Author Archives: Sandra Stotsky

Do We Still Need Public Schools?

Sandra Stotsky, April 2022 Do we still want a chief policy maker in in the Department of Education with little classroom teaching experience beyond grade 5 who has never administered a middle or high school? No particular ethnicity or race … Continue reading

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Hoping for a Stronger Focus on Public Education after November 3, 2020

Whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden wins in the presidential election of 2020, we need a new kind of Secretary of Education—someone who has classroom teaching experience beyond grade 5 and has administered an elementary, middle, or high school for … Continue reading

Posted in Education policy, Education Reform, ESSA, K-12, Reading & Writing, Sandra Stotsky | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Here’s how Idaho can develop academically strong ELA and Mathematics Standards when it revises its current standards*

By Sandra Stotsky, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas Idaho can develop effective non-Common Core standards for mathematics and English/reading if its Legislature requires the development of K-12 standards in mathematics and in English/reading with the following features and guiding policies: … Continue reading

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Should we switch from mandated “standardized” tests to mandated “performance” tests?

Sandra Stotsky, August 1, 2019 According to many education writers in this country, there are no tests in Finnish schools, at least no “mandated standardized tests.” That phrase was carefully hammered out by Smithsonian Magazine to exclude the many no- … Continue reading

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Mathematics and Science Courses Required or Recommended for Admission into Engineering and Engineering Technology Programs at Massachusetts Institutions of Higher Education (2003)

https://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Resources/MassMathEngReqs.htm This survey of the high school mathematics and science requirements for admission to the 11 colleges of engineering in Massachusetts in 2003 provides interesting facts in Tables 3 and 4. It is no longer clear if the required coursework … Continue reading

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Indoctrinating our youth: How a U.S. Public School Curriculum Skews the Arab-Israeli Conflict

https://www.camera.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Monograph-Spring-2017.pdf Anti-Israel Indoctrination Continues In Newton Public High School

Posted in Censorship, Education policy, K-12, Sandra Stotsky, Social Studies | Leave a comment

Links to articles on standards-based grading

Competency based ed which is the method that will come as an outgrowth of SBG. What is measured will improve.  So this from Peter Greene applies.  https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/11/can-competency-based-education-be.html?m=1

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Interesting review of Arne Duncan’s book, by fellow Chicagoan Bill Ayers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1X8WUX1KNXQ3B/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1501173065 Arne Doesn’t Learn customer review, by Dr. William C. Ayers If you pick up Arne Duncan’s How Schools Work hoping to learn something about, well, unsurprisingly I suppose, about “how schools work,” you’ll be sorely disappointed. There’s no policy … Continue reading

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State of ELA under Common Core

The Fordham Institute just came out with its “research” on reading and writing under Common Core. Fordham 2018 “research” No mention of three baseline studies that preceded Common Core. Stotsky, Goering, Jolliffe study of Arkansas high school English teachers’ assignments … Continue reading

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New in the Nonpartisan Education Review: Who watches the watchmen? Transparency might guard the integrity of the tests given by the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Who watches the watchmen? Transparency might guard the integrity of the tests given by the National Assessment of Educational Progress by Sandra Stotsky http://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Essays/v14n2.htm

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PEISCH SAYS REPEALING COMMON CORE WOULD BE “HUGE MISTAKE”

It seems that some Massachusetts representatives don’t think that parents, teachers, and administrators should be allowed to vote on a secret ballot whether they want to keep Common Core’s inferior standards or return to the state’s superior standards junked by … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core, Education policy, Education Reform, Ethics, K-12, Mathematics, Reading & Writing, Sandra Stotsky, Testing/Assessment | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

How the USED has managed to get it wrong, again

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/02/03/dad-my-state-now-requires-11th-graders-to-take-the-sat-not-my-daughter/ An interesting dilemma. Common Core’s writers planned for a grade 11 test that would tell us whether or not students were college and career ready. Parents and state legislators don’t know who sets the cut score, what test items … Continue reading

Posted in College prep, Common Core, Education policy, ESSA, K-12, Reading & Writing, Sandra Stotsky, Testing/Assessment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Led to the “Massachusetts Education Miracle”?

Most governors, state commissioners of education, state boards of education, and Chambers of Commerce seem to have an unshakable confidence in Common Core’s standards as the silver bullet that will make all K-12 students college and career ready. This confidence … Continue reading

Posted in Curriculum & Instruction, Education policy, Education Reform, K-12, licensure, Sandra Stotsky, teachers | Leave a comment