I was on the green side of testing this week

[dsc]

I can't go into a huge amount of detail, confidentiality agreement, but I think I can say this much. Pearson is rolling out a new test for states to use to determine if new teachers have enough skills in their subject areas to teach. So this week they flew dozens of teachers to St. Louis, kept us in a hotel, paid us a meal allowance of 60 per day (including our travel day), fed us breakfast and lunch, and $350 for one day's work. Exclusive of breakfast and lunch it totaled $888 for just me. High school math, my area, had 25 people. Had to have been about 200 people there. There is money in those testing hills. I figure my total was about average for a participant, so it was around a million dollars for just that week.

[pnwmom]

1. Wow. You're right, testing is a HUGE business. Glad someone was able to benefit

from it.

Hate to see it crammed down our children's throats though.

[dsc]

2. not children on this one

teachers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I have done something similar twice

And once in St Louis. Yes it's great money.

[Catshrink]

4. Pearson was also behind an event here.

They have funded a "public service group" here supposedly under the auspices of ASU that is holding focus sessions around the state. The one I attended had about 100 teachers. The had a pretty nice breakfast and gave each of us a $75 Visa gift card.

Behind this is an early graduation exam for students so they can test out of hs after the 10th grade. They claim it is a rigorous test but we weren't allowed to see it. Behind the test is a curriculum - and that's where the bucks come in. The entire school must buy into the program.

There were two other companies besides Pearson. We were allowed to see a slice of the curriculum and what I saw was unimpressive.

It's all leading to replacing certified, content trained teachers with either computer based learning with a minimum wage monitor OR TFA types who read a script.

Our profession is being targeted for eradication.

[Hannah Bell]

9. "read a script" -- says it all. education is being "rationalized" like the shop floor.

probably have someone with a stopwatch somewhere.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I always preferred the dark side. But this does show the $$ involved.

And with the move toward more for-profit schools, and more test-based teaching, this is just another career that will be gone one day. There will be no adequate substitute for a good teacher, who can actually teach instead of forcing kids to learn just to pass a test.

[pscot]

6. Can there be any doubt at all that money

is the driving force behind edeucation "reform"? Just ask Marvin Bush. Or is it Neil?

[LWolf]

7. Is this in addition to Praxis, ORELA (Pearson), etc., or in place of? nt

[dsc]

8. Not sure