Comments on: From Chris Cerf http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html Education News, Analysis, and Commentary Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:04:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Steve http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-3683 Steve Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:11:35 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-3683 Chris, I'm just returning from vacation myself. I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this. Thanks for offering to meet with me. I will consider contacting you directly, but I hope you will respond publicly to my proposal for new survey items. Chris,

I’m just returning from vacation myself. I’m not sure if anyone is still reading this.

Thanks for offering to meet with me. I will consider contacting you directly, but I hope you will respond publicly to my proposal for new survey items.

]]> By: Sol Stern http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2740 Sol Stern Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:23:27 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2740 Dear Steve: Good luck on your meeting with Chris. If Tweed really cared about cheating on Regents exams or abuse of "credit recovery" Mayor Bloomberg wouldn't be able to burnish his legacy by boasting about historic gains in graduation rates. I see that in his latest radio address he is now claiming a 20% jump in graduation rates -- and that gets him this year's Pinocchio award. Dear Chris: Welcome back. If you really take Steve's concerns about cheating seriously maybe you can also give me an update on the department's investigation of the PS 33 fourth grade reading scores from 2005. Dear Steve: Good luck on your meeting with Chris. If Tweed really cared about cheating on Regents exams or abuse of “credit recovery” Mayor Bloomberg wouldn’t be able to burnish his legacy by boasting about historic gains in graduation rates. I see that in his latest radio address he is now claiming a 20% jump in graduation rates — and that gets him this year’s Pinocchio award.
Dear Chris: Welcome back. If you really take Steve’s concerns about cheating seriously maybe you can also give me an update on the department’s investigation of the PS 33 fourth grade reading scores from 2005.

]]> By: Chris Cerf http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2737 Chris Cerf Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:04:16 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2737 Steve: True confessions. I have just returned from 10 days off the grid on a wildneress river near Hudson's Bay and am only now reading your postings. Could you give me a call or send me a note at ccerf@schools.nyc.gov? I'd like to get together with you personally to learn more about your concerns. I take them very seriously and am sure I would come away from a meeting far more informed than I would be going in. Best regards, Chris Steve: True confessions. I have just returned from 10 days off the grid on a wildneress river near Hudson’s Bay and am only now reading your postings. Could you give me a call or send me a note at ccerf@schools.nyc.gov? I’d like to get together with you personally to learn more about your concerns. I take them very seriously and am sure I would come away from a meeting far more informed than I would be going in.

Best regards,

Chris

]]> By: Sol Stern http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2703 Sol Stern Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:36:39 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2703 Dear David: I appreciate your offer to release the scale scores. Here, specifically, is the data I want: For reading and math, for each grade level taking the state tests, I am requesting the average scale scores for each of the following groups in New York City for each of the years between 2002-2008: Black, Hispanic, White, Asian And for reading and math, for each grade level: I am requesting the standard deviation for each of the following groups in New York City for each of the years between 2002-2008: Black, Hispanic, White, Asian. If group standard deviations are not available, I would like the pooled standard deviations (the standard deviation across all groups). Thanks, Sol Stern Dear David: I appreciate your offer to release the scale scores. Here, specifically, is the data I want:

For reading and math, for each grade level taking the state tests, I am requesting the average scale scores for each of the following groups in New York City for each of the years between 2002-2008: Black, Hispanic, White, Asian

And for reading and math, for each grade level: I am requesting the standard deviation for each of the following groups in New York City for each of the years between 2002-2008: Black, Hispanic, White, Asian. If group standard deviations are not available, I would like the pooled standard deviations (the standard deviation across all groups).

Thanks,
Sol Stern

]]> By: david cantor http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2693 david cantor Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:41:52 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2693 Sol: We've given out the scale scores. If you'd like them, please contact my office. David Sol:

We’ve given out the scale scores. If you’d like them, please contact my office.

David

]]> By: Leonie Haimson http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2515 Leonie Haimson Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:04:04 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2515 I forgot to mention -- Steve Koss has just posted to our NYC parent blog an examination of NYC's results on the NAEPs, showing how it is 10th among 11 cities measured in its progress since 2003. check it out at: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2008/07/comparative-naep-results-help-cut.html NYC insists on using gain scores on its school progress reports; to be consistent, the Bloomberg/Klein administration deserves an "F". I forgot to mention — Steve Koss has just posted to our NYC parent blog an examination of NYC’s results on the NAEPs, showing how it is 10th among 11 cities measured in its progress since 2003.

check it out at: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2008/07/comparative-naep-results-help-cut.html

NYC insists on using gain scores on its school progress reports; to be consistent, the Bloomberg/Klein administration deserves an “F”.

]]> By: Leonie Haimson http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2513 Leonie Haimson Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:47:25 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2513 Steve: my advice as someone who has dealt extensively with the Accountability office as to their surveys? Don't hold your breath. Steve: my advice as someone who has dealt extensively with the Accountability office as to their surveys? Don’t hold your breath.

]]> By: Sol Stern http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2482 Sol Stern Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:14:28 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2482 David, Glad to see you are holding down the fort for Chris. Tell him I hope he is having a nice vacation and I will be in touch on a number of issues when he gets back. Meanwhile, I see you are still stonewalling Eduwonkette on the state scale scores and spreading more bull in the New York Post on the NAEP scores. Please explain to me how requiring more ELL Hispanics to take the test (leave aside the issue of the record number of accomodations NYC received on the 07 test) could affect whether African Americans made any gains from 03-07. Also, as you know, the claim in my reading piece was that there was no gain for the city's African Americans on the NAEP 4th and 8th grade reading from 03-07. So the claim in your letter to the Post that NYC African Americans do better than those in other cities (they always did) is an irrelevancy. The issue I addressed in my City Journal and Post articles was whether the city's reading program had produced any gains for African American students. It didn't, and all of the smoke you are blowing here only serves to perpetuate the tragedy for these kids. David,
Glad to see you are holding down the fort for Chris. Tell him I hope he is having a nice vacation and I will be in touch on a number of issues when he gets back. Meanwhile, I see you are still stonewalling Eduwonkette on the state scale scores and spreading more bull in the New York Post on the NAEP scores. Please explain to me how requiring more ELL Hispanics to take the test (leave aside the issue of the record number of accomodations NYC received on the 07 test) could affect whether African Americans made any gains from 03-07. Also, as you know, the claim in my reading piece was that there was no gain for the city’s African Americans on the NAEP 4th and 8th grade reading from 03-07. So the claim in your letter to the Post that NYC African Americans do better than those in other cities (they always did) is an irrelevancy. The issue I addressed in my City Journal and Post articles was whether the city’s reading program had produced any gains for African American students. It didn’t, and all of the smoke you are blowing here only serves to perpetuate the tragedy for these kids.

]]> By: Steve http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2431 Steve Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:37:37 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2431 David, Thanks, and sorry if I came on a bit strong in my plea to be heard. David,

Thanks, and sorry if I came on a bit strong in my plea to be heard.

]]> By: David Cantor http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/from-chris-cerf.html#comment-2424 David Cantor Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:23:21 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3380#comment-2424 Sol: We're looking forward to your next installment. Steve: Apologies. Chris has been on vacation and off the grid. I will broach your suggestions to our accountabililty office, which designs the survey, and report back. David Cantor Press Secretary Sol: We’re looking forward to your next installment.

Steve: Apologies. Chris has been on vacation and off the grid. I will broach your suggestions to our accountabililty office, which designs the survey, and report back.

David Cantor
Press Secretary

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