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After travelling and Thanskgiving, I'm getting back into the routine of a farm in the fall. My older dressage mare is finally back under saddle after injuring herself this fall; she's put on a wee bit of weight (draft horses do that in the fall) so we're doing long slow fitness rides. This one took us around the neighboring fields on an astoundingly lovely fall evening. (Draft horses also fluff up with a lot of winter coat, hence the very fuzzy rabbit ears.)
5 hours ago
An absolutely searing indictment of the standardized test industry. Link follows; please read the whole piece.
The goal of a classical education is to develop the entire person. Standardized tests do not serve the person. They serve the developer of the test.
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For the past two decades, the College Board has moved aggressively to expand the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement courses and tests — in part by pitching the program to low-income students and the schools that serve them.
It is a matter of equity, they argue.
“What if the best stuff in education were not just for the best to distinguish themselves — but could engage a much broader set of kids?” asked David Coleman, the College Board’s chief executive, in a January podcast interview. “Why are we holding it for some?”
Left out of that narrative is one of the most sobering statistics in education: Some 60 percent of A.P. exams taken by low-income students this year scored too low for college credit — 1 or 2 out of 5 — a statistic that has not budged in 20 years.
Nevertheless, the College Board, citing its own research, says its A.P. program helps all students, regardless of scores, do better in college — a claim that has helped persuade states and local districts to help pay for the tests.
A growing body of research, however, conflicts with the College Board’s claims. One expert went so far as to call the group’s research briefs “junk science.” And some research shows that other advanced programs may make it easier for high school students to earn college credit and lower tuition costs.
But expanding A.P.’s reach is crucial to the College Board’s future. From 2019 to 2022, revenue from its other signature product, the SAT, plummeted to $289.2 million from $403.6 million, as more colleges dropped testing requirements for admissions.
The College Board has tried to bolster Advanced Placement. It is developing new courses, such as business and African American studies. It pushed all A.P. students not just to enroll in the classes but to take the final exams. And in 2021, the nonprofit began circulating a research brief arguing that even students who perform poorly on the exams experience benefits.
That pitch has helped turn A.P. into the College Board’s most lucrative program, generating almost $500 million in revenue in 2022, a chunk of that from the taxpayers...
Given the American school system’s bleak history of diverting low-income and nonwhite students away from college-prep classes, many educators believe in the power of a rigorous liberal arts curriculum to lift all students.
And Advanced Placement is the go-to program for schools across the country, making it something of a de facto national curriculum. Eighty percent of public high school students attend a school offering five or more courses. This year, students took 5.2 million A.P. exams, up from 1.6 million in 2002...Nationally, it is common for students to take multiple exams and emerge with a single passing score — a practice the College Board celebrates as evidence that students are maturing and able to succeed in the program.
But this year, 38 percent of all test scores were 1 or 2. And failure rates were higher for low-income, Black, Hispanic and Native American students...
The College Board has also argued that even low scores help students. In a 2022 presentation to school district leaders, the College Board pointed to its research brief claiming that students with average A.P. scores of 1 or 2 were significantly more likely to enroll in four-year colleges than peers who had not taken the tests...Though the College Board employs highly skilled researchers, Dr. Klopfenstein said that this brief, like some others from the nonprofit, amounts to “junk science,” reading more like marketing material than a rigorous summary of a study’s findings.
Independent research points to problems with Advanced Placement.
A 2018 paper analyzing dozens of studies on the program found, on the whole, “minimal to no impacts” of the courses on college outcomes. Students who earned a score of 3 or above on the tests had better college outcomes, the paper found, but the impact was small....
The College Board holds assets that are akin to a wealthy university — approximately $2 billion at the end of 2022, including more than $200 million in offshore accounts. Mr. Coleman, the chief executive, made $2.1 million last year...
In an acknowledgment of the intractable class and race disparities in A.P. test scores, some of the board’s newest courses culminate not in tests, but in assessments that include projects or presentations.
The College Board expects students to pay fees for these project-based assessments, too.
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Why Is the College Board Pushing to Expand Advanced Placement? (Gift Article)
www.nytimes.com
This year, taxpayers paid the nonprofit at least $90 million for A.P. tests that many students failed.1 week ago
Thanks for the insight
Renee Solomon please read this.
The system is breaking down. A little bit more time and this along with some others will be obsolete 🙏
The wanna be superior "professionals" are shaking in their boots 🫨. Google Bullsh*t Jobs by David Graeber
Another way they are making more money is having the students sign up for the exam in OCTOBER!!! This happened when my youngest was a senior. Before, I think students register for the exam around January/February. Signing up at this time was better for my children because they had a better sense of how they are doing in the class. My older children would only sign up for the exam if they knew they had a high chance of getting a 4 or 5. By registering and paying for the test in October, the students are "locked in" because they won't get 100% refund if they changed their minds. Also, it forces a student to stick to an AP class even if it turns out it would serve them better to be in a non-AP class. And does it really serve the student when the AP classes teach to the test? As to lowering college tuition cost, it depends on what the college will accept. Accepting APs for college credit is not guaranteed.
The “equity for all” narrative certainly seems to be the marketing factor here.
Scammed out, rigged out. You have to Pay to Play for everything in this system. Everything. It is hellish for us who don't play the game.
Yes, folks, we're in Marseille for the week! Before I visited, I wouldn't have identified the Mucem (the Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée), with its signature metal tracing shadework, but once you've seen it it's unmistakable. And the bull and lion on stilts are a 2013 sculpture honoring the two animals on the city's emblem.
I'll post more pictures later in the week, once we've had a few more adventures. But in the meantime, I have A MORE PRESSING ISSUE TO DISCUSS.
That's Thanksgiving dinner, which I'm planning from afar (fortunately I'll be back home just in time to get the turkey spatchcocked and brined).
We have our non-negotiable staples: the turkey, homemade bread and sage dressing (baked in Pyrex pans so it gets crunchy), gravy, dinner rolls, sweet potatoes topped with toasted marshmallows, and pies (chocolate, pumpkin, lemon). But every year, we've been experimenting with different sides. A fresh cranberry/orange/pecan slaw has become popular. But we're still tinkering with other additions, particularly green vegetables. I keep trying different things, which no one eats. (Maybe that's just how Thanksgiving goes.)
I cruise around and look at recipes, which is how I found the attached monstrosity. Thought you might enjoy it. While you're considering just how much bacteria a gravy fountain can incubate...would you be willing to post your core menu and any experimental sides, along with whether they did or didn't work?
www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thanksgiving-gravy-fountain-with-holiday-hors-doeuvres
2 weeks ago
Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and a balsamic maple glaze!
After my first trip to Italy a month ago, we are doing thanksgiving Italian style with rosemary lamb, roasted veggies, homemade pasta carbonara, salad and tiramisu!
Our greens include creamed spinach. We always have a big tray of roasted vegetables. We usually roast butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, red peppers, mushrooms, red onions, and asparagus. Just roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roasting trays of these takes a bit of time so I usually roast them the day before Thanksgiving and reheat. We also make some sort of salad. We are currently into mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, red onion, mixed peppers, pecans, and goat cheese with vinaigrette dressing.
I tried bacon wrapped asparagus in the air fryer for the first time last year and it has been requested as a permanent addition!
It's been fun, mostly, reading these comments. I make broccoli salad (which includes bacon) every year and everyone loves it, except one of my kids who just told me recently he didn't like it. I'll give you the recipe if you want it.
Green bean casserole from scratch, Alton Brown’s recipe. Got enough butter and cream in it that everyone eats it 😂
I love green beans like nobody's business! 😀
For two years now we’ve done ranked-choice voting to determine the Thanksgiving menu, and green vegetables never make the cut. The people have spoken.
Apple-leek salad is a favorite at our house. Very thinly sliced apples and the white part of the leek, chopped pecans on top. Dressing: olive oil, honey, Greek yogurt, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper. Mix it all together and pour over the apple-leek mixture.
I have been hosting for many years and do a white wine brined turkey, stuffing made with homemade sourdough bread, mashed potatoes (with bone broth to make it creamier), French style turkey gravy, homemade cranberry apple sauce with honey and cinnamon sticks, green bean casserole with a homemade mushroom sauce, sweet potato casserole with crumble topping, and roasted brussels sprouts with bacon jam. The bacon jam is everyone’s favorite and is a game changer for people eating everything.
I am a poor cook, but here I've had to learn to make my own dishes because no "Stovetop," etc. I make sweet potatoes with a brown sugar and maple glaze, topped with toasted pecans as a side, with mashed potatoes and bread stuffing. This year, tho, Im coming home to the States to see my parents, so it's Thanksgiving at Assisted Living for the win. (Please pray my daughter can come.)
Enjoy! Hope you’re all healthy in spite of most of the offerings suggested here. 😅
Roasted Brussel sprouts with pecans is a hit with my family (roasted and charred a bit, not mushy ones)
Balsamic & dill green beans are a simple and tangy addition to the plate. They can be served room temp too.
Core menu: Grilled prime steaks* (13 of them!) And, most of the sides follow that same non-traditional approach😁. We do like to have a chilled salad as a nice contrast to all the hot, salty and rich foods, so we will have Broccoli Salad or Pea Salad (recipes at Pioneerwoman). *Yes, I will need to get a job to pay for this delightful menu 😉
If you are still game for greens, and have not tried this recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Marjoram and Pine Nuts Recipe from Epicurious My sister made them at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted at her house, which has become a regular.
We added wheat crackers with an olive tapenade one year and it was devoured. If you do not like olives, then this really wouldn't fly.
About 7-8 years ago, my husband (the better cook) tried bacon wrapped asparagus. That has become a staple - loved by all.
Chopped bacon sautéed in a pressure cooker, then throw in long fresh green beans and red pepper flakes and seal and cook for just a bit. Smoky, zippy, still a bit crunchy.
Green beans, steam just until bright green, then sauté in olive oil and nutmeg The only thing is, they are a last-minute dish.
Balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts. The rest of dinner is turkey, cornbread sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, pumpkin and apple pie.
We roast a brined and spatchcocked turkey. Sides include mashed potatoes & homemade gravy, stuffing, jellied cranberry sauce, an orange vegetable, and a green vegetable. Vegetable dishes we’ve tried & loved are: honey-glazed carrots, roasted asparagus, butternut squash mashed with maple syrup/butter/garlic, green beans sautéed with onion & bacon, fresh broccoli salad, roasted Brussels sprouts & sweet potatoes.
Many years ago I streamlined dinner by making a sweet potato apple casserole and green beans on the stove instead of the oven. Usually I saute a couple cans with minced garlic and spice, then top with Parmesan cheese. This year though I'm going to try www.earthboundfarm.com/recipes/brown-butter-green-beans-and-hazelnuts/
Here’s my offering for a Tday salad. I love something crunchy to go with all the soft. And fennel is so fall-ish to me. You can do this with any orange you have. smittenkitchen.com/2014/02/fennel-and-blood-orange-salad/
This was an unexpected home run. Now we make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s the perfect contrast for all of the other heavy dishes that are typically served. www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-brussels-sprout-salad-368295