ShawnBeightol.com Blog - Latest Comments

Re: MDCPS Health”Care” or HealthSCARE: the “I Told You So” Blog: HOW UTD TRIPLED YOUR HEALTH COSTS

Marsha17 — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:23:13 -0000

Had a colonoscopy in March. Was told at the Gastro Center that I would not have to pay because it was my first one. I arrived at 6 AM for the actual procedure and was told I had to pay $100. After going thru the wonderful "cleanse" the night before I was not going to argue. Forked over the credit card. Three weeks later comes a bill for the anesthesiologist of $286!! Should'nt that have been part of the procedure? Another HealthScare SURPRIZE!!!

Re: A “Viral” Expose of the HealthSCARE UTD’s Karen Has Shoved Down MDCPS’ Throats: Putting Teachers on Welfare, One by One. What? No Reply Karen? (read from the bottom up)

petulant1 — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:41:49 -0000

BRAVO! You are so right . Someone is getting their pockets lined while raping the rest of us.
As a retired DCPS employee, I pay over $30,000a year for 3 people including myself.
They raised the rates for all services and provide substandard meds from China.
Something stinks! These crooks need to be exposed
I wish we could bring a Class Action Suit . This is shameful, where is the outrage?

Re: Beightol WINS: UTD Violated YOUR Rights to Informed Elections, will speak at Education Rally, Bayside Marketplace Torch 3/1 430 PM

Lee Will — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:18:52 -0000

What station is the schoolboard meeting on tonight? answer to leewil@dadeschools.net

Re: Beightol Challenges MDCPS Employees: WE MUST BUILD A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK!

A Burke — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:24:10 -0000

Many teachers are worried about how E.O.C. and F.C.A.T. scores will impact their I.P.E.G.S. evaluation this year, thus whether they are at risk of losing their jobs or not. The issue gets worse when many teachers will be affected by the failing scores of students they don't teach. I know Shawn Beightol won important cases against the new I.P.E.G.S. Does it mean that administrators will not be able to enforce the new I.P.E.G.S. regulation this year?
Thank you for your time

Re: Beightol Family Stories

Guest — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:36:04 -0000

too bad when you got your thumb chopped off everyone laughed at you. good job clown

Re: Beightol Family Stories

Guest — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:31:46 -0000

yeah too bad you're a shitty teacher

Re: Beightol Family Stories

guest — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:25:34 -0000

WHAT IN THE FUCK

Re: Beightol Family Stories

Bryanalfonso94 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:22:21 -0000

fuck dis and your truck

Re: Beightol Family Stories

guesr — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:17:29 -0000

FUCK DIS

Re: Beightol Family Stories

S552278 — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:35:10 -0000

my email is s552278@yahoo.com please write me back to let m know if you can help me.

Re: Beightol Family Stories

S552278 — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:15:14 -0000

• The FCAT is not scientifically- based and fails to follow U.S. Government’s own data on learning
• It presents a racial and economic bias that is beneficial to white middle/upper class students and detrimental to second language students, impoverished students, and students of color
• Promotes a culture lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school community
• Violates fiscal fairness in funding schools
• I believe such testing is not in the best interests since it fosters competition instead of cooperation, contributes to separate and unequal education for minorities, and belies children intellectual, creative, and problem – solving abilities, while representing a fictitious picture as to the impact of the pedagogy provided by children individual educators.
• As with many publicly funded expenditures, opponents feel that too much money is spent on a test that does not seem to be doing its job. Approximately $4.2 million is spent on the FCAT each year, money that many feel is better spent on learning materials or on hiring teachers to reduce class sizes.

I was referred to you and I was hoping you give me a hand to make this a reality for all Florida students because I’m trying to start a movement and I need someone like you that know the insights on the info I need to know about the FCAT. I’m trying to boot it out the way and I know nobody wanna hear you out but I believe you!!

Re: Beightol WINS: UTD Violated YOUR Rights to Informed Elections, will speak at Education Rally, Bayside Marketplace Torch 3/1 430 PM

Tazpac2000 — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:36:20 -0000

Shawn, this blog "http://shawnbeightol.com/blog/..." is not found. Nonetheless, what a formidable job! CONGRATS.! It was not in vain

Re: UTD again surrenders 2011 Raise with Healthcare Vote, are MDCPS employees being OVER-billed?

Dr. Patrick Williams — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:48:08 -0000

WTF is this? After reading your article, "UTD again surrenders 2011 Raise with Healthcare Vote, are MDCPS employees being OVER-billed?" I am moreso convinced that the "powers-that-be" are putting in the final works to destroy teachers, students, families, and the community along with high-stakes testing. I cant help but agree that, [n]ot only is UTD NOT advancing you and I, they are costing us money."

Re: Why Bill Gates’ Education Reform is Off-Target

Dr. Patrick Williams — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:22:02 -0000

I am total agreement with paragraphs 5, 6, and 7. OMFG! so true! these damn parents gonna pay the price. If I have to raise their children, then I want to claim them as dependent for the IRS income tax god damn it!

Re: Offer to Settle Beightol’s “Unfair Labor Practice” Charge against UTD for Insufficient Notice of Ratification

Marta Laura Zayas — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:47:15 -0000

Elementary school teachers may teach all subjects if they are self contained, including PE, Art, and Music. These teachers should be able to choose which subject they want to be evaluated on. MDCPS already has pre and post Spanish tests that are mandated. These should be an available option for teachers that teach Spanish to use in their evaluation.

I also suggest that Spanish teachers be represented in the focus groups. Please look into AHEAD which is an association of Hispanic Educators. Contact me for more information.

Re: Story Idea: Major Foundation Funds Florida’s Jeb Bush Education Initiatives, then Trains Journalists to Advocate?

Steve Strizver — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:35:01 -0000

Your efforts are appreciated. Tho I cannot now, I would like to help those, like you, who are TRYING. On C-span earlier today, I thought WADE HENDERSON's position was well-articulated, particularly his last comment.

Re: Beyond the Closing of Minority Schools for Testing Performance A Letter to Superintendent Carvalho and the M-DCPS School Board

B. Goldstein — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:55:55 -0000

Hey you! I was there. I march! If you have the time you should speak next year at the pre rally conference. Beth Goldstein giving you and Shawn two thumbs up...........

Re: Every Dark Prophetic Literary Work Realized Under Obama/Scott Education Nightmare: see the linked video below

allllchemist — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 07:52:37 -0000

The email conversation between myself, another teacher and the host of this video:

-----Original Message-----
From: Beightol, Shawn E.
Sent: Sat 8/20/2011 8:31 AM
Cc: MC; FJ
Subject: Teacher Evaluation Rubric Video

At the end of the video we watched yesterday on the calculation of a teacher's impact, there was a link to see the video online.

Would it be possible to get that link?

Thanks,

Shawn Beightol

-----Original Message-----
From: F J
Sent: Sat 8/20/2011 9:17 AM
To: Beightol, Shawn E.
Cc: MC
Subject: RE: Teacher Evaluation Rubric Video

My concern is that the method of evaluation is Communist.

Most of my colleagues cannot wrap their heads around the idea that 50% of *ALL* high school teachers' ratings will be based on 9th/10th grade FCAT math/reading scores. So even if you teach science to 12th graders, 50% of your rating for "merit pay" and rating that gets published online to the public will be based on something you don't even teach.

What if you're a photography teacher and your students win prestigious prizes in photography, but the kids in your school are not making significant reading gains?

Judging people based on the efforts of the collective or the commune seems to be downright Communistic.

What happened to the concept of individualism that America prizes so greatly? Further, FCAT scores are not really an accurate way to judge the effectiveness of teachers. Mountains of research proves this.

I sincerely hope that this new method of evaluation is revisited and revamped.

-----Original Message-----
From: MC
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2011 10:48 AM
To: FJ; Beightol, Shawn E.;
Subject: RE: Teacher Evaluation Rubric Video
Importance: High

Shawn

While I completely understand your concerns, please be aware that the law requires every district to move forward with the student achievement portion of the evaluation system even though the state has not yet provided districts with all of the needed assessments - their plan is to have the other assessments ready by the end of Race To the Top which is the 2014 school year. The district negotiated our current plan with the Untied Teachers of Dade and we expect changes will be made for 2012-2013 as additional tests come online. This may not be what you want to hear but it is the truth. The one big issue that rings clear for me in all of this is that everyone at the school regardless of what they teach and administrators need to get their heads around helping ALL students improve their reading skills. Hopefully, the video made it clear that school administrators are also accountable in their evaluation.

The link to the video is: http://prodev.dadeschools.net/ which is the professional development web site -- because of the size it must be viewed in four segments.

-----Original Message-----
From: Beightol, Shawn E.
Sent: Sat 8/20/2011 12:09 PM
To: M C.; FJ
Subject: RE: Teacher Evaluation Rubric Video

Ms. MC:

Re: "I completely understand your concerns" - there's a little misunderstanding - I didn't express any concern in my email to you. I just asked for the link to the video.

Thank you for the link.

Perhaps your typo "Untied Teachers of Dade" was an educational equivalent of a Freudian slip? (just kidding!).

Finally, regarding your statement: "everyone at the school regardless of what they teach and administrators need to get their heads around helping ALL students improve their reading skills" - is quite telling:

1) that an entity could be considered a "school" without always having made literacy a top priority is a tragedy indeed and is partially the ammunition with which those in the privatization movement have loaded their "guns."

FYI, for years as the data has been available, I have declared that FCAT science was a reading test (1:1 correspondence between reading and science FCAT scores statewide with high r^2 value >0.9) and require my students to read and journal each day. This year we will be reading Brian Green's "Elegant Universe" in Chemistry again.

2) it mirrors and perpetuates the states' and fed's reduction of literacy and education on the whole to merely the actions at the school. It reduces the act of education to a single variable, ignoring the multitude of variables (and their non-linear, non-multiple regression effects) identified and proclaimed by all the top researchers, including Diane Ravitch (as you know, formerly a proponent of such quantitative efforts to measure quality).

Until we tender a "mathematical calculation" of student achievement that controls or accounts for such things as poverty, familial attitudes/values toward education, parental involvement, marital status, cultural variations, etc. etc., our (mis)diagnoses will only disguise and delay the true nature of persistent student illiteracy (numerical, verbal, civic, social, cultural, etc).

In writing my blog about testing and teacher evaluation, one of the conclusions I came to is that parents utilized a very "organic" approach to choosing teachers and schools for their children when choice is available: teachers and schools are not quantified in their schema, rather, teachers and schools are _qualified_ through such evaluative imperatives as:

* Observe some teachers at work
* attend the lessons
* observe the relationships
* Look for loving care of the child coupled with high standards
* Ask teachers and inquire about their training and experience.
* Find out about the teacher's expectations of his/her students
* Talk to parents of other students

These activities were culled from an article on how to choose a music teacher for home study of the violin through a channel completely separate from public/formal education. But these are echoed in many articles about how to choose good teachers or schools in other contexts.

Why don't we also in public education promote parent/child centered education? Recognize that it is the value and efforts of the family that ultimately establish the desire and provision for learning, that it is the engaged/involved parent who best matches child with educational program, teacher, or school.

Why do we rather engage and endorse in methods that the bulk of modern and unbiased research show to be harmful to students and ultimately to our community, workforce, and society?

I know this is not your decision, but they are the questions that plague we remaining thinkers who are too stubborn to do what many of our peers have done and bail out on public education.

Regards,

Shawn Beightol

p.s. the blog on teacher evaluation and testing (written right after Washington DC SOS rally in response to a former student on Facebook inquiring about alternatives to high stakes testing and teacher quantification):

http://shawnbeightol.com/blog/...

-----Original Message-----
From: FJ
Sent: Sat 8/20/2011 12:50 PM
To: Beightol, Shawn E.; MC.;
Subject: RE: Teacher Evaluation Rubric Video

I was just a little concerned because I'm just finding it difficult to understand why our education system is caving to political agendas rather than heeding the research of Ravitch and other eminent scholars.

Research that is stated in articles like the one below seems to be completely dismissed:

Major intl. study shows US "reforms" not found in high-performing nations: http://t.co/AypBCvh

Top performing nations don't judge teachers by student test scores, don't test yearly, says NCEE study. Invest in teaching profession.

"Just because test scores have improved doesn't mean that a quality education has taken place." --Diane Ravitch

I'm also finding it difficult to understand why our school system is spending millions upon millions of dollars to test kids rather than spending that money to limit AP class sizes which are now at 40 students a class, etc. etc.

Thank you for your time.

Re: On Testing and Evaluating Teachers and Schools

allllchemist — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 06:57:51 -0000

I posted this comment about school site and "downtown" leadership/administration on the Facebook page for "opting out" one's children from high stakes tests:

[Over testing, over reliance on testing] is not just lack of leadership. Its presence of Vendorship - businesses have slipped in where an opportunity without any other (ready) solution has developed. The causes of low student achievement (and the growing rejectio...n by older students of the traditional teaching model) are many, but include lack of leadership: poor principals do not adequately address poor teachers.

There is definitely leadership missing - at the school site. Poor principals are even harder to "quantify" than teachers, but Principals have the task of ensuring good teachers are in each classroom, that students (and families) are doing their part, as well as the business aspects of the school. That's too much work / responsibility for most of them, I gather...or we haven't put the same effort into researching and publicizing the role of good administration in the educational process.

In addition to healthy local leadership and decision making is the observed trend to centralize decision making (including curricular choices and mandates) at the "downtown" level. Perhaps in the business model, this might make sense, but as has been said time and time again, we're not producing widgets, we are conducting brain surgery in the field. Our surgeons are the teachers and the field conditions are dynamic and best addressed "on the fly" by the professionals on site (teachers and administrators jointly advising the stakeholders and reaching decision conclusions together, like a medical team with the family).

Here's a link to a study on decision making and its effect on learning: http://cnx.org/content/m14112/...
and a full text essay/survey on characteristics of principals who affect change positively in the school sites:
http://www.sedl.org/change/lea...

Re: Is Public Education Essential to our Leaders Anymore?

allllchemist — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:54:32 -0000

KMV:

That's a good question "do kids whose parents love school do better?" Rather than opine about that, I'll join you in "reading up on this idea":

In looking to do so, I ran across many articles that address this subject, some very narrow in their scope (affects on math attitudes, etc), other's, like this one, quite broad:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custo...

A very powerful statement taken from the summary page of this article is:
"the impact caused by different levels of parental involvement is much bigger than differences associated with variations in the quality of schools."

Other significant conclusions from the Desforges survey of research follow:

iv This research consistently shows that
* Parental involvement takes many forms including good parenting in
the home, including the provision of a secure and stable environment,
intellectual stimulation, parent-child discussion, good models of
constructive social and educational values and high aspirations relating
to personal fulfillment and good citizenship; contact with schools to
share information; participation in school events; participation in the
work of the school; and participation in school governance.

* The extent and form of parental involvement is strongly influenced by
family social class, maternal level of education, material deprivation,
maternal psycho-social health and single parent status and, to a lesser
degree, by family ethnicity.

* The extent of parental involvement diminishes as the child gets older
and is strongly influenced at all ages by the child characteristically
taking a very active mediating role.

*Parental involvement is strongly positively influenced by the child’s
level of attainment: the higher the level of attainment, the more
parents get involved.

*The most important finding from the point of view of this review is
that parental involvement in the form of ‘at-home good parenting’ has
a significant positive effect on children’s achievement and adjustment
even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of
the equation. In the primary age range the impact caused by different
levels of parental involvement is much bigger than differences
associated with variations in the quality of schools. The scale of the
impact is evident across all social classes and all ethnic groups.

*Other forms of parental involvement do not appear to contribute to the
scale of the impact of ‘at-home’ parenting.

*Differences between parents in their level of involvement are
associated with social class, poverty, health, and also with parental
perception of their role and their levels of confidence in fulfilling it.
Some parents are put off by feeling put down by schools and teachers.

*Research affords a clear model of how parental involvement works.
This model is described in the report. In essence parenting has its
influence indirectly through shaping the child’s self concept as a
learner and through setting high aspirations.

v Research on interventions to promote parental involvement reveals a large
number of approaches ranging from parent training programmes, through
initiatives to enhance home school links and on to programmes of family
and community education.

vi Evaluations of this very extensive activity reveal
*There is a perceived increased need and an evident increase in demand
for such support

*High levels of creativity and commitment are evident amongst
providers and high levels of appreciation are recorded by clients.

Re: Is Public Education Essential to our Leaders Anymore?

TempuraPaints — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:09:45 -0000

Hi Shawn. I am adding a comment here regarding something you said on HuffPost in Parenting. ( I would go there, but I'm more interested in asking you some questions than staying on that thread.) It's about what you said about needing "parental involvement in the home study process". I think about this often: what is missing from the parents at home? I've been teaching 2nd grade and K for about 4 years, and I'm not talking about signing the homework form and volunteering here and there, but more about the need for parents to show by example what they love about learning and help to spark something in their child. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but adults need to be the ones to love reading, math, science, experimenting, testing, critical thinking, school in general...sometimes I think parents just need to talk more about their favorite author or teacher, or concepts...can you point me in any directions to read up more on this idea? Or what you were trying to say? Do kids whose parents love school do better? I know you are busy, but I'd love to hear more from your point of view if you have a moment. Thanks. -KMV

Re: Matt Damon and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Deliver Machine Gun Steady Defense of Teachers

allllchemist — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 06:01:01 -0000

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/201...

Anderson Cooper breaks down Matt's Bourne moment on reporter frame by frame:

"He doesn't even need hair...his words are his numb-chucks..."

Re: Matt Damon’s Speech at the “Save Our Schools” Rally, DC, July 30, 2011

allllchemist — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:22:25 -0000

btw, as I wrote on the huffington post article
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... ),

“We're not against testing. Good teachers create tests in many shapes and fashions to assess their students' progress on learning the material. We are against the high stakes emphasis on a 1-Dimensional snapshot of a child on 1 day versus assessment by trained educational professionals over the course of the year. Furthermore, we are anguished that the same corporate forces that have milked military purchasing ($100 hammers?) and have designed toxic financial lending instruments are now hijacking the educational tools used by educators in the form of expensive standardized tests (follow the money) and the associated "security," grading, and analysis - its a corporate, for-profit industry and public education is being subjugated by it.”

Re: Beightol Family Stories

Shane Haines — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:45:18 -0000

Nice, didn't know you had your own blog......wow you're really moving up in the world. I like the quote, it fits you, because I just can't keep quiet…that's sounds right

Re: Beyond the Closing of Minority Schools for Testing Performance A Letter to Superintendent Carvalho and the M-DCPS School Board

Dr. Patrick "TAZ" Williams — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:28:02 -0000

Awesome, awe-inspiring and a must-read piece. Shawn took the time to deconstruct the nonsense of public education and challenged us to ameliorate the situation by looking at viable and tenable solutions. The DOE should look into some of the allegations or outright facts exposed herein. I would love to read a response from the superintendent or any MDCPS school board member to this missive.

I support your efforts Shawn. You should be the UTD president bar none.