QUEUE WORKBOOKS CAUSE CONTROVERSY
Queue, Inc., the
publisher of this e-newsletter, became the subject of some considerable
controversy in Missouri recently.
MAP preparation materials upset
State Sen. Cauthorn
JEFFERSON
CITY - MAP testing preparation materials that ask students to write a
letter to their parents explaining why they have decided to become
vegetarians has no place in Missouri classrooms, according State Sen.
John Cauthorn, R-Mexico.
State Sen. John Cauthorn is
questioning a portion of the Missouri Assessment Program preparation
materials that ask students to write a letter to their parents about
becoming vegetarian.
Cauthorn and State Sen. Bill
Stouffer, R-Napton, are calling for the Missouri Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education and local school districts to remove
from classrooms all MAP preparation materials provided by Queue, Inc.
Queue,
Inc., based in Shelton, Conn., started in 1981 as an award winning
educational software provider. One of its primary missions now is to
supply test preparation workbooks for state-mandated testing, such as
the MAP.
Cauthorn contends that students are
instructed to read an entry entitled "Why Be Vegetarian" According to
the senator this study segment tells students - Eating meat leads to
large amounts of saturated fat consumption, leading to heart disease.
- Eating animals is unkind. - Grain and soybeans should be directly
consumed by humans, not U.S. livestock. - Animal foods are more
expensive. Students are then asked to write a letter to your parent or
guardian explaining why you have decided to become a vegetarian.
A
poem-interpretation technique section is also provided. According to
Cauthorn, it requires students to read a poem entitled "The Most
Dangerous Beast" The senator reports the poem asserts that eating beef
is risky, concluding with the limerick "your brain could rot from
eating beef, from Mad Cow disease there is no relief."
The passages in question
were not meant to send an anti-beef message. They were merely
provided to fulfill the exercises of the lessons they were part of.
Nevertheless, we immediately removed the material in question
from our books and have printed new editions. We also wrote to all our
Missouri customers offering free replacements. So far, no one has asked
for them.
Here is a sampling of the mail we have received:
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing in
reference to your preparation of standardized testing poem that refers
to Mad Cow Disease.
I
respect your opinion, your wit, and your ignorance of how you might
offend an entire industry with your off-the-cuff inclusion of
inflammatory remarks. What I would like you to consider doing
for
future standardized testing is stick to some unbiased material.
I
assure you there have been more deaths due to random school shootings
than have ever been contributed to Mad Cow Disease.
In an effort to
educate you, the majority of cows that tested positive for BSA were
raised in feedlots before the ruminant feed ban. Beef cows,
raised for
meat production such as ours were and are raised on grass, without any
chance of contracting such a disease. Beef produced in the
United
States is very safe for consumption, the chance of contracting mad cow
is probably less than being hit by lightning. So lets not
hype up and
over-blow a scare tactic at the expense of an industry who is
diligently
working to make the safest food supply there is in the world.
Respectfully yours,
Cristy Edwards
Dear Sir:
I
have been informed of the poem meant for preparation for standardized
tests in Missouri. I am a cattle rancher. We depend
on beef for our
main source of income.
It was very disturbing to read your Mad Cow & beef-eating quote
and also the pro-vegetarian talking points.
Please be aware of the potential damage you could do and the liability
possibilities of such careless statements.
Mad Cow Disease is practically non-existent and has never got into the
American food chain. On the vegetarian issue, that
is a person's
personal choice but should never in a school context be shown to be
vastly superior. This was neither fair nor balanced, but
weighted against
the beef industry. I am hoping you will
delete or change this
obvious propaganda.
Thank you for your time.
Gayle Haygood, Indian Mound Ranch, Canadian, TX
On Mar 29, 2006, at 9:21 AM, jhlbeef wrote:
Exactly
who are you people that you would foist your life's philosophies on
young children? Not recognizing that some people prefer
meat? Not
recognizing that there are no definitive tests regarding any
anti-health aspects to meat eating.
Maybe testing is
wrong as it can provide a means to low self-esteem. This
category
probably fits the same mental state as your poems.
Art Brownlee
Queue's Response:
I eat plenty of meat myself. It was a humorous poem
– sorry.
We also received this letter of support:
Dear Queue,
I
just wanted to let you know that we ordered two sets of books (language
arts) to help prepare for the MO MAP test. We are so thrilled with the
books. They are probably the BEST on the market for preparing
for the
MAP test.
We plan to order again for next year, not just language arts, but math
also.
Thanks so much for providing the students of our state with such
valuable preparation material.
Andrea Cross
English Department Chair
Greenfield High School
Greenfield, MO 65661
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MISSOURI'S NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS SCORES
To view this chart online or download it as an Excel spreadsheet:
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/sresult.asp?mode=full&displaycat=7&s1=29
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PROPOSAL TO REPLACE HIGH SCHOOL
"MAP" TESTS
Missouri
education officials are considering a plan under which the current
"MAP" tests for public high school students would be replaced by a
nationally recognized college-entry exam, such as the ACT or SAT.
A
preliminary recommendation about the proposal was presented to the
State Board of Education yesterday (March 16) in Jefferson City. The
proposal was developed by an advisory committee that has spent the past
year evaluating the state's current high school testing
program.
Under
the proposal, beginning in the spring of 2008, the state would pay for
all eleventh-graders in public schools to take a standardized
college-entry exam, such as the ACT or SAT. It would include a writing
test.
The new exam would replace the current MAP tests
administered in grades 10 and 11. However, the MAP science test would
be retained, because the existing college-entry exams do not
adequately cover the state's science standards. The MAP
science test
also would be given in grade 11.
Results from the new
test would provide diagnostic and instructional information for
students and teachers as well as the data needed to satisfy state and
federal accountability requirements.
The Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education estimates it would cost about $1.5
million more to adopt a college-entry exam for all students, compared
to what the state now spends on high school MAP tests.
About
70 percent of Missouri high school graduates take the ACT exam on a
voluntary basis each year. Illinois, Colorado and Michigan now require
the ACT exam for all public school students. Other states also are
considering the adoption of a mandatory college-entry exam as the core
of their high school testing programs.
State education
officials will hold a series of public meetings next month to provide
more information and solicit comments about the testing proposals.
Department
of Education officials emphasize that no decisions have been made about
the plan, and they expect vigorous discussion of the testing proposals,
said Stan Johnson, assistant commissioner of the Division of School
Improvement for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Proponents
of the plan believe students would take a college-entry exam more
seriously and be motivated to try harder because such tests have
greater credibility with parents, employers and higher education
institutions. Critics of the plan believe it may intimidate some
students or put too much emphasis on a "college-prep" curriculum.
"We
believe there is strong alignment between what the MAP tests cover and
what the college-entry exams cover, at least in the areas of
communications arts and mathematics. In other words, they both test
similar content. If necessary, we could supplement an existing national
test to get the coverage we need in some academic areas," Johnson said.
"If
we did not believe a college-entry exam was a suitable measure of what
we expect all Missouri high schools to be teaching, this discussion
would never have gotten off the ground. Educators in the field brought
this idea forward because they think it would be more relevant for
students, teachers and schools than the MAP tests," he said.
"We
also recognize that Missouri educators have invested a tremendous
amount of time and energy in creating the MAP testing program over the
past decade. No matter what happens with this proposal, we will not
turn our backs on that work nor on the philosophy that guided the
development of the MAP," he said.
Johnson noted that a
separate advisory committee, appointed by Commissioner of Education D.
Kent King in 2004, also recommended replacing the current high school
MAP tests. That committee's work paved the way for the
adoption last
fall of new minimum high school graduation requirements by the State
Board of Education.
Other Recommendations
The
High School Assessment Committee also is working on a recommendation
that will ask the State Board of Education to formally endorse the
creation of a uniform electronic transcript for voluntary use by public
high schools. The committee also will ask the board to endorse
competency-based tests as a means of awarding academic credit to
students.
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MISSOURI SCHOOL WINS $75,000 IN TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES
Three
forward-thinking U.S. K-12 schools—chosen in a nationwide search
conducted by Dell, Microsoft and Intel as part of the FutureReady
program—each will receive technology and services with approximate
retail value of $250,000 to make their education technology vision a
reality. Two of the three are from North Carolina.
These visionaries, whose innovative essays merited the award of a
custom technology solution from the companies, are:
Large school winner Abington Senior High School (Abington, Penn.)
Medium school winner Union Pines High School (Cameron, N.C.)
Small school winner Hall Fletcher Elementary School (Asheville, N.C.)
Additionally,
the following schools, selected by random drawing, have won
FutureReady's Dell Intelligent Classroom(TM) Sweepstakes. Each will
receive classroom technology with an approximate retail value of
$75,000:
Large school winner Tulare Western High School in Tulare, Calif.
Medium school winner Antietam Middle Senior High School in Reading,
Penn.
Small school winner North Shelby School District in Shelbyville, Mo.
For more information about the FutureReady program, visit
http://www.futureready.org.
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MCREL, ACTIVE IN MISSOURI, CALLS FOR NEW APPROACH
In
the coming months, schools and districts across the nation will
potentially face severe sanctions—including closure, state
takeover,
or conversion to charter status—for failing to make
adequate yearly
progress toward meeting the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind
Act. To improve student achievement and avoid such sanctions, the McREL
authors write that educators need to balance the "science" of effective
schooling with the "art" of creating school
communities that are truly
focused on creating high achievement for all students.
"Education
has had more than its fair share of false dichotomies—whether it's
the debate between whole language and phonics or direct instruction
versus constructivist instruction techniques," said Dr. Lou
Cicchinelli, McREL's Executive Vice President. "Current approaches to
school improvement are no different. School leaders are encouraged, on
one hand, to adopt one-size-fits-all-programs that fail to take into
account local context or implementation issues. On the other hand, they
are told they must engage in continuous improvement or systems change,
but aren't given concrete guidance for what exactly they
should do to
raise student performance."
"At McREL, we believe that
schools need both research-based guidance on how to raise student
achievement and also practical wisdom for managing the complexities of
systems change," said Cicchinelli, who directs the Central
Region
educational laboratory at McREL, which developed the Success in Sight
approach.
McREL researchers have captured the "science"
of effective schools through a series of five major research studies
that identify school, leadership, and teacher practices that positively
influence student achievement. At the same time, McREL spent five years
working with schools and districts in Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota
to develop and field test a process that captures the "art" of managing
change and identifying the right school improvement "levers" to pull at
the right time. The result of this effort is Success in Sight, a school
improvement process that helps schools apply six key principles for
improvement identified in the report:
- Principle
1: Use standards to create high expectations. Schools that successfully
raise student achievement understand that standards are not simply "one
more thing to do," but rather are at the heart of everything
they do.
- Principle 2: Look to research. Successful schools use research to
ensure that their improvement efforts are focused on changes that make
a difference for students.
- Principle 3: Get "hooked on
data." Effective schools create a culture of data, in which
staff
members use data to answer, Is this working? and How do I know
it's
working?
- Principle 4: Keep
the focus on student learning.
Successful schools constantly ask themselves, How is what we are doing
going to help students achieve high standards for learning?
- Principle 5: Think systemically, act systematically. Effective school
improvement efforts are at once focused and systemic. That is, they
systematically address specific short-term strategies as part of a
larger, long-term effort to create lasting systemic change.
- Principle 6: Manage the implications of change. Any change worth making
is difficult. School leaders need to understand how provide the support
and leadership teachers need to implement difficult changes.
- Principle 7: Keep success in sight. Schools should begin with the end
in sight. That is, leaders should articulate a compelling vision for
change and find ways to sustain and build on their successes.
McREL
is currently helping schools across the state of Missouri and in
Memphis, Tennessee, use
Success in Sight to improve student achievement.
Plans are underway to help state departments of education in Minnesota,
North Dakota, and South Dakota bring the process to schools in those
states. More information about
Success in Sight, including stories of
schools that used the
Success in Sight approach to raise student
achievement are available online at
http://www.mcrel.org/successinsight
The report, titled
Success in Sight: A Comprehensive Approach to School
Improvement is available at:
http://www.mcrel.org/pdf/schoolimprovementreform/5052_ir_success_in_sight.pdf
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WINNERS OF READ ACROSS MISSOURI CHALLENGE
Between
January 1–31, 622 students read 528,432 pages, averaging 850
pages per student. This year's contest was again sponsored
by Missouri
NEA, Saturn UAW, and Staples, the Office Superstore.
Each
of the winning classes receives $250 in books and a class pizza party
from Saturn UAW. The teacher from each award-winning class receives a
$100 gift certificate to Staples, the Office Superstore.
Grades K-2
23 students read 85,507 pages (3,718
pgs/student)
Antonia Elementary (Grade 2)
Fox C-6 School District, Imperial
Teacher: Kimberly Bowles
Grades 3-5
22 students read 32,451 pages (1,475
pgs/student)
Diamond Elementary (Grade 3)
Diamond R-IV School District, Diamond
Teacher: Carole Bachmann
Grades 6-8
19 students read 49,194 pages (2,589
pgs/student)
Wood Middle School (Grade 6)
Waynesville R-6 School District, Ft.
Leonard Wood
Teacher: John W. Jarrett
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CANDIDATES RECOMMENDED FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
Many MNEA chapters are recommending candidates for the April 4, 2006,
school board election:
Ferguson-Florissant R-II School Board
- Patricia Washington
- John Knowles
- Paul Schroeder
Fort Zumwalt R-II School Board
Francis Howell R-III School Board
- Ken Schaller
- Marty Hodits
Independence 30 School Board
- Ann Franklin
- Ken Johnston
Joplin R-VIII School Board
Liberty 53 School Board
Mehlville R-IX School Board
North Kansas City 74 School Board
- Joe Jacobs
- Chase Ramey
- Spencer Fields
Northwest R-I School Board
- Victoria Presnell
- Tom Wilkerson
Parkway C-2 School Board
- Theron Post
- Gregory Powers
Pattonville R-III School Board
- Ralph Stahlhut
- Pat Bryant
Raytown C-2 School Board
- Amy Tittle
- Kristie Collins-Delarber
Riverview Gardens School Board
- Rev. Tommie Pierson
- Selena Melton
Rockwood R-VI School Board
Springfield R-XII School Board
- Bruce Renner (incumbent)
- Gerry Lee
- Andy Hosmer
St. Charles R-VI School Board
St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees
Queue, Inc. offers previews of its Missouri test
preparation workbooks to public schools.
Queue publishes test prep books in Communication Arts,
Mathematics,
Reading Comprehension, and Composition for Grades 3–high
school, as well
as Practice Tests in Math and Communication Arts.
Queue also offers Math and Reading workbooks for grades 1 and 2, and
publishes a wide variety of other workbooks in
Literature, Science, History, Government, Health, and ESL.