John Passantino

Retired educator.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@asymmetricinfo @dilanesper Where is the evidence for this statement?

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@kmele @franklinleonard Reading the replies here, I’m not sure why anyone would open up about their thoughts and evolution. Does anyone not think they’re in a bubble that is reinforced by their own experiences?

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@MelK_Ed @hilarym99 Do away with the test. If we must, test only key grade levels. In the paper-based days, our team processed over 40,000 test booklets a year. The cost and stress for everyone securely handling those materials was insane.

State testing distorts instruction more than it informs.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@oliviajune82 @helenrey Teachers weight differently, assess differently, and have different rules for late work. Some offer extra credit and others do not. Grades in the course are reflective of the teacher as well as the student.

Best would be to measure learning separately from work habits.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@thTexasTeacher @JAustinEDU I’ve known a teacher to drop student work in the trash in front of the class for being late. I’ve know others who don’t accept late work, period. Too often grades are weaponized. Traditional grades unreliably measure learning and whatever else is important to the teacher.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@CathyYoung63 I hope there’s an option to avoid this. We’ve already aren’t getting the annual America the Beautiful national parks pass. Why doesn’t anyone say no to this absurdity? It doesn’t let up.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@SeanTrende @SarahLongwell25 The Dispatch is closer to The Bulwark than you are stating when it comes to Trump. The Dispatch is more analytical of events, but they see Trump for what he is, and that’s not just a bad president.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@rastokke The problem is the binary approach to these topics. It’s obvious that algorithms enable efficiency, and it’s also obvious that knowing when and why to apply the algorithm to solve complex problems is essential. We careen from edge to edge when the answer is in the steady center.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@hilarym99 @MelK_Ed @CurriculumIP It’s on approved lists and it’s attractive to teachers in the review process. It looks accessible to teachers who have used traditional programs and promises SOR. With its kitchen sink structure, everyone finds what they’re looking for.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@karenvaites @MissyPurcell @georgiadeptofed Implementation benchmarks of quality curriculum would be ideal, but monitoring at the state isn’t feasible given the scale. Districts report what they’re doing, but that reporting doesn’t tell the story of what’s happening in classrooms. Accountability for outcomes is a must.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@karenvaites Dopamine-driven is a feature of ed tech software with the promise of the feedback/reward system increasing engagement and hence learning. That’s the hook. Too bad the motivation is extrinsic and not transferred well to overall learning.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@karenvaites 15 years ago we thought we’d save on textbook costs, and we couldn’t have been more wrong. Digital licenses were never a cost saver, and it turns out that, in almost all cases, we still need physical materials. We are pretty much a 1:1 district, and there were never savings.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@karenvaites Compared to the days of NCLB, ed reform as a movement barely exists. I suspect it’s due to lack of perceived effectiveness of NCLB, ESSA, and Race to the Top initiatives and the charter effect flattening out. State and federal accountability are the walking dead at this point.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@karenvaites The reduced volume of student writing once Colorado switched to CBTs was insane. Give a kid blank lines on a page and most will write. Give them a blank box and a blinking cursor, it's a completely different story. It's absurd. This is not a valid test to measure writing.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@MelK_Ed The reduced volume of student writing once Colorado switched to CBTs was insane. Give a kid blank lines on a page and most will write. Give them a blank box and a blinking cursor, it's a completely different story. It's absurd. This is not a valid test to measure writing.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@KJWinEducation @BenisonMrs Please no. This is far too complex and serious an issue for a meme like that.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@MelK_Ed @oliviajune82 Students learn to decode fluently so they can read to learn and build conceptual knowledge. Students develop computational fluency to solve conceptual math problems efficiently. Without the conceptual, none of this really matters. Too bad “balanced” has become a bad word.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@hilarym99 If you think of the instructional core (Elmore) as students, teachers, and content (materials) and how all three interact, there are many variables on the human side. Evidence-based implementation is better than not, but there will be variations. Always getting better is the key.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@DrJenniferWeber @AbbyTeachesDSM This is exactly what schools should have been doing all along, especially with the implementation of RTI/MTSS almost 20 years ago. It’s impressive that a state was able to do with the whole system. It’s a shame that schools weren’t doing it on their own.

[John Passantino @JPass64]

@hilarym99 @KJWinEducation I served on hiring committees for ~30 years and have rarely seen continuation of current practice as a focal point. Since the work is never done, everyone’s looking for change agents so candidates are asked what they’ll do to improve outcomes. I don’t see how we break the cycle.