11.25.23 – “My Worries Not the Usual Ones About School Choice & Education Savings Accounts

11.25.23

“My Worries Not the Usual Ones About School Choice & Education Savings Accounts”

By Donna Garner

[This article is somewhat specific to Texas, but many states are rushing into some form of School Choice and/or Education Savings Accounts.

I hope that this article will equip everyone to slow down and take the time to understand the distinct differences between the two types of education (and there are only two).

Wherever Type #1 is being taught, we must guard and protect it from intrusions by public dollars that could destroy it.

Even though our intentions may be honorable, we must not allow all schools in America to be nationalized and under the control of those whose aim is to destroy our nation by indoctrinating our children. – Donna Garner]

On 11.11.23 I pled with the Republican Texas Legislators in the Fourth Special Session to consider my concerns over SB 1 which includes Education Savings Accounts.

My main concern is not whether PUBLIC SCHOOLS will lose students and funding – far from it.

PERSONAL COMMENTS

First, let me make some personal comments. After teaching for 33+ years and staying very close to education issues for almost 60 years (I am 82 now), I have seen a great deal.

My late husband of 58 years was a teacher and coach. We have two sons, two daughters-in law, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Combined with our own work experiences and educational environments of our family members, we have seen up-close-and-personal a myriad of different school settings:

TYPES OF NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS

homeschool

homeschool co-op

hybrid homeschool-private

hybrid homeschool-public

private Christian

private

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

charter

hybrid charter-homeschool

virtual learning

summer school

public schools

If I were going to rank schools according to academic excellence, I would rank them basically in the order in which I have listed them with public schools last in academic excellence.

Why do I rank public schools so low…because most of them have fallen into Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI) curriculum standards and curriculum.

(Curriculum standards tell teachers WHAT to teach; curriculum is HOW the teachers decide to teach the curriculum standards.)

To give all of us common understandings, please study this Type #1 vs. Type #2 chart:

1.17.23 – “The Only Answer for America: Type #1 for All Classrooms -- Cannot Be Mixed – Just Like Oil and Water” – by Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/only-two-types-of-education-type-1-vs-type-2-cannot-mix-oil-water-4-27-22/

FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Parents and the public are frustrated with the public schools for many reasons – and rightfully so. I get that.

To be honest, I believe that if a public school is not teaching its students the curriculum standards (TEKS) that they are mandated to teach by Texas law, then these schools should lose both funding and students.

In Texas our elected State Board of Education members are elected by the public. They are the people’s voice.

Fortunately, our SBOE by hook-or-by crook has managed to pass curriculum standards (TEKS) in ELAR, Social Studies, and Science that are Type #1 (fact-based, verifiable, measurable, and most of which can be tested with right or wrong answers). The STAAR assessments for ELAR, Social Studies, and Science are Type #1.

Unfortunately, the Math TEKS were corrupted at the last minute right before the final adoption by the SBOE; and the Math TEKS unfortunately do contain Type #2 process standards (subjective, opinions, emotions, feelings).

Hopefully the SBOE will do a complete rewrite (not a review) of the Math TEKS when they next come up for adoption.

MY WORRIES IN A NUTSHELL

The main point that I am making is that the Texas Legislators MUST be sure they understand the following terminology in SB 1 which requires NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS to choose between giving a nationally norm-referenced assessment or the STAAR to get the PUBLIC dollars:

(B) annual administration of a nationally norm-referenced assessment instrument or the appropriate assessment instrument required under Subchapter B, Chapter 39;

There are several principles that never seen to change in education:

(1) Public dollars ALWAYS have strings attached.

(2)Whatever is on a high-profile assessment gets taught by the teachers. If the assessment is Type #2, then Type #2 is the type of curriculum that is taught.

This is my fear about SB 1 and Education Savings Accounts. My arguments are NOT the usual ones that come from public school supporters such as, “Public schools will lose tax dollars under SB 1.”

My fear is that if SB 1 with Education Savings Accounts is approved, the NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE FORCED TO ADMINISTER TO STUDENTS TYPE #2 ASSESSMENTS AND WILL SOON FALL INTO THE SAME NATIONALIZED SCHOOL TRAP THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN.

If the NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS lose their autonomy and independence, then the United States will be TOTALLY indoctrinated into Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI) which is already sweeping across our country.

Think what a loss this would be for those excellent, NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS that have the freedom now to teach Biblical Truths and classical content. What if all that freedom were lost because of the “strings attached to the public dollars”?

Here is the part in SB 1 that disturbs me (in red) – Sec. 29:358:

Texas Senate -- Engrossed version – SB 1 – passed on 11.9.23

Caption: Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=884&Bill=SB1

Sec. 29.358. PREAPPROVED PROVIDERS AND VENDORS. (a) Requires the comptroller to by rule establish a process for the preapproval of education service providers and vendors of educational products for participation in the program. Requires the comptroller to allow for the submission of applications on a rolling basis.

(b) Requires the comptroller to approve an education service provider or vendor of educational products for participation in the program if the provider or vendor:

(1) for a private school, demonstrates:

(A) accreditation by an organization recognized by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission or TEA; and

(B) annual administration of a nationally norm-referenced assessment instrument or the appropriate assessment instrument [STAAR] required under Subchapter B, Chapter 39;

HAVE TEXAS LEGISLATORS DISCUSSED THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO KINDS OF ASSESSMENTS?

I am very worried that the Texas Legislators may not have even discussed the differences between the two kinds of assessments -- norm-referenced and STAAR.

Fact: Every nationally norm-referenced assessment instrument (ACT, Pre-SAT, SAT, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, etc.) uses Type #2 questions to assess students. Why?

If almost all students in America are being taught Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI) curriculum, then obviously if assessment makers want to stay in business, they have to develop assessments that will assess that same Type #2 philosophy of education.

When David Coleman finished his work as the architect of the Common Core, he became the president of the College Board. He immediately stated publicly that all products of The College Board would align with Common Core. He kept his promise. The College Board publishes the SAT, Pre-SAT, and all Advanced Placement materials. These all follow Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice LGBTQ, CRT, DEI).

(B) annual administration of a nationally norm-referenced assessment instrument or the appropriate assessment instrument required under Subchapter B, Chapter 39;

DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS

(1) NATIONALLY NORM-REFERENCED ASSESSMENTS

These assessments measure basic concepts and skills that are commonly taught throughout the country. The questions are designed NOT to measure any specific standards (TEKS).

In other words, if nearly all schools in America are teaching Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI), those are the type of questions found on these nationally norm-referenced assessments.

If these are the type of questions found on norm-referenced assessments, then teachers (whether they like it or not) have to teach curriculum that will prepare their students for these Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI) questions. “What gets tested gets taught.”

[This means that even if private, private Christian, homeschoolers, and other types of non-public schools are teaching Type #1 curriculum to their students, those students will not do well on nationally norm-referenced assessments. This then pressures teachers to stop teaching Type #1 and move into giving their students a steady diet of Type #2 curriculum.]

(2) CRITERION-REFERENCED (e.g. STAAR)

Criterion-referenced assessments (e.g., STAAR in Texas) measure student progress toward learning Texas’ curriculum standards (TEKS) at each grade level. The TEKS tell students, teachers, and parents what a student should learn at each grade level to be prepared to be successful at the next grade level in ELAR, Social Studies, Science, and Math. Then the STAAR assessments test how well students have learned the grade-level-specific TEKS.

WHY STAAR ASSESSMENTS ARE A GOOD THING

As I have stated earlier, if Texas public school administrators/teachers are adopting curriculum that is built upon Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI) instead of on the SBOE-approved Type #1 TEKS, then, of course, their students will do poorly when tested on the STAAR assessments which are closely aligned with the Type #1 TEKS in ELAR, Social Studies, and Science. Math – not so much

This is the reason that so many Texas public school administrators do not like the A – F Report Card system which is built on the STAAR scores. Those scores reveal “to the world” which public schools have been ignoring the Type #1 TEKS and instead have been teaching Obama’s Type #2 Common Core (social justice, LGBTQ, CRT, DEI).

I believe these Type #2 schools that are teaching students to hate America deserve to lose state funding and support.

So what is the best way to pressure public schools to teach the TEKS which are required by law?... give their students the Type #1 STAAR assessments and make the results public. This is called peer-group pressure!

The STAAR is a measuring stick. I understand why they are a “pain” to give; but as I have stated for many years, “If you know of a better objective instrument with right or wrong answers to assess a student’s grade-level progress on the TEKS, please let me know.”

So far no one has ever been able to give me an alternative to the STAAR assessments.

MORE RESOURCES

8.31.22 -- “Teaching the Public To Recognize Good from Bad Curriculum Standards and Curriculum” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/teaching-the-public-to-recognize-good-from-bad-curriculum-standards-and-curriculum/

11.1.23 -- “Obama Stole America’s School Students’ Minds” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/11-1-23-obama-stole-americas-school-students-minds-by-donna-garner/