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Common Hard Core?... David Coleman, architect of 'Common Core' and now President of the College Board, just loves dropping tough-guy F-bombs on staid audiences

Susan Ohanian - December 09, 2012

Did anybody listen to the College Board's David Coleman's keynote address at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution on Nov. 29, 2012? It hasn't gotten any notice in the corporate media even though he must have set some sort of record. He dropped two four-letter words within four sentences. And then repeated one numerous times during the panel discussion.

College Board President David Coleman, like many arrogant young men of privilege, loves to shock audiences with his use of certain dirty words. As the designed of the Common Core, he now promotes stuff like Ovid for high school reading. Coleman also has a long association with union busting and teacher bashing Michelle Rhee. The media is either asleep or doesn't care. For example, Education Week and its assorted blogs published ten pieces mentioning Coleman between September and December 2012. None mentioned his Brookings appearance.

As Coleman followers know, he had already set a precedent for using "shit" in his presentations. But he upped the ante at Brookings. Is this why they delayed publishing a transcript?

Summary: from Brookings

Student performance on standardized tests is increasingly being used to measure the quality of education provided by teachers and schools. Most states currently have their own assessment systems, but are planning to adopt new assessments being developed to measure student performance against the Common Core State Standards. How much are states spending on their current systems, and how much might they save by collaborating with other states? In the face of shrinking education budgets, how much should states be spending to ensure that tests are fair to students, teachers, and schools?

On November 29, the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings released a report, authored by Matthew M. Chingos, describing the assessment systems currently in place in states around the country. The report contains new data on state spending on testing as well as the characteristics of the tests taken by students across the country. After the keynote address delivered by College Board President David Coleman, panelists responded to the report and discussed the important decisions states will face over the next few years as many implement the Common Core standards and transition to new tests.

by David Coleman EXCERPTS . . .I think PARCC is doing some beautiful work. . . to design assessments that seriously recognize two ideas: One is that assessment is an extremely powerful signal for instruction but you gotta own it. Cut the shit when you like "ooh we wrote this test and all these people are doing test preparation. They shouldn't be doing test prep; they should look at the standards."

I mean is it a perfect life? Fuck you. NO! I hate that disingenuousness. If you put something on an assessment in my view you are ethically obligated to take responsibility that kids will practice it 100 times. . . .

These Standards say that all kids deserve and must read the good stuff. We must stop watering down text. We must give demanding texts at every level. . .. That's true for English Language Learners. These students have a right to rigor. . . .These core standards demand that all students can and with adequate practice master greater rigor. . . .

Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Director, Brown Center on Education Policy: "That was a very very interesting presentation, don't you think?"

Ohanian: Don't you just love that "very very interesting?" Was he still shell-shocked from the F-bomb?

Although Coleman's speech garnered almost no press notice, here are some reactions from elsewhere: On Twitter:

Matt Chingos ‏@chingos Great speech by David Coleman at today's @BrookingsEd event on testing & common core.

CoreTaskProject: If you have any reservations about high-stakes assessment and what is coming in 2014-2015, it is worth your time to review this audio recording from a recent Brookings Institute Event: Standardized Assessment and the Common Core. At minute 20:55, College Board President David Coleman notes that teachers have lost faith in current assessment systems. He argues for a humane system (24:38) in which the very real concerns of teachers are honored and addressed. . . .

US News & World Report blog: "Teachers have radically lost faith in assessment. That, in my judgment, is a substantial crisis," David Coleman, president of the College Board, said during a panel discussion at Brookings.

But more important, remember this: PARCC, praised by Coleman, has released sample assessment items: to whit,Ovid's Metamorphosis.

Is this an example of PARCC's "beautiful work"?

"If you put something on an assessment in my view you are ethically obligated to take responsibility that kids will practice it 100 times."--David Coleman, Keynote Address at the Brookings Institution, Nov. 29, 2012

Ovid over and over and over. Here's what it looks like 100 times:

OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid

Later, in panel discussion Coleman warned of what happens when you make testing "shorter and shittier." One more time: Coleman wants beautiful assessments:

OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid OvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvidOvid

Remember this:

The Common Core State (sic) Standards and Assessments are something you can't use at a price you can't afford.

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