the tie that binds: cash for kids, empowerment schools, and periodic testing

There's a lot of activity in the edublogosphere in past days regarding Bloomberg's recently unveiled proposal to pay students for taking the also recently unveiled periodic assessments. (Periodic assessments may also be referred to as interim tests and benchmarks.)

Known as the Opportunity NYC plan, Bloomberg's plan also offers monetary compensation to low-income adults for ensuring their kids attend school and for taking advantage of preventative medical care. Harvard economist Professor Roland G. Fryer is the most prominent advocate of these sorts of cash incentives, according to an article in today's NY TImes.

For a primer on the new periodic testing contract check my recent post entitled the latest insult; to learn about the SSO process, read an earlier post entitled School Support DisOrganization.

CTB/McGraw-Hill was awarded the $80 million periodic testing contract. All this less than three weeks after city principals made their final decisions on the SSO (School Support Organization) with whom they will work next year. So... what's the rub?

Well, there are a few.

At first these seemed all to be unrelated elements of the overhaul of city schools that Bloomie and his bitch Klein have systematically implemented since our dear mayor wrested control of the Board of Education (which he renamed the Department of Education) five years ago. But then I learned that Empowerment Schools, those whose principals elected to trade greater control over their budgets for strict accountability standards (read: test scores) and consequences for not meeting their AYP goals (adequate yearly progress, the spawn of NCLB), would NOT be subject to the mandatory periodic testing that was shoved down everyone else's throats.

On an interesting and somewhat related note, graduates of the NYC Leadership Academy, the principal-training program of the BloomKlein regime, are disproportionately represented in Empowerment. But I don't have a conspiracy theory for that one. Yet. Anyway, first I thought, phew, glad I dodged that spitball, and then I chuckled, marveling at the impressive display of chutzpah, slash, total disregard for appearances that BloomKlein displayed in the sneaky timing of these two major changes.

Also, here is some additional information I found on periodic testing: the official  DOE press release; and an overview of options for school complete with sample score reports featuring (what else?) data! data! data! So that explains the $80 million - numerical data for the Quality Review foreign evaluators. Aha! 

However, while perusing metro-area edublogs I came upon this post from a former rubber room captive. This blogging assistant principal revealed that only Empowerment Schools are eligible for the cash rewards. Which, for the sake of expedience (I presume), are being funded by our rich mayor and other unnamed private donors. Right now we're looking at a pool of about $50 million.

Why, a reasonable and thinking person might ask, are Empowerment Schools the sole potential recipients of this money?

Because Bloomie is trying to bribe them to buy into (literally) the McGraw-Hill testing program. His Leadership Academy protégés defied him and he is pissed. He is hoping that offering to pay students will win him supporters among parents who will then pressure principals to use the McGraw-Hill products.

Whether or not students should be financially rewarded for taking tests is another question entirely that I will take up in due time once I finish my research.