New York State ELA Exam Plugs Teach For America and Working as a Grocery Bagger

This is from Susan Ohanian's website: www.susanohanian.org

Ohanian Comment: If you have any doubts about the purpose of the current standardized testing mania, then read this account of material thrown at students trying to "earn" a diploma in New York. Schools have long been about molding tomorrow workers to be scared, compliant workers, but they are taking this to a new level in New York. Abandoning all pretense of subtlety, they deliver the "do what your told" material in tests taken by students in a last ditch effort to "earn" a high school diploma. Read Why Is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools to find out more about the corporate plan. It is important that teachers understand that the testing and curriculum delivery scheme underlying NCLB isn't just about McGraw-Hill making money. It goes far deeper than that.

by A Voice in the Wilderness

For the past few days, high schools in New York Sate have been administering the ELA component re-test. The component re-test is offered to students who have failed the ELA Regents twice and have scored a 48 or better on one of the most recent exams. It is administered in small pieces, over the course of five days.

Obviously, the students who take this exam are of a fairly low literacy level. This is not to say that they are not trying, but something is getting in the way. The test offers an option, and although the merits of it are often debatable, the students take it very seriously. They want to graduate.

Apparently, New York State realized this and saw it as an opportunity to plug some blatant propaganda-to a very captive audience.

Part of the exam requires students to listen to a speech and write an essay about it. They are given a ’situation’ and told to respond accordingly.

Yesterday’s situation told students that they were “working in a service organization” at school where they were selling snacks to other students. They were then instructed to listen to a speech by Barbara Glanz, and then write about ways to provide "personalized service to customers in the store."

The speech was entitled "Developing Your Personal Signature" and was taken from a longer piece from Glanz. In the speech, Glanz discusses an experience she had while talking to employees in a supermarket. She explains that with all of the "outsourcing" and other problems, people need to learn to feel good about themselves at work and learn how to provide great customer service. I kid you not.

She then talks about ways that employees are doing such. In particular, she talks about "Johnny the Bagger" a young man with Down’s Syndrome who bags groceries 'with flourish.'

This is wrong on so many levels that it is difficult to even discuss it.

First of all, she's telling people that just because their jobs are being outsourced, they should basically deal with it and move in. Secondly, what are you trying to tell these kids about their future prospects-that they too can be like Johnny the Bagger and be really happy? Is this Who Moved My Cheese all over again?

By the way, "Johhny the Bagger" has become an entire movement and is being used by corporations like McDonalds to 'inspire' their staff.

I was furious when I saw yesterday's speech as was every other teacher who read it. What an insult to our children. What blatant propaganda.

And then today, we saw the second speech.

Today's 'situation' told students that they were in a leadership team who has been debating 'whether leaders should have experience in their chosen fields.' They were instructed to write 'a position paper in which you argue that inexperienced people can provide leadership.'

They weren't even given a choice about which position to take.

They then had to listen to a speech by-you guessed it--Wendy Kopp, about why she started Teach For America. In the speech, Kopp talks about how her lack of experience served to her advantage when creating Teach For America. In the speech she explains that TFA teachers, "challenge the conventional wisdom" that schools are limited in what they can do to "overcome the challenges of poverty and the lack of student motivation and parental involvement that is perceived."

She then continues to plug some other TFA members--two of whom started a charter school because they realized that it was the only way to 'ensure their students had the opportunity they deserved.'

This is the New York State exam, blatantly plugging this!

First of all, they forced the children into the position of defending a 'lack of experience.' They didn’t say--agree or disagree. They instructed the students to agree with what they were going to hear.

Then, they told them to accept the concept of sending teachers with no experience into their schools. It's good for you.

How dare they?

This concept of 'take what we give you' and like it is extremely prevalent now. Corporations are making millions of dollars and laying off people left and right. Apparently, the solution is to take a job, any job and like it. No, I'm sorry --not just like it--do it like Johnny the Bagger-'with flourish.'

Is it a coincidence that this exam was given on the same day that The New York Times did a propaganda piece about TFA?

I know that the propaganda machine is out of control. Perhaps I am naive, but I never imagined that they would push this so blatantly on children.

Is nothing left?

— A Voice in the Wilderness
The Chancellor's New Clothes
2008-05-16
http://avoicecriesout.com/2008/05/16/new-york-state-ela-exam-plugs-teach-for-america-and-working-as-a-grocery-bagger/

the dark underbelly of the misuse of standardized tests seems quite blatant. The powers that be are going to have to be a little more careful, no?

gotta hit the hay but here's a kick.

'Nite all.

That's what we need - more lack of experience.

In fact, why don't we just do away with literacy
requirements all together? Being able to read is
suspiciously like competence. Can't have that.

K&R

You are no longer special. You are a tiny tooth on a cog in a very big machine who's sole purpose is to make lots of money for a very few people and ensure that they and their whiny, degenerate spawn never have to do an honest day's work.

--why not "How Johnny got elected to be president of his local UFCW?" Doing anything, including bagging groceries, is lots more fun with a living wage.

Don't you know only pencil-pushers who get cushy jobs at companies through nepotism are the only ones worthy of a living wage? It's the American way. Johhny the Bagger should delight in his stale crust of bread and daily ration of cheese provided to him by his generous overseers at MegaCorp!

It was a public elementary school, and the students were mostly the children of recent immigrants from Latin America and Cuba. There were rows of expensive highrises nearby, but the few kids there went to private school so most of the kids folks were working-class or poor.

Anyway, they had a little Christmas show, and before it began, the principal - a middle-aged Cuban woman was exhorting all the parents in English, and then in Spanish, that they should make sure that their kids are always to school on time in the morning because "they have to develop good habits because they will be the employees and workers in the future".

Somehow, it really made me angry that this woman, with her choice of words, just dictated that these kids will all be worker bees - mostly because of their parents' socioeconomic class, I'm sure.

I thought to myself "how many of these kids dream of howing their own businesses, of being professionals, or who knows what?"

I was very glad when we were able to leave Miami and get our kid out of that school.

..the way in which it's framed here is disturbing. If it gets dedicated young people into classrooms and can lead them into the teaching profession, great. If it's framed as a way of firing shots at the current educational system, suggesting systemic problems with poverty, funding and educational methods can be cured with "fresh thinking," then it's an abomination. The "perceived" problems of poverty, lack of parental involvement and a general disinterest in intellectual endeavors are real problems, problems so severe that even the best teachers can only just begin to neutralize their effects. Again, more right-wing crapola, offering to shift the blame to fresh sources rather than deal with the hard-to-solve causes of social decay.

and thank you!

as a person who has tutored students in remedial math, science, and english I can attest that not all students are created equal. Not all students have the mental aptitude to attend college or to do skilled labor. Not all students have ambition to do anything great with their lives. I also volunteered for a time at a local company that specializes in mentally handicapped outreach programs, and provides training and job opportunities for mentally handicapped individuals. What should we be doing with individuals with Down's Syndrome or other cognitive retardations? Put them in institutions or isolate them? Providing jobs such as grocery bagging, store greeting, or shelf stocking allows handicapped people the opportunity to feel independent, self confident, and useful. It is bullshit to say that having a person with Down's Syndrome work as a bagger is "wrong on so many levels." How is it wrong? How is providing someone the only feeling of normalcy and independence wrong? What are we supposed to do with the people that are just plain not smart? I fail to understand how providing people with jobs at their intelligence level is a wrong thing..

I totally agree with you! I'm a special education teacher and of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with jobs for mentally handicapped individuals - they need and deserve to be as independent as possible, to know that they are needed, useful, and appreciated. However, I don't think that was the point of the article. Those in power, the corporate/politicos who imposed NCLB, continue to INSIST that we prepare EVERY student (all but the most profoundly disabled) for college and high skilled jobs, when in fact, very few good, high-paying jobs are being created. The vast majority of jobs being created are low level service type positions. What all this maniacal standardized testing really does is condition children and produce a huge pool of standardized drone workers who will be willing to accept low wages as all they can get, students who have never learned to think for themselves or really develop their unique talents, creativity, interests, and abilities. You'll hear it over and over and over...every student must be prepared to compete in the 21st century global economy. And they would have the nation believe that the way for public schools to "prove" that they are preparing students to assume those high-level roles in the global economy is through all this standardized testing garbage. In fact, the overuse and misuse of standardized tests is doing quite the opposite and they know it.

Their hope is to weaken and ultimately destroy public education so they can run it for profit. It isn't just about money though, it's also about control of the masses. I am sure the writer of this piece did not intend to convey the idea that having a mentally handicapped person work as a grocery bagger "is wrong on so many levels".

Notice again that the test question was presented in such a way that the students had no choice, no opportunity to debate how to answer. The LAST thing they want is for students to really learn to question, think deeply, dig for the truth.

I would most certainly agree that NCLB has drastically impaired special education in this country. What sane person would require a mentally handicapped student to take the same test as the general student body? My high school was the tri-county hub for handicapped students, and these students received education that would benefit them, instead of subjecting them to "learning" that only confused them and did not prepare them for a worthless test. Until we have meaningful special education in this country, the handicapped will ALWAY be left behind. For some of the handicapped students at my school, the whole purpose of education was to provide a social, stimulating atmosphere that was conducive to helping the student alleviate problems. I am so thankful that I was done with high school before NCLB really took effect (I was a senior the first testing year... and needless to say, my entire class rightfully blew the test off).

you aren't the only one who thought the article could easily be interpreted as being demeaning to individuals with disabilities. In fact, that thought struck me too when I first read it.

Ever since NCLB went into effect, I've been forced to subject children with IQs in the 50s, 60s, 70s to the same grade level tests as their regular education peers and it is cruel. How I wish I were in a position where I could just refuse to administer these tests like Carl Chew did (and now another teacher has refused...a sped teacher but I can't tell you his name right now). My circumstances just won't allow me that option.

Sigh. Still, there are other ways to fight back.

I am so sick of what corporate globalists have done to this country. I hate the term 'service economy.' There's nothing at all wrong with service sector jobs. However, this country needs those semi-skilled manufacturing jobs which have been sent overseas. The lack of them are felt deeply by people in both rural and inner city areas.

There's little or no opportunity or chances of advancement in most service sector jobs.

That's why manufacturing jobs paid as well as they did before the bosses sent those jobs overseas in a bid to break unions and slash wages. They wanted more money for themselves and less money for their workers.

The crime is in not paying these people at least a living wage. Believe me, I admire ordinary hard-working folks a lot more than our spoiled-rotten ruling elites. We need grassroots efforts (bigtime) to take back our country. We have only the illusion of democracy.

learn how to read after books become plentiful, and then the peasants rebel against the landed gentry. We have to keep the peasants ignorant. :sarcasm: