LAST🧵re: CCS’s School Board race and the “DEI Question”
Locals please read!
Part III: Decoding the Rhetoric
Because now that we know WHAT is at stake, we need to be clear about how it’s being obscured.
(Hint: w/ faux outrage about test scores and “academic excellence”)
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Locals please read!
Part III: Decoding the Rhetoric
Because now that we know WHAT is at stake, we need to be clear about how it’s being obscured.
(Hint: w/ faux outrage about test scores and “academic excellence”)
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As I’ve said before:
The vast majority of Carmel-folk are ON BOARD and HERE FOR the DEI initiatives and prioritizing inclusivity.
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The vast majority of Carmel-folk are ON BOARD and HERE FOR the DEI initiatives and prioritizing inclusivity.
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There is no greater proof of this than the lengths that #M4LHamCo, their candidates, and their supporters go to say (in public, at least) that they DON’T want to dismantle it.
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They aren’t (always) coming out and saying it;
Instead, they are using coded language that sounds GREAT to busy folks in Carmel who don’t have the time or energy to de-code it.
So I hope this thread helps make clear where those candidates *really* stand.
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Instead, they are using coded language that sounds GREAT to busy folks in Carmel who don’t have the time or energy to de-code it.
So I hope this thread helps make clear where those candidates *really* stand.
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So first, back to “Unify Carmel”:
The FINAL argument UC made against DEI initiatives was that DEI was distracting teachers from focusing on REAL academics (reading, writing, ‘rithmetic).
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The FINAL argument UC made against DEI initiatives was that DEI was distracting teachers from focusing on REAL academics (reading, writing, ‘rithmetic).
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(They attacked Social Emotional Learning [SEL] on similar grounds, claiming it was “woke nonsense” linked to DEI initiatives.
This is absurd, because in reality, SEL has been used in CCS for 10+ yrs. . . .
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This is absurd, because in reality, SEL has been used in CCS for 10+ yrs. . . .
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. . . AND it’s also been mandated statewide since 2019, when REPUBLICAN lawmakers included it in their Employability Skills initiative for K-12 ed.
Why?
Because SEL teaches kids how to work together, defuse conflict, and build study habits.
tinyurl.com/2dhsr624)
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Why?
Because SEL teaches kids how to work together, defuse conflict, and build study habits.
tinyurl.com/2dhsr624)
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UnifyCarmel argued that as a result of DEI/SEL “taking time away” from “traditional academics,” CCS was no longer achieving the same level of “academic excellence”:
Proof of this decline, they said, could be seen in the fact that Carmel’s standardized test scores had fallen.
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Proof of this decline, they said, could be seen in the fact that Carmel’s standardized test scores had fallen.
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And test scores *had* dropped between 2018 and 2021.
The drop coincided with Beresford’s arrival, so Unify placed the blame squarely on his shoulders, linking it to his willingness to embrace DEI/SEL.
They even spent >$3k on a spread in the Current to argue this. 😡
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The drop coincided with Beresford’s arrival, so Unify placed the blame squarely on his shoulders, linking it to his willingness to embrace DEI/SEL.
They even spent >$3k on a spread in the Current to argue this. 😡
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But the thing is, the drop in test scores ALSO coincided with a COMPLETELY NEW TEST.
We went from iSTEP to iLEARN, and comparing the scores is like comparing apples and oranges
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We went from iSTEP to iLEARN, and comparing the scores is like comparing apples and oranges
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Plus, WHENEVER you switch tests, you’re going to expect a drop in scores, as teachers and students adjust to a new format and new emphases.
So it’s not surprising that the iLEARN results were lackluster in 2019, the first year the test was offered.
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So it’s not surprising that the iLEARN results were lackluster in 2019, the first year the test was offered.
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(Though it *is* worth noting that Carmel still outperformed every other district in the state.)
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**And!**
There’s also the fact that there were SIGNIFICANT irregularities in the computer-adaptive iLEARN grading (with✅answers marked as❎!!) and MAJOR flaws in the test design.
This **must-watch** statehouse testimony is from 2/16/22:
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There’s also the fact that there were SIGNIFICANT irregularities in the computer-adaptive iLEARN grading (with✅answers marked as❎!!) and MAJOR flaws in the test design.
This **must-watch** statehouse testimony is from 2/16/22:
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And, of course, we haven’t yet mentioned the tiny factor, coinciding w/ the continued drop in test scores,
OF A GLOBAL FREAKING PANDEMIC.
Did we just forget about that? Might THAT have had an effect on test scores??
Easier to blame DEI, I guess 🙄🤷♀️
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OF A GLOBAL FREAKING PANDEMIC.
Did we just forget about that? Might THAT have had an effect on test scores??
Easier to blame DEI, I guess 🙄🤷♀️
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So yeah.
Unify Carmel ignored ALL of this to make the 100% disingenuous case that DEI/SEL “wokeness” was distracting from “traditional academics,” and THAT was the real and only reason for the drop in test scores, and thus evidence of Dr. Beresford’s administrative failure.
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Unify Carmel ignored ALL of this to make the 100% disingenuous case that DEI/SEL “wokeness” was distracting from “traditional academics,” and THAT was the real and only reason for the drop in test scores, and thus evidence of Dr. Beresford’s administrative failure.
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Very few people in town had believed UC’s anti-inclusion rhetoric.
But LOADS of people—busy Carmel folk long used to seeing test-scores as shorthand for school performance—have been sucked in by the test-score deception.
Which M4LHamCo’s candidates are now spouting 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
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But LOADS of people—busy Carmel folk long used to seeing test-scores as shorthand for school performance—have been sucked in by the test-score deception.
Which M4LHamCo’s candidates are now spouting 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
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While it makes sense for average Carmel-folks to be alarmed by a drop in test scores...
...no one who really *knows* about the schools is alarmed.
They know that:
➡️the tests changed;
➡️the iLEARN grading & design were flawed;
➡️the pandemic had an impact.
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...no one who really *knows* about the schools is alarmed.
They know that:
➡️the tests changed;
➡️the iLEARN grading & design were flawed;
➡️the pandemic had an impact.
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So why are the M4L candidates, despite all this, *still* talking about test scores?
*Because they NEED their excuse.*
They NEED people to think the schools are in crisis and they NEED to blame Beresford, so they can get rid of him and the DEI Coordinator he supports.
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*Because they NEED their excuse.*
They NEED people to think the schools are in crisis and they NEED to blame Beresford, so they can get rid of him and the DEI Coordinator he supports.
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They want to UNDO all the hard work CCS students & families did to get her hired.
And they want to unravel all the systems currently being woven together to protect & support students marginalized by race, culture, language, ability status, religion, gender ID, etc.
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And they want to unravel all the systems currently being woven together to protect & support students marginalized by race, culture, language, ability status, religion, gender ID, etc.
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To be 💯 clear:
These candidates are speaking in code.
➡️“Return to traditional academics” and “refocusing on core academics” = Getting rid of DEI/SEL;
➡️“Concern about falling test scores” = A call to oust Dr. B and derail DEI.
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These candidates are speaking in code.
➡️“Return to traditional academics” and “refocusing on core academics” = Getting rid of DEI/SEL;
➡️“Concern about falling test scores” = A call to oust Dr. B and derail DEI.
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It’s Unify Carmel all over again.
These candidates, who equate test scores w/ “academic excellence” and then pretend the latter is endangered at CCS, are showing EITHER their ignorance OR their duplicity.
Either should disqualify them from a spot on the school board.
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These candidates, who equate test scores w/ “academic excellence” and then pretend the latter is endangered at CCS, are showing EITHER their ignorance OR their duplicity.
Either should disqualify them from a spot on the school board.
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@myccs is on the right track, in so many ways.
Our academics, athletics, school safety, student experience, extra-curricular achievements, range of opportunities offered, fiscal efficiency, admin & curricular transparency, & progress toward inclusivity are all 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
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Our academics, athletics, school safety, student experience, extra-curricular achievements, range of opportunities offered, fiscal efficiency, admin & curricular transparency, & progress toward inclusivity are all 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
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There’s room for improvement, of course, but the groundwork is being laid for it.
We need to build on these successes, not dismantle or uproot them.
And to do this, we need to VOTE.
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We need to build on these successes, not dismantle or uproot them.
And to do this, we need to VOTE.
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We need to cut through the code-speak to see which candidates would undermine the schools. . .
. . . and which candidates would strengthen them by celebrating and supporting CCS's progress toward inclusivity.
Voting begins October 12.
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. . . and which candidates would strengthen them by celebrating and supporting CCS's progress toward inclusivity.
Voting begins October 12.
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