Mike Mathes

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@JasonKelce so how many beers did you consume at the Chiefs/Bills game?

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@DrBrittonHart @KASBPublicEd @USAKansas I see a future interim in there! 😜

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@doc_nuge @AtchisonPublic @VisibleLearning Great job!

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@JoshuaSvaty Probably turned into a Tupperware lid.

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@KansasReflector @sherman_news This man is dangerous

[Dr. John Spencer @spencerideas]

In baseball, there's an entirely useless statistic called Runs Batted In (RBI). When I was a kid, we would often hear about the RBI leaders and I immediately noticed two trends in RBI leaders.

1. They nearly all played for teams with a really good offense.
2. They nearly all hit at the 4th or 5th spot in the line-up.

I was a nerdy little kid who didn't know anything but I knew this was a bogus statistic.

See, RBI measures how many runners a batter knocks in. Sounds important, right? Definitely something worth measuring. But it turns out that it's highly skewed. Not every batter is in the position to knock in a run. If you are the lead-off hitter (batting #1 in the line-up) you often bat with no runners on. Also, if you're on a crappy team, you run into the same challenge.

So it turns out that RBI count doesn't really tell you how well someone hits for power. For that, you need a stat called slugging percentage. If you want to see how consistent a batter is, go with on-base percentage. If you're looking for balance, go with OPS (on-based plus slugging percentage).

In pitching the equivalent is a win-loss record or an ERA compared to WHIP. Total wins is a metric based on a team's overall performance.

But the things is, our world is full of seriously flawed statistics. BMI is useless compared to measuring one's actual vitals. Plus, BMI has a really negative history connected to eugenics. Go look it up. It's disgusting. And even today, it's often weaponized against perfectly healthy people when they don't fit the stereotype of "average" that doesn't actually exist. I run 5 days a week. I eat healthy food. My body fat percentage is low to moderate but based on BMI I'm obese.

I share all of this because the same thing exists in education. When we use standardized test scores to measure a student's learning (or worse, still, a teacher's effectiveness) we're often running into the same trap as the RBI. We're measuring privilege and positionality while ignoring the data that actually matters. We're running into the BMI trap and failing to embrace neurodiversity. And, like BMI, there's a dark side of psychometric history rooted in eugenics.

I'm not opposed to data. I love data. But my love for data is precisely why I hate bad data. My love for data is precisely why I am so opposed to nearly every policy that uses standardized tests to measure learning.

[Leah Fliter @leahfliter]

SB 83 in #ksleg gives $$$ voucher donors 75% tax writeoff. As I’ve said all year, this is not about helping kids, it’s about lining donors’ pockets. That’s it; that’s the tweet. #ksed, voucher-palooza continues Mon., your lege need to hear from you NOW. 👎🏻on vouchers.

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@thelaceylondon Did you bring the McFish?

[Dr. Craig A. Correll @drcorrell]

Does anyone really wonder how some legislators will use public school test scores as the reason to fund #schoolvouchers yet not require assessments of private schools who would take your tax dollars under their new voucher scheme? Things that make you go hmm... #ksleg #ksed

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@Kristin_N_Brown Plus accountability

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@TrooperBenKHP A

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@RonFilipkowski GO away, Trump!

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@RonFilipkowski Get a life, Madison.

[USD480 @USD480]

#480FactsFriday - USD 480 provides services to around 250 homeless students each school year. Throughout the district, there are around 160 homeless students enrolled at any given time. We are thankful for our community partners that help us provide stability to these students.

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@RonFilipkowski Hell, you picked em, Donnie!

[Uniontown Eagles @UniontownUSD235]

We need your help in finding our next JH/HS Principal! If you have a connection to someone that would be good for our district. Please take a moment to ask them to consider applying. We will review applications on Monday (Nov. 22nd). The QR code to apply is below.

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@RpsAgainstTrump

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@KUVolleyball Get ‘em this time!

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@jrpsaki @POTUS And acts like he’s 7

[Mike Mathes @Seamansup]

@TrackingGary Good tournament. Top ten. Keep it up!