Children/ parents do need to know what is going on...The babies should not be told anything as they do not understand all this and it will cause them stress. But middle and high have a right to know why there will be so much testing!

[MovedfromFL]

Originally Posted by mango23

Based on what, they have to be a sex offender or something to get fired. Just stinking at the job or being worthless is not enough.

In my experience, I have not seen any teachers be fired for incompetence, but I have definately seen many veteran teachers be forced to leave for other schools. There are many ways for a principal to make a teacher's life miserable so that teacher will choose to go to another school.

Moving a lifelong kindergarten teacher to 5th grade. Moving a veteran teacher to a remote portable classroom with no walkway covers and forcing her 1st grade students to suffer the consequences. Popping into that teacher's classroom constantly day after day.

I don't understand the rationale behind moving teachers to a different grade level. It hurts the students a lot. For example, if a teacher had taught 1st grade for the past 5 years and assembled an entire room full of age appropriate materials with her own money, suddenly moving that teacher to 5th grade would mean she has zero experience with that grade level and ZERO materials for the classroom. No books, no center materials, no games, nothing. Principals seem to think this is no big deal sometimes, but it is!

[spotrod]

Originally Posted by mango23

Based on what, they have to be a sex offender or something to get fired. Just stinking at the job or being worthless is not enough.

They can and have been fired for not doing their job! However Its the principals that are slow or do not want to do the paperwork!

Please feel free to look up Florida and teachers tenure and you will see for yourself that it has been gone sense the 80"s. maybe they will have in there what the firing requirements are. Teachers do not have TENURE in the state of Fl is what I know as a fact!

[MovedfromFL]

Originally Posted by magijasakymaro

I have an autistic child in public school with a fantastic teacher. How is his performance going to be measured, as a teacher of special needs children? The same way every other teacher's performance will be measured- test performance. Obviously these kids are not going to perform as well as kids in general education, so what will happen to this teacher? Will he stick around despite pay cuts? I hope so, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. So what does that mean for my son? Who is he going to be stuck with?

My other kids are in gen ed, and they have been informed by their teachers that if the bill is signed, all field trips will be discontinued, and the ridiculously small amount of free time that they get now will also stop.

So, HOW is this bill beneficial??

I really really hope and pray Crist vetoes it.

I read that this is one reason why Crist is considering a veto.

Personally, I don't want to see kids pushed into standardized testing at ages 4, 5, 6. Kids have enough pressure on them in today's world. (you would be surprised by the things 6 year olds used to tell me about their personal lives) I've seen kids crying and throwing up during FCAT due to stress. New students who enrolled in school on the day of FCAT and were forced to take a long and stressful test.

I also don't trust the "fix it" bill that is promised to address certain areas of this bill. What kind of lawmakers work like that?