Missing the point
I believe that both sides in the discussion about student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test miss the point. Don’t look at the student scores; look at how they are generated. Don’t look at the Harvard study; look at NAEP, which can be done to exhaustion at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/.
The reported test results are statistical constructs. Scores are imputed from rigorously defined statistical parameters ensuring that statistically, every assumption and conclusion is defensible. Most people who read the results of studies, such as the Harvard study, believe that a sample of students sits down and takes the whole test, as we did when we were in school. They don’t. No student takes the entire test. Group (state) outcomes are generated from samples.
For example, the NAEP glossary defines “plausible values” as proficiency estimates for an individual NAEP respondent, drawn at random from a conditional distribution of potential scale scores for all students in the sample who have similar characteristics and identical patterns of item responses. Estimates? Potential? Similar? Identical? Read the definition again. I’m not shooting the messenger. Rather, I’m taking a long look at the messenger.
The point is that perhaps Maine teachers are being imaginative, not teaching to the test. What their students are learning is expanding, not constraining, their cognitive ventures. Yes, other states are showing improvement, which implies that the educators in those state systems are aligning themselves with the expectation of the test… Maine, perhaps, seeks a more independent context for its students, its future residents.
Mark Schwartz, Ph.D.
Stillwater
Steele articulation
Thank you, Erik Steele (BDN, July 20). You have given me the framework I need to work for President Barack Obama in the upcoming election. When we get involved in politics, especially a heated presidential campaign, many of us become passionate and then, as Steele articulates so well, “attach visceral emotional or judgmental responses” to those we “quickly categorize” as part of the opposition. We seek out and delight in all the media bits that emphasize and distort the negative in our nonchosen candidate.
Conversations I hear and sometimes take part in are heavy on the blanket criticisms and ridicule. My goal during this election season is to use some of the techniques that Steele suggests, to practice teaching my brain to respect others: “listening, learning and seeking to understand” people of a different political persuasion, while still passionately supporting my chosen candidate, Obama. I don’t expect to do a perfect job, but it’s my intention to do the best I can.
Suzanne Kelly
Bangor
NCAA got it wrong
The actions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association are going to cause collateral damage at Penn State College that will be as bad as what we have seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. Scores of businesses and present students as well as future students are going to be punished for something that they had nothing to do with. In addition other colleges that were scheduled to play, Penn State will also suffer. Not just this year but in years to come.
I would suggest that the program be continued, but all incoming funds, not to be limited to ticket sales but to all funds that are a result of the athletic program, be deposited into an escrow account administered by a neutral board appointed by the NCAA and reporting to them directly. Any NCAA fines would come out of this account as well as funds necessary to run the program. If there is no legal basis for this to occur then the state Legislature could pass the necessary legislation to make it legal.
This approach would allow the NCAA to obtain suggestions on how the surplus funds would be used. They could get input from many interested parties that would help them navigate through this new unchartered waterway so there is as little collateral damage as possible, and more good could come from this tragic affair than they have thought of. This could have a time limit on its application.
John Ferriday
Sedgwick
School daze
The column from Lois Kilby-Chesley on July 24 certainly informs Gov. Paul LePage of what is really happening in the Maine public schools. I have always believed that Maine does a better job with less money than many states.
When considering moving here around 1987, both my husband and I interviewed for jobs. My elementary school interviews revealed that kindergarten through grade 3 classes were kept small for better instruction. My 20 years back in Maryland would not transfer, so I continued to build up years toward a 30-year retirement there.
Every summer I look at what is happening in Maine’s public schools. Computer education was ahead of the curve years ago. This summer I find that iPads are being tried with kindergarteners in the Lewiston area. Bravo, Kilby-Chesley and her fifth graders. Bravo, Maine public schools, in spite of what LePage claims. Those in the profession know of the daily successes and yearly achievements. High school drop-out improvements are most impressive.
Thank you, Kilby-Chesley, for your fine, informative column. Now, let us see what the reading skills are for our Maine governor.
Martha F. Barkley
Belgrade Lakes
Global warning
What is it with people who deny the veracity of science, whether it be evolution or climate change? The human mind must have a powerful denial response to fearful things in some people. Unfortunately, those blithely denying people get in the way of those of us who understand the truth and would like to do something to help the world continue to exist for our children and grandchildren.
Paul Krugman’s article in The New York Times on July 23 explains how much those addicted to denial, as well as those who profit from playing on that addiction, are hurting the rest of us. I wish we could all rise up and stifle those ridiculous voices who say that global warming is not true.
Carolyn Bower
Surry
Thank you for support
Recently family members held a dinner and silent auction for our brother, John Birmingham, who recently had a bilateral lung transplant.
The outpouring of support from local businesses, the media, volunteers and individual donors was inspirational and truly appreciated. What a wonderful, caring community we live in.
Thank you to all that made this event such a huge success. Go to www.HelpHOPELive.org for more information.
Ann Birmingham
Bangor
Thank you, Ms. Bower, for reminding us of the reality of global warming. One cannot deny that the earth is warmer: flowers are blooming two to three weeks earlier than they did just thirty years ago; the nation’s breadbasket is facing droughts; we all are experiencing heat waves.
Nor can one honestly deny that the warming comes from human causes: the increase in global temperatures mirrors the increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
Only the gullible still believe the paid apologists for the oil industry. They threaten to leave our grandchildren with a very different world.
Agreed on the possibility of global climate change. Most likely cause would be over population. Too many people and not enough plants.
I agree that overpopulation is one of the causes.
Overconsumption of fossil fuels is the primary cause and that is primarily happening in the industrialized world, including China.
I have long favored wide distribution of contraceptives and a strong push for the morning after pill. This planet long ago exceeded its carrying capacity.
The entire population of the world could fit into the state of Texas, and the population density would be less than that of the current density of New York City. Overpopulation is a myth. Our real problem is selfishness and the squandering of resources because of war and greed.
I think that the idea of overpopulation in some parts of the earth is a fact.
New York City is the 2nd most densely populated area in the world, slightly behind Mumbai. People seem to get along in New York just fine. Again, the problem is a misallocation of technology and resources.
Right, and that contributes to the condition of overpopulation. If a place can’t handle the number of people, for whatever reason, then that place is overpopulated. The same is true for walruses, deer, or whatever animal. Some places in Maine are overpopulated with deer, even though the state can certainly hold the number of deer that exist.
And, thanks to a large number of tall buildings, the population volume density of NYC is still quite high. As for cramming the world into Texas, that would take one hack of a lot of skyscrapers.
I am not advocating to cram the world’s population into Texas. The data show, however, just how UNDERpopulated the world is. If there is any overpopulation in the world, it is that we have an overpopulation of a powerful minority which has the goal of minimizing the population of “commoners,” and to keep them in either actual or virtual slavery. The myths of man-made global warming and overpopulation are just 2 of the tools they use to try to enact their agenda.
How much food does New York City actually grow for it self? Less than 1% and the rest comes from all over the planet.
How much water does New York City get from inside it’s borders? Zero, all of it’s water comes from sources tens of miles away.
Just because we can support a large population of people in a small area does not mean that a large part of the Earth’s surface is still used to support them.
And 85% of the land surface of the Earth cannot be used for growing food or providing water.
Here is a graphical represtation of the amount of arable land on the planet
http://farmland.org/Flash/appleEarth.html
It was just in the news last week that advances in agriculture are just letting us catch on to the fact that food production can be increased exponentially if we grow it vertically instead of horizontally. It has been shown that a 30-story building with advanced growing systems can feed a population of 50,000 people. Again, overpopulation is a myth. God will decide when there are too many people on the earth, and we should let it be his problem. Salvation should be our first and foremost concern, not whether we have too many people or not. Population doomsayers have been around for centuries, yet we always seem to be able to come up with enough food to feed ourselves, no matter how many people we have. It’s only unjust actions that cause people to starve these days, not a lack of resources.
At the same time that we’re seeing these advances in agriculture we’re also seeing increases in disease, ie-cancer. Although industry will deny it, in my gut I can’t help but feel that we’re killing ourselves with all those fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics in our food supply, not to mention what we do to our water and air.
They get along fine because their food and water comes from outside the city. Imagine if their supplies were cut off. They do not have the ability to provide their own sustenance. How long would it be before they were killing each other (more than they are now)?
Add to that lack of resources and delivery systems in some populations. Essentially when overpopulation is discussed it means that there is a lack of resources for that particular area, resulting in starvation. The lack of resources may be due to poor farming techniques, inability to get the food to the needy, or corrupt individuals profiting from the available resources.
Here is a nice graphical representation of just how little land there is on the planet for growing food.
http://farmland.org/Flash/appleEarth.html
The fact that theoretically you could fit every person on the planet into Texas is a simplistic way of looking at the over population of the planet.
The fact that less than 15% of the earth surface is capable of growing crops and the fact that people also live in these areas shows that we are infact over populating the Earth.
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS
One large volcano emits more CO2 than all of mankind combined. There are 160 active volcanoes on the earth’s surface, and who knows how many are under the oceans. Man-made global warming is a hoax, designed to create artificially made fear, and to extort money from people and control them.
Real data, please. Have they been producing that much more CO2 since the Industrial Revolution and the population explosion? And we can’t do much about volcanoes, but we can do something about human contributions.
I like that! I’ll use it, too! “It will be taught to the children in school” is a hoax, designed to create artificially made fear, and to extort money from people and control them.
Hoax? No way, Jose.
I’m sorry-I changed the subject. I was using a line often said by those against SSM as a reason why gays shouldn’t be allowed to marry the person they love.
You realize that the logical step after this statement is … In order to save the Earth we need to lower the human population of the Earth to a sustainable level. and the best and fastest way to do that is to euthanize those that do not contribute enough to society.
Someone could decide that you do not contribute enough.
According to the USGS, all volcanoes emit 200 million tons of co2 per year, while the amount emitted by use of fossil fuels is estimated at 26.8 billion tons per year. In other words, all the volcanoes combined emit less than 1% of that from human activity. Discovery News has an article by Jessica Marshall explaining it. Or just try googling ” co2 produced by volcanoes”.
I’m sorry I didn’t get my report correct. It was something my wife read 20-25 years ago, in the old days before Al Gore invented the internet.
If you want to use the internet to find out the truth about global warming, try googling
http://www.realscience.com, which uses the truth to debunk the pseudo-science behind the GW hoax. Climate change is real. It has been happening throughout all of earth’s history. The output of the sun has more to do with that than CO2 levels, however.
Your reference to the right wing nut claim that Al Gore said he invented the internet, which he never said, and using a source which has been refuted time and time again, shows your lack of understanding of the facts. The link you provided is to an ebay site.
Try again. http://www.real-science.com. Much better info. Sorry for the misstep.
In a forthcoming NYT op-ed piece Richard Muller, founder and scientific director of the Berkely Earth Surface Temperature Study (BEST), reveals the final conclusions of the study. Muller was a climate science denier until he conducted this study, funded by the Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation. The Koch brothers are well known for funding climate science deniers. So this has come as a surprise to many.
An excerpt of the final conclusions can be found under the title “New Global Temperature Data Reanalysis Confirms Warming, Blames co2”.
Essentially, for those without the time to look it up, they concluded that the claims of warming are true and due to human behavior, and may have been understated by most of the previous reports.
A great reminder that serious consumers of information need to look at who is funding or publishing a study
When former climate science deniers are qualified scientists, as in this case, and they come to the same conclusions as mainstream scientists, it becomes rather embarrassing for others to continue to deny the conclusions. I am sure they will either try to put a spin on the study or ignore it completely. The deniers are increasingly finding it difficult to put forth their pseudo-science due to the overwhelming and worldwide efforts of reputable qualified scientists.
That would be Sir Albert Gore to you, Mr. Gore loves his 12K a month electic bill, he must surf the web a lot.
If you’re serious with your first paragraph, you are way out of date and grossly inaccurate. And you want your fallacious material taught in schools? Not in any schools I have anything to do with.
The Sun is 4 years into it’s Solar Maximum cycle and is expected to peak in 2013. If the Sun was in a Solar minimum from 1997 to 2008 why were those years warmer than the preceeding 11 years of a Solar Maximum?
It’s other gases from the volcanoes that impact global warming.
Volcanic winters due to their soot are a counterbalance.
The human-produced effects are insignificant in comparison.
Warming of the planet has actually stopped. And for anyone counting CO2, the U.S. is leading the world in dropping CO2 emissions – not due to the chicken little cries of Goros and company, but due to the switching over to natural gas, a clean and abundant domestic fuel supply.
Read what the “Godfather of Global Warming” recently wrote:
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/06/22/green-drivel
Granted sulfur compounds also have an impact on global warming, but per other valid data quoted here, I think you’re flogging a dead horse.
July 2012 is projected to be the warmest month on record, 2011 was the ninth warmest year on record with every year since 2000 being warmer than average.
The warming of the planet has NOT stopped.
Check out the graph from this website. It clearly shows the warming trend adn that fact that is has not stopped.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html
Maybe the earth is warming, maybe it’s not. It depends on which scientists you believe. But the earth warmed and cooled for billions of years before people even walked it, and to believe that global warming is man-made, without considering the scientifically studied effects of sun spots, is ignoring a lot of real science at best.
“…Gas studies at volcanoes worldwide have helped volcanologists tally up a
global volcanic CO2 budget in the same way that nations around the
globe have cooperated to determine how much CO2 is released by human
activity through the burning of fossil fuels. Our studies show that globally,
volcanoes on land and under the sea release a total of about 200 million tonnes
of CO2 annually.
This seems like a huge amount of CO2, but a visit to the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)
website (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/) helps
anyone armed with a handheld calculator and a high school chemistry text put the
volcanic CO2 tally into perspective. Because while 200 million tonnes
of CO2 is large, the global fossil fuel CO2 emissions for
2003 tipped the scales at 26.8 billion tonnes. Thus, not only does volcanic
CO2 not dwarf that of human activity, it actually comprises less than
1 percent of that value.”
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/archive/2007/07_02_15.html
The global warming deniers have used this falsehood for years to “prove” that volcaoes are more a cause of CO2 emmisions than humanity but it is just plain wrong.
“…Annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions exceed annual volcanic CO2 by two orders of magnitude, and probably exceed the CO2 output of one or more super-eruptions. Thus there is no scientific basis for using volcanic CO2 emissions as an excuse for failing to manage humanity’s carbon footprint.”
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/08/volcanic-vs-anthropogenic-co2/
That is the research I was pointing to. Thanks for the link.
I’m reaping the benefits of Maine’s warming; why aren’t you? Maine agriculture has never been more prosperous, and droughts similar to the ‘dust bowl era’ are only driving up the price for Maine crops.
Um, I’m honestly denying that the Dust Bowl drought was due to CO2 concentrations. Care to dispute me?
The dust bowl drought of the 1930s was due to poor farming techniques, as well as lack of rain.
The current drought may appear good for Maine crops, but it is driving up the price of all food sources for the entire country. That’s ok if you can grow sufficient food to feed your own family, but if you must buy anything you will soon realize the downside.
With Maine farms fast becoming an extinct species; your lack of concern about their ability to make enough money to pay debt, etc. is alarming; as is your ignorance of the give n take of weather patterns—-it’s hot here, and freezing in Russia, etc. Drought in Mid west offset by rain in U.K. .
And was AGW respon. for the ‘lack of rain’? I honestly don’t think so; plowing up the prairie maybe; but then you’d be happy restoring the original forest and prairie and staying back in Europe?
How did you get my “lack of concern” from my post? Or that I think global warming is “responsible for the current lack of rain” (in the Midwest)? And your assumption that I’d “be happy restoring the original forest and staying back in Europe”? Perhaps if you would explain how you got these conclusions from my post your comments would make some sense.
Your lack of concern for the economic viability of Maine’s farms is obvious.
No where in any of my posts have I discussed my views on Maine farms. I merely pointed out that the country as a whole will see increased prices for food and products derived from food due to the drought in the Midwest. Those who grow their own will not, unless they must buy something which they cannot grow. Now I will state that Maine farms, and others not in the drought area, will undoubtedly benefit from higher prices.
You make assumptions which have no basis in anything I have posted. Note especially I have not said whether or not I am concerned about Maine farms, or any others, being financially successful. You jump to the conclusion that I am not concerned, wish to start an argument on that unfounded basis, and should take a course in comprehensive reading before posting.
Complicated situation, tought to tell. However, higher CO2 concentrations are contributing to weather extremes and climate trends.
..and don’t forget more of those damn Japanese beetles.
My first comment is under review so I’ll write another. I’m appalled,to say the least, at John Ferriday’s discontent with the NCAA ruling against Penn State because they turned a blind eye to the child abuse that was being carried out by one of their favorite sons,Jerry Sandusky.To relate the damage being done to Penn State by this scandal to the damage done in Afghanistan and Iraq is unbelievable. As a father,grandfather and greatgrandfather, I find his lack of concern for the victims unbelievable and as a veteran I see a total lack of understanding as to what our brave men and women in the armed forces are going through. I would love to have the chance to talk with Mr. Ferriday at the nearest woodshed to discuss this matter.
Good, even great letters by all.
Carolyn Bower… your letter is nonsensical. How is what I believe or not believe going to change anything?
Why, what you see is what you get.
Mr Ferriday, when a child abuser is found guilty, they must be accountable for the rest of their lives by notifying the police of their whereabouts, and avoid contact with children forever. When those who cover up such crimes are found guilty, they should be required to pay the equivalent penalty. The NCAA got it wrong because Penn State will eventually be allowed to resume their athletic programs.
Collateral damage is the nature of committing a crime. Some one innocent will always be affected. That is reality, whether it is corrupt banking officials relatives, or the families of accused child molesters.
John Ferriday, harsh punishment indeed. Sometimes there needs to be harsh punishment to get the attention of not only that particular school, but all schools. I would venture a guess that there are other pedophiles out there who have worked their way into positions of trust. Just like Jerry Sandusky did. I would venture that there are administrators who know about these pedophiles and have kept it quiet in the fear that their institution or organization would lose stature or harm their reputation.
I feel that the sanctions weren’t strong enough.
Penn State was entrusted to set an example. Unfortunately they dropped the ball. Now they will have to be held up as a poster child for the other schools to look at. I would bet that if the situation had been taken care of at the earliest point in time when people were informed of Sanduskys habits. They would still have retained their status.
Carolyn Bower writes about stifling all voices that disagree with her.
Sorry, Ms. Bower but this is still America not a totalitarian country with armies of greenshirts.
I agree that “stifling” was too harsh and not appropriate. However, we should continue to advocate for good data and analysis even thought the denialists will resist accepting the validity (and the non-validity of their stances).
Mark Schwartz, I suggest you map out the pool of schools both at 4th and 8th grade(smaller universe); and reference the socio-economic catchment areas for those schools. You’ll find these are the ‘better’, more progressive schools, and more likely to score highest on the NAEP’s.
Now find out…a sample will do, how many ‘prep’ for the NAEP’s. At one time this was a week in several schools.
Now if you can, I can’t, maybe you can, who the students are in these schools who were selected to take the test.
I believe only 22% of 4th graders took the test and 17% of 8th graders. Lots of room for error and bias if you know where to look for it, and remember if you want to do a real ‘apples to apples’ comparison compare the performance of Maine’s nearly all white student test takers… approx. 93% with those of the White students in New England or Nationally and tell us what you find.
Ms. Bower . Stifle them all!
Your sentiments are clearly stated by “your ilk”, and you are not the first to clearly state your feelings.
“Sieg Heil”!
I can’t wait until people are finally over making stupid and hyperbolic holocaust references.
John Ferriday you’re kidding right? Not only did the Penn State ‘leadership’ (and I will use that word loosely) NOT report suspected child abuse that they had information on as far back as 1998, they colluded with one another and lied to keep the suspected abuse quiet, they didn’t tell the board of trustees, they continued to allow Sandusky to have access to other children for years after 1998, they minimized the information the Second Mile Organization about the suspected abuse issues, AND then after Sandusky retired they gave him Emeritus status (which he was clearly not qualified for) which enabled him to use the Penn State facilities and still have access to kids through his Second Mile Organization….all because it was easier to not upset the money making machine the football program was or distort Penn State’s reputation.
It’s too bad that other people, businesses, etc will be part of the casualties of the NCAA ruling….Penn State’s ‘leadership’ should have thought of that. They should have been leading instead of taking the easy way out. They were getting paid to ‘lead’ as head coach, athletic director, university president and university vice president and they all willfully failed to do what was required as leaders of Penn State. So welcome to natural consequences 101….We all know when the crap hits the fan everyone get’s a little on them not just the people responsible for the crap. I’m willing to bet if any of those kids abused by Sandusky was your child or grandchild you’d be singing a different tune.
My earlier posting questioning the sainthood of Dr. Erik Steele was deleted, presumably because I asked why he never discusses labor issues at his medical empire at which he’s one of the top execs, not a mere MD. This second posting will probably be deleted as well. The BDN deletes any criticisms of certain persons it deems immune to criticism. This is common when any dares to criticize Sens. Collins and Snowe. So Dr. Steele is in distinguished company. A pathetic policy.
LOL, paranoid much? They delete offensive comments, not ones they merely disagree with. Why would the BDN publish fringe right lunatic letters if they were interested in censorship?
Dear Wolfndeer: you’re wrong. All negative comments about retiring Bangor High Principal Norris Nickerson in 2011 were promptly deleted, as were all negative comments about the recent vote by our Senators against the Lily Ledbetter law to give women equal pay with men. In both cases, and in countless others, perfectly polite comments appeared briefly with the Edit tag and then disappeared. I read these two sets of comments and realized what was going on. It all depends on the powers that be at the BDN not wishing to remove their chosen saints from their pedestals.
You will do better talking to the wall…LOL
The dinosaurs would of loved global warming… The climate
changes daily….. Now that is science…