Comments on: For most students, no benefit to a school’s F grade, study finds http://gothamschools.org/2008/11/11/for-most-students-no-benefit-to-a-schools-f-grade-study-finds/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:27:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andy Wolf http://gothamschools.org/2008/11/11/for-most-students-no-benefit-to-a-schools-f-grade-study-finds/comment-page-1/#comment-589 Andy Wolf Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:51:54 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=4427#comment-589 This "study" is a pile of nonsense. Last year the grades were given in November. The tests began in early January -- with the Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks intervening. How can ANY educational strategy show an impact in a few weeks? Can anyone suggest what magic strategy will do that? VooDoo perhaps? Or maybe systemic cheating by principals fearful for their jobs or eager for a bonus? Or untenured teachers cheating with similar motivations? There is still a stalled investigation of possible cheating at P.S. 33 in the Bronx in 2005, systematically suppressed by the Department of Education. Sad to say, it seems that the Manhattan Institute is yet another city institution in the mayor's pocket. It's time for the State Ed Department to give real tests, aligned with NAEP with the proper security to guard against cheating (computer modeling to analyze test answer patterns). I suspect that we will then see that Emperor Mike and Jester Joel really have no clothes, and the letter grades are meaningless fiction. This “study” is a pile of nonsense. Last year the grades were given in November. The tests began in early January — with the Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks intervening. How can ANY educational strategy show an impact in a few weeks? Can anyone suggest what magic strategy will do that? VooDoo perhaps? Or maybe systemic cheating by principals fearful for their jobs or eager for a bonus? Or untenured teachers cheating with similar motivations? There is still a stalled investigation of possible cheating at P.S. 33 in the Bronx in 2005, systematically suppressed by the Department of Education.

Sad to say, it seems that the Manhattan Institute is yet another city institution in the mayor’s pocket.

It’s time for the State Ed Department to give real tests, aligned with NAEP with the proper security to guard against cheating (computer modeling to analyze test answer patterns). I suspect that we will then see that Emperor Mike and Jester Joel really have no clothes, and the letter grades are meaningless fiction.

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