Posted on 09/28/2010 3:20:01 PM PDT by hecht
Christie Announces Sweeping N.J. Education Reform Governor Ready To Test Teachers In Reading And Math September 28, 2010 5:30 PM
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (CBS 2) — Determined to turn New Jersey’s education system on its head, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday unveiled a tough-love reform package that will make classroom achievement — not seniority or tenure — the basis for pay hikes and career advancement in Garden State public schools. Christie is turning his take-no-prisoner’s style to the classroom, demanding a top to bottom overhaul of how New Jersey students learn and teachers teach. And that means undoing tenure, seniority and other union work rules. “We cannot wait. Your children are sitting in these classrooms today. We cannot wait to make it better,” Christie told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer. Unqualified teachers will feel the lash. The governor is demanding that teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade actually pass tests in reading and math in order to be certified. “It might lead to the firing of teachers and principals who hurt our children,” Christie said. The governor wants to turn the old seniority system inside out and put quality teaching ahead of lack-luster performance. He will: * Prohibit salary scales based on seniority * Grant raises based on classroom performance * Give tenure based on classroom performance “We are paying a fortune for something that is not giving our children the hope and the feeling that their tomorrow can be better than their future,” Christie said. The governor said he would appoint a task force to come up with standards to measure teacher achievement. Educational experts applauded the governor’s actions. “He is with excellence in education for everyone by prioritizing teachers — their brilliance, their art and their skills. We will dramatically improve the quality of education of our kids in New Jersey, particularly those most in need,” said Derrell Bradford, director of Excellent Education for Everyone. The governor needs the state Legislature to approve the changes to seniority and tenure. The rest of the things he did by signing executive orders. A spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association attacked the governor’s plan saying that once again he was “trying to implement education reform without any input from educators.”
take-no-prisoner’s style
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Just an example of why this writer would not fare well on the test.
You are correct. A degree in education is a joke.
Praxis is a joke. I took it in MD.
Why is it that tests are used inside the classroom by the teachers to give the students grades for the year and that’s OK yet, when the subject comes up of using tests from outside the classroom to see how the students are doing that’s not OK?
If you want to get certified for just about anything in the business world there are standardized tests for them. From Real Estate salesmen to IT professionals (government tests to private industry tests). Most places require attendance at a certified school prior to being able to take any of the tests for that given field. How is this different then the public schools? and why is it so difficult in creating these tests (millions of dollars)?
The concept of generalized testing isn’t a ‘new’ idea nor is it rocket science. The problem I see is that the public school system is pushing back and making it as difficult or as impossible as it can so that it can do what ever it wants however it wants with no accountability.
These tests don’t have to be mini SAT tests, something as simple as 10 questions (from a pool of a hundred or so) in each of the core fields should be enough to show that the student has a basic understanding of the subject well enough.
The GOP has done this education “improvement” many times before. Nothing changes. The unions are permanent and although a few teachers will get zinged (most, if not all will cheat) while the public is watching and Christie is Govenor, soon they will change the rules in the name of diversity and move back down to the lowest common denominator. These kind of tests “discriminate” against non-English speakers.
In addition when a teacher fails the test they get to take it over and over again until they find a way to cheat and pass it. The few honest incompetent teachers get nailed and the most dishonest and incompetent teachers get by.
I’m with you. I don’t believe these scores. No way O’Reily scored that high. I also don’t believe Al Gore’s score.
“Chritie rocks. He is a man of action.”
He needs to pick up Michelle Rhee for Education Minister (Asian babe who understands just how bad schools are screwed up).
***Where’s Obama’s history in school?***
Oh, we forgot to tell you—Obama doesn’t have any history in school. Or in anything else. He was born full grown and came equipped with a set of teleprompters.
Knowing ‘stuff’ and scoring high on exams/tests do not relate with the ability to TEACH another person...that’s my point.
This works only if the Governor is willing to test the parents, too.
Anyone who thinks the problem with the education system doesn’t start in the home, is a fool. A great teacher can achieve nothing with a child who’s raised in a FUBAR household, unless the child possesses some incredible gift for perserverance and ambition. And this is a major metropolitan suburb, not the inner city.
The kids/parents have gotten so bad, my wife has seriously considered flat-out quitting over the past few years, but she is just too passionate about her calling. Thank God, this year has a great crop of families who are involved with their kids. But the trend has been otherwise moving towards parents complaining to the principal why their kid was kept in from recess due to his bad behavior, instead of straightening their own kid out who disrupts the class.
At the end of the day, we’re all looking for scapegoats. The teachers unions are an easy target. But the unintended consequence of cutting out pensions for current teachers and/or requiring pay-for-performance, will be an exodus, first, of the best teachers who are able to take early retirement, followed by those who have worked their tails off only to see their retirements go up in smoke. If you think the education system is poor now, wait until we entirely destroy the morale of the best and brightest among them.
The retirement system in my state has been funded by the teachers and districts, per the contract with the state. The state, however, is way WAY behind in funding it. That’s not the fault of the teachers. That’s the fault of the governor and his staff, who allowed the state budget to go completely off the rails. So now the answer is to punish the teachers (the vast majority of which are NOT getting plum pensions) for the state’s own neglect and malfeasance?
Its a part time job, and people get pensions and health care for life.
If an Ivy League Ph.D. can be laid off before an incompetent with tenure, the system is a joke
If it’s such a great gig, why aren’t you a teacher?
If I could do it over maybe I would
. I certainly wish my wife were for the bennies
If I switched now I’d be too overqualified and would be laid off faster than an incompetent with SAT’s of 900.
There will always be great teachers, good teachers and some not-so-good teachers.
The point should be is the student learning anything. Tests do relate in this case.
The point should be is the student learning anything. Tests do relate in this case.
Switched gears...we were talking about testing teachers to see if they know ‘stuff’ which I say is all well and good but ‘knowing stuff’ doesn’t always transfer over and correlate with effective teaching...definition of validity: does an instrument measure what is purports to measure?
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