All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[kidfresh512]

Dominion Voting Systems hits conservative networks, Trump ally with $1.6 billion defamation suits

Dominion finishing up the latest round of suits against the Conservative outlets and commentators.

I hope they win all of them and at least get massive settlements. No lawyer but its plain as day that these outlets are extremely shady and over the line promoting obvious lies.

[Mister Mets]

In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown and the Democratic legislature quietly eliminated the need for high school students to demonstrate proficiency in Math and English in order to get a diploma. The argument is that this well benefit students of color.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/...-about-it.html

For the next five years, an Oregon high school diploma will be no guarantee that the student who earned it can read, write or do math at a high school level.

Gov. Kate Brown had demurred earlier this summer regarding whether she supported the plan passed by the Legislature to drop the requirement that students demonstrate they have achieved those essential skills. But on July 14, the governor signed Senate Bill 744 into law.

Through a spokesperson, the governor declined again Friday to comment on the law and why she supported suspending the proficiency requirements.

Brown’s decision was not public until recently, because her office did not hold a signing ceremony or issue a press release and the fact that the governor signed the bill was not entered into the legislative database until July 29, a departure from the normal practice of updating the public database the same day a bill is signed.

The Oregonian/OregonLive asked the governor’s office when Brown’s staff notified the Legislature that she had signed the bill. Charles Boyle, the governor’s deputy communications director, said the governor’s staff notified legislative staff the same day the governor signed the bill.

Boyle said in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements while the state develops new graduation standards will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.”

“Leaders from those communities have advocated time and again for equitable graduation standards, along with expanded learning opportunities and supports,” Boyle wrote.

Lawmakers and the governor did not pass any major expansion of learning opportunities or supports for Black, Indigenous and students of color during this year’s legislative session.

The requirement that students demonstrate freshman- to sophomore-level skills in reading, writing and, particularly, math led many high schools to create workshop-style courses to help students strengthen their skills and create evidence of mastery. Most of those courses have been discontinued since the skills requirement was paused during the pandemic before lawmakers killed it entirely.

Democrats in the legislature overwhelmingly supported ending the longtime proficiency requirement, while Republicans criticized it as a lowering of academic standards. A couple lawmakers crossed party lines on the votes.

Proponents said the state needed to pause Oregon’s high school graduation requirements, in place since 2009 but already suspended during the pandemic, until at least the class of 2024 graduates in order for leaders to reexamine its graduation requirements. Recommendations for new standards are due to the Legislature and Oregon Board of Education by September 2022.

However, since Oregon education officials have long insisted they would not impose new graduation requirements on students who have already begun high school, new requirements would not take effect until the class of 2027 at the very earliest. That means at least five more classes could be expected to graduate without needing to demonstrate proficiency in math and writing.

[PwrdOn]

In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown and the Democratic legislature quietly eliminated the need for high school students to demonstrate proficiency in Math and English in order to get a diploma. The argument is that this well benefit students of color.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/...-about-it.html

So what ideas do you have to help black and brown kids do better on these proficiency tests? Surely you're not just being needlessly provocative by finding random stories that support your racist narrative of minorities being inferior to white people but with just enough plausible deniability to avoid having to say that out loud.

[The Cool Thatguy]

In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown and the Democratic legislature quietly eliminated the need for high school students to demonstrate proficiency in Math and English in order to get a diploma. The argument is that this well benefit students of color.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/...-about-it.html

"We could either spend the money to teach them what they need to know, or just send them out there unprepared. Which is cheaper?"

Is there an education specialist here? Because I can't think of any two topics more important in high school education than math and English.

[babyblob]

My NBC news just reported Cuomo is going to resign. I am going to try and find a link.

Edit here is the NPR Link

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/10/97272...assment-claims

[kidfresh512]

My NBC news just reported Coumo is going to resign. I am going to try and find a link.

Yep it is all over the news now.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Just got an alert that Governor Andrew Cuomo just resigned. Can't say I'm surprised, when his party, including the president came out against him, he really had no choice but to fall on his sword and call it a career.

[Mister Mets]

"We could either spend the money to teach them what they need to know, or just send them out there unprepared. Which is cheaper?"

Is there an education specialist here? Because I can't think of any two topics more important in high school education than math and English.

I do think money isn't the problem if schools are using Apple products.

Math and English are certainly important in high school, and later in life.

So what ideas do you have to help black and brown kids do better on these proficiency tests? Surely you're not just being needlessly provocative by finding random stories that support your racist narrative of minorities being inferior to white people but with just enough plausible deniability to avoid having to say that out loud.

I do not believe that minorities are inferior to white people. It reflects poorly on you that make that kind of claim about another person.

This story does fit my narrative of Democrats failing students of color.

One basic step to helping black and brown students do better on proficiency tests is to make demonstrating proficiency so that students and the people in their lives are incentivized to take the tests seriously.

As a general rule, higher disciplinary standards and penalties for poor behavior would be ways to maximize the effectiveness of time in the classroom.

There are some solutions that aren't politically loaded, like providing more training in how to teach writing, or providing more explicit English instruction in early grades.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/e...-children.html

[Mister Mets]

Just got an alert that Governor Andrew Cuomo just resigned. Can't say I'm surprised, when his party, including the president came out against him, he really had no choice but to fall on his sword and call it a career.

This is three consecutive New York Governors who have left in disgrace.

It's also three consecutive New York state attorney generals, as Cuomo's predecessor was Elio Spitzer and his successor Eric Schneiderman had his own problems.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/polit...ded/index.html

[Tami]

This is three consecutive New York Governors who have left in disgrace.

It's also three consecutive New York state attorney generals, as Cuomo's predecessor was Elio Spitzer and his successor Eric Schneiderman had his own problems.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/polit...ded/index.html

New Jersey Governors have not been without scandals, most were political or about money. The closest we have to Cuomo is probably Jim McGreevey, which was kind of weird (unexpected) even for NJ.

NY needs a woman Governor, the men can't seem to keep their minds out of their pants.

[PwrdOn]

I do think money isn't the problem if schools are using Apple products.

Math and English are certainly important in high school, and later in life.

I do not believe that minorities are inferior to white people. It reflects poorly on you that make that kind of claim about another person.

This story does fit my narrative of Democrats failing students of color.

One basic step to helping black and brown students do better on proficiency tests is to make demonstrating proficiency so that students and the people in their lives are incentivized to take the tests seriously.

As a general rule, higher disciplinary standards and penalties for poor behavior would be ways to maximize the effectiveness of time in the classroom.

There are some solutions that aren't politically loaded, like providing more training in how to teach writing, or providing more explicit English instruction in early grades.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/e...-children.html

Improve results by incentivizing students to do better, gee why didn't anyone think of that before? And as for better trained teachers, that requires more funding for schools and making teaching a more attractive career choice for skilled professionals, neither of which will happen under any Republican's watch. Would be easier to just admit that you have nothing to add to the conversation and take the L, imo.

[Tami]

In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown and the Democratic legislature quietly eliminated the need for high school students to demonstrate proficiency in Math and English in order to get a diploma. The argument is that this well benefit students of color.

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/...-about-it.html

I don't agree with this decision. I think there should be a middle road, a better alternative. Over testing isn't good and takes away time from actual classroom learning, as well as making it harder for students who are smart but don't test well, don't perform well under pressure. Eliminating all proficiency standards goes too far in the other direction, which could result in students graduating unprepared for college or even jobs.

[Scott Taylor]

New Jersey Governors have not been without scandals, most were political or about money. The closest we have to Cuomo is probably Jim McGreevey, which was kind of weird (unexpected) even for NJ.

NY needs a woman Governor, the men can't seem to keep their minds out of their pants.

Makes you wonder what might have been had Hillary gone that route instead of seeking the presidency.

[Mister Mets]

I don't agree with this decision. I think there should be a middle road, a better alternative. Over testing isn't good and takes away time from actual classroom learning, as well as making it harder for students who are smart but don't test well, don't perform well under pressure. Eliminating all proficiency standards goes too far in the other direction, which could result in students graduating unprepared for college or even jobs.

I agree that it's an overcorrection, and that overtesting is a problem.

As an example, students have to deal with the assignments in their standard curricula, state tests and assorted other tests (in New York State, some schools give an additional test to students to measure teacher effectiveness.) There are definitely ways to do this more efficiently, and there should be ways to assess kids who are smart but don't test well.

Improve results by incentivizing students to do better, gee why didn't anyone think of that before? And as for better trained teachers, that requires more funding for schools and making teaching a more attractive career choice for skilled professionals, neither of which will happen under any Republican's watch. Would be easier to just admit that you have nothing to add to the conversation and take the L, imo.

Incentivizing students to do better on tests may be really damn obvious, but the state of Oregon has decided to go in a different direction.

Training doesn't just come down to money. I'll note the situation may vary state by state. Some districts and states are underfunded. Some are not. That said, throwing money at the problem won't solve the problems, as funding has to spent efficiently. If a district or school wastes funds, giving them more money isn't going to help as much.

We can also give more money for training, although any school that uses Apple products could probably find more than enough money for training by going for cheaper but still functioning alternatives.

The main problem with training is that teachers have a finite amount of time. Everything that's mandatory takes away from that. I do think focus on explicit instruction, and specific focus on writing instruction are worthwhile, but these have to be carefully managed.

[Gray Lensman]

I think Apple still donates to a lot of schools. "Free" is a price most schools can afford.