Knitting in the Shadows

Update on Education (keeping the record as straight as I can)

Last week I posted about some bills coming up to "improve" Educaiton around here.  I thought I'd share with you their repsonse to my queries and concerns about tying teacher salaries and jobs to their performance, and how one assesses performance (in particular my concerns that it would just mean more standardized tests which don't actually test teacher performance.)

 "Thank you for your passionate response, we are actually in agreement with you and happy to report that the Performance Evaluation measures will be based on Student Academic Growth overall (with test scores as one of many measures). Our bill is based on the work that began last year with the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010. PERA will create a statewide model for evaluations based on student academic growth. School Districts will be required to add this model to their evaluation plans, unless they already have one in place that calculates growth over multiple measures (this could include teacher/classroom observation, student performance on internal classroom weekly tests – those given by teachers, performance on homework over the course of the year, tracking attendance rates, and even classroom behavior as a measure for student growth over a school year) School districts and teachers unions will be required to work together to determine what “student academic growth” measures should be put in place in addition to the ISAT. The law only requires that 50% of a teachers eval be based on student academic growth, unless a district and a union cannot come to an agreement, then it would be only 35% and the state model (which will likely be Charlotte Danielson) will become the default evaluation plan.

 The Performance Evaluation Advisory Council meets monthly to discuss the changes, ..., these meetings are open to the public so we encourage people to attend and give input to the model as it’s being developed. http://www.isbe.net/PEAC/meetings/meetings.htm

 Most of our bill will not go into effect until PERA is implemented (2013 for 300 Chicago schools). We appreciate your support and would love for you to contact your local State Rep to share with them how you feel about SB 7, we also have volunteer opportunities available if you are interested in getting involved!

 Thank you,
Etoy Ridgnal
Stand for Children

It's not perfect, but I feel better knowing that the plan is something OTHER than just more standardized tests. 

 

 

Touching Base

I'm not dead yet (uh oh, I've said that before).

Not much going on that's worth writing about. 

I'm desiging, but might be offering these designs up to magazines and such, and thus, well, can't show you.

I am redesigning Stars over Diamonds (Rav link) to offer it in a different shape.  Once that becomes somthing visible in the knitted object, I'll show you.

I've started talks with a tech editor (very exciting for me, but not so interesting to write about -- and not much I can say until talks are farther along).

I HAVE, however, signed up for my courses for Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair. I'm now looking forward to a day with Franklin.  I'm particularly excited about the photography course -- which I'm hoping will let me take better pictures for my patterns in the future.

On the home front, ShadowLand is now protected by a nice new roof.  It makes me smile every time it rains.  And it's been raining a lot!

 

On Education

As some of you may know, the state of education in this country is.... not what it could be.  There are lots of reasons for that, and many folks think it's all about money.  Others seem to think it's about testing.... and thus the teachers (at least around here) are forced into teaching to the standardized tests, not teaching to help kids really learn the material.

Now there come to be movements to improve things.  One such movement in Illinois is "Perforemance Counts".  They note that

"One of the most critical laws passed in the last legislative session will require teachers’ evaluations to be based largely on how well their students are doing academically (see Public Act 96-0861). SB 7 takes the next logical step to honor and respect effective teachers by incorporating performance in personnel decisions to keep the best teachers in the classroom."

They plan to do this by backing a bill which promotes the following::

 MAKE PERFORMANCE A PRIMARY CRITERIA IN LAYOFFS, RECALL, AND TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS

• Layoff: SB 7 ends layoff policies based on the “last in-first out.” Instead, teachers will be laid off based on performance and job qualifications first, with seniority playing a “tie breaker role.”
• Hiring: When new positions open, neither the principal nor teacher should be forced into a situation that does not best fit the teacher’s skills and abilities.  Management has the unfettered right to hire teachers who best fit the needs of the schools, and when they consider in-district transfers, performance and qualification again will drive decisions.

TIE TENURE AND CERTIFICATION TO PERFORMANCE

Unlike other professions, education career decisions are most often made with little consideration of job performance. Now that teacher evaluations are on track to be more substantive, we must make those evaluations count towards these decisions.

• Granting of Tenure: SB7 requires two proficient or excellent performance evaluation ratings during the last three years of the four-year probationary period for attainment of tenure.
• Accelerated Tenure: New teachers who earn three excellent performance reviews in their first three years will earn tenure at the three-year mark.
• Tenure portability: Tenured teachers with a track record of proficient and excellent ratings may earn tenure in two years if they move to a new district and earn two excellent performance ratings in each of their first two years.
• Revocation of Certificates: Certificates of teachers with two unsatisfactory ratings in a seven-year period may be reviewed by the State Superintendent for revocation or professional development opportunities to help the teacher improve."

I wholly agree with what they're trying to do.  I think we need to do a lot more to encourage good teaching, keep good teachers, relieve bad teachers of their teaching duties, and protect the students.

HOWEVER, I'm very concerned about the vagueness of "performance reviews" in these bills.  What does that mean?  If these reviews are based, for example, on the students' performance on standardized tests, they will be skewed and not in a good way.  If they require additional standardized tests, it will be even worse.

Not all students test well.  Not all students convey their understanding well in multiple choice formats.  Some have, for example, dyslexia.  Some may not read well, but may actually have learned and truly understood the lessons taught through mixed media - if tested orally, they'd likely give a more complete demonstration of their knowledge than you would ever get through a standardized test.  This is particularly true for the softer subjects (Literature, History, Social Studies), and likely true for the sciences. 

Additionally, standardized tests don't really answer whether THIS teacher helped THIS student improve.  If a teacher gets a bunch of kids in her class who were struggling to get close to the grade-level below theirs on arrival, and are struggling to get to their own grade level three months later, it's clear that they improved -- but the standardized test will only show that her class isn't up to grade level.

And that's not even looking at the question of applying standardized tests to students with deveopmental challenges beyond dislexia. 

I truly fear what will happen to our students if we tie their teachers' jobs to standardized tests.

Additionally, it's clear that part of what we need to consider is not only working to retain the truly excellent teachers, but working to make a curriculum that actually works for the students learning it (and that actually prepares them for what's ahead).  I found this talk particularly enlightening. 

The bills in play now address none of THESE issues.

Scary stuff on the news

I'm not a big sharer of news stories here, but this one is scary enough that I want to be sure that everyone I know knows about it.

 

 

Protect your kids - and yourself.  Fix that smart phone setting!

It's too loud; or More New than I Wanted

This week is a funds hemmoraghing kind of week.

Over the weekend, we had the annual visit to the eye doctor.  Ka-ching.

I've confirmed that though my macular pigment number is low, it's not moving, so we dont' have to do anything about THAT.  And, we rejoiced the Bookworm continues to have excellent vision.

We're also pleased that Golf Pro really just needs off the rack readers.

Alas, Kitty and I need new prescriptions.  Around here, it's actually cheaper to buy whole new pairs of glasses, since all the good deals are for full pairs, not just lenses.  By cheaper, I do not mean affordable.

I've had bifocals since I was in fifth grade.  That means single vision deals are not available to me.  And I get progressives because -- well, they seem to be keeping me away from tri-focals.  But dang do they charge for them! 

We came home Monday afternoon with my credit card just whimpering. (Three pairs of glasses richer, including these and me very happy to at long last have decent sunglasses whose prescription is current, but still).

Today, they're tearing the roof off my house.  It's LOUD.  It's also kind of spooky -- shingles flying, and naked plywood being revealed all over everywhere.  I mean, c'mon people, it's SPRING in the Midwest.  That means that high winds and rain are always just around the corner.  Today is sunny, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it stays pleasant until they get the new felt and some shingles up there.

But if things go well, that means the poor credit card will get hit for a ROOF tomorrow. (A month from now, the Home Equity Line of credit will get hit for it, but in the mean time, we'll have racked up some flyin' miles baby.)

In yarnly news - the Client Sweater is progressing well (and she likes it).  The huge shawl is in various states of testing, but at least one version has hit the last chart.  The mystery knitty project is waiting for news, and the magic hat is waiting for a tester's photo shoot.  I'm hoping to release it this week.

In Which I Threaten, but Do Not Provide, A Tutorial

I learned a new skill today!

I know I've plugged Judy's Magic Cast On many times.  (oops, there we go, I did it again).  But today, that cast on was the wrong answer. sort of.

Why?

Well, Judy's Magic Cast On leaves one with what looks very like a lovely purl bump at the back of your knitting (on the wrong side, where most folks want it).  Today, however, I needed that "purl bump" to show up on the front of my knitting.  Generally, that's easy, since generally you cast on starting with zero stitches, and you can thus sort of arbitrarily declare either side to be the right side.  Have you ever known the "generally" to really apply to me or my knitting? Me either.

This particular provisional cast on needed to come at the end of a row of knitting.  It needed to match that row.  Thus, it needed to have the "purl bumps" on the opposite side of the knitting.  Armed with Judy's Magic Cast On, I figured out how to do it backwards... and lo' there is a "purl bump" right where I want it to be!

I was so tickled I decided to do a little tutorial.  But, alas, I only learned ONE new skill today.  I have clearly not mastered the skill of holding the camera in my left hand to take pictures that show what I wanted to show.  Nor have I mastered the skill of placing the camera somewhere that I can shoot a decent video of my own hands.

I'm pretending that this means I'll actually produce a better tutorial, since I'll be using yarn and needles chosen for their visibilty, and not just using the yarn that happens to be on the needles.

Renewed Love Affair - with Interchangeables

I've fallen in love all over again.

And no, I'm not going to wax eloquent over a particular brand of needles, though I am loving these points.  It's the interchangeability that I'm loving; and what that interchangeability brings with it:  extra cables.

Why all this cable love, you might ask?  And what got me here?

Well, I'm workig on a sweater design that involves lots and lots of "work to this point, put these stitches on a holder, and pick up...."  Right this very minute, I've got sleeve sitches on a "holder" until later; and I've got front pieces on a "holder" until later; and in a few more rows.... I'll have MORE front pieces to go on a "holder" until later. 

But I'm not using stitch holders. I'm not even using waste yarn.

I'm using the spare cables from my lovely interchangeable needles.  This meant that, when I got there and it was time to pause on those stitches, I didn't have to slip all those stitches onto a holder or a piece of waste yarn.  I just took the needle tips off, and put stoppers on the ends of the cable.  And better still, when I return to those sections, I won't have to slip all those stitches onto a needle (the smallest number of them being about 86 stitches).  All I'll have to do is move the needle tips over to those cables!  Does this not rock?

Alas, once again, I'm working on a design that might get to be submitted somewhere, so no pics. (Okay, I will try to get a pic that shows all the cables without revealing the sweater itself).

On Voting

Today is a local election day in the enviorns surrounding ShadowLand. 

We got to choose our Mayor, and on a bunch of school board members, and some county board members and some park distirict position.  Oh and a referrendum.

And of course, I got robo-calls about at least one race.

Now, I'm delighted to have the opportunity to vote.  And I think it's every citizens duty to get out there and do so.  But today, I find that the whole process just irritated me.

Why, you might ask?

Well, first off, I loathe robo-calls.  And the ones I got -- were for people who aren't in MY disctrict, and therefore were people for whom I could not have voted had I wanted to.  (Note to all candidates: robo-calls make me want to vote against you.)

But, more significantly -- in these local elections, I feel like I'm voting in a vacuum.  It's really hard to find out useful information about the candidates.  Their little fliers don't talk about the issues, they talk about their roots in the community.

Um, dudes?  I'll bet that the Westboro Baptist Churgh folks have strong "roots" in their communities too (at least by your standards, which seem to include having lived here a long time and having families), but I would not want them in any role that makes policy in my community.

In our community, one of the big things on the table for the school board is a financial crisis (caused in part by our State's financial crisis).  They're trying to find places to cut spending.  I want to know where the candidates for school board stand on issues like funding Arts programs, and Band Programs.  I want to know which candidates are going to try to pull music and art from the elementary schools to fund athletics in the high schoools.  Can I find that out?  Not without calling each candidate personally.  There is a website with a set of four questions (I think it's really a newspaper article) but none address the issues that concern me.

We've also got a city council election.  So far, the easiest thing I've been able to find out about our candidates their is their home addresses (Should I drop by?), their current occupations, and their political experience (none, none, and failed candidate).  They too had a set of questions asked by the local paper.  Their answers didn't diverge by much. The paper did a pretty good job with this set, but it remains true that I'm not sure anyone knows what the city council actually does.

As it turns out, most of the candidates did something wacky that means that half the names aren't even on the ballot, and you needed to write them in.  That means you needed to be really prepared on your way in the door.  So, if that's the case, why do all the fliers tell me about ties to the community instead of positions on the issues.  And really? Are potholes that high on the list?

And of course there's the mayoral race.  That one was made more difficult by a clear bias in the newspaper reporting. 

If I were the county clerk, I'd put up a web page that allowed citizens to post questions, and then allowed all candidates to answer a bunch of questions about the issues -- and to show their history, and their "voting records".  It would let us reliably see who our candidates really are, and what they stand for, and wouldn't limit the issues to the ones the newspaper wants us to look at.

 

A bit of distraction

I'm doing bills and such.  Nothing really to see here, so I'm letting you watch this... which may start slowly, but sure had ME sitting with my mouth open watching in awe.... twice in a row....

I'm scared now....

Sure, we all know that I go around desiging things.  And we know that I write patterns up for those things that I've designed.  And we knot that I send these patterms out to testers to make sure that they say what I think they say.

And.... we know that I sell those designs (both here and on Ravelry).

But today, I did a thing I've never done before.  And while I was all confident and stuff getting things ready, now I'm really nervous.

Today... I sent a design to Knitty for consideration for their First Fall & Holiday Headstart issue.  (gleep).  I've never sent a design to someone who hadn't asked me first if I wanted to so so.

Of course, having sent it off, I can't show you a picture  :-(

All I've got for pics right now is this:

It's another piece in the design queue.