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Texas Gestapo Thought Police

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Texas Education Service Centers (ESCs): Over Funded Education Agencies.

gestapo

By Janice VanCleave

txcscopereview.com

 

Millions of unregulated dollars pour into the coffers of the ESCs yearly. More unregulated money comes from the sell of instructional products to Texas schools. In fact, the ESCs  have an unfair market advantage over the sell of education instruction materials–isn’t this called a monopoly?

In January, 2013, Senator Patrick instructed the ESCs to void the User contract with Texas Teachers which forbid teachers to disclose the content of CSCOPE lessons used in classrooms. The ESCs didn’t want the incorrect, biased CSCOPE lessons viewed by parents.

Seems the ESC directors didn’t take Senator Patrick serious. On August 12, 2014 Jerry Maze described some of the newly implemented perks offered by the ESC. Maze is the Chair of the “Texas Curriculum Management Program Cooperative.”

Maze said,

“Teachers are no longer required to sign a user agreement. We trust teachers and want to make sure they are able to maximize the utility of the site.”

The ESCs are a bit slow in responding to Senator Patrick’s request. Or is it that the ESCs want the idea to be theirs instead of having to void the user agreement. Or maybe the ESCs just forgot like they have forgotten where the paper for millions of dollars of expenses are.

I am convinced that the ESCs are doing everything possible to rid Texas schools of veteran teachers. The ESCs want educators that are willing to  do what they are told and not care if students are being educated or not. The Texas Education Service Centers are now making money training  “PLC education coaches.” Pull away the smoke screen and you will find that these coaches are actually gestapo-like thought police, which stop teachers who have ideas other than what the coaches approve of.

The cartoon PLC coach in the diagram is sadly too close to the truth. Teachers are being halted from thinking outside the “box,” which is the approved scripted lesson plan. Any teacher not following the scripted lessons approved by the PLC coach is reported to  “Thought Control Head Quarters” as not being a team-player.

The PLC program adds a more gestapo-type atmosphere to the classroom. At this time, this is not so much for the students, but teachers are every vigilant in what they say or do for fear the “Thought Police” are listening.

What are the Thought Police listening for?

One teacher was caught selecting a student to answer a question. Sounds like what all teachers do. But the Thought Police Coaches mandate that teachers use some kind of system so that students are selected at random. A system such as pulling names out of a hat, but the teacher is not allowed to make the choice.

Another teacher was warned because he had gotten ahead of the cloned script. So, if your children complain about having to do things over and over it is because the teacher is not allowed to progress even if students understand the material.

The reason all  lessons must be the same is so that all students receive exactly the same information in the same way and on the same day.

The PLC “gestapo-coaches” closely monitors teachers so that teachers do not add any enrichment to their lessons.

Another thing the gestapo-coaches are looking for is  a teachers that provides facts to students. Students are to do activities in groups and discover the facts on their own. This is erroneously called discovery learning. This constructivist type of education has many flaws. One being that students do not always make the correct conclusions, thus discovery learning is a way that students “teach themselves” incorrect information.

Even so, Discovery Learning is touted as being the “Best Learning Practice” for students. When something that is obviously wrong is being promoted, one should ask–“Who is making money by promoting Discovery Learning?” 

The PLC program is promoting the idea that there should be no outstanding teachers because this indicates that some students receive better instruction.  Any teacher caught enriching their lessons is reported to the administration as NOT BEING A TEAM PLAYER, which mean an uncooperative teacher.  Principals with uncooperative teachers are reported to the “Thought Police” at Thought Police Head Quarters somewhere.

The answer to an instant improvement in Texas education is to link the salaries of all school superintendents with the scores of students in their school district. Low scores–low superintendent salaries. They would be begging veteran teachers to return.

 

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CSCOPE ON FLAMES IN AUSTIN

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flames

No one can say that grassroots activist can’t make a difference. The discovery of CSCOPE and it’s framework to control teachers and indoctrinate students with a Marxist learning philosophy is about all Texas Parents & Taxpayers could stand. The outrage has set Texas Legislature into action. Read the press releases from Lt. Gov David Dewhurst and Senator Donna Campbell as well as Senator Dan Patrick’s Facebook post.

 

 

LT GOV

DONNA CAMPBELL

PATRICK FACE BOOK PAGE

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Texas Lt Gov David Dewhurst says NO to CSCOPE

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dewhurst cscope

 

I traveled to Austin on January 8th 2013 the first day of the Texas 2013 Legislative Session. I had the privilege of sitting down with Lt. Gov Dewhurst regarding CSCOPE   I was accompanied by my husband Calvin and President of Montgomery County Tea Party Pat Tibbs and her husband Dennis. The Lt Gov was shocked at what I had to present in regards to this progressive takeover of Texas Education. The Lt. Gov said  he would speak with Sen. Dan Patrick and hold a hearing on CSCOPE. I would like to say every time I have met with the Lt. Gov Dewhurst this year he has been a “man of his word”.

The  Lt. Gov. and is quite aware of what our public school system is up to in regard to CSCOPE and Project Based Learning. You will hear more about this in the weeks ahead.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

LISTEN TO PODCAST WHILE YOU WAIT, WALK, EXERCISE, TRAVEL

 

 

7.22.13 – Alice Linahan and Women on the Wall – host Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to talk about CSCOPE

 

Listen to podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/alice-linahan/lt-governor-david-dewhurst-on

 

WBTM’s WomenOntheWall Radio show with guest Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.

 

Tagline: #StopCommonCore in #Txed #StopCSCOPE.

 

 

Both Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and Senator Dan Patrick attended the Backpack and Boots on the Ground Education Summit in Conroe, Texas, Saturday, July 20. By all accounts they were shocked by the information they heard.

 

The question is “Are these leaders willing to actually lead and get to the bottom of the political corruption involved in the TESCCC’s CommonCore/CSCOPE illegal invasion of Texas schools?”

 

Those of us who were at the Backpack and Boots on the Ground understand the political game and that these two men are running for Lt. Governor. They were both there seeking support from grassroots leaders and their organizations who were attending. What the Lt. Governor and Senator may not understand is that the people who were there could care less about these men’s political careers. The people are going to do what it takes to protect their children and grandchildren.

 

Therefore, just talking the good talk and getting photo opportunities will not work. There must be action; and it must be taken immediately before Texas children are harmed anymore in the 2013 and 2014 school year by the Common Core philosophy that is coming in the back door through CSCOPE and the corrupt education non-government organizations such as TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators), TASB (Texas Association of School Boards) and the ESCs (Education Service Centers) who have direct access to our tax dollars.

 

If these political leaders want support from the grassroots, action is needed; and it is needed Now!!!

 

We are calling for a full audit by the Texas State Auditor (John Keel) to look into direct conflicts of interest and illegal actions by the TESCCC. In addition, an audit must be done of TASA and TASB. From what public information requests revealed, there may be grounds for legal action to be taken by taxpayers of Texas.

 

Lastly we are demanding that Texas Leadership find a remedy to remove Thomas Ratliff as a Texas State Board of Education elected official. Texas Attorney Greg Abbott has already ruled that Ratliff is not eligible to be on the SBOE because he is a paid lobbyist for Microsoft and has a direct conflict of interest since Microsoft does business with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas State Board of Education.

 

Texas Government Code (http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.665.htm), says that the impeachment of Thomas Ratliff, Texas State Board of Education member, must start in the Texas House. It will be up to the public to get the House members’ attention.

 

Dewhurst Education

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Senator Dan Patrick on CSCOPE

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Senator Patrick posted the following on his Facebook Page today July 19, 2013.

CSCOPE UPDATE:

Over the past few months I told several groups that I was working with the Attorney General’s office and planned to ask the State Auditor to perform an audit of the CSCOPE program. 

My concern is that millions of dollars may have been spent by the program without the proper bidding process, contracts, and full transparency, required by government entities when using taxpayer money.

On Friday of last week the Attorney General’s office sent a letter to our state auditor, John Keel, sharing their concerns about CSCOPE. 

Yesterday, as Chairman of Education, I sent a letter to Mr Keel requesting an official state audit of the program. After months of research, once again with the tireless help of the grassroots, it appears that CSCOPE may have spent millions of dollars outside of normal government rules and regulations. 

I am not suggesting any wrong doing at this time. However, we need a full state audit to examine exactly what taxpayer money was spent and how it was spent since the inception of this program.

Another CSCOPE issue was raised this week by a TEA attorney who said that schools could possibly use any CSCOPE material still in the public domain. We disagree with his analysis, but are checking further into this matter.

The CSCOPE lesson plans are no longer available after August 31. I urge parents to monitor closely the decision of their districts who attempt to use any public domain material whether it is CSCOPE or another program and to make sure their voice is heard. According to the Texas Tribune districts that used CSCOPE saw lower scores on the STAAR tests than districts who did not use the program. This is in addition to the mistake ridden and objectionable lesson plans we uncovered in our hearings this year. 

It is clear that the majority of teachers, parents, and legislators want CSCOPE lesson plans gone from the classroom. I will continue do everything possible to ensure that no one tries to slip these flawed and failed lesson plans under the classroom door.

I will update you on what is happening in your classrooms and alert you to those who try to circumvent the will of the people and the legislature.

 


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Does Texas School Curriculum Sell America Short?

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by Andrew Horansky / KHOU 11 News

khou.com

Posted on May 6, 2013 at 10:24 PM

Updated today at 10:40 PM

HOUSTON — Some parents say students in Texas are the victims of a plan to rewrite history. Parents are taking aim at CSCOPE, a program being used in about three-quarters of all Texas school districts.

According to parent Kathy Rogers, one lesson equates the Boston Tea Party patriots to terrorists.

“It looked like what they were trying to do was make capitalism and democracy obsolete,” she said.

Her daughter is a junior in the Friendswood ISD, one of the districts buying into the private program.

In one lesson, students design a flag for an imaginary communist country. Critics say it leans too far left.

“I think basically they’re trying to downplay American culture. They’re trying to downplay American exceptionalism,” Rogers said.

Brent Hawkins is an administrator with the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC) and has heard the complaints.

He believes that they are the exception and not the norm.

“CSCOPE was not written in California, it was not written in the liberal state of Massachusetts, it was written here in Texas by Texas teachers,” he said.

When it started a few years ago, CSCOPE was intended to help smaller districts save money. It created a standard core curriculum for grades K-12 which encouraged teaching through technology over textbooks.

“The efficiency of it, the price savings that’s been passed on to school districts, you’ve seen some of the larger districts see a value in that and buy in as well,” Hawkins said.

But parents say it has not always been transparent. Much of the learning comes off computers seen only in classrooms.

They say there is no way to check all that is in there and worry catching all mistakes may be impossible.

“It’s like ‘whack-a-mole,’” Kathy Rogers said. “You take something out but who knows if five things that are wrong aren’t added at the same time or at different times.”

Combine that with the critics’ view that CSCOPE sends too many mixed signals about America’s greatness, and it becomes clear why legislators are now getting involved.

Houston State Senator Dan Patrick recently passed a CSCOPE bill calling for a thorough review. The findings are due in four or five months.

“I’d like to put CSCOPE out of business,” Sen. Patrick said. “What we have is in my view is a rogue curriculum being taught in over 800 of our 1000 school districts that has never been under review, that has never been fact checked, and even the people who run CSCOPE don’t know what’s in their own lessons.”

For now, the Friendswood ISD has suspended the social studies portion. Rogers started a website so that parents can share notes on what their kids are learning.

For them, history is being written while they take on an entire curriculum.

 

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